You get pregnant, you make the announcement, and you spend the next 9 months preparing for what is sure to be the most exciting and life altering thing in your life. You may have an idea of what to expect and you may have a plan for how things will work out.
One of the things you'll be deciding during this time frame is whether or not to nurse your baby. Nursing is once again becoming a popular choice but that is not to say that it is the only choice. Everyone is different so nursing is not for everyone. There are times when it just cannot work for the mother and/or the child. Hopefully if you decide to nurse it works out for you.
If you have never had a child you may not know what to expect from nursing. While it is a bonding experience it is not a walk in the park initially. That being said, it gets easier and easier as the days go by. There are a couple of things you want to keep in mind while nursing:
Your milk does not come in immediately but the cholostrum in the first several days is very important to the child's nutrition and immune system.
The first several days are definitely the hardest but they are not impossible to handle. Besides being tired you will also undoubtedly be sore but you can make it. If you can just try to keep in mind that it gets easier in the subsequent weeks and months I believe you can make it. There are products that help with the soreness.
Nursing does not have to be a long term commitment. Although you may target a year or so anything is a good thing. Any time that you are able to handle it is good for the baby.
Sometimes nursing is not the best option. There are sometimes medical reasons that prevent nursing from being a success and that is ok. While it may not be the ideal situation you also cannot beat yourself up over it.
If you are nursing, have to go back to work, and want to continue nursing get a really good electric pump. A double one is great and make sure to see if your employer has a suitable place for pumping.
Don't forget to get nursing pads for your bra. This is very important for every woman, especially a woman who actually plans to leave the house.
Start pumping extra milk as soon as possible because it is likely that in going back to work you will be more tired and also may develop some stress. Both of these things may have an affect on your milk production.
The special milk bags are not a necessity. I tried them but they constantly broke and as I was thawing the milk I would see the milk flowing down the drain. Ugh, that was frustrating. I resorted to using Glad ziploc bags and being very cautious when thawing the milk.
If you experience a reduction in milk production, try not to let it stress you out even more. The more stressed you are the more your milk production may be affected. I actually had to supplement a little bit by mixing formula with some of my milk just on a temporary basis. It upset me greatly in the beginning until I just resolved myself to accepting it for the greater good and I eventually found my milk production picking back up.
Weaning the baby is something to look forward to. It is like crossing the finish line after an extremely rewarding race. But it is a balancing act because you have to juggle how much to feed and pump so as not to offset the balance.
Once you have finished the nursing period you feel a sense of relaxation and accomplishment. It does not mean that you are a bad person for wanting your body back but rather that you were a success in what you had set out to do. Whether you do it for 5 months or 12 months you can feel confident that you did everything you could to give your baby the best start you could.
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