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Breastfeeding
I HATED BF when i first came home from hospital.....
.........and I LOVE it now!!! LO is 3 months.
When I came home with him, I thought I wouldnt last 2 weeks.
I felt like a prisoner tied to the couch constantly.
I had my boobs hanging out constantly.
I felt like i couldnt go anywhere with him because of his crazy nursing schedule.
DH and I fought often about if LO was getting enough to eat. We even gave him a bottle of forumla one night because we were convinced I was starving him. So wrong,. he actaully had plenty of breatsmilk and threw the whole bottle up.
Also..so many people in my life encourgaed me to 'just give him a little formula" because it is easier and he will sleep better. I am glad I didnt listen.
In the beginning he was nursing every hour. I have very large breasts and needed a pillow to hold him so i could use my other hand to lift my breasts for him. It was awful and i found it exhausting, difficult, and I always felt i was doing it wrong.
And now...it is just easy. It just works so well, so natural and I couldnt imagine doing anything BUT breastfeeding.
So...if you hate it or having a hard time, hang in there. IT DOES GET BETTER!!!!!!! 
You Tube and Google and KellyMOM and Bump all the crazy questions you have. Also..I found it helpful re-reading hospital literature/guide books on nursing weeks later. After actually trying BF for several weeks, the literature started to make more sense, then it did while pregnant or the first day home.
Hope this helps someone!!!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: I HATED BF when i first came home from hospital.....
THANK YOU! It is so refreshing to read a story like this! You should feel proud that you stuck with it and didn't give in to all the formula-happy friends. My whole family is convinced that formula is the best thing ever, so I can totally relate to that!
Here's a question--what product did you find you loved the best for nipple pain/dryness/sensitivity? Lansinoh cream? Some sort of nipple butter?
What Are Your Thoughts on Tap Dancing Penguins?
I skipped the creams. i didnt feel they were natural and was afraid of LO ingesting anything. I know they are safe, I am just over cautious/paranoid. The soreness and cracked nipples went away after a few weeks for me. I think it also taught me if LO was latched properly or not. My nipples would be super sore if LO wasnt on the correct way. So, I used it as a guide to how I was doing with keeping him latched properly. But use creams if you need the relief! Sorry I dotn have more info on them!
Oh..almost forgot! Breastmilk itself helped me with the soreness. After each feeding I would express some and rub on my nipples. It made them feel better!!! It really does work!
Me too! I want to do this as long as I can! I love the bonding time with LO!
Well said Julias!! Congrats on 3 months of BFing!
I totally hated BFing at first, too. It was such a challenge for the first 6 weeks. I broke down and hired a housekeeper for 5 weeks because I could barely put DS down for long enough to shower a few times a week, let alone clean the house!
Then there's the exhaustion, the pain (only for 2-3 weeks, anyone who tells you that it doesn't hurt if LO is latched correctly is BSC IMO), being nervous about BFing in public...But this is all temporary. It gets so much easier after 6-8 weeks, then by 3 months it's even better.
Also, for anyone who is afraid that BF = not STTN, I have found that this is not the case. DS started sleeping for 3-5 hours at a time around 10 weeks, then 8-10 hours at 3 months, then the 4 month wakeful hit but that has nothing to do with BF/FF, then at 5 months he started sleeping 13-14 hours straight. He nurses for over an hour before bed then I put him in his crib by 6, he plays for a bit then wakes up between 7:30 & 8:30 the next morning.
It's a big investment up front but the payoff is huge. You get to see your LO from a perspective that no one else does (BFing smiles are the best!), you can comfort them so easily, whether they're tired, just got their shots, hurt themselves, etc.
This is my first ever reply here but I felt compelled to respond to this post!
I think that every new mom needs to hear this. I feel exactly the same way. My baby will be six weeks on monday and I am so glad that I didn't give up. Your story is pretty much the same as mine. My boy had latch troubles and in the nicu they gave me a nipple sheild. I managed to wean him off of that when we got home but he nursed constantly and I always felt like maybe he wasn't getting enough. I kept going though, even through the conflicts with my husband, who constantly wanted to make him a bottle of formula. One night, i gave in and let him feed him a bottle and sure enough, after sucking down over an ounce (and hearing my husband brag about how he was right
) the poor little thing projectile vomited the formula and all of the milk he had from me. Since then, daddy hasn't second guessed me and it has gotten SO MUCH MORE EASIER!
I don't know if I qualify to give advice just yet since i am still such a bf newb but i would tell any new mom; don't give up! It will get easier. And it does become pleasurable. I look forward to every nursing session and I love the way he stares at me and rests his little hand on my chest
That's a joy that money can't buy!
Ditto this last part, for sure!!! Just wait til he starts smiling. DS's mouth-full-o-boob smiles still melt my heart every time...
Your story (and OP Julias') about how you had to fight with your H's to convince them that your BM was enough is a perfect example of why all men should be required to attend a BF class prior to LO's arrival! I really wish I made DH come to my class, but I thought he'd be the only guy there. Turned out I was one of the only ladies there w/out her H. It's so important to have your H on board so that when you're struggling and exhausted (like we all are in the beginning) they are understanding and supportive and don't automatically try to "fix" the problem by pushing formula when it isn't needed.
The thing that frustrated me was the my husband was so on board before the baby was born. He studied the benefits of breastmilk and was there asking a hundred questions when the LC came to visit me right after my boy was born. And in the nicu when we were struggling with latching and I was a complete wreck, he was cheering me on and reminding me at every turn how much I wanted this. Then we got home... I dont know what changed. But thankfully he is back to be supportive again. He tickles his feet while he nurses and burps and changes him in the night so I can go right back to sleep.
As for the smiles - I am already getting little nipple-in-the-mouth smiles! I cannot believe how much I love this little person! And bfing has made that bond a thousand times stronger than I ever imagined it would be.
Glad to hear your H is back on the BFing wagon! I think guys very easily and naturally go into "fix it" mode whenever there's a problem and FF seems like an easy fix. My H had a hard time seeing me frustrated, exhausted and in pain and I had to assure him it was totally normal and just let me be! That's wonderful that your H helps out with feeding even though you're the one with the boobs. So many people think the only way to get H's involved is to bottle feed and that's so not the case!
So happy things are going well for you, especially after having your LO in the NICU! You will be a great support for the many ladies who post on this board with questions/problems related to their LO's starting off in the NICU.
Enjoy those smiles, momma!
Thanks!
The entire labour/delivery and hospital experience was very traumatic for me. Not being able to be with my little boy all of time still haunts me. I had an emergency csect and was pretty rough shape physically but I spent as much time down there with him as I could and when I wasn't with him, I pumped and pumped and pumped. The nurses for the most part were incredible but there were a couple that kept forcing the formula issue. I wanted to follow their advice and, of course, trusted their knowledge *but* I also knew that breastmilk was going to help my ittle piddler thrive. I learned pretty quickly that I had to be pretty loud and forceful if I wanted my voice heard
Now I have a six week old chunker who is smiling and strong and changing daily!
As for husbands, you are so right! I know he wishes he could feed him (especially when Boy starts rooting at his chest hehe) but that's the ONLY thing he can't do. I wish more new moms and dads would realize that.
While I was in the hospital they gave me samples of Lansinoh cream. When my OB stopped by to see me, he wrote me a prescription for Newman's Nipple Cream, it's a compound and it worked wonderfully. I had to use it for a few weeks at home, and then again when I went back to work and started pumping so much. It worked much better than the other kinds IMO bc it was easier to rub in.
And I've made it almost 9 months so far, starting with the same struggles of HATING it and now have grown to love the bond and am nervous about weaning!
My situation was really similar to yours. I didn't have a c/s though - but LO and I both had fevers so she was sent to the NICU and they wouldn't let me near her until the hospital's LC forced them. I cried every time I BFed for the first 2 weeks. I also felt chained to the couch and I felt like a cow. My boobs were hanging out all day and the rest of the time were leaking. People wanted to come visit but I felt so stressed about it because I didn't know when I'd have to feed her and couldn't do it in front of other people.
Now, DD is almost 6 weeks old and it's gotten SO much easier. My friend has a baby 3 weeks older than DD and she FFs. When we make plans, she has to know how long we're planning to be out and figure out how to lug all her formula and bottles and everything around. I just make sure I have my udder cover and I'm good to go. I still have lots of questions and there are tough times, but it's gotten SO much easier and rewarding. DD gained almost 3 pounds in 5 weeks! It feels pretty great to know that I did that.