When I was pregnant with my daughter over four years ago, I had decided to try to exclusively breastfeed her. I had delved into the research, reading every article I could on effective breastfeeding and why “breast is best”. I came to the conclusion that this was something I could do. Not only would it be extremely beneficial for my baby and myself, but it is also free and let’s face it, formula is expensive! Now that I have two children, I feel I am seasoned and able to give out my best breastfeeding advice.
*This post contains affiliate links.
Breastfeeding My Oldest
When my little girl was born via C-section, I realized quickly that nursing was not as simple as I had imagined it to be. I did not get immediate skin to skin with her. She was taken away to the nursery for upwards of an hour while I was in recovery. While I was insistent that no one feed her until she returned to me, we still faced issues on the breastfeeding front. She had a difficult time latching, and we discovered that the only thing that helped was the use of a Nipple Shield
I actually started to enjoy the nursing experience. Thankfully I was able to exclusively breastfeed my daughter for six months, at which point I began introducing solid foods. She still had breast milk as her main form of nutrition until the age of one. Nursing continued until she was right at two years old. I was both happy and sad to see the end of this journey hat we embarked upon together.
Fast forward two years and we welcomed a new baby boy to the family! His birth was vastly different and I was able to get the immediate skin to skin and I never had to be separated from him. He latched on right away and has been nursing like a champ for three months strong now.
After breastfeeding two babies, I now feel like I am somewhat capable of offering my personal breastfeeding advice along with a few tips and tricks I have picked up along the way.
Yes, I jumped right on that Tree of Life Bandwagon
First off, breastfeeding does not come easily to everyone! Many mothers have to really work at it and a lot of those mothers will give up for different reasons, but if you are dedicated to it you can make it work for you!
Breastfeeding Advice, Tips, Tricks
- As soon as your baby is born it is extremely beneficial to have immediate skin to skin contact with your little bundle of joy. This will help not only regulate the baby’s temperature but will also provide immediate bonding which will help stimulate a healthy breastfeeding relationship. Now, not every mother gets this, I didn’t with my first and was still able to successfully breastfeed her. Most hospitals are getting better about allowing C-section mothers to have skin to skin before taking the baby out of the room, but some babies need to be taken to the NICU, if this happens to you, don’t worry it will not ruin your chances of breastfeeding.
- If your baby does have to be taken away for a period of time, be insistent that you DO NOT want anyone to give him or her formula. While not a complete deal breaker, it can cause nipple confusion at an early age. I personally waited about three months before I gave either of my children pumped milk in a bottle in order to ensure we had a strong breastfeeding relationship.
- Don’t supplement if you can avoid it! This is one of my biggest pet peeves. When someone tells a new mother that she needs to supplement because the baby is not eating enough or because of jaundice or because the mother’s milk has not come in yet. First off, the first day or so of a newborn’s life he or she is exhausted and pretty much just wants to sleep so they won’t eat as much these first days. Secondly, a mother’s actual milk does not come in for a few days to a week after the birth of a child. Your baby will be perfectly satisfied with nothing but the small amount of colostrum that your body is producing. The first week or so a baby’s stomach is so tiny that not much can be held in there to begin with. Finally, if your baby happens to have jaundice (which is pretty common, as both of my babies had it), that is still no reason to be forced to supplement. Continue to nurse on demand and get that baby some direct sunlight. The more the baby poops, the lower the bilirubin levels will become and lets face it, breast milk digests mush faster than formula.
- This brings me to my next bit of breastfeeding advice, nurse on demand. Many medical professionals will tell you that you need to have your brand new baby on a feeding schedule. This is utter craziness to me. Your baby will eat when hungry, which in the first few months is A LOT! Breastfeeding babies will also go through periods of cluster feeding where they nurse for what seems like a whole day. This actually serves a purpose though, because the more a baby nurses, the more milk your body produces. Supply and demand at work. Babies will cluster-feed prior to a growth spurt in order to signal your body to produce more milk! This is partially why is is not good to supplement super early. Baby needs to nurse in order for you to produce milk. It isn’t that you are starving your baby or that you aren’t making enough milk, it is a natural occurrence and it is highly likely that your baby is not starving.
- My final bit of breastfeeding advice is for those planning to return to work. Start pumping to build up a stockpile pretty early. Many times I have heard not to do this because it increases demand which can lead to an oversupply, but really, isn’t an oversupply what you WANT when you are pumping in order to return to work? I was able to pump about 300 oz in a few weeks which is still taking up room in my deep freezer at the moment.
Breastfeeding Advice for Low Supply
- Mother’s Milk Tea
has worked amazingly for me. Some people don’t like the taste (black licorice) but i personally love it! I drink it hot with honey and milk and it tastes delicious!
- You will also need to drink a TON of water. When I say a ton, I mean it. What i did was basically drink half of my body weight in ounces of water. SO get you a good water bottle and chug away!
- Pumping is also a great way to increase your supply. I would pump between feedings often. I also made it a habit to pump on one breast while baby was nursing on the other side. Once again, the more demand on your milk the more supply you will get!
- Fenugreek
supplements are also a great option. You can get them online or at most health food stores. The downside to these is they can make baby gassy. They also tend to make you smell like maple syrup.
- There are so many foods as well that help increase your supply. Oatmeal is my go to personally. You can even make delicious lactation cookies like these that i found on Pintrest a while back.
My Beast Piece of Breastfeeding Advice
- RELAX. I can’t emphasize this enough. Your little baby will feel your stress, and it can cause some nursing aversion. The best advice I can give you is to relax and enjoy it. Breastfeeding is an awesome bonding experience. Yes, at times it can be hard but we power through. There will be days your little one wants to be on the boob all day. I say let it happen. The dishes can wait, the laundry can wait. They will be there for you when you have time. This precious little baby will only be little once. Let the house be messy, let things be out of place. Enjoy this time and soak up all the tiny baby cuddles, because one day they won’t be so little anymore.
This is an awesome post. I’m currently breastfeeding my little boy and it is the best. I had a few problems at the beginning too, that seems extremely common, but I am so glad I stuck it out.
Boys and the boobs
Nope never
Where were you 4 yrs ago?
I was too but I didn’t succeed 😭
I would’ve been more adimit if it wasn’t freezing weather out and I didn’t have PPD and have pressure from his family. Along w hypertension
Yed it is! And real my in laws were telling me I needed to read my Bible n pray n I won’t be depressed when it’s a chemical imbalance
You’re telling me it’s been a nightmare
I never got a plastic shield either
I wish I had one but the hospital didnt offer one and I was too dopped up on magnesium
Yeah I literally stared at the wall the first day lol
Great tips! I completely agree with everything you said. Breastfeeding can be tough but it’s the most rewarding benefit of being a new mother!
Me too, this is my third time. The second I had problems and ended up exclusively pumping, I enjoy nursing so much more!
Mine are 10yrs apart, you still have time to decide!
I reposted ☺
Very nice post 🙂
My pleasure
I love this post! My little one had jaundice and they convinced us to supplement her. I wish I would have just waited because my milk came in shortly after and then she was completely fine! Thanks for sharing such great info!
Fenugreek helped my supply a lot too! Breastfeeding is a journey… 🙂
I think one of the saddest things about our culture today is that new moms need to figure all of this out on their own. I was blessed, with my first two, because I had very helpful lactation consultants on call. Congrats on establishing breastfeeding successfully. I do miss those times – treasure them, because they’ll pass quicker than you think.
These were all really great tips! The first week I was so unsure of what I was doing, so the experience was pretty rough. Then I realized only I could breastfeed my baby, ditched what everyone was telling me I should do, and did things my way. (AKA, the way you’ve described.) I nursed my son exclusively over a year, introduced solids at 13 months, continued nursing him to 20 months, and dry nursed him to 22 months when my milk transitioned for my daughter….who is still nursing and going on 1.5 years old. These tips are golden!
Such amazing tips!! Relaxing and trusting your own instinct truly truly is the way to go, but having the appropriate support and guidance is so necessary! I know that in the beginning I really underestimated my need to drink water, staying hydrated is SOOOO important. Thanks for sharing <3
Breastfeeding is so much work but so worth it! Excellent info in this post, brings back memories.
I nursed all 4 kids including twins. The nurse told me “You WILL need to learn to nurse Two at a time”. She was right and I learned very quickly. If I didn’t I would never have had a moment free!
It took a lot of perseverance for me to be able to nurse my babies. I’ve nursed all 4 until they’ve reached almost 2. It can be so challenging, but it’s worth it. Also, I found that the biggest thing for me to increase my milk was brewers yeast! I would add it to smoothies (or make cookies….but that’s not conducive to losing that baby weight, especially if you have no will power…heh heh).
I’m sharing this with a friend who’s struggling with this right now! ❤
Great tips! I’ve breastfed both of my kids and it’s definitely a journey. Way easier the second time around!
I LOVE how you encourage women to advocate for themselves and their babies. Breastfeeding is an arduous thing and unfortunately, we can’t be timid about expressing our preferences either in the hospital or workforce. Thanks for being real.
These are such great tips! I wish I found out about this sooner though.
Belle | One Awesome Momma
300oz frozen!?! I’m not sure whether to be jealous or impressed! Even with taking fenurgreek (which didn’t last long because it upset mine and baby’s stomachs) and drinking it’s of water I didn’t get anywhere close to 300.
You can’t beat free. I remember the first trip I went with my first child. I sat back and said Ahhh no worry about formula, special water or bottles!
Really great tips! Breastfeeding was very easy for us, and something I’m very grateful for
I love the tip about not supplementing if you don’t have to. My babies were much smaller/less chunky than other babies born at the time and it was as if people were hinting mine weren’t getting enough milk. That they needed formula. I almost broke, but I trusted my instinct and stuck with nursing. My son will be 4 this year and he is still Mr. Skinny and a human garbage disposal. I hope this inspires new mamas to push through and try as hard as they can!
My daughter is the same way! She’s just naturally thin. She’s,4 now,too and eats all day but stays a skinny little thing
Great tips, I’m sure this will help lots of new moms! I wished I could have breastfed but I have practially zero prolactin and nothing seemed to make the ducts get it together. You’re right though, formula is CRAZY expensive!
Our breastfeeding journey was a difficult one, I have a blood circulation issue that causes immense pain for the first few weeks. It was worth the power through though, I loved nursing my babies. So many mommies struggle, and I think that is what we need to share… that it’s not easy! You aren’t doing it wrong – it’s tough for most to learn and adjust to what works well for them and the baby.
Chelsea || http://www.binkiesandbaubles.com
You are so right. It isn’t always easy, and I think by sharing our stories we can help other women who want to breastfeed but have no support and are frustrated with it.
This is an awesome post! Sadly I am no longer breastfeeding but I still love learning everything i can from other’s moms’ experiences!
I used to work as a nurse in a maternity hospital, and we gladly recommend for mother’s to breast feed the babies. There were mothers that had hard times doing it too, but we make sure we help them and encourage them to still breast feed. This is a very informative post. Thank you!
I agree breastfeeding is hard but it’s so worth it! . Everything best for our babies! 🙂
I had such a hard time breast feeding both babies 4 wks was my max and I had to stop due to the pain. Great article !
Sounds like some great advice for new mothers. This is very thorough and well-written.
I LOVE those pictures of the trees and the roots. They speak so much.
Also, I wanted to breastfeed o bad, but couldn’t because of medicine I have to take. I was super bummed… Great advice though!
http://www.motherhoodgetsbetter.com
I have no kids at the moment, but of course I would love to!
These for sure are great helping tips for mums!
I’m not a mom but I’m sure thing it could be scary to breastfeed since I have ears a lot of things about it. I’m gonna keep in mind your tips.
Really comprehensive post with tons of tips! It’s so good that we’ve started taking more as a society recently about the struggles of breast-feeding, instead of treating it like something secret thing that one can’t get support for.
Well now – there’s my nostalgia for the day. That last picture looks so similar to the way my youngest would doze off while nursing. She quit abruptly when her dad was away for a while – I think she could feel how worn I was, doing everything for two kids alone.
Now and then, I really miss that sweetness.
These are really great tips. I swear by that Mother’s Milk Tea. My middle child was the only daughter I didn’t breatfeed. She had to spend about two months in the NICU and I wasn’t really able to breastfeed her in there, and while I DID use a (medical grade!) breast pump, it just didn’t work for establishing milk. I think I would have had more support if she had been born on the West Coast, like my other two, but she was born in Florida and I dunno, they just seemed ill prepared or something. Good for you for breastfeeding your two!
This is a bit of great advice. I didn’t have the same experience exactly, although I was the dad who held my baby while my ex was recovering from a cesarean. Funny thing is, my daughter wanted to get breast milk from me right away. She was a natural. She only got a mouthful of shirt though. Was cute. I know we dealt with breast vs bottle and that confusion for a while. Unfortunately we had the decision ripped away when my ex suffered depression and needed meds that were harmful to take while breastfeeding. Good post. David Elliott. http://singledadsguidetolife.wordpress.com
I think this is the perfect guide for breastfeeding especially if you’re a new mom. There were so many things that I wish I could have done but I didn’t get enough support from people during that time.
Great tips for new moms! I have only one kid. He is 15 this year. Your post took me back to those days.
Glad to see a post on breast feeding. Everyone seems to be into formula these days. Why you wouldn’t want your baby to be healthy is beyond me. Hope you can get your post out to expecting mothers.
Not yet a Mom but I know the importance of breastfeeding. Thanks for the wonderful tips that I can use in the future. It is really great to give the babies the best like breast milk 🙂
Nursing your baby is no easy feat. Luckily, we’ve rounded up the only breastfeeding tips you’ll ever need, from the experts who’ve figured out the smartest tricks, shortcuts, and solutions.
I kind of feel guilty after reading this because I couldn’t breastfeed at all. I had C sections and no matter how much I really wanted to breastfeed, I couldn’t. I dried up within the first two weeks and couldn’t bear seeing my babies crying for milk, I was forced to switch to formula. I wish I knew about fenugreek supplements and tea back then.
Please don’t feel guilty! I am sure you are an amazing mother! Not everyone can breastfeed, and C-sections make it so much more difficult! A fed baby is a healthy baby!
Those are great advice. I wish I’d known them when I was breastfeeding because I was only able to do so for a month.
The part about the Tree Of Life Bandwagon had me laughing and blushing so much, remembering how I shared all the pictures on Facebook myself. Oh boy.
But everything you here is such great advice. And your freezer stockpile is an inspiration to us all Jessi!
I really enjoyed this post! I am almost 8 weeks postpartum and my breastfeeding Journey has been very interesting. I to use a nipple shield because my daughter would not latch for a while. I was wondering if you ever took your first child off the nipple shield, and if you could share your experience on how you did that.
I think we used it for about a month or two, it wasnt a terrible transition. It was so long ago that its a bit hard to remember, but she never did take to my left boob much
I’m only 1 month away from my due date and I’m more scared of breastfeeding than labor. This really helped me- amazing as always <3
Thanks for this lovely article and than you for sharing your experience with new mom. One thing a baby is blessed with is breast milk, after the mother’s care. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breast milk as the best nutrition for infants.