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I personally think it is a myth. I am not able to BF. Well we do sorta via a nipple shield even with that, my son doesn't get enough milk from me. That and I am not producing enough milk to satisfy him. So I am almost 100% pumping, and even with that it takes a good 2 to 3 times pumping before I get enough in a bottle for him to drink. My milk suppy has gone down a lot in the last few weeks and what little I was getting before that makes it even harder.
I WISH it was easy as everyone always says
I didn't have any major issues, it really was easy as pie for me. I breastfed for a year and a half.
I have met a few women who had an easy time, but I would say for the majority, while doable, it's hard work, and there are even some (like me) who weren't able to at all. Hopefully you have no trouble and are able to exclusively breastfeed since that's what you want, but I wouldn't go into it thinking it'll be easy as pie because that's just setting yourself up for frustration.
I would take a class. Although it ultimately proved futile for me, as my milk never did come in, taking the class answered a lot of my questions and made the whole process seem less intimidating.
@Tatum: Yeah, that's why I'm worried that stories like my mom's are not doing me any good. I would rather go into it expecting that it will be hard and then maybe be pleasantly surprised, than the other way around. My mom never prepared me for the possibility that BF might not be easy, so I'm glad I have sites like weddingbee to prepare me for the reality of the situation.
There is a BF class through our medical group that I am planning on taking. They also have drop in hours at least once per week at the hospital, so I'll be sure to head over there if I need some extra assistance.
Easiest thing I've ever done, honestly. First few days while in the hospital I was a little sore, but it wasn't too bad and I just used the lanolin they gave me. That went away right after we came home and it's been an easy almost 8 months. DS latched on right away and I sware my milk came in the same night I had him, so I think that is a huge part of our success. The hardest thing for us now is his food allergies, which has me on a strict elimination diet, but the actual act of breastfeeding has been easy as pie.
I would say, from working with lots of breastfeeding moms that for 15% it is impossible, and just doesn't work, for 50% it is extremely difficult but with work it happens, for 25% they have some difficulties, but nothing too major, and for about 10% it it uncomfortable at first, but they say it was easy for them. This is just my observations helping moms breastfeed. I think if you ask people to report their experiences, that many women who struggle won't admit it though.
I didn't have any trouble (other that initial soreness) with my first child. I breastfed her for 16 months. My second child was another story. My milk didn't come in for three days after she was born (lactation consultant said babies actually can survive on the colostrum they are able to get for five days with no adverse effects other than hunger) we stuck it out and my milk did in fact come in and I breastfed her for 14 months. She did have something they refered to a piranha bite (yep, like the flesh eating fish) which shredded my nipple to bits and was VERY painful. When my milk came in and she was actually getting her tummy full, this lessened significantly. It was hard with the second one but worth it. Stick with it and try to remember that women all through history have managed and you can too.
It's been the easiest thing for me, but I don't talk about it much because it is so hard for so many people. I've never had any soreness, supply issues (I do make Major Milk Makin' Cookies though), or anything else. I've worried about supply, but I've never had to give Wombat formula. Before I gave birth, I attend LLL meetings, read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and mentally prepared myself for a really tough time.
Oh, I did worry about my milk coming in because it took 4 days I think, but it came in and Wombat started gaining weight right away.
Full honesty, I have cried about pumping though because I keep getting milk in my tubes. It's annoying, but I try to make it into a game and tell myself I'm a superhero.
It wasn't as hard as I anticipated either. My mom gave me the book the womanly art of breastfeeding. And that helped a lot too. (approach that book with a grain of salt though as they have some strong opinions about personal matters- just take out the hard facts and remedies for breastfeeding).
were 4 months in and everything is going smooth. I did have a bump in the road in the very beginning- and thank goodness I went back to the hospital to the lactation consultant and she helped me. It also took about 5 days for my milk to come in and that did lead to baby gaining weight slowly but every thing worked out just fine!
There was some initial...discomfort- not so much pain- i mean it didn't feel good- that initial latch but once the boobies got used to constant activity they toughened up and everything felt fine.
Also in the first few weeks I did get that euphoric rush - which was awesome and really helped me know "this is working!"
Good luck! if you want it to work out- it will! :) bring some lanolin to the hosptial with you and use it!! I also brought a couple of gel pads with me that you can keep in the fridge- oh so nice for sore boobies. I used them about two weeks and then didn't need them anymore.
My Mother tells me that the key to healthy nipples and boobs while breastfeeding is getting them out in the sun! My SIL had trouble breast feeding and according to my Mum sunshine fixes everything!
In all seriousness though, I believe the exposure to sunlight, vitamin D and fresh air hardens / toughens the skin so it's not so sensitive when you first start feeding.
Just thought I'd throw it out there...
I had an easy time and loved it all. For my first (and even tho I thought I was prepared) I don't think I really understood what it meant to feed on demand. There were growth spurt times when it seemed like all I did was nurse, but aside from some initial soreness, it was easy for me. I went back to work FT after 6 weeks and continued to nurse for 8 months when both of mine self weened. My babies put themselves on 4 hour schedules, so I went home at lunch to nurse and only pumped if I needed to have a supply for a babysitter if I couldn't be home.
Have faith and just know that you'll have your Mom to help with some hints and tips since she had no issues.
@Ms Mini: That's really good to know.
Well I'm so glad that there are at least some women on here who had great experiences with breastfeeding even from the very start. I hope I'll be lucky enough to be joining your ranks in a few months. But if thing don't go smoothly, I will try to seek out help and not lose hope... even if my mom tells me that breastfeeding is supposed to be easy and natural ;-)
At first, for me, breastfeeding was a little challenging. About a week in, maybe less, my daughter had a few bad latches and latching on for the next week or so was excruciating. I had tears in my eyes. But I nursed through the pain and eventually healed with the help of some lanolin and making sure the latch was good. And now, it really is as easy as pie. After about two months, my daughter became a true pro. Now, at almost three months, I nurse maybe 10-15 minutes on each side and we're done.
Good luck to you. My advice would be that if you really want to do it, and if pain is the biggest issue you have, forge ahead. It will get better. However, if there are other issues that make nursing not possible, then allow yourself to make the right choice for you and for your baby.
The first couple weeks there was a little bit of tenderness. And at 2 weeks I got mastitis and went on antibiotics. And it takes a lot of time.
But the positives for me way out weigh any negatives. She latched right after birth and has been a nursing champ. I feel very lucky that it's been smooth for us because I love nursing, which is not something I thought I'd say. I thought nursing was just something you did with babies but once I started for me there's lots of happy hormones that go with it.
I haven't breastfed a baby, but I think that wet nursing wouldn't have been such a booming popular occupation for hundreds of years prior to the 1950's if breastfeeding wasn't difficult or impossible for a lot of women. My mum said my sister and I were impatient babies and wouldn't wait for the let down without a tantrum, and she didn't really have anyone to help her out, as no women in her family had breastfed because it wasn't fashionable in the 1960's when they had their babies.
Its interesting to think about how much grandmother to mother to daughter breastfeeding knowledge was lost when breastfeeding became a faux pas and formula was all the rage in the 1950's/60's, and how much of an affect, if any, it has had on our generation's breastfeeding experiences.
I can tell you that I was one of the lucky ones that didnt have pain/bleeding/cracking/raw/mastitis/any of that nasty stuff, and I am going on month 5 of EBF. I CAN tell you, however, that it was difficult in the sense that something that is prerceived to be so natural didnt come all that naturally. I could only get Liv to latch onto my left side. And because I had so much toruble with the latch, my supply dropped down to next to nothing, so we supplemented the first month. Im talking 90% formula, 10% breastmilk. I started pumping religiously, even if I was only getting drops, taking supplements, etc, and got her to be EBF by the time she was about 1.5 months old. Since then, its been a breeze. The 6 week mark was a rough patch, but it got easier.
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I am planning on exclusively breastfeeding my baby. My mom breastfed me and my sister when we were babies, and she claims it was as easy at pie. Totally natural, maybe hurt a little at the beginning, but that was mostly just minor sore nipples. She did get mastitis once too, but that sounds like it was the extent of her breastfeeding woes.
Now from sites like weddingbee I've learned that breastfeeding can be *hard* work. You'll get it down eventually, but you might go through a lot of pain and suffering before you figure it out. I'm really glad to see that there people on this site are offering up a lot of resources to help each other out.
But... my big question is... are there any women out there who had an easy time of breastfeeding? Or is the whole "breastfeeding is natural and easy" thing a complete myth?