Breastfeeding has been a great joy - it's amazing to watch your baby grow and know that all of his nutrition is coming from you. After the umbilical cord was cut, I felt like this was another baby-mom link that we could enjoy. I also like knowing that as long as my baby is exclusively breastfed, he and I will always get private time together.
There are some frustrating things about nursing, especially in the beginning. For example, it's a little unsettling that you can't tell exactly what and how much is going in. But as long as he's gaining weight and what comes out in his diapers looks good, he's getting what he needs!
Here are some of the issues I encountered early on:
Cracked Nipples
My nipples definitely took some time getting accustomed to breastfeeding. They cracked and bled a little bit. It was painful when the baby first latched on during a feeding session, but the pain usually went away within 30 seconds or so. And let me tell you, having just recently gotten through labor, this pain felt like nothing. The good news is that the soreness didn't last long - after a couple of weeks, my nipples looked happier and didn't feel sore anymore.
I tried using Lansinoh once or twice to soothe the cracking. I didn't use it for too long, though - I didn't think it helped much. Also, one of the nurses at the hospital said that even though it's labeled as safe for the baby to ingest, she still thought I should wipe it off prior to nursing. I didn't want to be scrubbing at my painful nipples, so I just skipped the Lansinoh.
Another thing that helps keep nipples from hurting too much is to not get soap on them in the shower. After several months of breastfeeding, I still try to keep the soap away so as not to irritate them!
Primary Engorgement
Primary engorgement occurs when the breasts first start making "real" milk (after the colostrum). This is totally normal. Unfortunately, I didn't know it was normal, and I was pretty stressed out during this period. For me it occurred during the fourth night after the baby was born.
My breasts inflated to three times their normal size, they ached, and they felt really hard. It was difficult for the baby to latch on, which only compounded my stress. Plus, the worst of the engorgement occurred in the middle of the night, when it's harder to think clearly!
Luckily, we finally read about primary engorgement in our "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book. We were relieved to find that it was normal and that it should only last for 12-24 hours.
Sure enough, the next morning, my breasts were (slightly) smaller, less tender, and the baby was able to latch on again.
Clogged Ducts
I had three or four clogged duct episodes during the first month of breastfeeding. The first time it happened was the worst, and then I learned how to manage it. I found a lot of good advice at these kellymom websites:
General info: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html
Milk blisters: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html
You know a duct is clogged if your breast feels hard and possibly lumpy in one area. Once, I could actually feel the outline of the duct engorged with milk. The best remedy I found for the clogging was to have the baby nurse that breast longer, if possible, and to gently massage the tender area as he was nursing. Usually the clog would go away in one or two nursing sessions.
If the plug lasted longer, I would use a warm compress prior to nursing (to open things up), and a cold compress after nursing (to relieve soreness).
Latching On
The baby has the nursing instinct right away when he's born, but it might take him a little while to perfect the latch-on technique. For my baby, it was nearly a month before he could latch on the first try. Sometimes it would take several minutes, and that was frustrating.
This is where the hospital nurses' and lactation consultants' techniques come in handy. They help you learn how to gently flatten the areola to get as much as possible into the baby's mouth. They show you how to position the nipple and bring the baby's mouth in towards you.
My advice: ask all of your hospital nurses for help latching on, since each one might have a slightly different technique, and one might work better than the others. That helped me figure out what worked best for me and my baby.
During the first month or so, the baby's little fists would often get in the way of his mouth while he was trying to latch on. It helped to have someone hold his hands away from his face until he was successfully nursing. If I was alone, I would try to get him to hold onto my thumb to keep his hands out of the way!
We quickly developed our techniques, and soon the baby was consistently latching on the first try. Now, after about three months, all I have to do is get the breast near his mouth and he pretty much helps himself!
