I would like to share with you some must have tips on how to make breastfeeding easier. I have breastfed both of my children for their first year and I am also a Children’s Nurse who works in Public Health. This has given me a valuable insight into breastfeeding from a professional and personal experience. I did not find breastfeeding easy initially and did consider giving up, however I am so pleased that I persevered and would like to think that I may inspire other people to continue breastfeeding after reading some of my tips:

Be Prepared

Most Maternity units have breastfeeding workshops. Through attending these workshops it gives you an idea as to what to expect, what equipment you may need and some useful tips to help you when your baby arrives.

Reading up about breastfeeding, the good points and negative ones, will also help you to be realistic about what to expect.

Going to Support Groups

I found joining breastfeeding support groups invaluable. I have met some of my closest friends there, who I still socialise with regularly. When I initially joined the support group I just wanted advice. I had no friends and little family at the time to support me as I lived 400 miles away from my home. I also had the added pressure of close people telling me the negatives of breastfeeding and how I should bottle feed!

To top it off I had cracked nipples as well and a baby who seemed to constantly want to feed. I wanted to know that this was normal and that things would get better from people who were or who had been through the same.

Practice Makes Perfect

You would think that breastfeeding would be the easiest thing to do since it is the way nature intended us to feed our babies. However it can take weeks for both you and your baby to learn this skill. It usually takes 3-6 weeks, so please do not be deterred if it doesn’t happen straight away.

Once you and your baby have mastered it, you’ll be so glad that you persevered. The great thing is that you always have milk at the right temperature on tap. No need to sterilise, no need to heat up and no need to make up. When your baby asks for the milk you can give it without the wait!

Breastfeeding and Pain

Breastfeeding should not hurt. Some people find the letdown painful for a few seconds. I use to get an uncomfortable feeling for 10-20 seconds, but I found this comforting knowing that the milk was coming through. Don’t be alarmed if you do not feel the let down, not everyone does.

Cracked nipples and mastitis are conditions that can cause pain and these are explained next.

Cracked Nipples

When I had cracked nipples it brought tears to my eyes every time my son latched on. Here is how I got through it:

a. I bought some bottles and some cartons of formula milk and sat them next to a steriliser. The thought that if the pain got too much I had a back up, helped me. b. After every feed I rubbed breast milk around my nipple as this has natural healing properties. c. I bought some nipple shields, which helped to protect my nipples under my clothes but I was unable to feed with them. d. I found lansinoh cream the best. I used a couple of cheaper brands, however I made my husband spend the money on this cream and found it worth it. e. I tried to express milk from the breast with cracked nipples as this was not as painful as feeding from it. However I gave up on this as I found it difficult to express more than an ounce of milk.

It took me a week of doing the above before the pain had disappeared and was hard going. However after a few days it did start to get easier, which spurred me onto continue.

Mastitis

This is when the breast becomes red, inflamed and painful. It usually only affects 1 breast and some women get flu like symptoms

Although you may not feel like it, breastfeeding helps to clear mastitis quickly by removing any blocked milk from the breast and to also help prevent the mastitis from getting more serious. Therefore breastfeeding more frequently and expressing any left over breast milk can help.

In some cases mastitis can be infectious and requires prompt treatment. Therefore advice should be sought from Health Visitor or GP particularly if you feel unwell or have a temperature with it.

I experienced mild mastitis after I stopped breast feeding due to blocked ducts. I found massaging my breasts in hot baths helped ease the pain. Although I did need antibiotics to help clear the infection.

Involve Your Partner

Some people express their breast milk for the father to feed their baby. This will not only allow vital bonding between the baby and Dad it also allows the Mum some me time. Another positive of this method is that you will be able to allow a family member to baby sit so that you can get out with your partner to keep your relationship strong. Both of my children refused the bottle, which meant that on my wedding day I was breastfeeding my 16 week old. This is not easy in a wedding dress!

My husband got involved by bathing our children. He would get in the bath with baby number 1 and then baby number 2 when she was born. This allowed me to catch up with anything that I needed to do.

Thinking Ahead

Every time I sat down to breastfeed I would realise that I had forgotten something, usually a glass of water. Here are some items to have to hand before a breastfeed: a. A comfy chair and foot stool b. A pillow to support the baby when feeding. c. A large drink. d. A snack e. Something to do i.e. tv remote, book or magazine

Breastfeeding in Public

With my 1st child it took me 4 weeks to feel comfortable to feed him outside my home. However with my 2nd I was out breastfeeding at my local coffee shop when she was 4 days old. Being able to breastfeed in front of friends and family and feeling comfortable going out and breastfeeding in a cafe or restaurant is important. It allows you to get out and not have to panic when a feed is due.

Again everyone is different so if you can not bear the thought of breastfeeding out in public then here are a few places I have been to, which cater for those who would like to breast feed in private. a. Most Mothercares b. Some big boots stores c. Most large shopping centres d. Most health centres e. Many motorway service stations.

Enjoy

Breastfeeding is quality time with your baby. I found this such an enjoyable time and look back on it fondly. I was pleased to give breastfeeding up after a year with both of my children, however it was this part that made me feel sad to stop.

Breastfeeding also makes you sleepy, which is fab if you are having difficulty in getting to sleep. I found it very useful the night before my wedding!

Remember

If you can not breastfeed or do not want to breastfeed then do not beat yourself up. Plenty of people feed their babies formula milk and they grow into healthy and intelligent children.

Good Luck to all of you, whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, being a parent is the hardest but best job in the world.