Breastfeeding Stories

Breastfeeding can be very challenging, especially in the first few weeks of Baby’s life. But when you get the hang of it, it is the most rewarding, satisfying, simple way to feed your baby.

I breastfed all of our 10 babies, and I’m thankful that I could.

I try to write most of my posts in a way that they can be helpful for both moms and dads. These posts about breastfeeding will be more relatable to moms. But I have to say that a dad’s support in a mom breastfeeding is vital. She is way more likely to succeed with his support. I’m thankful for my own sweet husband who supported my breastfeeding 100%. 💗

Breastfeeding tip: A small hard painful lump (clogged duct) is a common problem. To fix it, soak the affected breast in hot water with epsom salt. Massage the lump before or during feeding or pumping. Position Baby so their chin is lined up with the lump to help empty it better. Take a nap.

Breastfeeding Story #1

We were so excited to have our first little baby! He consumed our world with his cute, sweet temperment. And he was always hungry! Getting him to latch on the first few days was easy, and then my milk came in. He had a little mouth, and a tied tongue, which I didn’t know then could make breastfeeding more challenging. My mom helped my figure out how to get him latched on all full with milk, but it hurt.

For 2 months he was eating almost constantly, and I was hurting almost constantly. I didn’t know that something was wrong. I did know he was getting milk, so I just kept feeding him. Finally, at the end of 2 months, he had doubled his weight and his mouth must have grown, because it didn’t take him quite as long any more, and it didn’t hurt to feed him any more. Whew!

For the next several months, I so much enjoyed nursing our baby. It was so easy to have his nutrition ready no matter where we were or what time of day it was. We had lots of precious snuggling times, Baby and I, and Daddy often got included in those when he was home from work.

Due to an unexpected pregnancy and miscarriage when he was 9 months old, I felt like I needed to be done nursing Baby #1. That was disappointing, because my goal was a year. But I had learned a lot and I have no doubt he got many benefits from the breastmilk he got in those 9 months, as well as the skin-to-skin time, which has proven to be very helpful for the physical and emotional health of babies.

And I learned some important things about breastfeeding. I learned how to get a nice, deep latch for efficient milk transfer. I learned that there are a lot more feeding cues than just the fist in the mouth or crying. I learned that the faster you can get to your baby when they’re hungry, the easier it is to help them latch on, and the more peaceful your day will be.

Breastfeeding tip: There are several ways babies try to tell us they’re hungry (called feeding cues) before they get upset and cry. They might put their fist in their mouth, grunt, get extra quiet, or open their mouth and turn their head (rooting).

Breastfeeding Story #2

Our second baby was so different than the first in so many ways, including in breastfeeding. She opened her little mouth really wide, and was a super efficient eater. I would spend about 15 minutes feeding her, then she’d be done for 2-3 hours! Plus she slept way better than the first baby at night. What a blessing! I felt like we’d skipped the hard part and went straight to enjoying nursing.

She had a great latch, strong enough that I could get up and walk around while whe was nursing. She was light enough, too, that it was easy to carry her around in one arm. I have pretty clear memories of carrying her around nursing her while I followed around our little 2 year old at the park. I would also get up to do housework with one arm holding her to nurse in the other arm at home. Amazing!

Again I was hoping to breastfeed for a year, but again it was cut short. This time it was because I was so focussed on losing weight that I wasn’t eating enough to feel good nursing. I did get to 9 months again, though, so I wasn’t too disappointed. And again, I felt good about making what effort I did.

Breastfeeding tip: Make sure you are eating enough to feel comfortable while you are nursing. Choose healthy foods and exercise to start getting off the baby weight, but remember that your baby won’t stay a baby; put breastfeeding first while you can.

Breastfeeding Story #3

It’s amazing how unique each baby is, from the pregnancy, to the birth, to the personality, and the eating and sleeping habits. Baby #3 was no exception. She was a great sleeper, like #2, thank goodness! It didn’t hurt to feed her like it had with #1, but she had a big appetite. For the first few months I didn’t mind too much. As time went on, though, and I thought I had to get #2 potty training, it got harder to be patient with breastfeeding. It wasn’t as easy to carry her around nursing like I did with her sister. I wasn’t going to stop, though, I was determined to get to a year that time.

After months of pushing myself to nurse patiently, potty-train, and chase our very busy 4 year old, I wasn’t feeling like my happy self. I began to doubt that mothering was what I really wanted to be doing. I’m ashamed to admit that thoughts of running away from it all crossed my mind. It scared me. I did some reading and realized I had a case of depression. I talked to my husband, who gave me a priesthood blessing. That was a turning point for me, as it restored hope to my dream of being a happy mom. In the blessing I was told to do some reading about the importance of motherhood, which was a blessing in many ways. As for breastfeeding, having good books to read really helped me to be patient while baby did the work to get the nourishment she needed.

I slowly began to shift my outlook and make goals for myself. During that time was when I started doing preschool on a regular basis with our kids. This gave me something to look forward to.

I got closer to my year goal that time. I made it to 11 months! I decided to be done because of some little issues that I can’t remember now and her teething and biting me. Ouch! But I was pleased that I got closer to a year, and again very satisfied with the thoughts of nurishing our baby the best I could.

Breastfeeding tip: Sometimes babies keep you stuck nursing for a long time. Find something to entertain yourself! Music, a movie, or a good book can be fun. If your baby has a pretty good latch, you can do simple projects like crochet or cross-stitch. Do something for you when you sit down to feed.

That’s enough breastfeeding stories for this time. More will be coming in the next few months.

For more advice see my page about breastfeeding. Or you can read some of my birth stories here.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you’re enjoying your parenting adventures.

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