13 Things you should know about breastfeeding before giving birth
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The information provided in this post is NOT medical advice and solely based on my personal experience as a breastfeeding mother. If you have any concerns regarding feeding your baby, reach out to your primary care professional/ pediatrician or seek help at the nearest emergency room.
1. It is hard
When I delivered my first baby I had no clue how FREAKING HARD breastfeeding would be. Never in my life did I expect that it would basically take over my entire life for the following months. My day was structured around feeding my baby.
2. Breastfeeding doesn’t necessarily come naturally
I don’t know where I got the idea that breastfeeding is something that just comes naturally. I assumed the baby would just know what to do and nursing would be this magical experience. And while that may be the case for some mom’s, it was not for me. I had no clue what I was doing. My daughter was not easily latching and I did not know how to fix it (breastfeeding class did not help at all).
3. Don't hesitate to consult with a lactation consultant
When I had my first baby, the lactation consultant helped me out so much. I am so glad my hospital sent an LC to me the first day. She showed me different ways to hold my baby for nursing (I had a c-section so I couldn’t sit up well) and answered all my questions. You can find a lactation consultant in your area through the United States Lactation Consultant Association’s website.
4. You do not need to pump
If you have a healthy baby, nursing is going well and you are not returning to work anytime soon, there is no need to pump. Your body does not need the stimulation from a pump to produce enough milk. Having your baby latch frequently will be enough. Of course if you want to pump, that is completely fine, just don’t feel like you have to.
5. Your baby does not need formula in the first hours of their life
Welcome to my rant.
When I had my daughter (she was my first baby), I told the nurse that I wanted to breastfeed right away. Unfortunately, the labor and delivery nurse kept insisting that my baby should have a bottle. She kept mentioning that newborns get dehydrated quickly, which I thought was odd. There was no medical reason for why my daughter should get a bottle at all, but I was an exhausted new mom, so I eventually gave in and let my baby have the bottle. And that was one of the biggest mistakes! After that bottle it was so hard to get my daughter to latch! She was impatient and wanted nothing to do with the breast.
When the lactation consultant finally came to my room, she reassured me that my daughter indeed did not need a bottle at all (my pediatrician said the same) and she worked with me to get my daughter to latch again.
Long story short: if you want to exclusively breastfeed and there is no medical reason, like blood sugar issues, no wet diapers etc, for your baby to need formula, do not let the nurses push formula on you! I have no idea why they do that. I have spoken to so many other US mom’s that had the same experience and it is so frustrating. None of my friends here in Germany have experienced this. It may be because they have the support of a midwife, who is trained to provide lactation support and have more knowledge?! I don’t know. All my other nurses in the mother and baby unit were great and I am beyond thankful for them!
Your body is capable of providing everything your baby needs. And during their first days of life, a few milliliter of colostrum is all they need.
6. Do not stress about your supply and how much baby is drinking
If your baby is thriving, gaining weight and has adequate diaper output, there is no need to worry about your supply! If you pump and only get one ounce, that does not mean your baby only gets one ounce. Babies are so much better at emptying breasts than breast pumps.
It also helps to know that breast milk changes with your baby’s needs. My kids never took more than 4 to 5 ounces, even at 10 months old. My breast milk got fattier as they got older, which increased the calories and my babies did not need to consume more.
7. You will be so insanely hungry. All.The.Time.
When I was breastfeeding I was hungrier than I was when I was pregnant. Especially during those early weeks, I would wake up at 3 am starving. A good idea is to have a light snack or protein bar by your bed so you can grab a quick bite during those nightly nursing sessions.
8. You may not lose the baby weight easily
You always hear people say that breastfeeding will help you get rid of the baby weight in no time. That may be true for some moms, but for me (and other mom’s I have spoken to), that was not the case at all! I was actually struggling not to gain weight, because I was so hungry all the time. It is true, you will burn more calories than normal while breastfeeding, but it is not some magical weight loss drug.
9. It can hurt at first
This is something I really did not know. I had NO clue how painful breastfeeding could be. My nipples were so sore and sensitive for the first two weeks. No nipple cream, no nursing shield, NOTHING helped. But it will eventually get better, you just have to get through the first few weeks.
10. Severe pain is not normal
While it is normal for nursing to hurt a little the first few weeks, a lot of pain is not normal. When I had my daughter, nursing was so freaking painful for the first weeks. Every time she latched I was fighting tears. I have a high pain tolerance, but latching her was so painful, I was about to give up. Looking back, I have no clue how I made it through.
Long story short my daughter had severe lip and tongue ties, which prevented her from latching properly. I did not find that out until I saw a pediatric dentist. So if you feel like something is wrong and you are having a lot of pain when your baby latches, see a professional that has experience with breastfeeding and ties and advocate for yourself!
11. You will feel pain in other parts of your body
This is something that caught me completely off guard. Breastfeeding releases oxytocin, which makes your uterus contract. And that can be quite painful. Especially, during the first few days after delivery, you will get cramping that will feel like period cramping or even mild contractions.
12. There will be milk everywhere
I had no idea how messy breastfeeding could be. Especially in those early days, when you and baby are still learning, milk will leak out of baby's mouth while nursing, they will spit up and you may leak a ton (I leaked an insane amount). Everything will just smell like breastmilk.
If you are anything like me, you may also experience a strong let-down. With both my babies I had to unlatch them when my let-down started, catch the milk in a burp cloth and then put them back to breast. They just could not handle the strong let down when they were very little and it was a mess.
13. Breastfeeding will feel like a full-time job
Nothing can prepare you for the amount of time you will spend breastfeeding. Those first few months of breastfeeding will feel like a full-time job. I always imagined breastfeeding your baby takes 10 minutes and then you’re done for another three hours. But that is so far from reality.
Both my kids nursed every 90 minutes for the first 4 months of their life. You may have heard people say that babies eat every 3 hours. While that may be true for some babies, especially formula fed babies, it is not the reality for many. So by the time I was done with a nursing session, I had about 60 minutes before starting all over again. Not to mention the many times my babies wanted to nurse every 10 minutes (hello cluster-feeding).
While breastfeeding most definitely has its challenges and can be so overwhelming at times, I am SOOOO happy I got to experience it. Once you get a hang of nursing your baby, it gets so much easier! The bond it creates between a mom and her baby is just something so special and unique. And it feels great to know that you're giving your baby all those great breastmilk nutrients.
This post should in no way discourage you from trying to breastfeed. The goal is to make every expecting mom more prepared for what’s ahead. I certainly wish I had known how hard, yet beautiful breastfeeding could be.
Let me know in the comments what you wish you had known about breastfeeding before you had a baby.
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References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022): How Much and How Often to Breastfeed. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/InfantandToddlerNutrition/breastfeeding/how-much-and-how-often.html (last visited: 10/25/2023).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021): What to Expect While Breastfeeding. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/breastfeeding/what-to-expect.html (last visited: 10/25/2023).
Lactation Consultants of Central Florida: How Much Should My Breastfed Baby Be Eating? URL: https://lactationconsultantsofcentralfl.com/breastfeeding-tips/how-much-should-my-breastfed-baby-be-eating/ (last visited: 10/25/2023).
The Bump, Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA (2017): Should I supplement with formula? URL: https://www.thebump.com/a/baby-is-losing-weight-should-i-supplement. (last visited: 10/25/2023).
