Word of the Day: Breastfeeding

Psst, guess what? I'm doing it, my sister-in-love is doing it, and even Beyonce is doing it. What are we all doing? Breast feeding, of course! It's free, helps promote the bonding process, gives baby the best nutrition, helps your stay busty longer, and helps you lose the baby weight super-fast. So many bonuses to it, why would anyone opt out of breastfeeding?

Well, it isn't exactly a "natural" sensation, especially for first time mothers. It actually hurts when you're figuring it out (and forget all those folks who say that it doesn't hurt once the latch is correct: it hurts until you get used to it.) It means that you have to feed frequently (baby's bodies process breast milk far faster than formula.) You also have to keep up your healthy pregnancy eating habits (along with eating an additional 350-500 calories a day), which can be time consuming for a new mom. You will have a wet shirt or two, until you get baby on a good schedule or until you start buying those breast milk pads for your bra. Oh yeah, only you can produce your breast milk so, unless you pump, you can't hand off the baby for feedings: you will have to do all of the feedings yourself.

I weighed the option and decided to primarily breast feed, while giving the baby no more than 4 ounces of formula per day, to start. Now that she's eating 4 ounces per feeding, I do 8 ounces of formula per day (2 small bottles) and breastfeed for the rest of the day. So far it's been working well. I'm glad that she hasn't had any issues with nipple confusion or problems with digesting formula. I use Enfamil's Newborn formula, but I'll be giving Similac a try, as well. I registered with both the Enfamil and Similac websites. I received lots of formula to try (nice sized cans: no wimpy sample sizes LOL!) I'm making mental notes of how her stools look when using Enfamil (per Similac, their formula creates stools that are far more similar to the bowel movements of breastfed babies, since their formula is supposed to be closer to mother's milk.) I'll then compare her stools to how they look with Similac. I'll be monitoring for general gassiness, vomit, fussiness, etc., to see which formula she favors, then I'll make my final decision.

Like I mentioned earlier, breastfeeding can be uncomfortable. It doesn't help when you have dry, sore, cracked nipples. I tried Medela's nipple cream while I was in the hospital, and it worked well. However, I had a sample sized bottle so I either had to buy more or find an alternative. Also, I still use soap on my breasts (which is generally discouraged while breastfeeding, since it removes your skin's natural protective oils.) Here's a little tip that I have for breastfeeding moms: olive oil, post shower, is great for applying to sore, dry breasts and nipples. It absorbs into skin easily, it's all natural, and it's a food product, so you don't have to worry about it making your baby sick, should you have to breastfeed soon after applying it. Any olive oil works, though heavier versions (extra virgin olive oil, as opposed to extra light olive oil) tend to be a little better for me.

That's my words on breastfeeding. For more breastfeeding information, I go to this site: http://breastfedblog.blogspot.com/ Yeah, you can Google your answers, but I find this blog more informative and fun :) The information on co-sleeping was very useful, as I had a c-section and found that hopping out of the bed every couple of hours to get a hungry infant was just too much. I have been co-sleeping-though slowly weaning her off of it-since the baby came home (she's napping in her bassinet more, now that my incision has healed considerably.)

For the moms who want to supplement breastfeeding with formula feedings, check out the websites for Enfamil and Similac. Those freebies are a big help!