After a rough and ultimately unsuccessful battle to breastfeed my son, I am 10 weeks into breastfeeding our daughter and am happy to say that it is going well! She spent a week in the NICU with several things that wouldn’t allow us to hold her or nurse, but once those were removed we got to nurse and she latched on immediately (and well)! I had pumped while she had the NG tube so my supply was…plentiful… but once I overcame the oversupply issue, everything has been so good! Now that breastfeeding has become the “norm”, here are somethings I have found to be true:
You Know You Might Be Breastfeeding If. . .
- You know what the side of your child’s face looks like at least as well as the front, if not better.
- Your nightstand looks like this:
Lecithin for clogs, fenugreek and blessed thistle for supply, protein bars for calories, disposable breast pads, and the biggest jug of ice water I’ve got! (Plus nipple balm in the drawer!)
- You see a baby with a big mouth and think about how well she probably latches!
- You can disassemble, clean, set out to dry, and assemble a new setup in under 3 minutes. In the dark.
- You essentially have a capsule wardrobe… Of all things stretchy, flowy, or with special clips and hidden panels, that all allow you to expose yourself in seconds.
- Your browser history is full of pages from llli.org & kellymom.com. Or searches like these..
- The sight of you topless no longer evokes the reaction it once did, and now elicits questions like “Do you need a snack?”, “How about an extra pillow?”, or “More water?” from your husband. 😉
What do you think?
Are there some skills or clues that identify you as a breastfeeding momma?
You might be breastfeeding if…. You can soak a breast is in 10 minutes flat!
Or you wake up and realize excitedly that your baby slept for five hours straight! Then immediately freak out because your breasts are so incredibly engorged!!!
You taste metal every time your baby latches the whole first week home!! Like putting your nips in a vice grip.
You might be breastfeeding if…
Your husband feels a little less helpful in soothing the baby since he “doesn’t have the boob”.
I had to pump and bottle feed with our first, and though it was more difficult (IMO) it did give my husband an equal opportunity to soothe through bottle feeding.
—and I loved reading about the wardrobe! So true! I have some outfits hanging in my closet that I can’t wait to wear, but they’re not breastfeeding or pumping friendly.