I still remember like it was yesterday. Even thinking about it sometimes brings a tear to my eye. It was all so emotional. Why didn’t anyone warn me? I felt so unprepared. Why didn’t I read more about it? Why didn’t I ask more questions? Why WASN’T I prepared?

I was two days post-partum, trying to get the hang of nursing my newborn. My husband was wiping away my tears, and my lactation consultant was reassuring me that it would all get better with time. My daughter had an uneven palate, a recessed chin, and a cheek tie. Each latch was so painful! Looking back, I wish I could travel back in time and tell myself that it would, in fact, be okay, and every latch and every tear wouldn’t be for nothing. With the struggles that sometimes accompany breastfeeding, it might feel like trying to climb Mount Everest in flip flops, but let me tell you – with the right resources and support, it’s totally possible! Obviously, there are some rare exceptions where some mamas cannot, we’ll focus on the one’s who are just having trouble.

Before our little bundles of joy make their appearance, we’re bombarded with a deluge of information that comes in the form of advice, articles, books, and opinions. One aspect of birth that isn’t discussed nearly enough is nursing. Because there’s so much emphasis on getting the nursery ready, researching different brands of diapers and strollers, but breastfeeding is rarely mentioned. I believe that more discussion equals more preparation, so here’s my own list of things I wish I knew about nursing as a first-time mom. These aren’t in a specific order. I don’t have initials following my name, I’m not giving medical advice, I’m just a mom who is sharing what she’s learned from her experience : )

Find an IBCLC/LC:

• I reached out to a local IBCLC and took a breastfeeding/pumping class. It was SO helpful, educational and gave me a great contact to reach out to for any questions I had. I highly recommend finding a breastfeeding class! I even learned a cool fact: when you hear a pain cry from your baby, your body will pump endorphins into your milk to help your baby! How amazing is that?!

• Find an IBCLC who does home visits. I had one come when I was just 2 days post-partum and she was a tremendous help. She gave hands on help, some emotional support, identified any problems (like ties), and came up with solutions for them. She also checked in to make sure things were improving.

Find a Chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and newborns:

• I saw a chiropractor throughout my whole pregnancy – she is certified in the Webster Technique. I also got my newborn adjusted weekly. It helped so much with breastfeeding and made a huge difference. One day, I could only nurse my daughter in a football hold on one side because she had trouble latching when I tried in a cradle position. After her adjustment, she was able to nurse normally!

Reach out to a trusted friend or family member who has breastfed:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who has breastfed before. Choose a close friend or someone you trust and feel comfortable with. Breastfeeding is such an intimate thing and it can be embarrassing for someone to see your nakedness, but swallow the uncomfortable feeling and let that person help you! Of course, there are a few people you absolutely do not want to show your boobs to and that’s okay! I had a close friend help me and I am so glad I did! I felt shy, but after she helped me, I felt so much more confident!

The beginning is painful:

• Nursing at the beginning can be extremely uncomfortable and painful! It often lasts two weeks and fades with time. For me, it was painful the first 2 months (probably that long because I’m sensitive to pain and she had a few oral issues.) It feels so unnatural at the beginning but before you know it, it’ll be so natural. You’ll be amazed at how awesome God is and how His creation of the human body is perfect! Just cut yourself some slack – you’re both learning something new!

• Your boobs will feel uncomfortable, so you can use heat before a feed and cold after. These might help because you can put them in the fridge or microwave.

• Don’t use lanolin as it can lead to contact dermatitis (rash on babies face), which is what my daughter got when I used it. Once I switched, she never had a rash again. I highly recommend Earth mamas organic nipple butter.

• Get Silverette cups because I have heard wonderful things and I wish I had them. They also have other brands that are cheaper.

You’ll leak milk:

• Your boobs will leak so don’t let all that milk go to waste! I highly recommend these. This is a passive (no suction) way of collecting your milk. I used the Haakaa (active/suction) on the side that my daughter had already nursed on.

• When you are out and about and not wearing milk collectors, I really liked the disposable pads. I had the organic cotton ones but I found that my nipples would dry and stick to them and it hurt to pull them off (especially at the beginning.) I used them overnight as well!

Establish a good supply:

• Nurse every 2-3 hours in the beginning no matter what! This can fluctuate depending on how much your baby weighs at birth. Once they surpass their birth weight, it’s okay to let them sleep in 4-5 hour stretches.

• You always start on the side you left off on. For example, if you nurse on the right side and then the left, the next time you nurse you would start on the left. They say the first side is dinner, and the second side is dessert, haha! Or if your baby only eats on one side per feed, it would be like this: ate on left, next time right, next time left, etc. I often used a hairband or a ring to help me remember which side I left off on. You can also buy this cool cup. You can also track on an app which is what I did for the first month.

• Drink a ton of water because it helps with your supply. Try to drink 6-8oz every time you nurse. Always have snacks nearby! You will probably get hungry. Eating well is very important! Nursing makes most hungry and thirsty. I find that it helps to drink electrolytes too (I like body armor, but it is pretty sugary, so electrolyte mixes like LMNT, Redmond’s or coconut water are healthier options). This book is a wonderful guide to eating well post-partum.

• I really enjoyed BOOBIE bars and I really noticed a higher output when I pumped! I also ate oatmeal daily and that is supposed to help increase your supply. My doula gave me a delicious lactation cookie recipe – I noticed a difference eating these too. Who doesn’t love a sweet treat?

• Stay away from Fenugreek. It is a common and popular ingredient used in lactation foods and beverages. Fenugreek can have a very positive effect (increase your supply) or a very negative effect (plummet your supply). It’s best to stay away since everyone responds differently.

• Around 3 to 4 months, your supply will start regulating and the feeling of engorgement goes away for the most part. I got so scared when this happened to me! I thought I was losing my supply, and our journey was coming to an end. This is completely normal. At this point, I finally felt like nursing had become second nature. If your baby is acting normal and seems satisfied, don’t sweat it! Stress can be detrimental to your milk supply.

The Newborn Days:

• Be on the lookout for mastitis but don’t let it make you anxious. Monitor your temp and symptoms (chills, hot boobs, feeling lumps, redness) cause you’ll need to get in touch with your doctor or midwife. Not everyone gets this (I didn’t) but it is best to treat it right away rather than letting it fester. There are many supplements you can take to prevent this too, such as Sunflower Lecithin. Legendairy is a great brand.

• Especially the first week, just focus on skin to skin and breastfeeding and resting. We were so excited to show her off to all our friends and family. I did nurse her every 2 hours but I wish that we didn’t have as many visitors the first week or two so I could just be shirtless, cuddling with my baby and practicing latching. I think it would have helped things a ton in the beginning (she didn’t latch until she was 2 days old but that’s another story!)

• I had 2 different kinds of nursing pillows and in the end, they made things so much more difficult for me. When I spent most of my time in bed the first week, I used the Boppy under my knees. Regular pillows did the trick just fine! So don’t feel bad if its not making a difference. They might be helpful to you, but they might not. You really don’t know until you try.

• Buy several comfortable nursing friendly outfits for out and home. Here’s one of my favorites for home. These tank tops were great for going out.

• The first week, the only thing I wore on top were nursing camis. I highly suggest getting 5-10 of them. Now is not the time to wear a bra! You want what you wear on top to be loose fitting, but can still hold things together a bit. If I wasn’t wearing a cami, I wore a loose fitting nursing bra like this.  

Other Misc things for you:

• When you’re ready to venture out and wear a bra, I highly recommend getting a non-nursing bra that is stretchy enough to pull down. No need to have two wardrobes of bras for pre and post nursing. I love these, but anything similar will do!

• If you will be in public often, I highly recommend finding a nursing cover that you like. Some of them get so hot and stuffy and make life difficult. I love the we are amma one (it’s $$$ but I love it!)  

• Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding. There’s a lot when it comes to nursing and being a first-time mom, sometimes you aren’t even sure what questions to ask. For example, I wish I knew to ask questions like: what is engorgement? What is a letdown? This book is a great guide!

• Another great resource is social media! There are so many bloggers, and  people on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. who are professionals! You can find IBCLCs/LCs as well as other specialties such as Ots, PTs, Dieticians, etc. A few of my favorite Instagram accounts related to breastfeeding/pumping are: @the.breastfeedingmama, @thepostpartumnurse, @themilknest, @thebetterboob, @bemybreastfriend, and @lalactation

If you have any questions, please reach out! I love sharing what I’ve learned!

Until next time ❤

*last updated 1/22/24