Breastfeeding Tips from Moms Who’ve Been There!
My mom tells me this story of how when I was 3 or 4 years old I came out of the play room with my little shirt pulled up around my shoulders and my baby doll positioned perfectly at my chest. When she asked what I was doing, “Feeding my baby!” I responded matter of factly. Breastfeeding was natural and expected in my family. So when I had breastfeeding trouble with my first newborn, I was not prepared at all. No one ever told me how to breastfeed. I never thought it was something I’d have to research or educate myself about. I thought it would just happen. Well it didn’t; it didn’t happen naturally for any of my three babies. And I’ve learned (after lots of research and education) that it doesn’t happen naturally for a LOT of women. So I thought it would be helpful to hear some breastfeeding tips from REAL MOMS. Here’s what the B-Inspired Bloggers had to say…
20 Breastfeeding Tips from Real Moms
- Make Friends with The Lactation Consultant & Nurses – “The Lactation Consultant and Labor and Delivery Nurses can be your heros. Don’t be afraid to ask for support at the hospital and even once you’re home.” Kim of The Educators’ Spin On It
- Get Your Partner’s Support – “When my son was newborn it helped to have my husband’s support especially the first few days. For instance, he (hubby) would stroke the baby’s feet helping him latch on quickly.” Frances of Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes
- Try to Stay Relaxed – “Stay calm. Those first days can be a bit stressful. Try to keep calm when first getting baby to latch and beginning a nursing routine. Otherwise baby senses your anxiety and can get upset, too.” Shaunna of Fantastic Fun & Learning
Consider trying Essential Oils for calming yourself for better breastfeeding.
- Drink Lots of Water – “Also, make sure to take care of yourself – DRINK LOTS OF WATER! It is so easy to forget just how much work your body is doing, so be kind to yourself.” Leanna of All Done Monkey
- Get Comfortable – “Find a comfy place to nurse . . . and a place that helps you feel calm. Tummy-to-tummy is important, too.” Mary Catherine of Fun-A-Day!
- Have Everything Handy When You Sit – “Write yourself a check list and before you sit down to breast feed run through it – Have I been to the loo? Can I reach the TV remote? Do I have a drink and biscuits within reach? Do I have comfy pillows? There is nothing worse than getting your baby latched on and realizing you are busting for a pee and the TV remote is on the other side of the room.” The Monko of Taming the Goblin
[Tweet “There is nothing worse than getting your baby latched on and realizing you are busting for a pee!”]
- Pat the Bum – “For newborns, I find that patting their bum helps them stay calm so they can focus on latching on (and stay latched on).” MaryAnne of Mama Smiles
- Undress Them to Wake Them – “Newborns can be tired and hard to wake to nurse. Try tickling their feet and their cheeks. Or undressing them to their diaper to make them alert and hungry before breastfeeding. Besides, the skin-to-skin contact is great, too!” Krissy of B-Inspired Mama
- Try Tummy to Tummy – “Also align tummy to tummy rather than trying to pull their head towards you.” MaryAnne of Mama Smiles
- Consider Your Diet – “My first three babies were VERY gassy for the first 6 weeks of life, especially at night. With my 4th child, I cut out dairy (mainly butter, cheese, ice cream; I still ate yogurt) and it worked like a charm.” Becky of This Reading Mama
- Take Your Time & Slow Your Schedule – “Make the decision to slow own schedules to allow the time to breastfeed, especially in the beginning.” Sheila of Pennies of Time
[Tweet “Breastfeeding Tip: Slow down your schedule to allow the time to breastfeed.”]
- Wake the Baby to Breastfeed – “I had trouble with milk supply for all three of my babies. I had quite a scare with my second when I slept through and didn’t wake her on our first night home. She went 6 hours without breastfeeding. And was extremely difficult to arouse to eat. When I noticed she was starting to look yellow, I took her to my midwife where we tested and found out she was dangerously jaundice from lack of nutrition. She was admitted for 24 hours to be under the lights and I started supplementing.” Krissy of B-Inspired Mama
- Find An Experienced Friend – “If you can find a buddy that you can talk to about nursing, you’ll have questions in the beginning, need encouragement from in the middle of it all and will need that support especially towards the end when you try to figure how how long you will breastfeed for.” Kim of The Educators’ Spin On It
- Ask Nurses for Tips on Breastfeeding Preemies – “If your baby is premature be sure to ask the doctors and nurse for nursing tips specific to premature babies. My twins were born healthy and able to room with me immediately, but they were five weeks early and didn’t have a strong suck reflex yet. I wish I had been more informed about nursing a preemie (or two!) before I was in the situation.” Allison of Train Up A Child
- Be Persistent – “And don’t give up too soon. People will tell you it just doesn’t work for some people (and that can be true) but sometimes it’s just seeking the right advice and a little persistence that can make a big difference.” Shaunna of Fantastic Fun & Learning
[Tweet “Breastfeeding Advice: Sometimes the right advice & a little persistence can make the difference!”]
- Try Not to Compare Yourself to Others – “Draw upon the experiences of the moms you know to help you learn as much as possible and then refrain from comparing yourself to them once you figure out what works for you and your baby.” Sheila of Pennies of Time
- Seek Out Breastfeeding Help – “Be patient and be your own (& your child’s) best advocate. If you’re struggling, get support and help!” Sara of Mom Endeavors
[Tweet “Breastfeeding Advice: Be patient and be your own (& your child’s) best advocate.”]
- Follow Your Instincts if Something Doesn’t Seem Right – “If something doesn’t seem right, seek advice so you have have all of the information. [My second baby] had bad jaundice. When the levels wouldn’t drop my pediatrician told us that it was probably because I was ONLY Breastfeeding (!). We asked for another pediatrician in the practice, she went for light therapy and was fine! So use Google, talk to other Mamas, or ask for a second opinion.” Jenny of Learning & Growing the Piwi Way
- Breastfeeding Trouble Doesn’t Make You Less of a Mom – “Know that sometimes things outside your control might mean breastfeeding doesn’t work as well as you’d like–or at all. I was devastated when we discovered an issue with my body that means I don’t produce enough milk. But, know that even if you have struggles (or can’t breastfeed), it doesn’t make you any less of a wonderful mom!” Sara of Mom Endeavors
- Don’t Judge – “As parents we need to try and be supportive of the decisions each other make. Often when we look at a situation we don’t know the full story. I know many people feel very strongly that breast feeding is important. But next time you look at a mother bottle feeding please bear in mind that that mother may share your strong views about breast is best, but they may not have been as lucky as you in their ability to do it.” The Monko of Taming the Goblin
Get Comfortable for Breastfeeding with the mombo deluxe
While I’m not breastfeeding my little ones anymore, I was still really excited to be sent a mombo deluxe nursing pillow to try out and review for you. While I did have breastfeeding trouble, a nursing pillow was essential to what little success I did have and was even used well beyond when we switched over to formula, too. And I was honestly so impressed with the mombo; it’s definitely the best nursing pillow I’ve tried. The one I received has a sweet green and cream pattern and super soft fabric. But the really cool thing: it vibrates! That would be a great feature to sooth a fussy baby, but J.C. just got such a kick out of laying and playing on it.
More Baby and Breastfeeding Tips from B-Inspired Mama:
What are your best breastfeeding tips to share? Did you have breastfeeding trouble or find it came naturally?
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Enozia Vakil says
Wow! Essential oils to calm your baby down? Never thought about that!
Suzanne says
Breastfeeding my first born son was difficult. The lactation consultant checked the shape of his mouth. There was no way for him to get a good latch. No matter how much help I had, he still could barely reach me. His tongue would lick my nipple, and it made me blister and bleed. I would spend hours a day in with consultants every day the first 3 weeks he was alive. My husband would drop me off in the morning on his way to work and I would sit in the waiting room until it was time to feed him, and they would come help me. Then my himusband would pick me up on his way home. No matter what we tried, it was incredibly painful. I became depressed and refused to hold him. My husband went out and bought me a breast pump thinking it would give me the chance to pump while allowing my scabs to heal. I never went back to breast feeding him. I was so relieved to have a way go provide him breast milk painlessly. When my second child was born, I went to the hospital planning to avoid breastfeeding. I was so scarred from my first experience! But he was born hungry, and he latched so easily immediately! I didn’t even need my breast pump until I returned to work. It was completely opposite experiences.
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Thank you so much for sharing you story, Suzanne! I can feel our pain and guilt when you talk about your difficulties with your first child. I’ve been there. Good for you for trying so hard, but also for know when to let it go!
Marcia says
I found I always kept a big glass of cold water beside me when I fed my children. Breastfeeding always made me thirsty. My biggest tip would be not to over think it or drive yourself nuts. I never had a schedule and just fed them when they seemed hungry. As long as they were gaining weight (after the first week or so) they were fine. I always put the baby on a pillow to bring them up to the right height and so I wouldn’t have to spend all the feeding time lifting. I could have fed twins. I was told by the nurse at the hospital “oh well you probably can’t breastfeed, I couldn’t”. I ignored her and in a day or two my milk came in. Was easy and a wonderful, cheap way to feed your little one
kayla says
It is very rare that women are unable to breastfeed most times it is a lack of support either from yourself or from the people around you. You just have to try your best. The harder you try the more likely it is to workout . A lot of people say did they just don’t produce enough milk there is a natural supplement that you can take that you can buy at GNC stores. Though you should always ask that to your physician first.
Lydia says
I just had my 5th baby today and really want to succeed at my 2nd attempt to breastfeed. Would so love to win this pillow to help. 🙂
Christi M. says
My niece us pregnant and this would be a great gift. I love love loved breast feeding my daughter and want her her to have a great experience.
Brittany says
I actually do NOT have a boppy pillow at all and its so hard to get a comfortable position to feed. I lay down mostly because its the only position comfortable enough for me. I wanted to be able to try rotating positions. The Football Hold, The Cradle Hold. The Belly To Belly laying down. Sitting up on my leg. But not having support is very hard. I have a very active baby too. He is a month old and wiggles more than anything when we sit to feed. I would gladly appreciate it if I won this pillow. Maybe then I wouldn’t wake up 20 times in the middle of the night to take something for the back pain.
Marcia says
Just use a plain old pillow. Works great
The Monko says
thanks for linking to the Sunday Parenting Party, I’m featuring these great tips on the SPP post this weekend and pinning (obviously!)
Rachel says
Great post! I’m expecting my first towards the end of the year and I’m so dang nervous about nursing! I’m really determined to make it work but I’ve heard so many stories from other moms of how it didn’t work for them. I’m probably more anxious about not being able to nurse than anything else, including delivery! I’m trying to read as much as I can about it, and any help from a great nursing pillow would be wonderful!
Misty says
My baby is 9.5 months old & I don’t know what I would do without a breastfeeding pillow. I take the My Brest Friend everywhere. I would love to try this one & keep one in the car so I don’t ever forget to take it.
Tonia says
My third is not quite two weeks old and I’m more sore than I ever remember being with my first two kiddos. I’d have to say I think I introduced the paci too soon. But we’re pushing through and things are starting to get a bit better.
thegirlwhopaintedtrees says
So timely. I found out today that I am pregnant. I gave away my nursing pillow so winning this would be great.
Cynthia Richardson says
I would love to win this for my grandson who is coming to visit
Cynthia.Richardson@azbar.org
Sonya Morris says
I would love to win one since I am nursing my 8 week old little guy and it would be great to use for tummy time too!
Jessica says
What a good snapshot of advice!
Aimee says
Nursing my babies has been the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life. I am lucky is was rather easy for me, well painful to start, but easy. I had no idea I would love it so much! My best advise: have a nursing pillow in each room you will nurse in so you don’t have to drag your pillow from room to room!! The little conviences are a big help!
Kelli says
This was a great post. I have nursed my first 3 with varying success and am expecting my 4th in October. This pillow sure would be a blessing!
brindi says
what a valuable resource! i am definitely pinning it to remember when when i have my own babies!