A while ago, I wrote a blog post about the importance of regular breast checks and check-ups at the doctor following a concerning lump I discovered in my left breast.
An ultrasound and mammogram later, that lump was nothing more than a benign cyst — thank, God — but the terrifying/anxiety-provoking/humbling experience led to an important conversation (click here to recap the post).
Now, many months later … ladies, we need to talk about boobs again! But this time from a slightly different perspective.
I sit in a sleepy 3AM daze, the gentle whirring of our Spectra breast bump filling the early morning silence.
Another nighttime change-feed-burp-bed session done.
Tug, tug, tug.
As the breast pump continues to extract precious milk drops from my breasts — “Liquid gold!”, as my mum encouragingly proclaims during our Facetime calls — my mind drifts off to the memory of those first moments in the hospital. Those first attempts at breastfeeding our precious babe.
I was largely told to “drink more water” — “YOU NEED TO DRINK MORE WATER!” — and to “trust the process” yet my nipples became increasingly torn — bleeding — and excruciatingly painful with baby’s every hungry, desperate bite and pull.
If one more person tells me to “DRINK MORE WATER”!!
Wincing with pain, I was desperate to breastfeed — desperate to feed baby exclusively with those precious drops of liquid gold.
“Do you want to ‘top up’?” the nurses would periodically ask in the middle of those first couple of nights.
Top up with formula that is, to “help settle” our babe.
“No! I’m exclusively breastfeeding.” My stern, increasingly weary reply.
news flash: breastfeeding is hard!
As might be the case for many new mums, my breastfeeding journey did not get off to a great start.
Within hours of my initial breastfeeding attempts my nipples were torn, bleeding and I was in excruciating pain.
Wincing in pain at each feed — there may have even been tears — I persevered, desperate to feed our precious babe exclusively with my breast milk.
I told myself: I’ve competed in multiple iron-distance triathlon events, surely, I have ENDURANCE to get through this! If I can get through Ironman, surely, I can breastfeed my baby … no matter how painful it is!
While in theory I was OK with the ‘fed is best’ mindset — of course! I’m not going to hold my baby ransom to my breasts if I can’t breastfeed — my goal was to exclusively breastfeed, ideally for 12 months.
But to exclusively breastfeed one needs to know how to breastfeed.
Well-meaning “drink more water” and “trust the process” encouragement is great, but there comes a time when you actually need to know what you’re doing.
Is my technique, OK? Is this how to position the baby? Is this how she’s supposed to latch? WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING?
In hindsight, I should have read more perhaps, viewed more instructional videos on YouTube and the like … heeded the “a lactation consultant is the best thing I ever did” advice … taken up the offers from family to learn about their breastfeeding techniques via Facetime.
But heyho, hindsight is a wonderful rear-view mirror, right?
‘i’m not going to hold baby ransom to my boobs!’
Now, I don’t pretend to be an expert, and this certainly is not health or medical advice.
But it’s been almost 8 weeks since baby was born — 8 weeks of breastfeeding, pumping and, yes, topping up with formula — so I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learnt along with way.
Because honestly, we don’t talk about breastfeeding enough, and especially about how hard it can actually be.
So, what have I learnt about breastfeeding?
- Breastfeeding is hard, and it can be very painful! It’s important to realise this because this can take a huge mental toll, which, mixed with the postpartum hormones, can create a not-so-fun rollercoaster ride of emotions. Remember your supports. And reach out for professional help if you need it — PANDA is a great resource!
- Learn as much as you can before you give birth and heed friendly offers and advice. The more prepared you are going in, the better it will be (The Doctors Bjorkman on YouTube are fantastic!). But honestly, for me — I learn by actually doing, so I’m not 100% sure how much I would have actually taken in, in the lead up.
- Lanolin cream is a saviour, as are nipple shields! While packing your hospital bag with 101 different baby outfits is cute and fun, make sure you consider these two items as, trust me, they will save your nipples, making the whole breastfeeding experience hopefully better for you. We discovered lanolin cream and nipple shields in the hospital — they were recommended by my OBGYN and thankfully available at the hospital pharmacy, so I was able to start using them almost straight away when trouble hit. And yes, nipple shields are a little controversial — they certainly come with their list of pros and cons, so make sure you’re aware of these. But I, personally, didn’t have any major issues using the shields or since stopping them (I only used them to allow my nipples to heal). For me — nipple shields helped to save my breastfeeding experience.
- Pump it up! Invest in a great breast pump and pump after feeds to stimulate supply. And while I’ve heard some mums warn against pumping because “it may lead to engorged breasts” and “over supply”, I’ve also read (and viewed health experts recommend) that emptying breasts through pumping is a great way to stimulate supply! Personally, especially because over supply hasn’t been the issue for me, I’d rather “pump and store/freeze”, than not pump and risk low supply. We have a Spectra Breast Pump and, once I learnt how to use it properly, it’s been really great to use (Click here for a great ‘how to’ video!). I initially found breast pumping to be another painful experience. After some reading and learning how to use the breast pump properly, I’ve found that most of the pain from pumping came from the fact that my boobs were dry — they needed a bit of lubrication. I read about using coconut oil as a lubricant here, and honestly, I haven’t looked back since. I can now pump for a full 30 minutes — pumping two boobs at once! — without issue.
- Top up with formula if needed. Going back to the “fed is best” and the “I’m not going to hold my baby ransom to my boobs and milk supply” mindset, if you notice through various markers that your baby isn’t getting enough milk via breastfeeding alone, see your paediatrician and get a plan to top up the breastfeeds with formula if needed. For me, some of the signs that baby wasn’t getting enough milk were her weight. We bought a set of baby scales (my mum’s advice!) and found she wasn’t gaining weight. We also found that she wasn’t wetting as many nappies as what we had read was the expected amount (around 8-12 per day). So, we booked a follow-up appointment with a paediatrician at our local clinic who confirmed our suspicions and recommended a plan for topping up my breastfeeds with formula. As far as type of formula — we’ve opted for goat’s milk formula.
So far, breastfeeding has been quite the journey for me! It’s been hard and just like for many mums, exclusive breastfeeding hasn’t been possible for me so far, and may not be possible (although, I’m still hopeful).
And that’s OK!
Given the challenges (and the pain!), while it would have been so much easier to just put baby completely on formula early on, persevering with breastfeeding over the last almost 8 weeks, using the various tips and tricks listed above — especially regular, consistent pumping — has paid off.
My milk supply has since significantly improved meaning less formula required during some feed sessions.
My breastfeeding experience has become easier — my nipples are healed, and baby is mostly latching well — and, most importantly, baby is thriving and gaining weight and is settled and happy, making parents, grandparents and paediatrician very happy, too 🙂
breast is best … when it works!
We’ve all heard that ‘breast is best!’ But let’s remember that exclusive breast is only best when it works.
And while I’m 100% behind breastfeeding and believe that any amount of breast milk is better than none based on the many, many health benefits that breast milk and breastfeeding provides, I also strongly stand behind the ‘fed is best’ mindset, especially if exclusive breastfeeding isn’t possible.
I, for one, haven’t been able to exclusively breastfeed, and that’s OK.
Formula top-ups are needed … for now … and that’s OK, too.
The way I see it, (exclusive) breast is best when it works … and then fed is better.
A baby fed and thriving is best. No mum-guilt required.
And mums remember: It’s still ‘nursing’ when you’re bottle-feeding your babe (whether that bottle contains breastmilk or formula!).
x G.
Side note: I’ve linked some resources you may find useful throughout this post. Another great resource to consider is the Australian Breastfeeding Association.
editor, journalist, digital content creator with a background in nutrition & dietetics.
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