Breast Feeding Toolkit

If you are planning to breastfeed then there are some things that are essential to being successful.

There are three things you absolutely need if you are planning to breast feed.
One- nursing bras (sleep & day)
Two- lanolin
Three- a positive can do attitude that no-one can derail you from.

There are also many accessories that make nursing easier but are not essential, which I will go into detail about later in this post.

My Story: I am the first person in my friend circle to have children but my sister-in-law was a stay at home exclusive nursing mom to her two children. In talking to her during my pregnancy, reading multiple books on breastfeeding including the La Leche League book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and Dr. Sears The Breastfeeding Book and taking a breastfeeding class with my husband; I decided that even though I'd be going back to work when JD was 3 months old that breastfeeding was the way to go for me.  Once JD got here it was not that easy.

I had a planned C-section due to placental previa so I knew right away that nursing immediately after birth was not an option. My husband held him until I was in recovery and able to hold JD. I placed him to my breast and he latched on right away. I thought this was easy. Not the case two days later when my milk came in and JD (my instant gratification child) could not get "milk" to come out the second he latched on. Upon the suggestion of my nurses, I met multiple times with the lactation consultant on staff at the hospital (A MUST for all mothers intending on breastfeeding). She had great tips and suggestions that I had not come across in all of my reading.  JD would not latch at all after the first two days. I used the hospital pump to express milk and then fed him with a syringe to start each feeding so that he was not "starving" then worked on getting him to latch using all the positions. Once home it was still no better. My husband would help me by hand expressing milk into JD's mouth at my breast to get him to latch. My sister-in-law was also helpful for verbal support and pointers for my positioning and latch. She was essential to my success. By the time JD was two weeks old we had it down pat and both of us were nursing like pros. JD successfully nursed for thirteen months.

JD would rather nurse than take a bottle (we tried about 10 kinds before we found one he would take), and would only eat the minimum amount of expressed milk for my husband when I was at work. To make up for that he nursed all night long, with his last feeding right before I left for work at six am, he would then nurse the second I came home from work through the evening. We did this successfully until July the following year. He naturally weaned himself from bottles and nursing as he got older and became more independent.

MJ was also a planned section and from the beginning was the easiest nurser. He latched and nursed like a champ. He is now six weeks old and still no problems.

Each experience like each child is different. Sometimes you just have to work through the hard times to get to the good. Anything worthwhile takes time, effort and perseverance. The key is to be comfortable with yourself and your decision, ask for help and to surround yourself with people who also nurse and/or are cheerleaders supporting your decision. If you doubt yourself you will find it hard to succeed.

Nursing Accessories:
Breast Pump- Every nursing mom needs some form of a breast pump either single or double, manual or electric. You cannot be with your baby 24-7-365. This accessory allows you some freedom weather you are a stay at home or a go to work mom. I personally prefer Medela brand pumps

Nursing Bras- Night and Day. They make getting the job done easier. I personally prefer Medela night nursing bras and La Leche League day nursing bras.

Nursing cover- These covers are a lot easier than covering with a receiving blanket. They allow you to see your baby while they nurse and come in many sizes, shapes, and styles to accommodate all people.

Nursing Pads- Come in both reusable and disposable and stop you from leaking through your clothes.

Nursing Shirts/Tanks- Come in all styles. These allow you to discreetly nurse in public even if you do not use a cover.