How I did it: Some of the basics: I read about breastfeeding before the birth, told my doctor I planned to breastfeed, and made sure I had the support of my husband, employer and extended family/friends.

When the baby was born, I nursed her within the hour. I followed the "On Becoming Babywise" method of forming a flexible routine for my baby's feedings. I know some people are really against this method, but it worked very well for me, because I crave routine. The method involves making sure your baby gets full feedings every 2 1/2 to three hours and nurses after naps rather than before naps.  Getting on the schedule made nursing feel more like a part of my day instead of a huge interruption (which it still kind of was.)

I pumped milk once a day as well, and around week 5, we started giving Baby a bottle of expressed milk at night so i could get a little more sleep. I continued to pump once or more a day to get a stash in the freezer.

Week 5/6 was my morale low point. I was so frustrated with not being able to read or be less vigilant during nursing, and how long it took for her to nurse. I'm sure a lot of women give up at this point. Suddenly, she started smiling, and around week 9/10 she slept through the night and started nursing more efficiently.

I returned to work after 8 weeks of leave, and I pumped twice a day at work for her daycare bottles, and nursed her at her daycare on my lunch hour.

I now pump only on my lunch hour, and nurse her morning and night. I'm "weaning" the pump by mixing breastmilk and whole cow's milk, and will be weaning her as she and I become comfortable with weaning.

Lessons & tips:

Tips for Breastfeeding in General:

• Read information about breastfeeding
• Make sure your doctor, spouse, and family are on board. Moral support is huge for your success.
• For moral support, consider
  
  joining an online group. I like Breastfeeding_Support_for_Mothers@yahoogroups.com
• Learn to nurse in public: it will make you feel less trapped. But wait until the baby has more head control, as it will make it much easier.
• Eat well, particularly lots of protein and liquids. Staying hydrated is key.
• Let your baby be your guide. A routine was key for me, but that doesn't work for all babies.
  
• Trust yourself. It is SO hard to do, but only you can decide what is best for you and your baby.
• If you give an occasional bottle, make sure it is a nipple designed to mimic/encourage breastfeeding, like Avent or Gerber Nuk, and always use slow flow nipples.
• Don't get obsessed with ounces if you give a bottle. Your baby will let you know if he/she isn't getting enough, and your body will make more accordingly. If it doesn't, consider adding pumping sessions, or taking a close look at your diet.
  
• Don't give up too soon. It really takes a solid month or two to really establish nursing.  But it is so much easier than a bottle (at least for me) and definitely easier than pumping.
  

Tips for pumping at work:

1. Stay
   hydrated. I know when I'm at work, I have a tendency to forget to
   drink. You have to put fluid in to have it come out for your baby.
2. Have
   healthy snacks on hand, particularly things like cheese and nuts.
3. Make
   sure you have a quiet, private, clean place to pump at work. This makes
   a huge difference in allowing you to relax and get a better let down.
   Take along photos of your baby if it helps you.
4. If at all
   possible, don't work while you're pumping. Let your body and mind relax. (Hopefully your workplace is supportive of this. It makes a huge
   difference.)
5. Establish a nursing routine with your baby, ifyou
   
   haven't already. Demand feeding works great for some people, and if that
   is what you are doing and it is working for you, go with it. But since
   
   you are at work, baby can't demand from you. So I suggest working on
   getting good full feedings when you nurse, and getting into a cycle that coincides with your workday.
6. Only send to the daycare what you pumped the day before, unless he is going to be there
   
   extra long for some reason (add a pumping accordingly). This way, baby will demand more from you when he's with you if he needs it, increasing
   your supply, rather than getting it from a supplement or depleting your
   freezer stash - and your supply with it.
7. If you are
   concerned, pump one side before you feed the little one in the morning,
   but nurse at both sides. Adding a pumping session at any time
   should help increase your supply.

Resources: Books:

• What to Expect When You're Expecting
• What to Expect: the First Year
• The Birth Partner
• On Becoming Babywise

Other:

• See the Yahoo! Groups support group mentioned above
• Ameda Purely Yours breastpump
• Lansinoh Breastmilk freezer storage bags.
• Gerber Nuk bottles and nipples in slow flow.

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Apr 10, 2010, 08:06PM PDT | 1 comment | 4 cheers