Tips for Making Breastfeeding Easier

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My breastfeeding days are slowly coming to an end as I am beginning to wean my youngest and I hope that breastfeeding is something I will never forget. The late nights, the engorged breasts, the leaking milk, the loose clothes, and all the cuddles, oh how I'm going to miss the baby cuddles.

Breastfeeding is full of mixed emotions. I don't know about you, but I have a love hate relationship with breastfeeding. 

I love that I am able to breastfeed as not everyone is able to, and I know from personal experience about feeling like a failure for not being able to breastfeed one of my babies.  I love that breastfeeding provides a bond between mom and baby that no one else will have. I love the nutritional and healthiness of breastfeeding. I love that it helped me lose some of my baby weight after birth. I love being able to sneak away for a few minutes of quite if needed. I love all the baby cuddles.

I do not like that I sometimes feel like a milk cow feeding every time baby is hungry, tired, fussing, or wants a snack; midnight feedings, early mornings, every two to four hours, stopping whatever else I may be doing to feed the baby. I do not like always having to wear easy breast access clothing. I do not like the battle of trying to get baby to latch or the constant coming off/on again stage when baby gets distracted by hearing a sibling. I do not like always having to feed baby when I have a list of things to do. I do not like pumping.

Breastfeeding has always been a mental struggle for me, especially the more kids I had, the more I struggled. Like I said above, I have a love hate relationship with breastfeeding. There were several moments I felt like quitting, but I knew deep down that I would be quitting for the wrong reasons. I would be quitting so I'd have help feeding the baby. I would be quitting to hopefully catch a few more minutes of sleep since the husband could feed the baby. I would be quitting for a an occasional drink or night out with friends. I would be quitting because I wanted my body back. I would be quitting because I am selfish  and I didn't want to be so I stuck it out and did what was best for my children and I do not regret my breastfeeding journey with my four children. 

Breastfeeding is a journey. There are several ups and downs along the way. I will admit that it can be hard and time consuming but the bonding between mom and baby is so worth it. 

Breastfeeding can be a rollercoaster of emotions so why not try to make it easier? Here are a few ways to make breastfeeding a little easier based on my personal experience:

1. Be Comfortable

Find a comfortable place to breastfeed your baby

This can be your couch, a rocking chair, or even your bed. You can breastfeed your baby anywhere you want. The more comfortable you are, the better the experience will be. Your milk supply and baby can pick up on if you are stressed.

Find a comfortable breastfeeding position

Holding your baby in cradle position is not the only way to breastfeed. One of my favorite positions, especially in the middle of the night or morning, is to lay on my side with arm under baby while they lay and eat. Find a position that works for both you and baby.

Use a Nursing Pillow

When I first started breastfeeding, I didn't think I needed a breastfeeding pillow. I used a small pillow I had on the couch to prop under my arm or I would bend my leg up and use my knee for support. I got a Boppy breastfeeding pillow with my second baby and have used it since. As baby grows, I flip it and just us the end of it, but the nursing pillow has helped make breastfeeding more comfortable. Sometimes a small pillow behind your lower back helps as well.

2. Breastfeeding Supplies

Breast Pads

Not everyone will need breastfeeding pads, but I always liked to use them just incase. Better to have protection than to lactate through a shirt. You will most likely need them for the first few months while your milk is still sorting itself out. Sometimes when baby nurses, your other breast will start to lactate so it's good to have breast pads on just incase. They sell disposable ones, reusable/washable ones, and they even have breast cups that will catch your milk so you can freeze it later. 

My favorite breast pads are the Lansinoh Disposable Breast Pads.

Nursing Cover

Breastfeeding is a normal, natural thing to do. You do not have to cover up when breastfeeding but some people prefer to. I personally do not like using a nursing cover because it makes both baby and I hot, the baby gets distracted and tries to play with the cover, and it's more difficult to wrestle with baby to keep them under the cover and your breasts hidden than you'd think yet I still use a cover most of the time when I'm breastfeeding in public. I use a cover because I don't want other people to see my breasts. I sometimes use a blanket and just pull it up over the side of baby's head so we aren't as hot and baby can breathe. Cover or no cover, people will stare.

My favorite cover has been the Multi-use Breathable Covers that can be used as carseat covers, breastfeeding covers, high chair covers, etc.

Breast Pump

You will most likely need a breast pump for the first few months until your milk supply steadys out and your baby started eating more. You will also need a pump if you are returning to work or if you are planning on pumping and bottle feeding. You can use the pump to increase your supply by pumping when baby isn't eating to create a milk stash or donate. Yes, you can donate your breastmilk! Make sure to freeze your pumped milk as long as it doesn't contain alcohol incase you aren't able to breastfeed for some reason or need a night out so baby has something to eat.

Check with your insurance, as some insurance companies will supply you with a free breast pump.

My favorite pump is the Lansinoh Double Breast Pump. With my fourth baby, I got a pumping bra similar to this one which holds both pumps making pumping hands free which was so much easier than holding the bottles.

Nipple Cream

I only really needed to use nipple cream at the very beginning of my breastfeeding journey with each child. I did not buy any but somehow ended up with a bunch from the hospitals for free. Your breast will be tender and can easily become chapped when you start breastfeeding because it is a new experience. The nipple cream helps ease the discomfort. You may also need a little if your baby gets teeth before you wean them.

My favorite nipple cream is the Medela nipple cream.

              

3. Comfortable Clothing

Breastfeeding Friendly Clothes

Believe it or not, not everything in your closet will be breastfeeding friendly. When I became pregnant, I knew I would need some maternity clothes and nursing bras but I never thought about clothes for breastfeeding. I did not buy any breastfeeding clothes although they do sell dresses and tank tops for breastfeeding, I just used clothes I already had. T-shirts and loose tops are my go to. Dresses are a no go unless you want to lift your dress all the way up revealing your booty or you can pull the top part down by your breast. Tops with buttons in the front also work well.

Comfortable Nursing Bra

I mainly wore the cheap nursing bras from Walmart or cheap sports bras. You can easily lift both up instead of using the nursing clasp which is why I like wearing them. I also had a few nicer nursing bras from Target. One with underwire and one without. I personally was not a fan of the underwire nursing bras, they are harder to flip down, although they did offer support when I was was dressing up. You will want a couple comfortable nursing bras.

4. Let Baby Finish

Sometimes sitting there breastfeeding can feel like time is moving so slow. Five minutes can feel like twenty. It is okay to keep an eye on the time, but try to let baby finish. The hind-milk (thicker milk at the end) has more fat in it that is good for baby so you want to make sure they aren't only getting fore-milk (watery milk at beginning). The hind-milk fills baby up more and also helps baby take a nap. By letting your baby finish breastfeeding and getting as much milk as they want, you will have a happier baby and your breast will not be as full which helps you avoid engorged breast, being uncomfortable, hard breast, and more.

5. Find Something to Do

This is harder to do than you'd think because you will most likely only have one free hand since you are using your other to hold your baby. Finding something to do while breastfeeding can help pass the time. I created this list of 15 Things to do while Breastfeeding that you can check out for ideas!

6. Stick to a Schedule

Starting out, babies usually eat every two to four hour. As they grow, it becomes every four to six; then it becomes mornings, nap time, and evenings until they are weaned. Every baby is different and will have a different feeding schedule and by schedule I mean a range of time. My little one usually wants to eat within the same hour range ever day. Your baby may already be on a schedule and you don't even know it.

In my personal experience, when you keep baby on a feeding schedule, breastfeeding and naps go a lot smoother. You will have less wrestling matches trying to get baby to eat as well. Baby will usually become fussy when they want to eat so watch for their cues. Don't ever force a baby to eat or they may relate breastfeeding to a bad experience making it harder. Baby will eat when they are ready. 

7. Eat Milk Enhancing Foods

This may sound funny, but the more milk enhancing foods you eat, the better your supply will be. Your breastmilk has a mind of it's own and changes to better suit baby's needs. When your supply is low, your breast can become sore from baby sucking when there isn't a lot of milk in them. If your milk supply feels low, try to feed baby more often to help boost your supply as well as trying some milk enhancing foods, drinks,  or vitamins.

You can research milk enhancing foods or lactation recipes but a few I know of off the top of my head are garlic, leafy greens, whole wheat, foods high in protein, and blueberries. Anything with oats in it works great - oatmeal, smoothies, or my favorite, chocolate chip oat balls. I noticed that a lot of the lactation recipes call for Flax Seed, so you could try flax. There are vitamin and teas you can buy to help with lactation. Also the drink, Body Armour, helps for some odd reason. I think it's because it hydrates you. That being said, make sure to stay hydrated!

8. Find a Support Group

My support group is my husband although he cannot relate to what it's like to breastfeed. He has helped by getting me things when needed and told me when I talked about quitting, to quit and he'd help feed the baby or that "I am almost there, and to keep going". I know telling someone to quit doesn't sound like support but offering to help is support and not trying to force them into a decision is support. 

You can look to friends, relatives, your spouse, and other moms for support. You can find breastfeeding groups on Facebook as well if you don't mind support from strangers. Some churches even offer support groups. You got this momma, whatever you choose, do what is best for you and baby!

Not everyone is cut out for breastfeeding and there is nothing wrong that. Maybe you chose to breastfeed. Maybe you chose to bottle feed. Maybe you chose to supplement. Maybe you chose to pump and bottle feed. No matter what you choose/chose to do, do whatever works best for you and your baby because we all love a happy, healthy, fed baby. A happy mom isn't so bad either. 

I hope this post helps make your breastfeeding journey a little easier. I'd love to know what you did to help make breastfeeding easier. Comment below!

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