So I just learned I can crack an egg with not only one hand, but my left one at that. I swear God gave women superpowers. Oh it's not a super power? Try it sometime without busting the yolk or getting shells in it. Seriously though, women are simply put....tough. We can withstand the pain of labor, and that alone should say enough. However, it doesn't stop there. Not only can we handle the most wretched physical pains, but emotional ones as well.
If you could hear my thoughts, here's how it would go:
12:00 a.m. Mommy in a sneaky fashion eases into bed with a sigh of relief that baby is down also. Lights go out, baby wakes up! What was I thinking?
12:25 a.m. Mommy finishes nursing, baby is out...again. Ahhhhh this is great. Puts baby down, "squirrrrrrrttttt!!!!" Yep, that's what I call a "diaper blowout". But the baby is asleep....and it took hours of nursing to do so. Well, you have to change him. But it will wake him up again! Baby cries because he doesn't like his diaper changed. Fresh diaper, and now baby is rooting for food and gets mad because he doesn't immediately have any. "Lord, thou art with me......" Once more, I nurse him back to sleep. "Ahhhhh....." Back to bed, again. (You will go through a LOT of diapers!)
1:30 a.m. "Wahhhhh!" Time to nurse again. Where is all this breast milk going? Oh right, the "blowouts" every hour. Well, I can look at the positive. I don't get engorged! And that my friend is painful. Ok, back to bed.
3:30 a.m. Or so... You got it. Time to nurse again. I think you get where I'm going with this. My alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m. I've literally had zero sleep.
This is a glimpse of what it's really like in the beginning for some. It can be hard for others to realize that with the blessings a new baby can bring into the home, it can also be very stressful and tiring at times as well.
Breast feeding ~ my experience.
My oldest, Destiny (15 yrs).
I nursed her for the first six weeks of her life. She had acid reflux with projectile spit up. Literally like the girl from the Exorcist, it was so scary for me. I would nurse every thirty minutes with no luck. Her latch was painful, and my nipples bled. Yes....bled. Lasinoh works great for nipple pain, as well as your own breast milk on the nipple to help healing. Needless to say your body naturally picks up on the fact your child struggles and begins adjusting to their needs. Unfortunately, I had to begin bottle feeding.
My first son, Tyler (12 yrs in the middle)
We got lucky, he nursed well and I was able to nurse him for five months. The reason he began weaning, he was HUNGRY! Tyler hit growth spurts and to this day still growing like crazy staying within the 90% on his growth charts.
Now I'm exclusively breast feeding my newborn son Daniel, and so far it's going great! He nurses very often (no set schedule really). I nurse when he acts hungry or begins rooting. And I've obviously produced plenty of milk seeing how he's still alive and well at 13 days old.
How does breast feeding work? How does it feel? (For soon-to-be moms or new moms)
If you've had a baby and have went through breast feeding then you already have had your own experience. However, I'm sharing my own personal experience for those who might still wonder. For me, I insist on exclusive breast feeding. This means no bottles or pacifiers (unless you have to return to work you can't help it of course). Some babies are colicky, so offering a pacifier or even a bottle is the only choice for some. Some things can't be helped. However, you'll notice how exclusive breast feeding for as long as possible makes for the greatest bonding experience with your baby. It's the greatest feeling to know you are what they need, and giving them what they need is what being a mother is all about. You won't regret it!
Breast feeding isn't easy, as a matter of fact even the best nursers can cause pain when they latch. Little Daniel has nursed well from birth until now, but let me tell you when he latches on he means business and it hurts! However, after a few minutes I hardly notice, to me it's worth the pain. Lactation "professionals" would say, "it's not supposed to hurt". I say not all women have the same breast anatomy, and not all babies have the same latching and sucking either. Breast feeding is different for every mom and baby. I had a nurse in the hospital say, "nope nope hold him this way....he's too low..." She literally took my nipple and placed it in Daniels mouth. I was thinking, "lady.....I got this". However, she ensured that I wasn't going to give up, which I had no intentions of doing. Daniel was such a sleepy baby when he was first born I guess she thought I was going to let him sleep verses nursing.
When you are snuggled up with your newborn latched onto your breast, and you can hear them swallowing I believe you'll fall in love with breast feeding. They will poop and pee a lot, and even spit up quite a bit. Babies have tiny, developing digestive systems and this is just what they do. As long as they are doing these things, you're doing just fine and your supply is great. I'm not taking supplements , simply drinking lots of water and eating as healthy as I can. If your newborn eats like mine which means a lot, then you might find yourself learning new skills such as cracking eggs into a frying pan...left handed. I have a new cooking talent!
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