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A couple of new mom questions...
I'm so happy to be on the "other side" now!
I'm trying to EBF, and I guess my milk is coming in, because my breasts are HUGE. It's seriously insane. I'm feeding on demand (which means I'm literally nursing half of the day). How long does this stage last? I assume my breasts won't be this huge and hard as rocks forever. Any tips to help with being uncomfortable?
If you BFed, how long did it take before you felt like you could leave the house for more than a few minutes at a time, either with or without the baby? I know I can always take him with me and nurse him if he gets hungry, but I'm not quite comfortable with NIP yet. I kind of feel like a prisoner in the house!
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Re: A couple of new mom questions...
Welcome to the "other side";) I was so happy to read your birth story!
And welcome to the world of HUGE boobs...but don't worry, this phase doesn't last forever...in a few days things will start to regulate and you will be able to leave the house and your "girls" won't be quite so big or so engorged...if only for an hour or so before needing to BF or pump. At this point, feeding on demand, which sometimes can make you feel like you are just feeding all. the. time., is totally normal and is good for you and the baby. The LO is just trying to figure out life outside the womb and he'll settle into a little better of a pattern over the next couple of weeks, but be prepared for the fact that there will likely be growth spurts over the next couple of months when he goes back to the "nursing all the time" or cluster feeding at certain times of the day (with DD#2 it was the evening when she would really get into nursing frenzy--I remember a number of evenings when I wondered if it was even possible that she could be eating that much and if I could be producing that much).
NIP in public can be awkward at first, but to give yourself some freedom, I recommend finding places you can go where there are some private options for nursing. Find a mall with a nursing room...or a maternity clothing store that allows you to nurse in the dressing room...or take a walk and come back home to nurse. Or go visit a good friend and then you'll have the option of nursing in another room in her house. Those first few weeks can be very isolating, but they don't have to be if you get creative. Once you're more comfortable with the process, getting one of those "hooter hiders" can make the process easier for NIP. Personally I think one of the best things about EBFing is never having to travel with bottles if you don't want to.
GL!
I think 2-3 weeks. My milk took a bit longer than it should to come in though, so maybe the whole cycle was delayed. If you're really, really uncomfortable, you can pump just a little to relieve engorgement, but not too much otherwise you'll signal your body to make more. You can hand express a bit as well.
We started getting out of the house for small walks around the neighborhood pretty much immediately. And then I started making regular trips to Target, BRU, etc. DH was off for two weeks, so he went with me at first and by the time he went back to work I felt a bit more comfortable going out by myself. And I have never spent more money at Target then I did that first month. It was my go-to for leaving the house and not losing my mind.
Also, I loved visiting friends that have kids. They will understand if you have to nurse, change, whatever. My cousin has twins that are 4 mo older than C and visiting her was so sweet. Swings everywhere, changing table in the living room, nursing without feeling embarrassed.
After the first month, everything got easier. We even took C to the beach.
After a few days, my boobs settled down. But, then again, I'm drying up 3 wks postpardum so maybe that's not normal.
When I was exclusively nursing (our first week home), my kid would feed about every 2-3 hours (and most of those we'd need to wake him up to do), so I would leave the house as soon as we were done nursing to run an errand just spend an hour at a bookstore (after being cooped up in the hospital for a week, I had no desire to be cooped up at home!)
eta: I also figured that if he got hungry while we were out, I could always go to my car & nurse (I also wasn't really comfortable nursing in public). Somehow the car feels more "private" to me. And, with the AC on, it's not uncomfortable.
Congrats again!
I feel like the nursing around the clock thing lasted for about three weeks. And the crazy discomfort will pass. I threw frozen bags of peas on those bad boys whenever I could!
We went for walks within the first week or so. Soon after that I started going on errands. I nursed in the car quite a bit while we were out and about. Eventually you'll feel more comfortable nursing in public and will learn which places are "friendly." Whole Foods, coffee places, Nordstrom (great lounge!) come to mind.
Congratulations, first of all!
My engorgement was quick...happened three or four days after both kids were born, and since I was feeding on demand, I don't remember it lasting more than a few days. I rarely had enough time between feedings for it to build back up to uncomfortable levels. Hot showers with massage did the trick if it was ever to that point. The only time I was in pain was when the kids started going longer at night between feedings...I'd wake up with scary rock-hard boulders. Yours should settle down pretty soon, and the nursing-half-the-day routine should let up by 6 weeks.
I started taking walks with DD when she was a few days old, and I was at the mall with DS when he was 10 days old. I'd feed them right before we left, try to keep my errands quick, and nurse them in the car if needed. With her, I avoided NIP at all costs (was self-conscious because she wasn't a cooperative nurser...lots of pulling off, fussing, thrashing, etc.), but with him, it didn't bother me nearly as much. Practice at home with nursing covers you may use so you don't fumble around when you inevitably have to NIP and your DS is used to being covered. But maybe your DS will be the type to just sleep the entire time you're out and you won't have to deal with it the first two months or so.
Just start with short trips or errands that may not have any purpose so you can leave whenever either of you has had enough. Aimlessly wandering around a mall is good
I second the recommendation for the Nordstrom lounge...I used that so many times with DS. Soon enough you'll feel comfortable tackling longer outings.
First off - congrats! Welcome to this side of motherhood!
It took me a few weeks to get to the point where I was comfortable, and a few months to not soak through nursing pads. Needless to say I had enough BM for 10 babies.
Yes you do feel like you have a baby attached ALL THE TIME. You just need to bite the bullet and NIP. After the first few times it gets easier, and you will start to find when your windows of opportunity are.
I agree - start by doing little errands, going to friends houses, etc. Also this is the best time to enjoy a dinner/bfast out - your LO will sleep and you can actually enjoy a meal. That goes away fast!
Breastfeeding is the hardest thing EVER! Not the physicality of it, but exactly what you are talking about the emotional aspect of it. Our first trip out was to the peditrician and I had to nurse there and I was so freaked out. In the past two weeks I have become the pseudo-expert at nursing in the back seat of the car. Sometimes he's been cluster nursing, or (for him) feeding him every hour.
Just like everyone said it gets better and I'm realizing this. But I have to confess, if it weren't for John's help I might have given up last week.
Congrats! We just got back in town so I finally saw your announcement!! Michael's hair looks so similar to our Devin's! Like the same hairline and everything
Anyway, when my milk came in, I would get warm wash clothes and lay them on me and massage it down. I would do this a bit before nursing him and in the beginning of the session. Nuk has these breast cooling or warming pads that are also really great. I got them at target for 11 bucks. I was willing to pay (instead of using peas) because they are convenient enough to stick in your bra and walk around the house in. I also plastered lanolin on my nipples because - wow - was not prepared for that pain! But I gradually started needing it less and less. Oh, and there was one time I was really, painfully (the worst) engorged and I took the manual pump in the shower with me and between the warm water, massaging and the pumping, I had relief from engorgement and 1.5 oz of milk! Might not be the most kosher way to pump, but I was desperate...
We had to go to the pedi the day after he came home and I fed him in the car in the parking lot there that morning and we hit up Target after that. We slowly started working in trips and I've nursed in several parking lots now. It is really easy to just want to stay in the house for ease but I do try to get out every other day.
Good luck and like other nesties have said (to me a few weeks ago too) it does get better!