Breastfeeding - The First Month

They say if you can make it through the first month of breastfeeding, that the rest of the time is easy. I completely agree! It was somewhere around the three to four week mark that breastfeeding seemed to just get easier. I knew what I was doing, Monty had figured out his side of things and together we had a routine that worked for both of us.

I'm not going to lie, there were times when it hurt so bad that it would bring a tear to my eye and make my whole body tense up. There were also times that all I wanted to do was just pass Monty to Dad with a bottle and just sit down and be by myself for a minute or two.  I did get over those moments though, and now five weeks later it's all a thing of the past.

In the very beginning I found it easy, or at least easier then what I had imagined the whole process. Monty latched on right after he was born, and ate for about an hour - and then latched on easily there after in the hospital. There was a little discomfort of course, but nothing that was too terrible that made me think I wouldn't be able to breastfeed.

The first two weeks at home were the worst. I was physical exhausted, sleep deprived, sore down there, sore up here, emotionally unstable - you name it, I was it. At one point, I had one nipple that was bleeding and I was at a lost of what to do. Then I remember the nurse giving me some breast cream- and ohhhhh what a savior that was. It was all down hill from that moment. I started using the Lansinoh Breast Cream after every feeding and within a week I was like a brand new women (or like the women I was before). I later switched to Medela Breast Cream because it was much lighter and seemed to work better for everyday use. And now? I am breast cream free!

Since then I've had two rough patches. One when Monty was going through a growth spurt. He was eating constantly and emotionally it is just very taxing. I constantly felt like I wasn't producing enough milk for him and that there was something wrong. It was after I spoke with a lactation consultant that I learned that there really wasn't anything wrong, and that it's just a period when all he wants to do is eat, and eat and eat.

The other rough spot was when I was sick. I was super sick for about 4-5 days with a high fever and it just completely drained me of all energy and milk. I was barely producing milk and I became very worried about Monty because I could tell he was getting frustrated. So after talking to the pediatrician I ended supplementing with some formula before bedtime. To be honest, it really hurt my feelings to do this in the beginning. I felt like I was being a bad mom. But, a mom that would starve her baby would be far worse, and the formula really didn't bother him at all. I didn't go out and by any formula, I just used samples that I had received for free (get on all those mailing lists ladies!).

Pumping! Oh how pumping is my breastfeeding arch enemy. Monty eats so much that its really hard to pump and actually get enough milk out to make it worth while. I had a lot of problems at first, and after talking to the lactation consultant again, I learned that I needed a different type of suction cup for my boobs. It was actually a relief that it wasn't me this time, and it was great that I went in to see the lactation consultant because she ended up giving me the parts I needed for free!