Share a breastfeeding fact you've learned!

ThisisNumber3

FTM, STM, Whatever:   Share something you've learned or were surprised to learn about breastfeeding!  

Mine - I didn't realize how much breastfeeding is a mind game.  Not knowing how much they are getting.  Its normal for them to want it all the time and just go with the flow at first! 

jamiesc58

Yes, it is natural...no, it is not as easy as it looks! I tried with all 3 of the kids I have at home. With my first dd, she couldn't latch so I exclusively pumped for 4 months and just couldn't do it any longer. With ds, he fed great but wanted to eat ALL the time. He wanted more than what I could give him. I BF'd him for 4 months also and then switched to formula and baby cereal. With our most recent dd, she started out feeding like a champ but had really bad acid reflux. No matter what I did with my diet, she puked every single time she ate. We ended up having to switch her to a special formula. I am going to try so very hard to feed this baby for at least a year if possible.

ETA: Sorry, I guess that was more than just a fact I learned.

Ceventa

OK, so no one told me about the uterine cramping that happens when you breastfeed right after giving birth.
Breastfeeding induces uterine cramping to help your uterus go down in size (which is why your tummy tends to go down a little quicker). However, it's not very pleasant feeling considering that your breasts are hurting while LO is trying to get out as much milk as they can and you are adjusting to feeding, plus now you have strong menstrual cramp to go along with it! I would have appreciated a heads up people! Whenever I would nurse DS I would tell everyone to just not talk to me because I needed to breathe through the cramps. Eventually it stops and your boobs get used to the nursing, but in the beginning it's not painless. Yey.

charmedlifex3

I didn't know milk doesn't even really come in for a few days after birth.

I had no idea. I think I thought it came in sometime before giving birth, or immediately after - or never thought about it. I'm just glad I learned that little tidbit before feeling like a failure for the first two to three days.

pelorunningmama

The pain in the first couple weeks was definitely a shocker to me. Everyone tossed around the term "letdown" and I had no clue what that meant... sure figured it out fast once my milk came in! Luckily, the pain subsides after a few weeks. 

I also did not realize how much I would treasure the breastfeeding relationship. DD weaned around two, but it was such a special relationship. 

Coconut oil works well too on sore nipples if you run out of lanolin. 

ThisisNumber3

Ceventa said:

OK, so no one told me about the uterine cramping that happens when you breastfeed right after giving birth.
Breastfeeding induces uterine cramping to help your uterus go down in size (which is why your tummy tends to go down a little quicker). However, it's not very pleasant feeling considering that your breasts are hurting while LO is trying to get out as much milk as they can and you are adjusting to feeding, plus now you have strong menstrual cramp to go along with it! I would have appreciated a heads up people! Whenever I would nurse DS I would tell everyone to just not talk to me because I needed to breathe through the cramps. Eventually it stops and your boobs get used to the nursing, but in the beginning it's not painless. Yey.

Yes!  This is very true, I was like WTF is going on!  Unfortunately it only gets worse with your next birth! 

bananers

Some women produce too much lipase (an enzyme) in their milk, and it develops a bad taste when stored, even in the freezer. It happens to like 3% of women -- and I was one of them! I didn't discover this until DS was almost 3 months old and I was about to go back to work, and we couldn't figure out why he wouldn't drink any of my frozen milk, but he would take a freshly pumped bottle just fine. So that freezer stash I had spent my entire maternity leave building up (300 oz at this point)? Couldn't use any of it. Cue the ugly cry. 

Fortunately, I also discovered that some milk banks will accept lipase milk. It's not harmful; it just doesn't taste good (soapy and metallic and sour). But since milk banks use it to tube feed preemies in the NICU, it doesn't matter what it tastes like. So at least I didn't have to throw it away. But still, it was pretty awful to realize all that hard work had been for nothing and I had to start my stash all over.

The only way you can store lipase milk is to scald it first (bring it to near boiling -- 180 degrees) and then cool it quickly. So in addition to pumping all day at work and cleaning bottles and pump parts in the evenings, I had to scald my milk before freezing it. It was a lot of work.

Moral of the story: even though the lipase issue isn't common, I'd recommend making sure your baby will take a bottle of frozen milk before you put too much effort into building your frozen stash!

SkiChic626

I've said both of these on here before, but they're my biggest gripes....

1. I didn't know it could take 10 days or more for your milk to come in....wtf, poor baby!!!
2. I thought BF was supposed to be a magic weight loss remedy, but all it did was make me gain 30 lbs.

Also, the uterine cramping didn't bother me all that much, but the fact that it took 4-5 weeks before DD got her initial latch right wasn't something I was ready for.  Every time she would latch I'd have to bite a pillow for like 30 seconds until she got it and the pain stopped.  Then, around 4 or 5 weeks, something clicked and it stopped hurting.

Bookhousegirl

@bananers oh my god, I would have been devastated!! My freezer stash was my pride and joy, every drop was beyond value. 

SkiChic626

bananers I hear you on the lipase.  Somehow I got lipase later on in my BF journey.  After a while DD wouldn't take my frozen milk anymore and we couldn't figure out why.  It had that metallic smell to it but DH said it tasted OK - lol yea he tasted it - but maybe she was tasting something different or he really didn't know what to taste for, so that must have been it.  It wasn't that way the whole time, though, it became that way when I was maybe 5-6 mos pp.  Very weird.

Pepper6

I had no idea how painful getting your milk in could be. I was so engorged and my boobs hurt so freaking bad, it was honestly way worse than any other post partum pain (including the stitches and swelling in your nether regions). 

Also, do not be afraid to use a nipple shield. I heard so many dire warnings about not relying on them because of getting them to wean off, but you know what...between flat nipples, a bad latch, chapped nipples and a fast let down, it was the only way I could breastfeed. It wasn't that bad, so we just kept using them the whole 10 months I breastfed until my daughter self weaned off nursing all together. 

texasmama2014

Allisun85 said:

I didn't know milk doesn't even really come in for a few days after birth.

I had no idea. I think I thought it came in sometime before giving birth, or immediately after - or never thought about it. I'm just glad I learned that little tidbit before feeling like a failure for the first two to three days.

Colostrum is there, you may have started leaking that already! I never noticed the difference actually. Fairly certain my milk "came in" like the night we got home from the hospital so about 2 days? I started leaking colostrum last pregnancy around 15 weeks.  I am currently nursing now so idk what's going on in there anyone.

I've learned that boobs are weird and mastitis is a bitch.

bananers

On a positive note, I had porn star boobs while I was nursing. I always loved waking up in the morning when I was full and showing off the goods to DH. I used to tell him this is what I'd look like with a boob job. 

Curls919

This is worded differently than "random breastfeeding facts" but this is the letter of breastfeeding advice I gave to my BFFs when they had their babies.  I thought I would share in this thread for anyone looking for advice:

-  Breastfeeding is hard.  There will be times you want to scream, times you want to cry.  It gets easier.  Just keep trying!

-  If your hospital offers a breastfeeding class, take it!

-  The Lactation Consultants at the hospital are an invaluable resource.  Let them help you when you are there and take down their info to contact them with any questions/concerns when you are home.

-  www.kellymom.com is a great resource for all things breastfeeding.

-  Little mouths sometimes have a hard time latching properly.  Nursing shouldn’t hurt.  It may hurt at the initial latch, but if the pain persists, then the latch isn’t correct.  Detach and try again.

-  Feeding times should be unrestricted.  The baby will know when it’s full.

-  The baby doesn’t have to take both breasts at each feeding.

-  Cluster feeding is normal.

-  Feedings may be bunched together followed by longer sleep periods.

-  During growth spurts (3 weeks, 6 weeks, etc) the baby may be hungry constantly throughout the day.  This is normal.

-  If the baby shows no signs of pain and burps easily but still spits up, it’s nothing to worry about.  You just have a “happy spitter.”

-  Drink lots of water!

-  If you find you are leaking from the breast that you are not feeding from, buy Milkie’s Milk Saver so you don’t waste valuable milk.

-  When you go to pump, make sure that you have the correct size breastshield (the standard one that comes with the pump is too small for most women).

-  If you find that your nipples are very sore, you can purchase nipple shells that help protect them from rubbing against any fabric while they heal (they are like plastic domes for your nips).

-  Wear nursing pads!  You don’t want to get caught leaking with no change of shirt.

-  Reusable, absorbent nursing pads are amazing, especially at night.  They are softer than the disposable kind.  There are several brands, so try them out to see which are right for you (I like Bamboobies and Advent).

-  When you are going out in public and think you’ll need to nurse, layers are a great option.  Wear a tank (nursing or non) that you can pull down under a shirt that you can pull up.  That way you can be discreet while still feeding your little one (with our without a nursing cover).

-  Breastfeeding is hard.   It doesn’t work out for everyone.  If you find yourself wanting to quit, that is ok.  You have to do what is best for you and the baby.  They just say never quit on a bad day, so you won’t think of breastfeeding as horrible.

-  Enjoy the bonding time with your baby.  You are keeping that little one alive and giving the baby all of the nutrients it needs to thrive.  How amazing is that?!

SkiChic626

@bananers lol I hear that, but mine weren't sexy in the morning.  Usually they'd be covered by my milk-soaked shirt!

Duffgurl

bananers said:

Some women produce too much lipase (an enzyme) in their milk, and it develops a bad taste when stored, even in the freezer. It happens to like 3% of women -- and I was one of them! I didn't discover this until DS was almost 3 months old and I was about to go back to work, and we couldn't figure out why he wouldn't drink any of my frozen milk, but he would take a freshly pumped bottle just fine. So that freezer stash I had spent my entire maternity leave building up (300 oz at this point)? Couldn't use any of it. Cue the ugly cry. 

Fortunately, I also discovered that some milk banks will accept lipase milk. It's not harmful; it just doesn't taste good (soapy and metallic and sour). But since milk banks use it to tube feed preemies in the NICU, it doesn't matter what it tastes like. So at least I didn't have to throw it away. But still, it was pretty awful to realize all that hard work had been for nothing and I had to start my stash all over.

The only way you can store lipase milk is to scald it first (bring it to near boiling -- 180 degrees) and then cool it quickly. So in addition to pumping all day at work and cleaning bottles and pump parts in the evenings, I had to scald my milk before freezing it. It was a lot of work.

Moral of the story: even though the lipase issue isn't common, I'd recommend making sure your baby will take a bottle of frozen milk before you put too much effort into building your frozen stash!

This makes me wonder why my milk (freezer stash) was off. I thought it smelt old and the consistency looked off too. Maybe I had this problem.?

Duffgurl

I was aware of mastitis and other problems that can occur with boobies and breastfeeding. Oh my though I never knew about what's called a milk blister or bleb. I had this problem and oh my how it hurts!!! Also one time I milked blood. Like for a vampire baby lol. I read it was fine but to throw it out of course was so creepy. 

1faceinacrowd

I have a negative experience that I'd love to share with FTMs in the hopes that it'll help someone!

I used to be terrified of breastfeeding in public, even if covered. So when my daughter was 8 weeks old (ish), when her dad and I decided to go out to eat and bring her with, I made sure she was fed before we left, and I also brought a small bottle to the restaurant with pumped milk in case she got hungry (at this point, she pretty much had a "feeding routine" down and I was SO SURE she wouldn't get hungry before we got home). Sure enough, as soon as we got to the restaurant she was hungry again. I gave her the bottle but, of course, it wasn't enough. She started wailing. I quickly rushed off to the bathroom; there was nowhere to go but into a stall. I fed her, alone and crying, in the bathroom of some restaurant for 15-20 minutes while her dad sat at the table with our food, which was cold by the time I returned.

Moral of the story? Don't be afraid to breastfeed in public. Seriously. Get yourself a cover if you're uncomfortable; try the two-shirt method (I haven't done this but I'll be giving it a try with this little guy) or just let 'em hang out if you're comfortable with that. Don't subject yourself to crying on the bathroom floor of a restaurant. 
Also, another moral of the story - just when you think their feeding schedule is "regular," it'll change. If you're going to be out and about for a while and you're NOT breastfeeding, make sure you have an entire can of formula with you rather than a rationed number of bottles because I assure you, the moment you think you have just enough to feed them will be the moment they decide cluster-feeding sounds like fun.

bananers

Question: did anyone else NOT leak? I had a million pads stocked up and never even needed them. I had just assumed everyone leaked but I didn't. I wasn't planning to buy any pads this time but I wonder if it's possible to not leak with one baby but leak with the next?

PJpeppercorn

bananers said:

Question: did anyone else NOT leak? I had a million pads stocked up and never even needed them. I had just assumed everyone leaked but I didn't. I wasn't planning to buy any pads this time but I wonder if it's possible to not leak with one baby but leak with the next?

One of my friends didn't-- and thankfully gave me all of her nursing pads because I leaked a ton-- even after 2.5+ years!

Bookhousegirl

bananers said:

Question: did anyone else NOT leak? I had a million pads stocked up and never even needed them. I had just assumed everyone leaked but I didn't. I wasn't planning to buy any pads this time but I wonder if it's possible to not leak with one baby but leak with the next?

I didn't leak during the day much at all. I would leak while nursing, from the opposite breast of the one DS was nursing on, mostly just during let-down. I also leaked at night, especially once DS started sleeping for longer stretches. Other than those times, everything was pretty contained. I also found that I leaked less and less after we were on a more structured nursing schedule (month 3/4). 

texasmama2014

@bananers I leaked for the first few months but stopped and haven't leaked since. I leaked a ton of colostrum last pregnancy but not this time. Idk boobs are weird.

bananers

Boobs are definitely weird. Maybe I should grab some nursing pads to keep on hand just in case, and I can return them or pay them forward if I don't need them again. 

Nikkoli98

FTM, so no real life experience,  but I do have two health facts to share.  1. Breast feeding reduces your risk of breast cancer.  2. A newer study out suggests that if you have a lifetime total of 18 months of breast feeding it reduces your risk of heart disease by 25%.

cm716

Fun fact: I didn't know that many women do not have their periods while they are nursing. I kept waiting for mine to come back and kept taking pregnancy tests. I did not realize lactational amenorrhea is a normal thing! my period didn't come back for 11 months with dd1. It was awesome.

I've also discovered that nursing makes me temporarily infertile. I don't have to use bc while nursing. (downside i have to wean to get pregnant).


Note: temporary infertility does not apply to everyone. I would not roll the dice on that unless you are okay with the possibility of getting pregnant again very quickly, which we were.

bananers

@cm716 nursing prevents you from ovulating (at least for a while), which is why you don't get a period and you aren't fertile. The problem with using nursing as birth control, though, is that you ovulate about two weeks before you get your period, so your fertility could return two weeks before you are aware. My period didn't come until 9 months postpartum. But I got my IUD placed after my 6 week postpartum checkup because I wasn't willing to take chances. 

Along those lines, it's common for your supply to take a big hit when your period returns. Thankfully, most babies are on solids by the time that happens, but sometimes it happens earlier. 

Jenniferk08

Things I learned with my first 
1- it's not as easy as it looks. You know what the boobs are for, baby knows what they are supposed to do. But it doesn't always work that way. 

2- milk does not arrive the same day as baby. 

3- it's ok to pump if things don't work out. 

ebilbao

Things I learned with my first baby, who I nursed for 13 months, until I found out I was pregnant with this baby:

1. I don't care who sees my boobs.

2. Nursing may not help you
lose weight. It made it very hard for me to lose any weight at all. 

3. It took two weeks for my milk to
come in, and I never produced enough. Nursing doesn't have to be an all or nothing endeavor. My son was a hybrid feeder, having formula, bottles, pumped breastmilk and nursing. It doesn't matter how you feed your kid. 

4. Nipple confusion is not a thing. Use a pacifier if you want. If you want to sleep more than two hours at a time, pump some milk or give a bottle of formula if you don't have enough yet (use a super slow nipple) and let Dad do some feedings or you will die from exhaustion. 

5. You are not a failure if you can't exclusively nurse. You are doing the best you can and that's all you can do. 

stephtess

I learned that breastfed babies grow differently than formula fed babies. They will tend to lose weight right after going home from the hospital, and then gain it back. Usually to the tune of 1lb a month. So if your ped says the baby has a failure to thrive, it could be that they are looking at a growth chart for formula fed babies. The WHO has some great resources/information as far as breastfeeding goes. Long story short, as long as your baby is having enough wet or poopy diapers a day, they are good to go. 

tmk0325

Thanks ladies for sharing! FTM here and a lot of these things I wasn't aware of! I'm going to try to breast feed the twins if my boobs will allow me and plan on taking a breast feeding class too. 

bananers

I think the most important thing to remember is that breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. Every time baby nurses (or you pump), you're essentially telling your body to make that amount next time. So if you want to make more, you've got to get more out somehow (more frequent feelings, feeding longer, pumping after feedings, etc). If you have too much or want to start to wean, you've got to start getting less out (shorter, less frequent feedings, pumping just enough to relieve the pressure, etc).

For the first few days, before your milk comes in, put baby on the boob as much as you can. Even if it doesn't seem like baby is getting much, this will signal your body to start producing and get your supply off to the right start. One of the mistakes many women make is giving formula while they are waiting for their milk to come. With few exceptions, baby doesn't need anything more than the bit of colostrum you're producing, and any time baby takes a bottle instead of you, you're missing that opportunity to signal your body. Not that there's anything wrong with formula or a hybrid, but it will affect your supply and many women who start supplementing will find themselves feeding more formula and less breastmilk over time. Again, nothing wrong with that, but something to keep in mind if you plan to EBF. 

ebilbao

I would make an appointment with a LC for as soon as you can after having the babies @tmk0325

SkiChic626

lgem4 said:

SkiChic626 said:

@bananers lol I hear that, but mine weren't sexy in the morning.  Usually they'd be covered by my milk-soaked shirt!

After my first night in a soaked t-shirt, I started sleeping in a bandeau top so I could stick bra pads to it. Sleeping in a bra is so not an option, I actually wore the bandeau instead of a bra when just lounging at home. 

I wore pads, sometimes I'd double and triple up, but I would still leak like crazy.  My boobs are too big not to wear a bra to bed, unfortunately, and that's just all the time.  I'm so uncomfortable without one.  I did the sleep ones sometimes but they made my back hurt after a while.  

SkiChic626

texasmama2014 said:

@bananers I leaked for the first few months but stopped and haven't leaked since. I leaked a ton of colostrum last pregnancy but not this time. Idk boobs are weird.

I leaked colostrum with DD, too, and it freaked me out because I didn't know that could happen.  It was around 16 weeks and one morning my nipples were stuck to my bra with this lovely yellow substance...holy hell it hurt to take that bra off!  It gathered for a few days after that but only at night.  This time so far no leaking yet but my boobs are waaaaaay fuller than they ever were my entire pregnancy with DD, and they still get sore from time to time.

SkiChic626

bananers said:

I think the most important thing to remember is that breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. Every time baby nurses (or you pump), you're essentially telling your body to make that amount next time. So if you want to make more, you've got to get more out somehow (more frequent feelings, feeding longer, pumping after feedings, etc). If you have too much or want to start to wean, you've got to start getting less out (shorter, less frequent feedings, pumping just enough to relieve the pressure, etc).

For the first few days, before your milk comes in, put baby on the boob as much as you can. Even if it doesn't seem like baby is getting much, this will signal your body to start producing and get your supply off to the right start. One of the mistakes many women make is giving formula while they are waiting for their milk to come. With few exceptions, baby doesn't need anything more than the bit of colostrum you're producing, and any time baby takes a bottle instead of you, you're missing that opportunity to signal your body. Not that there's anything wrong with formula or a hybrid, but it will affect your supply and many women who start supplementing will find themselves feeding more formula and less breastmilk over time. Again, nothing wrong with that, but something to keep in mind if you plan to EBF. 

I think this is the general rule, but my milk didn't come in for 10 or 11 days, and even then it wasn't overnight...that's not normal so I would nurse, give some formula, then pump to stimulate more.  When I finally caved and gave DD some formula it was the first time she wasn't crying, slept a while and acted content once we were home from the hospital...she was hungry and I had no idea because I was nursing her so much and didn't know she wasn't getting anything, not even colostrum anymore. I felt like a horrible mother.  That said, my efforts finally worked and I did EBF after that rigamarole, but supply=demand wasn't the rule for me, either, though our journey.  I think it was due to my hormone issues caused by PCOS, but I think it's important to know it's not an absolute regardless of what LCs might tell you...they're not well-versed in helping women with hormonal issues that can affect BFing.  It's beyond frustrating.

Ceventa

Breastfeeding taught me a lot about patience, mostly to have patience with myself and my body. I remember in the beginning while my supply was stabilizing there was a point where too much was coming out at once, and it was hard for DS to eat. He would start coughing because it was shooting out so fast. I would get so frustrated at first because he would cry since he was hungry. Eventually I learned to lean back and even lay down on my back to slow down the flow of the milk and it made it easier for him. Eventually as he got bigger he handled it like a champ.

I know it's been mentioned here before, but Kellymom.com was a great resource! 

Have patience when you breastfeed, it really is a learning curve but eventually you and your baby figure it out.

bananers

@SkiChic626 that must have been so frustrating that it took so long for your milk to come in! I definitely think that's an exceptional circumstance, which is why I included the caveat, "with few exceptions."

And I didn't mean to oversimplify the supply and demand part, as there are definitely other factors like hormones that can certainly affect supply. But I do think it's helpful to remember that in general, each time baby nurses, he is putting in his order for his next meal. This is important to remember when women talk about wanting DH to take some of the night feedings - that's fine and all, but you're still going to need to pump while he feeds or you're telling your body to make less. 

SkiChic626

bananers said:

@SkiChic626 that must have been so frustrating that it took so long for your milk to come in! I definitely think that's an exceptional circumstance, which is why I included the caveat, "with few exceptions."

And I didn't mean to oversimplify the supply and demand part, as there are definitely other factors like hormones that can certainly affect supply. But I do think it's helpful to remember that in general, each time baby nurses, he is putting in his order for his next meal. This is important to remember when women talk about wanting DH to take some of the night feedings - that's fine and all, but you're still going to need to pump while he feeds or you're telling your body to make less. 

Oh no, I knew what you were saying, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents and make sure people knew that sometimes you get dealt a card like mine and it blows lol.  And, yeah, I totally thought my body just wasn't going to make milk after day 5 or 6, and after going through IVF it was just another thing I felt my body failed at doing - it was very tough on me.  That said.....Anytime DH did a night feeding I always got up to pump, sometimes I even got up to pump even if DD didn't wake up just in attempts to keep my supply up.  Some weeks it worked, some it didn't.  There was no rhyme or reason to my supply volume at any given time.  I talked to a bunch of LCs and doctors, and they just don't know enough about PCOS and how it affects things like milk production to be very helpful.  And, of course, the drugs that you can take to help regulate your hormones haven't been studied for how they affect milk supply, so that was a moot point, too.  It was BEYOND frustrating.  It makes me wish I had some kind of medical background so that I could do the research and maybe help find some answers, because I know I can't be alone.  *sigh*

ballofmeat

This thread has been a great intro for me to start thinking about breastfeeding. I signed up for our class in July and think I'm gonna give it a whirl. I just wanted to say thank you to all the STMs who have taken the time to talk about their experience. It has made it feel a lot more realistic for me. 

On a side note I called my insurance and they do cover a breast pump 100 percent! Yay! Buuuut they won't ship it until after the baby is born. How annoying for a planner like me. 

SkiChic626

midwestbaby said:

This thread has been a great intro for me to start thinking about breastfeeding. I signed up for our class in July and think I'm gonna give it a whirl. I just wanted to say thank you to all the STMs who have taken the time to talk about their experience. It has made it feel a lot more realistic for me. 

On a side note I called my insurance and they do cover a breast pump 100 percent! Yay! Buuuut they won't ship it until after the baby is born. How annoying for a planner like me. 

Whaaaat??  That is annoying.com.  Mine will ship it two months before my EDD.  Why can't the insurance companies all just get on the same page with everything?! 

ballofmeat

SkiChic626 said:

midwestbaby said:

This thread has been a great intro for me to start thinking about breastfeeding. I signed up for our class in July and think I'm gonna give it a whirl. I just wanted to say thank you to all the STMs who have taken the time to talk about their experience. It has made it feel a lot more realistic for me. 

On a side note I called my insurance and they do cover a breast pump 100 percent! Yay! Buuuut they won't ship it until after the baby is born. How annoying for a planner like me. 

Whaaaat??  That is annoying.com.  Mine will ship it two months before my EDD.  Why can't the insurance companies all just get on the same page with everything?! 

Yeah I'm annoyed. I know your supply doesn't come in for a few weeks or days, but it would be nice to have the time to set it up and read the instructions before I deliver.