Breastfeeding: The Struggle I Wasn’t Prepared For
I was doing the math the other day and realized I have spent almost 3 full years of my life breastfeeding!
If I’m being completely honest, breastfeeding probably was probably my largest struggle during the 4th trimester (and even the first year of life) with both my children. I was familiar with babies but was unprepared for the physical, emotional and mental stress that came with breastfeeding.
However, I also really enjoyed nursing both my children and truly felt that this labor of love was more than worth it.
If breastfeeding is something you are considering, here are some of the biggest struggles I have encountered during my breastfeeding journeys and some tips I have found helpful along the way.
Engorgement
Holy moly! While it can take anywhere from 1-7 days for the “mature” milk to replace colostrum, when it does your breasts feel like they could explode!
I wish I could say I was exaggerating but I stand by that statement.
During the first week, here are some things that can help reduce the intensity of the engorgement.
Hand expressing between sessions: using your hands to manually release some milk can help relieve a little pressure without triggering your body to make a bunch more milk. This is preferred over pumping as your breasts are a supply and demand chain so the more milk you remove, the more milk you are signaling your body to make in the long run.
Haakaa use on the opposite side during feeds: this was my go-to with both of my kiddos. My haakaa was something I used frequently at home and on the go as it helped me to build an extra supply of milk without pumping and I feel like it really helped establish my supply from the get-go to allow me to successfully feed my children past the 1 year mark.
Heat: hop into a steamy shower or use a hot pad/rick pack to help warm up any hard spots (it may trigger some milk to release just so you are aware!) and help relieve some soreness
Ice: using a cool washcloth or cold pack can help reduce some pain on your enlarged breasts
Luckily, this constant state of engorgement only lasts 3-5 days as your body is figuring out how much milk your baby actually needs. If you miss a feeding or go longer than normal between sessions in the first few months, it can lead to some temporary engorgement so regular feeding or pumping if you are going to be away from your baby will help prevent this from happening.
2. Clogged ducts
I experienced clogged ducts on more than one occasion while nursing both of my children. The most common culprits were usually one or more of the following:
1. Going too long between nursing/pumping sessions
2. If I was gone overnight from my babe and was pumping more - I had a couple weekends away for trainings and the pump would sometimes not be in an optimal spot or pushed too tightly against my breast and cause a clot to form
3. Restrictive bra lines - I had one nursing bra that always seemed to trigger a clog above the bra line
Some things I did that gave me relief included:
Dangle nursing (nursing on all fours) to let gravity help pull the clot down
Pumping after nursing or nursing/pumping more frequently
Hand expressing in the shower or with heat into my haakaa
Warm washcloth on my breast during nursing
3. Supply issues
While our body does naturally regulate supply at intervals in the postpartum phase and as we start to incorporate more solids into baby’s diet, there are times that supply can be affected and need a little extra time and effort to get back. Funny story, I had food poisoning two times in my life and both times were when my children were about 4 months old. Between throwing up, being nauseous and not being able to eat much, and trying to nurse, I was hardly even able to stand and my supply took a hit for about a week both times.
I found that “power pumping” or increasing my pumping or nursing frequency was really helpful in those periods where I was trying to re-establish my supply. Some other things that I noticed always gave my supply a boost were oatmeal, drinking something with electrolytes, increasing my protein, or simply increasing my calories (brownies were a favorite treat of mine during the first few months 😉)
4. Posture
Between carrying a newborn, sitting slumped in rocking chairs, and having larger breasts than you’re used to — breastfeeding can be a *real* pain. Whether you are nursing or not, it can be helpful to be aware of your posture throughout the day and changing up positions more frequently. I also created a list of stretches and mobility items that help to combat the rounded shoulders and spine that our day to day tasks put us in.
Here is where you can download these exercises to reference!
And if you have concerns with your nursing journey, definitely don’t hesitate to reach out to a lactation consultant. Sometimes I think we believe that the struggle is normal or that it means something isn’t meant to be. But, sometimes we just need a little extra help 💗
**Disclaimer: The information in this article is meant to be educational in nature and is mostly based on my own experience and research. It is not meant to diagnose, cure, prevent, or treat any condition and is not meant to replace recommendations from your healthcare provider. Any implementation of information within this article is done so at the consumer’s risk.
