Breastfeeding: The Early Days

Well, we've successfully made it two weeks breastfeeding exclusively.  With Buggy, we made it 3 weeks before problems started - it began with both of us getting sick and then worry taking over for me so I would not eat.  Things went downhill from there.  Buggy was a slow gainer at the beginning as well.  Baby is a champ with eating and sleeping!  At our two-week appointment, the doctor expected him to return to birth weight of 5lbs 13 oz from his discharge weight of 5lbs 6oz (and assuming he would have lost a little more).  Well, Baby weighed in at 6lbs 11oz!  Grow, baby, grow!

Starting breastfeeding can be difficult.  I HIGHLY recommend that you take a breastfeeding class, visit a local La Leche League meeting, and find a certified lactation consultant to work with at the hospital.  I am a visual learner.  All the books in the world didn't help me figure out latch.  Here is a fantastic video that can walk you through a perfect latch. 

Here is a list of things to try and/or be aware of in the first few weeks of breastfeeding.

• Best advice I ever received: Don't quit on your worst day.
• It gets easier, less painful, and less frequent in a few short weeks.  Hang in there.
• If you are able, try to nurse baby right after delivery.  The weight check and such can almost always wait an hour.  I was able to nurse as soon as my stitches were in place.  Baby is most awake during this first hour and latching will often be more successful.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help.  A certified LC is your best bet (or LLL leader).  (many doctors and nurses really have no idea how breastfeeding works or how to solve simple problems)  I saw the LC 7 times with Buggy over the course of 8 months and I saw her 3 times with Baby just to make sure everything was on the right track.
• Remember that pumping output is no indicator of supply.  Baby can get much more out than a pump.  To know if baby is getting enough, track wet/dirty diapers.  For the first 6 days of life, one wet diaper per day is expected and 2-3 dirty diapers are expected. More is fine.  Another way to track is to rent a sensitive newborn scale and weigh baby before and after each feeding (babies take in different amounts at different feedings based on hunger or thirst) for 24 hours.
• Make sure you take care of yourself.  Eat plenty and drink to thirst. I struggle with food aversion for the first few weeks after delivery so eating is a struggle.  Be aware that this can happen and take care to eat enough so your body can make plenty of milk.

A few must-read resources:

• The basics of milk production
• Normal Course of Breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding in the early weeks
• Nursing a preemie
• Milk supply/weight gain issues
• Breastfeeding weight gain charts (note - most doctors use a chart based on US breastfeeding where most babies are weaned from the breast by 6 months and most are not exclusively breastfed - the WHO has charts for babies who are exclusively breastfed)