Breastfeeding Myth: It's Natural and Therefore Easy

Oh, how I wish I had had time for a breastfeeding class before Baby was born.  I had thought that breastfeeding would be easy since it was a natural thing.  I thought when baby was born, I'd bring him to the breast and all would work out.  SO NOT TRUE!!!

Yes, breastfeeding is natural.  Yes, in time it becomes SUPER easy.  At first it is really hard work.  Here are a few things I wish I had known beforehand (not that my choice to nurse would have changed, I just would have had fewer surprises).

1. Breastfeeding hurts at first.  It takes several weeks for callouses to build up so that it no longer hurts.  Now, once you and baby get a good latch, the pain only lasts for the first minute with each latch.  To keep nipples in good shape, either use lanolin after feedings (no neet to wash it off before the next feeding) or leave a little breastmilk on the nipple and let it air dry.
2. Newborns nurse ALL THE TIME!  It is not unusual to have a newborn latched on 15 or more hours a day, more during growth spurts.  This is NORMAL.  This is what newborns do.  When they are born, their tummies are the size of a marble and slowly stretch to normal size over the first few weeks.  Also, breast milk digests VERY quickly - within 90 minutes.  If baby is showing hunger signs soon after finishing a nursing session, he is very likely hungry.
3. Growth spurts are really hard.  Growth spurts happen every couple weeks for the first 8 weeks then taper off in frequency and intensity after that.  The 4 and 6 week growth spurts are notoriously hard.  Remember, these only last a few days and in the grand scheme of things, this is a very short period of time.
4. Giving formula can decrease mom's milk supply.  Early on especially, every time a formula bottle is given, mom's body is told to not make milk for that feeding.  Giving formula early on is a very slippery slope.  If you do use formula, make sure to pump with each bottle given (you should also pump when giving breast milk bottles).  After 6 months, mom's supply is much more stable and can handle changes in routine more easily.

These are just a few things I wish I had known!  I will say that once you make it past the first 6-8 weeks, things get so much easier!  There is no getting up in the middle of the night to prepare a bottle, no cleaning and sterilizing bottles, no buying super expensive formula.  Having done the formula thing and the breast feeding thing, I will say that overall, breast feeding is easier.  Yes, there are benefits to using bottles (breast milk or formula) - especially for feeding in public when Baby gets too wiggly to nurse discretely in public, but overall, the health benefits and ease of breast feeding (after those first really hard weeks) wins in my book. 

Just remember, as moms, we are all trying to do what is best for our families.  Please be kind to other moms no matter how they choose to feed their babies.