How I did it: I made time for it in an already busy schedule.  My body and emotions were tired.  The baby cried a lot.  Milk production was an uphill battle.  I had little to no help from family members and an older child with a lot of needs.  It got especially hard when the teeth came in (usually two at a time) from the age of three months onward.

With all of that, I am STILL glad I breastfed the baby that could be breastfed for 13 months.  This child's immunity is almost bulletproof (knock on wood).

Lessons & tips:

• 
  Consciously relax by closing your eyes, thinking positive thoughts and taking deep breaths.
  
• Drink a LOT of water.  This helps if the water is more room temperature than ice cold as you can drink more in less time.  Also, drink with a straw--I cannot emphasize enough how much this one tip helped me!
  
• Make it a high priority throughout the day--eat take-out off paper plates if you have to in order to take the time.
  
• Get a good, high-quality breast pump.  Medela makes an excellent electric portable breastpump.  It may cost a few hundred dollars, but you can take it anywhere, it is easy to operate, and it is WAY cheaper than formula, which is nutritionally inferior anyway.
  
• Use that Lansinoh, or comparable product-it does help.
  
• You will get used to it over time, just push through that first 6 weeks as they are the hardest.
  
• Take a baby blanket with you everywhere because you never know when you'll need to stop and feed the baby.
  
• Even if it doesn't come naturally, give it your best shot, because this time doesn't last for very long.  Cherish it, because this is the most intimate bonding a mother can have with her child.

Resources: La Leche League is a support group for breatfeeding moms.  Sometimes it seemed their point of view was a little extreme, but I still appreciated them as a resource and their tips helped tremendously.

Oct 13, 11:50AM PDT | 0 comments