Nursing Tips from a Mama who nursed 18 months

Wering · July 2015

I've seen a lot of breastfeeding discussions of late, so I figured I'd post the tips that I wrote out while nursing my daughter to help out my friends and family who had questions. Other experienced mamas, please add to this list!!!

Sarah’s tips for nursing:

Make sure you pump EVERY time the baby takes a bottle. As soon as possible. Don’t let your supply drop.
Speaking of pumping, they say not to pump before 4 weeks because your supply is being established. I made this mistake, and am now having to pump 2 times for every bottle LO consumes. Pump a little each day while your supply is establishing. Better to have too much than too little! It will diminish over time.
Pumping is WAY easier in the morning. I get 2 to 3 times as much in the morning as I do later in the day. (I start my day by pumping at 5 AM every day.)
Pumping is also easier if you put a baby on one side and the pump on the other.
The baby is going to cluster feed, and you are going to think something is horribly wrong with the baby. They will eat, poop, eat, poop, eat, poop every 15 minutes for five hours. You’ll call the hospital in a panic. They’ve heard it before (we called!). It’s cluster feeding.
You will be a human pacifier for the first three months. That’s normal. Know that you are doing the best thing for your babies, and know that the dusting and cooking can wait. Babies are only babies for so long. Enjoy the nursing.
Keep an eye on the foods you consume compared to the baby’s behavior. Babies have sensitivities to milk, soy, spicy food, caffeine, cruciferous veggies, etc. Learn the foods your baby dislikes and stop eating them for the time being.
In public, use a blanket, not a fancy cover. It’s less noticeable, easier to manage, and doubles to keep your child warm.
Speaking of “in public” – know your rights. You can breastfeed anywhere that you are otherwise legally allowed (in the state of Ohio - check the laws in your own state). Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Your baby’s needs come first. Lots of times, people don’t even notice that you’re doing it.
Recognize that supplementation isn’t the enemy. If your freezer supply is low, pump a feeding to freeze while you feed your baby a bottle. Some babies reject formula if they haven’t had it before 5 months. If your supply dries up and they need formula, it’ll be a tough battle if they haven’t had it occasionally. (Just make sure you pump for every bottle they get!)
You’re going to have periods of time where you wonder if you can keep going. The baby feeds constantly, you’re not pumping enough (so you’re pumping all the time), you’re sleep-deprived… It’s all for a short period of time and you CAN do it. Just power through.
Drink plenty of water. Being dehydrated is the leading cause of low production (or so I have experienced).
Continue to take your prenatal vitamin. The baby needs the nutrients.
Ways to increase your supply include taking a hot shower, pumping “dry,” herbs like fenugreek and blessed thistle, and foods like oatmeal.

Lalala2326 · July 2015

1 & 2 can actually be harmful for a lot of moms. An oversupply can be just a bad if not worse than an undersupply. An oversupply can lead to having way too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk leading to tummy distress for the baby. It can also make plugged ducts and mastitis more likely. This is definitely not advisable for everyone. I had a HORRIBLE forceful letdown (which is often made worse by an oversupply). If I had pumped after every feeding it would have seriously affected my ability to breastfeed as my LO was already having issues keeping up with the flow and resisted nursing a lot. People also need to know that there is not a one size fits all approach to breastfeeding. Rather than take advice from people on the internet, they should contact a board certified lactation consultant to troubleshoot their own specific problem. Most of your advice is probably pretty universal, but #15 should really be that what works for one person is not guaranteed to work for everyone.

#8 I find really unpractical for summer babies, and my daughter would have never put up with a blanket after month 3 cause she wanted to see what was going on. If I was going to cover, I would much rather have one of the "fancy" covers that has the hard, flexible piece in the neck that makes it easier to see baby while nursing and helps keep it off the baby's face.

Also, if baby is resisting taking pumped milk when you eventually do try it, check for a lipase issue. It can cause your milk to taste soapy after sitting for a few hours. Some babies don't seem to mind, others will flat out refuse. Scalding the milk immediately after pumping gets rid of the excess lipase that causes this issue and can fix the issue for some moms.

mamaloaf · July 2015

I think this is a great list to share with mothers who have never done it before, especially #5.

One thing I'd add: Not many women realize that the standard shields that come with your pump might not necessarily be the correct size for you. Some educational Googling and/or a knowledgeable LC can help with sizing. Also, lubing your shields with coconut oil before pumping, especially in the the beginning, can make a more comfortable pumping experience.

cosplaymom · July 2015

Yeah I'm going to disagree with #8. I had a July baby and there is no way I would use a blanket. Any blanket thin enough would be see-through! A patterned light cotton nursing cover with plastic-reinforced top edge is exactly what you need. Preferably white or pastel.

#12 you need to pay attention to right now. I did not get enough water in the hospital and I think that effected my initial milk supply. If they don't let you drink water during labor, eat the ice! And then demand copious amounts of water after baby is born. Send your husband for refills whenever you are nursing the baby.

Starynightsky24 · July 2015

A lot of this will depend on personal circumstances. I agree that an over supply is just as bad as an under supply. My let down was so hard at first that DS refused to nurse because it choked him.

I'd suggest always calling lactation for help with issues. Whether it's at the hospital, your peds office, or the la leche legue. People only know about what they have experienced. Professional help is MUCH better.

Reading up on kellymom.com about newborn eating habits will help to understand the cluster feeding as well.

e1223 · July 2015

Agree with most of these but also with @lalala2326 - I also had a horrible oversupply with both of my kids and especially with my son. I did pump once a day during maternity leave but even that was probably too much. I had probably 30 clogged ducts with my son over the course of the year and it was AWFUL. Mastitis only once thankfully.

Wering · July 2015

Yikes on the oversupply! I suppose I'm lucky that I didn't have that issue. Perhaps maybe don't pump during the first four weeks. I didn't see that coming.

As a note on a plugged dug - one method for relieving the pressure is to lay baby flat on their back on the floor and kneel over the baby on all fours. Allow baby to nurse from a hanging breast and sometimes, if done early enough, the suction from the baby alone can relieve the plug.

cosplaymom · July 2015

I also found that applying a heating pad to my breasts before nursing helped with pain, it seemed to warm up and release any place that was getting clogged up.

Also, be aware that you can have milk ducts going up under your armpits... Changing baby's feeding position can help suck the milk out from those hard-to-reach ducts. Rotate between cradling the baby in your arms to the football hold and side-lying position too.

jilladelario · July 2015

For 1, 2 &3 - I may be in the minority - but nursing/pumping was something that I was pretty lazy about. We exclusively nursed until she was about six months old and she still nursed up until 17 months when I was about half way through this pregnancy. I didn't start pumping until I started getting ready to go back to work - before then we just nursed on demand. I had enough milk for the day I went back and each day I pumped the next days milk. I hated pumping so I only ever did it at work. I didn't see the need to pump more than what she was going to use the next day while I was gone. I didn't do a whole lot of stuff without her though.

# 7 - I didn't change my diet - my doctor said she would rather me not worry about it and nurse longer and be less stressed.

#8 - We both hated the nursing cover. I didn't use it really until we went for my brothers Marine graduation ceremony when she was about 6 months old and she got angry every time because she wanted to look around. I mostly just tried to be discreet while nursing without a cover other than that weekend.

# 10 - I never understood this. I would rather nurse my baby and maybe give her formula later on if she needs it than make sure my freezer has enough milk. Any milk that went into my freezer rarely came out. I only froze any extra because that's what they say you're supposed to do. I tossed out two grocery bags of frozen breast milk in the time I nursed. Babies are better than pumps at nursing.

I will add - Correct latch still hurts when you aren't used to a tiny piranha latching and letting go over and over again. It gets better. Lanolin and the gel nipple pads (I have no idea what they're actually called but target has them and they're worth every penny) were my good friends. By three weeks I felt comfortable nursing.

breezymeema7 · July 2015

I feel like there is a lot of pressure put on pumping. I have exclusively BF'd my kids and have only ever pumped a handful of times. That said, I am a SAHM and am pretty much always there to nurse.

saroos3137 · July 2015

While I always appreciate reading advice about breastfeeding and learning some tips that I may not have known, it's important for breastfeeding moms to know that it's not a one-size-fits-all thing. There are some things that I read that I would never do with my kids, but it works for someone else, and vice versa - I'm sure there are things I do/have done in my breastfeeding journey that other moms would never do.

That said, I think the biggest thing that has helped me with breastfeeding (aside from taking it day by day) is having a great support system (DH, nursing friends, a breastfeeding Facebook community, etc).

A couple of my personal thoughts:

You do not have to throw away frozen breast milk if it has been in the freezer longer than you're comfortable with. It can be used in other ways like in baby's bath for skin moisturizing, use on cuts/burns/scrapes, etc. If you google it, you can find tons of uses (yes, some are a little off the wall).

Covering is a personal preference and you are not required to cover up while breastfeeding. Many babies hate being covered and it can add another whole layer of stress to breastfeeding. Obviously, do what is most comfortable for you and your baby, whether that means covering or not covering.

Federal law requires your employer to provide a private/lockable space for you to pump that is not a bathroom. Some may try to get around this if they have less than 50 employees and they claim it will cause financial hardship to the company. Like the original poster said, know your rights. You also have the right to breastfeed anywhere that you are allowed to be. This may come in handy for times when people feel the need to tell you to put your boobs away in public (hopefully that doesn't happen, but I've heard of it happening way too often).

hclzmm14 · July 2015

What I really need are some tips for BFing a newborn with a toddler around. I didn't have much success BFing with DD (only made it 6 weeks) but I am committed to trying again. How hard is this going to be realistically? I worry about it all the time.

breezymeema7 · July 2015

@hazeldagarr Nursing a newborn with a toddler around is challenging but do-able. DD1 was 18 months when DD2 was born. I put a play pack together before DD2 was born. It had some crayons, colouring book, stickers, little doll, and a board book. I would let her play with this stuff whenever I was nursing. Sometimes it would work, sometimes she just wanted to come and sit on my lap when I was nursing.

The biggest difference I noticed was that with DD1 I would nurse her and then be done. With DD2, because of the toddler, there was a lot more starting and stopping during nursing. I would have to unlatch DD2 and redirect DD1 and then continue nursing DD2. At first DD2 would be pissed when I unlatched her, but she soon figured out that it didn't mean she was done nursing, she just had to wait a minute. You will also get amazing at one handed nursing and nursing and walking at the same time GL!

Want a personalized experience?

Nursing Tips from a Mama who nursed 18 months

Re: Nursing Tips from a Mama who nursed 18 months

Choose Another Board

Search Boards