Breastfeeding 101

Boys... this one may not be for you...

There are many things that I expected of breastfeeding... and many things that I did NOT expect, that I have learned. For all you moms & moms to be, here are a few things I have learned about breastfeeding....

1.) It HURTS. I mean, HURTS. They told me in my breastfeeding class that it hurt, but that it would only last about 5 days. Even on my "breastfeeding log" that the hospital gave me, one of the goals was "Pain-free by day 3!". Are you KIDDING ME?? I remember after a week & calling my friend Sherry (who's baby is just 3 months older than Brady) and asking her how long it was going to hurt.... she told me a good 3-4 weeks. 3-4 WEEKS?!?!? Seriously? I am not talking about a little bit of pain here people, I am talking about toe-curling, tears in the eyes PAIN. It was awful!! I have honestly learned 1st hand why so many people try to breast-feed & then switch to formula. It is awful. Fortunately, I do not have this problem anymore. However, I just visited my friend (Echo) and her baby that turns a week a Friday & she was dealing with this awful bit of breastfeeding. All what I could do was thank God that I was past that point. But... for all you expectant moms... don't let them fool you... it is PAINFUL... but it DOES get much, MUCH better. :)

2.) When I first started breast-feeding I felt weird. Really weird. Even though people talk about how great breastfeeding is and how it is the "most natural thing a mother can do" and all that other blah blah blah stuff.... I could not help but feel like Brady and I should be in a zoo somewhere. Seriously.... I felt like a gorilla & her baby just sitting there hanging out. Weird. Weird. Weird.



3.) It takes a SERIOUS commitment. When Brady was first born he was eating every 2-3 hours. I am a very active person... and HATE just sitting around.... so it really put a stopper on my daily routine. I would (and still do) plan all activities around Brady's eating schedule. In the beginning it was even tougher because I didn't know Brady as well, and could not predict when he would need to eat. By the time I fed him, changed him, and left the house I would only have about 45 minutes before I needed to be home to feed him again. It took a lot of getting used to before I could plan my day... and realize I was not going shopping without knowing EXACTLY what I wanted......

4.) Beer. Wine. Any sort of alcoholic beverage. One per night with breast-feeding. Luckily, I am not a huge drinker anymore(thank God again that my college days are over), so this hasn't been a huge thing to get used to. However, sometimes it is nice to sit & have a couple drinks with friends... now I milk my "one" glass for so long that it is not just room-temp, but WARM before I am done with it.


5.) Pumping. Pumping is the weirdest & strangest thing I have ever done. I really feel like I am a dairy cow connected to one of those milk machines. I started pumping at 2 weeks. My little sister had been pumping before me so I was asking my mother how she did it right after I had "connected myself up" for the 1st time. I remember my mom saying, "Well I think she does it just like that but she doesn't sit there and stare at herself the whole time!" haha! I guess I was just so fascinated by what my body was actually producing!! Once again, thought I belonged in a zoo.


6.) I was convinced that at 3 months I would stop breastfeeding & do exclusive pumped milk. Brady is now 3 1/2 months and I cannot imagine stopping anytime soon. He just is so little still... and still doesn't have teeth... which really do scare me quite a bit.

7.) At 4 weeks we gave Brady his first bottle. You would think by reading #1-6 I would be THRILLED that I could FINALLY start giving him a bottle. I could FINALLY sleep through the night and Austin could give the bottles! Well... that kinda happened. I was so happy that we finally had other options than just me... and then immediately felt guilty for thinking that. I was so happy that Austin got to have that bonding time with Brady, but then felt awful that I wasn't having that bonding time with Brady. It was such a time of mixed emotions.... and I am sure they will resurface once I do stop breastfeeding.

8.) Speaking of bottles.... Brady will not take a bottle from me. Yep, that's right. There has been less than a handful of times that Brady has taken a bottle from me. Usually he completely refuses it, and just stays really upset with me until I give him the tit.

9.) Luckily.... I have been blessed with a baby that sleeps through the night... Unfortunately... my boobs do not know how to quit producing during the wee hours of the night. Do you have any IDEA what this means?!? My BABY doesn't wake me up... MY BOOBS do!! This is NUTS to me... I have to wake up in the early morning hours to pump.... while my baby SLEEPs. (Usually for another 4-5 hours!)

10.) When I was pregnant, there were many foods that I could not eat because they gave me SUCH bad heartburn... I was SO EXCITED to pop this kid out & never have to think twice about devouring a huge plate of chips and salsa again! But... I quickly learned that Brady does not like Salsa, red pasta/pizza sauce, carbonation, or anything spicy. Sigh.


So... now that I am typing this all out it makes it sound like I really hate breastfeeding... that is not it at all. I love the time I have with Brady... and it can get me out of just about any awkward situation I could be in ("Oh, sorry... gotta go, Brady's hungry").... but there are some major adjustments that nobody warned me about... I have been blessed with the gift to breastfeed, and I am very thankful about that... because I know there are some people out there that really want to but cannot for one reason or another.... I know I am blessed but I want to also tell the other side to it all that most people don't tell you about.

Besides the time I have with Brady when I am nursing... my favorite thing about it is sending my little sister pictures of Brady eating.... it is awesome to freak her out. :)