Seriously, breastfeeding is hard work! It's funny (okay, not really funny) but most websites, lactation consultants, and OB's would say that breastfeeding doesn't hurt when you're doing it right. Well, I have news for them, IT HURTS LIKE HELL! Not all the time... in fact, most of the time, I love breastfeeding Emma. I love snuggling with her, holding her hand, and the knowledge that I'm providing all the nourishment she needs. Unfortunately, even when "you're doing it right", it can still hurt. We're hitting the 6 month growth spurt a little early, I think... eeesh...
For those who don't know, when a baby goes through a growth spurt there's usually LOTS of nursing involved! Emma typically nurses every 3ish hours during a normal day. For the last 3 days, she's been nursing at least every hour! On top of that, I'm used to Emma sleeping through most of the night (7:30ish till 5am then back to sleep till 8am). When she's going through a growth spurt (or having teething pain or hitting a milestone) she's up every 2ish hours! All.night.long!
So, all this nursing takes a toll on those poor nips! What's a girl to do? I deal by taking nice hot showers and letting everything air dry as much as possible. Also, I use Lanolin or breastmilk to moisturize and, again, air dry as much as possible. I fall asleep most nights with a warmed beanbag thing on my chest because it feels.so.good. And... most importantly... I remember to breath!!! Reminding myself that this too shall pass and that the pain is temporary helps me to get through another day of nursing. It's way too important to me to quit just because it hurts sometimes. I have a goal to make it to at least Emma's first birthday. If she wants to continue past that, I'll do my very best.
Did I miss anything? To all you breastfeeding mothers, have any other tips or tricks to keep the boobies feeling happy?
Congrats on choosing bf'ing Amanda!!! I weaned Peyton during her 18th month, and while I loved bf'ing for the most part, it definitely had it's gruesome times as well... like those growth spurts!!! First off, sounds to me like you're doing everything right!!! Some moms swear by taking ibuprofen before nursing or tylenol, tho some moms refuse to take anything because they don't want it passing through the milk to baby. Besides a supportive bra, a good latch from baby, not allowing "lazy suckling", heat packs, lanolin and plain old breast milk there's not much else...You might also want to look into some herbal teas like "Mothers Milk" to help bump up your supply during those spurts... just remember, drink lots of water and pump when you can to help keep the supply high. My body tried to stop producing milk around the 5th month, and I fought to keep it going with my Lactation consultants help... and we did it! So proud to see another mommy so into bf'ing :) Awesome!!! Best of luck to you... enjoy these times, you'll miss them when they're gone!
ReplyDeleteThanks August! Remembering to stay hydrated is a big one! I forget to eat all day let alone drink enough water! I started out with too much milk so I'm not used to having to TRY to keep up with her! It's crazy! Kudo's to you for 18 months!! I'd love to make it that far!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading!!
Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteand hi!!!!!
Can't wait to read more and learn so much from you!!