One of my friends texted me the other day and said ” what would you say is the worst part post pregnancy” and I said BREASTFEEDING! And don’t get me wrong, I think it is a beautiful thing and I feel very blessed that I get to do it and experience this but, for me, it was very hard the first time around and everyone told me that breastfeeding isn’t easier the 2nd time and boy were they right! Sure, there are some moms who are fortunate to have the perfect experience, but I found it challenging both times and for different reasons. Luckily, this time, I knew it would get easier if I just pushed through the pain and the sore/cracked nipples!
I am working on a lot of good blog content over the next few weeks for all my mama friends (or going to try my hardest to at least ha!) I have a lot of people I know expecting right now and wanted to share the 3 main things that have helped me through the process that some of you may already know, but I didn’t and I am so glad I know now.
- Newman’s Nipple Cream – You guys.. I cannot rave about this cream enough! I had to go to a lactation specialist with Brady in San Diego and she suggested for me to try this. It is a prescription so you will need to request it from your OB Dr. and I had to get it from a compound pharmacy both times which insurance didn’t pay for. It costs around $50 or so out of pocket, but it is SO worth it and look at it this way, if it saves your nipples and is the thing that keeps you pushing through the pain of nursing until you get over the hump, then the $50 you spend will save you a ton of money from having to buy formula! If you want to read some others remarks about it – check it out on this forum. I noticed there are a lot of people talking about whether to wash it off or not before you feed – I was told I didn’t need to, but I normally wipe it off either way.
- Switching nursing positions – In the birthing classes and in the hospital, all the nurses suggest the football hold when they are infants. I tried this both times for the first few weeks and I was to the point to tears bc they hurt SO bad! I found when I switched up the holding positions during feedings, it gave me so much relief. I don’t know if this is a personal thing or if it actually works, but if you are having trouble and doing only the football hold at first, then try the cross-cradle hold or the cradle hold.
- Kelly Mom.com – The best online resource for ALL THE THINGS regarding breastfeeding. I use this for any questions I have! It has been a game changer.
I hope this has helped you as much as it did me! And remember FED IS BEST! So if you don’t want to nurse or can’t for any reason, that is okay!
PS: How sweet is this image above? It is one of my favorites from our newborn session by Lauren Junker Photography! I will be sharing more from our session soon, but if you are local in the Dallas area, I highly suggest checking Lauren out! I have been using her for the past couple of years since we moved to Texas and she is seriously the BEST! If you are a loyal blog reader of mine, you have probably seen other photos she has done for me. Check out a few other shots she did here and here.
As always thank you for reading my blog and much much love to all!
