Breastfeeding Tips and Tools

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There’s no denying that there are many benefits to breastfeeding. According to sources such as the World Health Organization, the CDC, and major research hospitals; breastmilk/breastfeeding benefits include but are not limited to:

• Provides safe, clean, and nutrient dense food for babies from day 1.
• Contains antibodies that baby needs for the best protection against many common illnesses. 
• Lowers risks of the child to develop chronic illnesses such as asthma, obesity, and type 1 diabetes.
• As little as 2 months of breastfeeding lowers risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 50%.
• Women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
• Naturally soothes baby and promotes bonding between mom and baby.
  • When you’re skin-to-skin with your baby, oxytocin (the cuddle/love hormone) is released. This makes baby feel calm and safe and helps your uterus contract back to its non-pregnant size! 

I truly thought that breastfeeding would be a breeze and come naturally. I knew in my bones it was something I wanted to do for bonding, convenience of having food “on tap” for my baby, and the health benefits for both baby and me. While eventually I was able to enjoy the convenience and beauty of breastfeeding, it was not a smooth and easy journey for us. 

My milk came in around day 3 or 4 and engorgement…. OMG. It was a very uncomfortable and strange sensation. At the same time we were really struggling with a shallow latch due to my son’s tongue tie. Support from my husband was the best tool at this time. He was truly all in with me and an unwavering comfort throughout it all. Even though it is suggested to wait until 3 weeks to introduce bottles, I was in so much pain from his shallow latch and my engorgement that I pumped and we gave bottles to give me a little bit of ‘break’ physically and mentally. I remember completely breaking down and feeling like a failure because I thought breastfeeding would come so easy. I thought, “It’s the most natural thing! It’ll be fine!” I was quickly humbled. While I was in tears on the living room couch, my husband made the decision to figure out my pump, measure me to figure out my flange size, sterilize everything and gently reassure me that everything would be okay and we would figure this out. This is why support is so important in breastfeeding. I don’t think we would have been as successful if my husband hadn’t jumped in. It is so much harder for most than it’s perceived. However, we pushed through!! And we are still going strong at 11 months postpartum!! So, I want to give you the tips and tools that helped us be successful with breastfeeding. 

Tips:

• SLEEP: I know, I know. Sleep? With a newborn? You’re hilarious! But seriously, sleep whenever you can. Ask for help or outsource all tasks so you can focus on healing from birth and bonding with your baby. 
• EAT. You must feed yourself! This is not the time to worry about bouncing back or neglecting your basic nutrition needs.  Have your support people provide you with delicious, well balanced food and snacks so you can nourish yourself and your little baby. Meal prepping, food trains, or someone in your home cooking food fresh is the ticket to making sure you get enough to sustain your energy and milk supply. Make sure you’re eating whole foods and a protein rich diet (meat and chicken, occasionally fish). Protein, balanced with veggies, fruits, and good fats harbor great results for you and baby. 
  • Examples of what I eat in a day:
    • Breakfast- plain oatmeal, fruit, a tbsp of hemp seeds, a few chocolate chips that melt on the warm oatmeal *chefs kiss* with a side of chicken sausage and/or eggs 
    • Snack-Cascadian Farm organic protein granola bar + LMNT electrolyte drink
    • Lunch- Leftovers from dinner the night before or chicken salad sandwich with chips. Mandarin Orange. 
    • Snack-Carrots and hummus/Apple with peanut butter. 
    • Dinner- Grilled Chicken, Rice, Brussels/Organic ground beef tacos with guacamole and chips/Pasta with meat sauce and green beans on the side/Salmon, rice, and asparagus
    • Dessert- Brownies
• DRINK WATER. It is so important to stay hydrated while pregnant and breastfeeding. I have had at least one LMNT electrolyte pack added to water a day since I added them in at about 2 months postpartum. 
• Get on the same page with your partner or support person. As I said above, support throughout this journey is CRUCIAL. Talk to your husband/partner before birth about this and get on the same page about what you may need and know that they may need to adapt quickly. Your mental space could be all over the place especially with the hormone rush that comes with postpartum and breastfeeding. I cannot stress enough that having a supportive, safe space is so so important.
• Avoid alcohol. Abstaining from alcohol for almost a year and I still have to avoid it even though the baby is out?! While I did have a beer or two the first couple of months postpartum, I was actually just too tired to drink anyway. Welcome to motherhood!! But, it is recommended to avoid alcohol as it has the potential to effect milk production and disrupt your and baby’s sleep. So, if you do choose to partake, do so sparingly. 
• Wait 3 weeks to introduce pacifiers or bottles*. In our Bradley Method class it was taught that you should wait until the sweet spot of until about 3 weeks to introduce a bottle. This is so breastfeeding is well established AND so baby will actually take a bottle when mom needs a break or goes back to work. *Although we did use bottles a bit in the first week due to our struggles, it didn’t seem to have an effect on our baby. 
• Utilize a lactation consultant/have one come to your house. This goes along with support! We saw a lactation consultant for about 4 weeks that helped us navigate through everything. It helps to have an expert’s point of view. She suggested nipple shields (which I didn’t even think about and we used for over a month while I was healing), using my Silverettes periodically and nipple creams as well. I’m so thankful for her guidance. 
• Avoid medications that can decrease your supply antihistamines and decongestants, diuretics, hormonal contraceptives containing estrogen. 
• Bring baby to breast often. Feed them as often and as long as they need. In theory, this signals your body produce enough milk for your baby’s needs. 
• If baby seems extremely fussy or uncomfortable avoid excessive: spicy foods, caffeine, and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower). Try some of these vegetables to see if they are easier to digest and may not effect baby as much like: carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, zucchini, green beans, celery and squash. Some moms have to eliminate food groups entirely. My baby had blood in his stool (it looked like black specks at around 6 weeks old) and skin reactions. So, I took dairy completely out of my diet and these problems cleared. I was dairy free until about 10 months and even then I slowly incorporated it back in. 

Tools:

*Below are Amazon links where you can use your HSA/FSA to purchase. However, I encourage you to use https://aeroflowbreastpumps.com and enter your insurance information to see what discounts you can get! You can of course use your HSA/FSA here as well. 

• LMNT electrolytes packets- my favorite is Salt Raspberry 
• Silverettes– Make sure you measure your nipple prior to purchasing. I needed the XL ones.
• Nipple Shields– These were so helpful while my nipples were healing from cracks and blisters 
• Hakka– I used mainly in the early weeks while I was engorged on the opposite side baby was nursing on. 
• Breast Pump- I love my Elvie Stride. It’s hospital grade suction that is adjustable and I love how you don’t have to be attached to the wall. The battery life lasts me about 3-4 25 min pump sessions.
  • Breast Milk Bags- I like the Lansinoh bags the best because they can lay the flattest for most efficient storage in the freezer.
• With bottle feeding and pumping you’re going to want to keep all the little parts together. We use the Oxo Dishwasher Basket and Oxo Drying Rack. We also keep all of baby’s dishes separate in a bin until we run a top rack sanitizing cycle in the dishwasher at the end of the day.
• Dr. Brown’s Anti-Colic Bottles were our favorite! These are also the kind we used most commonly for the babies on the floor where I was a nurse. We have always used level 1 (slow-flow) nipples for the entire time we’ve used bottles in our baby’s 11 months of life. It’s recommended to use the slowest flow for as long as possible.
• Nursing pads- Disposable and Reusable. I opted for the disposables out of convenience. I mostly utilized them in the first 3 months of breastfeeding.
• Baby Safe Nipple Creams. The ones I loved the most were Earth Mama Nipple Butter and Mother Love Nipple Cream. Both of these are so moisturizing and you don’t have to wipe off prior to nursing. *But note they may stain your clothes.
• Water bottle with a straw! I love my Hydro Flask. This is definitely needed to be able to drink water in all the awkward positions you may find yourself while breastfeeding in the early days. 
• My Brest Friend nursing pillow. This is so useful when they’re little. You are going to want to be comfortable with all the time you will be feeding your babe. And this helps save a little strain on your back and neck. I got mine handed down from my sister. 
• Boppy Nursing Pillow. This is useful when they are a little bigger and a great tool for tummy time as well! I had two of these handed down to me. 
• Night light for middle of the night feeds. This was so useful for us with diaper changes and when we were still working on our latch. We bought two!
• Kindred Braverly Nursing Bras. These are so comfortable and great for day wear and pumping. I have four and love them!
• Pull aside bras. I usually wear these at night for quick access so I don’t have to fumble with the clasps while I’m half asleep.

While everyone’s breastfeeding and motherhood journey is different and unique to them, I hope my messy success story gives you some insight of the beauty and hard work that goes into breastfeeding.

Thank you for stopping by! I wish you all the abundance.

Ally