Nursing is HARD!
Some moms make nursing look SO easy. When I got pregnant I just thought, “Sure no problem. I’ll just nurse. Easy-Peasy.” Ya, not so much. If you are a first time mom….it’s far from easy; it can be hard, it can be painful too and I’ve often referred to it as the blind leading the blind. Our babies does not know how to nurse any more than we know how to teach them. LOL They have lactation consultants at the hospital and it always seems to go so great when you are there but once you get home everything just goes out the window. My gal told me I could call her but is she really going to answer her phone at 3am when you baby is screaming bloody murder? Probably not. And I really didn’t want to talk on the phone. I just wanted it to work. I was in pain, real pain….like “I’m actually bleeding here” pain.
Needless to say I got a lot of advice and tried lots of products. We finally figured it out and life was good. Here are a few things that I learned and used that really helped:
If your baby is having trouble latching correctly, don’t practice or try a new hold when they are screaming hungry. All they will do is scream more, trust me there…I know. Try it before they get hungry and you will get less frustration from the little bub. If baby isn’t latching right, break the seal and try again. A good latch can make all the difference.
Even with a good latch you are still going to get tender and sore. For painful nipples….and we know they hurt. This may seem like an ad for Lansinoh but I swear it’s not. LOL 100% Pure Lanolin is THE way to go for cream or ointments to use. It can stain your clothes a little but it was the only thing that stayed with me and didn’t dry out or rub off between feedings. My babies didn’t mind it either which was always a good thing.
A friend recommended I try LilyPadz. I did and loved them. These things are awesome. They are supposed to be water proof and were except in the beginning when your body is making milk like crazy. They stuck and prevented rubbing on the inside of my undergarments, YAY. The best part….you can wash them and reuse them over and over again. I still have mine years later and they still work just as good. I still use them now when I run. The only downside is be careful if you are using them with the Lanolin because if you have too much of the lanolin on the LilyPadz won’t stick.
Lansinoh’s disposable nursing pads are what I have pretty much used since day one. They are amazing. They are soft and comfortable and not bulky. Definitely the best fitting disposable pads I tried. Not to mention they held a ridiculous amount of liquid which was a huge bonus. I’ve used the pads though all four of my nursing babies. I would wear them with the LilyPadz just in case of leaks.
Nursing is hard and painful. There are a thousand ways to do it and a million different products out there. It can be so overwhelming. My first born was the one who couldn’t latch very well and was hungry all the time. I felt like I tried everything and nothing was working. One day it clicked for both of us. These things are what worked for me and made my nursing life so much better. Don’t be discouraged if you feel like nothing is working. Don’t beat yourself up if you choose not to nurse. It doesn’t work for everyone and that is 100% OK. I hope these tips can help if you feel like you are struggling. If you need to, drop me a line and I will do what I can to help. I’m here for you.
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