Last updated on July 9th, 2024 at 02:02 pm
Breastfeeding IS NOT easy. If you take nothing else away from this, please please remember that! I was so hard on myself those first several weeks postpartum because I was so determined to breastfeed and do it perfectly for my baby. The truth is it is a lot of hard work and definitely takes some practice to get the hang of.
However, it will get better! Just give it time. The first few weeks are truly exhausting and overwhelming, but stick with it and it will get easier.
There are so many things I didn’t know about breastfeeding as a first-time mom, and I wish I did! Here are some tricks to successful breastfeeding for new moms to get you through those tough first few weeks and hopefully keep you going as long as you like!
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Skin-to-skin contact
Placing your baby chest to chest with you is a great way to start initiating the breastfeeding process, even if baby is not hungry yet. I know as a nurse this is the first thing I would do after baby was born, place him or her chest to chest with mom. Talk with your doctor and see if this is a possibility right after delivery.
If you’re having trouble latching, skin-to-skin contact can really help your baby initiating the process.
Don’t limit skin-to-skin contact right after delivery. Do it as much as you can those first few days to increase the likelihood that your baby will exclusively breastfeed.
Talk with a Lactation Consultant
Most hospital have lactations in house that are right there to help you. Make sure you ask for one! I always recommended to all of my first-time moms when we discussed their birth plan to talk with lactation before discharge.
I know it can be uncomfortable and you may think you read enough about breastfeeding during your pregnancy, but believe me, you will!
As a nurse, I helped moms breastfeed after delivery as a nurse for four years before I had my first baby and I still struggled! It is ok to ask for help and it will make your postpartum experience so much more enjoyable if you do.
After discharge, if you are struggling or have questions there are many outpatient lactation consultants that you can meet with. Just ask for information from your postpartum nurse or call the hospital to find ones closest to yo
Make sure you and your baby are comfortable
There are several positions that you can try to help initiate a latch with your baby. The typical “cross cradle” position that most people think of with breastfeeding may not work for you at first. Talk to your nurse or lactation consultant about different positions for holding baby while you are in the hospital. They can teach you positions such as football hold or side-lying position that may help your babe latch better.
Having extra support can also be really helpful to keep you comfortable and achieve a good latch. Be sure to bring a Boppy pillow or whatever breastfeeding support pillow you prefer with you to the hospital to use. There are several different types of pillows that can offer great support for both your arms and your back. Here are some of my favorite styles. You can click on the photos for more information
Everyone is different and what may be comfortable for you may not be comfortable for someone else. Same goes for your little babe. You may have great success with one child breastfeeding in one position but struggle with another when they are a newborn. Be patient. Do what feels the best for you.
Make sure there is enough breathing room for baby
Once you have found a comfortable position for you and baby, make sure there is plenty of room for him or her to adjust while nursing.
There should be plenty of space for baby to take breaths in between sucking. As a general rule, you should be able to see at least one nostril around your breast to make sure they can breath. And baby’s are smart. If they are unable to breath while nursing they will tell you by trying to adjust their head or fussing. In order to eat they must first be able to breath.
If you are larger chested, take your hand that is not support baby and gently move your breast out of the way of their nostril. You may have to hold this position while your baby is still a small newborn. As they get bigger, it will get easier for them to position themselves without your support.
Inform your providers of your plans to breastfeed
This is a crucial one that I think is often overlooked because new moms assume their nurses and doctors will plan on them breastfeeding. Not everyone plans on breastfeeding so make sure you inform them prior to delivery.
This is super important because labor can be unpredictable and sometimes emergencies do occur. Your birth may not go as you planned. If you end up in an emergency cesarean section or your baby is taken to the NICU, you do not want the nurses to give your baby a bottle of formula without speaking to you first.
Informing your family, friends, and your healthcare team about your birth plan will ensure everyone is on the same page about your wishes and can help you have the most success with breastfeeding possible.
Ensure a proper latch
This is often the most common problem women have when beginning their breastfeeding journey.
As they are learning how to latch it can be very painful for your nipples. Hang in there!
If your baby has a proper latch, it should only hurt for a few seconds and then the pain should go away. If this is not the case your baby may not be latched correctly. Break the seal by placing your pinky finger at the corner of your baby’s mouth and try again. While it does take time for your nipples to get used to breast feeding and “toughen up”, and improper latch can cause them to be even more painful and damaged. Utilize your nurses and a lactation consultant to make sure your little one is latching well from the beginning.
If you are still in so much pain after your nipples should have gotten used to breastfeeding but want to continue, try a nipple shield! These can be a lifesaver new moms by teaching your baby how to latch well without causing too much damage to your nipples.
Nipple shields are not a permanent thing. Once your baby has learned to latch well and your nipples have healed you can slowly start to transition them to a regular latch. I used this nipple shield for the first three weeks of breastfeeding, and it was a lifesaver for me!
Nipple shields come in different sizes so make sure to meet with a lactation consultant and she can help you choose the right one for you!
Here are a few nipple shields that I recommend:
Use nipple cream
Along with a nipple shield, having a good nipple cream can make all the difference in treating those sore nipples in the first few weeks after delivery. There are many out there so you may have to try a few to see what you like.
Your hospital will likely give you a small tube while on postpartum, but that only lasted me about a week. Have some ready at home so you can soothe those sore nipples!
Each time after feeding your baby apply nipple cream all over your nipples and areola. This will help moisturize and hopefully prevent cracking and bleeding. Be generous with it.
This is mostly the brand the hospital will give you, but you can also try other brand such as Earth Mama Nipple Butter and see what you prefer. That stuff saved me after my son! Whatever you use applying a good nipple cream consistently will help soothe sore nipples until they become stronger.
Pump, and pump a lot!
Every woman is different, but for most, their milk does not come in for a few days after delivery. In fact, it may take longer if you had any complications with your delivery or a c-section.
With my first baby, it wasn’t until I was home from the hospital for a few days that my milk came in.
Pumping can help stimulate your breasts to start producing milk while your baby is learning how to latch.
Your hospital will likely supply you with an electric pump to help get you started but call ahead and check. You should try and pump on a similar schedule to when your baby would eat to encourage your milk production. For a newborn this is every 2-3 hours. While in the hospital I would nurse my baby, and then pump for 5-10 minutes to try and stimulate more. Again, speak with a lactation consultant and she can provide recommendations for you based on your individual circumstances.
Purchase a good pump for when you get home, especially if you plan on going back to work after maternity leave.
Related: Pumping Basics for New Moms
Spectra is the brand I used and I recommend to my patients but do your research on what works best for you. Breast pumps can be expensive but call your insurance and see if they will cover the cost. Most insurance companies will provide a breast pump each pregnancy or help cover the cost of one you purchase yourself through reimbursement.
Here are some breast pump options:
Ways to manage breast engorgement
When your milk starts to come in they can fill fully causing severe pain. You body doesn’t quite know how to regular itself yet so your breast become engorged. To relieve this, try a few of these tricks:
1. Take a warm shower or use a warm compress on your breast.
2. Express some of the milk to relive the pain. I like to use my Haaka pump just to get enough off without stimulating the body to produce enough more milk. You could also try gently hand expressing to achieve the same effect.
3. Use a breast pump to also decrease the fullness. Be careful to not empty your breasts otherwise they will fill and become painful again with little relive.
4. Make sure you are alternating breasts during feeds will prevent engorgement in one breast. Ideally spend 10-15 minutes of breastfeeding on each side during each feed if possible.
If this is your first baby, be patient. The engorgement will likely only last a few days as your body learns how to produce milk and how much to make for your baby. If the engorgement lasts longer or your breasts become even more painful you should contact your provider.
Drink lots of water!
Hopefully you started some great habits during your pregnancy of staying well hydrated throughout the day. Now keep it up!
It is so important to stay hydrated if you plan on breastfeeding because water is needed to help produce your milk. The more water you drink, the more milk it will help you produce and the better you will feel. You will need to replenish the water you body takes to feed your baby.
Yes you will be exhausted and overwhelmed those first few weeks, but it is so important to make taking care of yourself a priority.
Get yourself a great water bottle that you can carry around with you and that helps motivate you to drink more. One of the easiest ways I found to make sure I was drinking water was keeping a large water bottle filled wherever I would go to nurse my baby. So for me this meant I had one on my nightstand, one on the end table next to my recliner in the nursery, and another next to my favorite spot on the couch. My sweet husband always made sure these water bottles were filled throughout the day for me. That way when I was nursing my little guy I would make sure to drink several big gulps of water to “replace” what he was drinking.
Watch your diet
You’ve finally figured out the latch and feeding is going smoothly, but your baby is gassy and fussy. Could it be from your diet?
What you eat directly effects the components of your breastmilk. Try to pay attention to what you have been eating.
I started keeping a journal about two weeks after my son was born. He was super gassy and no matter how many times we burped him it didn’t seem to make a difference. We even tried gas drops and gripe water, but nothing seemed to help.
After about a week, I noticed he was getting more gassy when I would eat spicy food. Now this didn’t completely fix his issues, but staying away from irritiating foods can help your breastfeeding experience go more smoothly. if you have concerned, speak with your pediatrician about possible foods that could be effecting your baby through your breastmilk.
Be patient with yourself!
This sounds easier than it actually is but try and relax!
You’ve probably heard people joke that breastfeeding is a full-time job. Well, I didn’t really give much thought to that until I did it myself. It truly can be time consuming and stressful.
Expect to spend more of your day breastfeeding, especially in those first few weeks where you and your babe are trying to figure it out. Its common for moms to think they aren’t producing enough because their baby always seems hungry. This isn’t always the case. There were times my son wanted to eat every 45 minutes. While this can be very frustrating, it is totally normal and part of development for them.
The goal is for newborns to eat 8 to 12 times in a 24 hour period. This means they are eating just about every 2 to 3 hours on average.
Your body is an amazing machine and will produce as much milk as your baby needs. After a while it will regulate to produce the perfect amount for your child.
Be patient with yourself. You may spend a lot of those first few weeks sitting in the nursery and that’s ok! Find yourself a new favorite show or podcast and enjoy all the newborn snuggles. They really won’t last forever!
Hang in there. I know I have said this a lot, but it really does get easier. The first weeks are so emotionally, mentally, and physically draining. And breastfeeding can be painful at first. Just remember it will be worth it however long you decide to continue. It is a wonderful gift you are giving to your baby and is a special bonding experience. Be proud of yourself mama! You are doing a hard thing.
And remember if you need additional support make sure you ask for help. Whether it be from your own mom, a friend, or a lactation consultant. There are people around you that are here to help you as you begin this incredible new journey into motherhood.
