Breastfeeding: the ancient art of feeding one's offspring! Why doesn't anyone tell you how freakin' HARD it is?!
I have always known that when I had a baby, I would breastfeed. The hospital I gave birth at heavily promotes breastfeeding, so I was able to have immediate skin-to-skin contact with Iris for the first hour of her life, and they showed me the basic mechanics. I had lots of colostrum, and Iris sort of latched on after about half an hour, which was a relief. However, during my 48 hours in the hospital, all I could think about when I was feeding her was how much it hurt! The nurses were sort of helpful, but not really. One came in at around 6 a.m. on the morning we were discharged and found me in tears. My nipples were blistered and I was in a lot of pain. She asked me if it hurt-hurt, or if it was just a pulling sensation. Uhh...? I didn't really know what to say! I continued to soldier through the pain.
At our two-day appointment (Iris was four days old), Iris had gained double what she needed to since being discharged from the hospital and her poop had changed from tarry meconium to yellow, seedy breastmilk poop, so everything appeared to be going well, except for the state of my poor nipples. I had a latch assessment, and the nurse told me to "hug" Iris to my body more, and to angle my nipple up into the roof of her mouth when she latched to avoid her "lipstick-ing" it. I did, and definitely noticed a difference... until I got home.
My blisters did heal, but the pain stayed. I searched the internet constantly, finding that maybe I had painful let-down, maybe her mouth was still to small to latch properly... I was using lanolin, which helped with the healing, but it started to make my nipples tingle uncomfortably. My milk coming in led to major engorgement. Breastfeeding is hard!
At Iris' two-week appointment, she weighed 8 lbs, 12 oz, up a full 1 lb 1 oz from her birthweight of 7/11! She's a very healthy and happy girl. Despite the pain I breastfeed on demand, no matter what. Over the next two weeks I continued to feed through the pain, searching and searching. Finally, I realized: I should focus more on positioning, and not feel bad about popping her off to correct her latch. In online forums I read about flipping her upper lip up to be properly "flanged," and also about expressing a bit of milk after she feeds to rub on my nipples instead of the lanolin. At four weeks on the dot, her latch seemed to correct itself! I still find myself a little bit apprehensive when she latches on, and my letdown is still a bit painful, but the pain goes away within a few seconds. Today I thought she was bearing down with her gums, but it was just her little razor-nails clamping down on my breast beside her mouth! Amazing.
Long story short, if you're a new mom who is trying to breastfeed, don't give up! It is not easy, and can even be painful, but it will get better. I am so thankful that I haven't had more intense problems like blocked ducts or mastitis. The key seems to be patience, patience, patience, and practice makes perfect! Both you and baby are learning, and it definitely takes two to get it right. At this point, I'm actually finding it to be enjoyable!
Another key: set yourself up in one spot, with something to do that doesn't require your hands. I find watching Netflix to be quite handy, haha! Going on the internet is a no, since it makes it really hard to keep the baby in the correct position, at least at first. I made the mistake of thinking I could do more than "just" breastfeed in the early days, which I think contributed to the problems I had in a very big way!
Happy feeding :)
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