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My breastfeeding journey was different than I thought it would be. I feel like I need to start with how my journey started: I had a c-section and I knew that I wanted to try nursing my daughter right away, and the nurses helped me with this. I attempted nursing as soon as I got back to the recovery room with Elsie. From the start we struggled. The nurses told me I had great form and that baby was latching well, but we continued to struggle for the next few days. Elsie was jaundice and we had to make sure she was eating. My milk had not come in yet, but I did have colostrum. We were feeding her on demand in the hospital, but I was in a lot of pain. I tried to push through and the lactation consultants kept coming to help me, but I started bleeding on my right side. My lactation consultant told me to stop and give myself a break and to supplement since my baby needed to eat to help the jaundice, at this point Elsie was under the blue lights they use to treat jaundice. I was an emotional wreck. I knew it was going to be hard, but not this hard. Essentially I tried nursing everyday for over a month and my daughter would cry, I would cry, it hurt, and it just was not working. I ended up finally giving in and exclusively pumping. I do not regret that decision at all.

So with that start in mind, here are 10 things I wish I had known about breastfeeding and pumping:

1.) It is HARD.

Real talk, from the start it was hard. I know this is not how it is for everyone, but for the majority of people I’ve talked to I’d say it’s a collective experience. I had heard it is hard at first, but you can push through and it gets a lot better. I did not experience this “gets easier” phenomenon, but I have heard a lot of Moms swear it does.

2.) It takes so much time.

You are a walking food source. You are a boob. That is all. Okay, not really, but that is what it feels like at first. You will offer your little one each breast for 20 min and then you will feed them every 2 hours starting at the time you started the feed. So if you started the feed at 2 they will need to eat again at 4. That means if your session goes 2-2:45, then you will feed again in an hour and 15 min. That is tough. It is nonstop. Then you get into cluster feeding and then that REALLY is nonstop. If you end up exclusively pumping like I did it takes twice the time, you pump and feed. I really wanted my daughter to have breastmilk though so it was worth it to me.

I kept pumping and feeding schedules on track by pumping while she napped and then waking her up and feeding her. If for some reason I had to feed her first I would do so and then I would put her in her bouncer or on her playmat and pump right after.

3.) It is all about supply and demand.

If you supplement with formula, your supply drops. If you skip a feed it will cause your supply to change. Your body makes what your baby needs. When you empty yourself then your body knows it needs to make more, when you do not it makes less. If you want to exclusively nurse you need to empty yourself every 2-3 hours around the clock to keep your supply up.

I had a really good supply, actually an oversupply and I really think it was because I emptied myself around the clock on a strict schedule. I pumped 20 minutes every 2-3 hours. I produced 70-75oz a day.

Some other ways I boosted my supply? I ate oatmeal for breakfast. I drank body armor lite (I loved these and they kept my hydration up and coconut water and the vitamins were good for my supply)! I swear by them. I took sunflower lecithin to thin my milk and prevent clogs. I kept taking my prenatals and I drank lots of water and ate healthy snacks!

4.) How to pump efficiently and operate my pump.

Why do they not tell you how to do this? I will never forget getting home from the hospital, so engorged because my milk came in, but my daughter wouldn’t latch and take a full feed and my nipples were literally bleeding and I needed to pump but didn’t know how. I was so stressed and THANK GOD for best friends who will facetime you and literally walk your through it while you cry. My friend Lily facetimed me and helped me learn what the buttons meant and calmed me down, and for that I will forever be grateful. I am going to insert a video I watched after facetiming my friend that helped. You can also just youtube search your pump and “How To” and it helps a ton! Just know how to use your pump so you don’t have an engorged meltdown a couple days postpartum like me.

Also, tip, you do NOT have to wash your pump parts after every use. Just rinse them and stick them in the fridge. Then you can wash them at the end of every day.

5.) Pumping does not hurt.

After my nipples started bleeding in the hospital, and everything hurt so bad I was terrified to pump. It sounded so much worse than a baby. It looked like a medieval torture device. I’m here to tell you, to me, it felt better than my daughter! I could control the suction. I could control the speed. The only thing I noticed was you have to get the correct flange size. Google it and it will tell you how to measure to insure you got the correct size. You can also ask the lactation consultant at the hospital and a lot of times they will help measure you! For me pumping was way more comfortable than nursing. You can avoid nursing/pumping discomfort by applying coconut or olive oil before and after you pump! Or use a nipple cream! I liked the Earth Mama organic nipple butter! It’s on amazon.

My tip is apply it before you need it. What I mean by that is do not wait until you’re cracked and bleeding and in pain, apply the nipple butter/oil/etc before your nurse and pump and after and if you’re lucky you will avoid the issue completely.

6.) Exclusively pumping is breastfeeding.

I felt a lot of guilt over not being able to nurse my daughter, but pumping is breastfeeding. The only difference is your baby is taking your milk from a bottle instead of your boob. It’s the same nutrition! Your baby is not missing out on any benefits by you pumping. If anything you are working harder because you have to pump and THEN feed your baby.

7.) Things I should have had on hand before my baby arrived.

Somethings I had that helped when my baby arrived was a nursing pillow. I did nurse for a while and the Boppy was fairly useless, instead I liked the My Breast Friend pillow which provided more support for me and my baby. The pillow is mainly to help you while you get the hang of what you’re doing and the My Breast Friend did just that.

Stock up on breast pads, pumping or nursing, it doesn’t matter, you need them. I liked the disposable because they were more absorbent. I also had tried the ones you can reuse and wash. I woke up soaked more than once. I’d skip them personally.

Pick your pump wisely, and use your insurance to get it for free if you can. I did a ton of research and got the Spectra S2. I LOVED it and do not regret it.

Buy yourself a box of spare pump parts. You will have parts break, and you may not have time to wait for the parts to come in. You will be engorged, in pain, and your supply will tank! You can just go to amazon and type in your pump and “spare parts” and it should come up! Also grab some breastmilk storage bags!

Get some nursing bras for the day, but also some to sleep in. I did not like my regular nursing bras to sleep in. These were my favorite nursing bras and these were my favorite bras to sleep in.

Also, this was a really handy trick for me. You can just rig your nursing bra to be a pumping bra! SO convenient and easy! One of my TOP tips.

Also get some bottles. You may plan to nurse, but you never know what might happen or if you want to pump and have your husband feed baby!

8.) You can get sick or infections from breastfeeding.

The first time I had these breastfeeding ailments I did not know what was happening. I had a clogged duct and it was really sore, and I went to bed. The next morning I woke up and my clogged duct hurt even more and I felt horrible. Like I had been hit by a train. My head hurt, my body ached, I felt feverish, and nauseous. I texted my friend and she told me it was probably Mastitis. I had heard of it, but had no clue it would be so bad so fast. I called my doctor and got antibiotics. That is when I started my other issue. About a week later my nipples (TMI, but I mean you clicked on a link about breastfeeding, so I’m going to be honest with you haha) were SO itchy. Like unbearable. They were really tender too. I went to the OB and showed her (you have no modesty after having a baby, prep yourself for that fam) and sure enough- I had a yeast infection on my NIPPLES. Lol. I got some prescription to take orally and cream. Just know those are possibilities and you can pass the yeast/thrush to your baby, but not the mastitis. Fun facts that you now know.

9.) You are not a bad Mom if you do not like breastfeeding.

I felt very guilty because I started to hate breastfeeding. I felt like I was always feeding her, pumping, cleaning bottles, etc. I would dream about just making a bottle with formula and how easy it would be. I kept pushing through being miserable because of the Mom guilt. I was worried that I was a bad Mom because I did not have that amazing feeling all the breastfeeding Moms had told me about. I wanted to enjoy it, I really did, but I just didn’t, and that really is okay. I am just as good of a Mom breastfeeding or not.

10.) You do not have to breastfeed at all.

You are NOT a bad Mom if you do not want to breastfeed, or if you try it and you decide you do not want to do it. Your baby will still love you. They will still grow big and strong. Do not let anyone make you feel bad if you make that decision! If you want to exclusively pump or use formula from the start there is nothing wrong with that either. Do not believe the lie that you can not bond with your baby if you do no not nurse. I physically could not, and I am so close with my baby girl. I am sure nursing is a beautiful bond, but it is not the only way to bond with your baby. It is not the end all be all. Do not feel bad if you can not or do not want to. You are still a bad ass Mama warrior.

Breastfeeding and pumping are hard, but if you can take time and find the humor in everyday situations and be kind to yourself it can be a great experience. Just do not feel pressured to do anything you do not want to do. Be motivated to do what you see as what is best for you and your baby, no matter what that feeding journey looks like for you.

Love,