10 Surprising Realities of Breastfeeding
10 Realities about breastfeeding that may shock or surprise you when you start your breastfeeding journey!
Photo Series of Laureen & Lyanna
Conception, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding.
When a baby comes into the world, this is the natural progression. Unfortunately breastfeeding, unlike the rest of the steps, doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Oftentimes, it can feel like your invite to the secret breastfeeding mamas club got lost in the mail, or breastfeeding advice has been lost in translation from previous generations.
While we always recommend struggling mamas consult with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, here are a few realities of breastfeeding to help prepare you for your journey.
Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt.
If it does, then please consult your health care professional as you may have an incorrect latch, or your baby may have an underlying issue such as a tongue tie. If this is the case, your baby can form bad habits and continue to suckle incorrectly. There are many reasons breastfeeding can hurt, but if done right, it shouldn’t. It should feel like a gentle tug, not an agonising stretch.
2. But there are other potentially painful sensations that can occur as a result of breastfeeding.
The Let-down: This is when your milk is being ‘let down’ into your breast for the next feed. This can feel like a gentle rush or a tingling, or can even be painful like a bad case of pins and needles. The good thing is that this is very temporary and over quickly, so if you’re experiencing the latter, just grab onto your boosies, breathe and ride it out.
Uterus Contraction: When you nurse, you produce oxytocin and this hormone is responsible for many things including getting the uterus back to normal, ready for another baby. When the contractions occur, they are just that and can feel like anything from mild period pain to a full-blown laboring contraction. If you don’t breastfeed, this natural process can take a lot longer.
Engorgement: That dreaded word. This lovely undertaking can occur at any stage of breastfeeding. It occurs when your breast is making more than your baby (or pump) is taking. Sometimes there’s actually no rhyme or reason, and it can occur whenever, so look out for the warning signs, as if left, can lead to blocked ducts or mastitis.
To avoid it, try not to over-pump. This can be tricky to know in the early stages so make sure when pumping, you’re not pumping yourself dry.
It can also occur if your baby is having cluster feeds, then resumes their normal routine, as your milk production goes up a notch until bub doesn’t need it anymore. When this occurs, try to relieve the breast by hand-expressing, just enough to clear a little of the milk, sending the message to the milk factory to slow down the production.
3. Your milk will come in regardless of whether you breastfeed or not.
While supply and demand play a huge role in growing a milk supply, your body is still producing hormones all throughout your pregnancy that will produce milk for breastfeeding.
There are various ways of suppressing your supply if you don’t intend to breastfeed, think firm bras, cabbage leaves, and ice packs. However, if you have a medical condition and aren’t able to breastfeed, there are strong medications that will stop your milk from coming in. These are usually not to be administered for ‘don’t want to’ and are prescribed by a care provider.
4. Milk doesn’t come out of one hole.
A cow’s teat has one hole, whereas a human breast is more like a shower head with multiple holes and ducts producing a spray rather than a jet stream.
5. Breastfeeding uses calories.
If you think about it, you are making food for your baby and this needs to be generated from somewhere. On average, a breastfeeding woman uses 500 more calories a day. The extra calories are not just from making milk, but also being consumed from your new active schedule of waking up throughout the night.
6. You will go through many different bra sizes throughout your journey
Your milk doesn’t come in straight away. For the first few days, your body will produce colostrum. This is thick, gooey, and yellow in colour. Also known as liquid gold, it’s rich in antibodies and is all your baby needs for its first few feeds while the stomach and digestive tract establishes.
Once your milk comes in, the next 6 weeks will be when the most dramatic change in breast size occurs. When your supply initially comes in, you may experience growth of up to 4-5 cup sizes! Then when you feed they can drop a cup or 2, then increase again, full of milk ready for the next feed.
It’s for this reason that we insist on not wearing a rigid or wired bra during this stage. Your breasts need a seamless bra with stretch and support for your fluctuations, rather than pressure which could possibly lead to blocked ducts or pain or worse.
After about 6-8 weeks,your flow should be a bit more regulated without the dramatic fluctuations. As a result, your bra size will be more consistent so you can start reintroducing flexi-wire bras (only if you want, though!) that have more rigid support.
After about 6 months, when your baby starts substituting your milk for solids, your milk production and your size may go down again.
When you ween your baby, you may find that your breasts appear to be much smaller and a different shape to when you first became pregnant. This is because they, like your body, have gone through a tremendous change. Take heed that your breast tissue, just like your earlobes, actually never stops growing.
7. There’s a difference between the milk at the beginning of a feed and the milk at the end.
Not all milk is created equal. When your baby first comes to the breast, they will be drinking the more watery and less nutrient rich foremilk. Once they have completed their entrée, they are ready for the main meal.
The hindmilk is only expelled after all of the foremilk has been extracted. This is more nutrient rich and higher in fat and protein. This is the stuff that makes them put on weight, makes them feel full but can also send them to sleep – so tickle their chins or change positions to ensure they are getting a full meal every time.
8. Breastfeeding can be addictive.
When you nurse – your body produces the hormone oxytocin – this forms a bond with your baby that only a mama can know. Oxytocin is also produced with other addictive habits such as smoking, patting a dog, drinking alcohol, exercising (aka ‘runner’s high’) and during orgasm.
9. You are your own baby’s milk factory.
Your milk is made specifically to suit your baby. If they’re sick, your milk will produce antibodies for immunity. If it’s hot and they’re thirsty – it will be more watery. If they’re getting older – it will be perfectly suited for their age, growth and development. If they nurse more, you will make more… Pretty amazing, huh!
10. Breastfeeding doesn’t come naturally to everyone.
Shock, horror, gasp. You will have good days and bad days, and your baby will, too. It’s completely normal to have a multitude of feelings about breastfeeding, ranging from love, anxiety, joy, hate, confidence, frustration, duty, disappointment and accomplishment. It gets so much easier as you get used to it and you and your baby learn each other. All in all, you should always do whatever you feel is right for you and your baby, even if that means not breastfeeding at all.
Guest Author, Katie
Katie is the proud mom of two beautiful girls and has been responsible for all the designs, style and fit at Cake Maternity for over a decade now.
Katie is a nursing bra specialist and a fit, pattern and grading technician. She is passionate about breastfeeding and the many benefits it offers to both mom, baby and the environment.
She is determined to make the breastfeeding journey a comfortable, supportive and beautiful one for all moms, understanding that it doesn’t always come easy to everyone. That’s why she has made it her mission to empower women as they mindfully navigate the world of motherhood and help make breastfeeding easier, through experience-driven innovation.
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Photographer, Mom, Birth Keeper, Blogger and lover of sharing stories of the real and raw journeys of people.
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