I was laughing reading the post from earlier in this week about bf-ing b/c all the things you guys said went through my mind before Q was born. I'm hardly a bf-ing nazi or 'lactivist' now but I was absolutely clueless before baby. I read the books about how to do it but that did nothing to prepare me for what actually happened. You can ignore this but hindsight is 20/20 and here is what I wish I'd known beforehand:
Get your DH on board. It's really hard the first few days/weeks (sometimes longer) and if he's not supportive it's too easy to give in and give up.
Find someone you trust who has done it before to talk to / confide in. Like with being preggers, DH won't really get what it feels like or the emotional roller coaster b/c he's never actually experienced it.
You can get help from the LC's & nurses at the hospital. If you're not happy with the help you're getting, ask for someone else. And don't be afraid to tell them to bugger off either. It took coming home and being more relaxed for me and Baby Q to make it work.
Find a LC in your area before you have the baby. That way you have a resource for when you come home from the hospital (esp if the nurses at the hospital suck like they did for me).
It's going to hurt at first. A lot. Like toe-curling-want-to-scream pain. Some people will tell you that if it hurts you're doing it wrong. They're lying out their azz. But it also stops hurting eventually - for me it took about 2 weeks. (Take a painkiller - most are safe for bfing - 15 min before feedings for the first few days - it lessens the cramps & helps get you through).
Formula is not poison - and happy mommy equals happy baby. Don't put too much pressure on yourself or the baby. As long as the baby is getting fed, you're doing it right.
Re: Momma's to be
Thanks!!!
I'm just scared out of my mind about the pain. I mean the nips are so sensitive now, that J doesn't get to touch them. I'm scared of how much worse it will be once they have stuff coming out of them, and a baby sucking away.......
This a thousand times!
And I'm kind of freaked out because (TMI ALERT) my nipples have been a huge part of our sex life. Like it takes me FOREVER to O if the nips aren't involved. I have a hard time seeing my nipples as food producers and sexy time enhancers.
The Princess of Anything is Coming!
Had a dream I was queen.
Woke up. Still queen.