Advice

What Advice Do You Wish You Had Heard Before You Started Breastfeeding?

This is a question I hear quite often, so I thought I would share my favorite tips, as well as share the amazing comments we received from our Facebook page when we asked our fellow breastfeeding mamas!

My Top 5 Pieces of Advice Every Woman Should Have Before She Breastfeeds:

1. Find a lactation consultant in your area before you have your baby. 

No one should have to google this information at 3:30 in the morning when you feel like your nipples are going to fall off.  Instead, spend a few minutes on the computer, in between your stroller and diaper research, to find an international board certified lactation consultant who seems like a really great person. Check out her Yelp reviews and ask your friends who they would recommend. 

Does traveling cause a dip in milk supply?

A close friend of mine was at a breastfeeding support group recently and was told that many moms see a dip in their milk supplies when traveling with their babies. My friend speculated that this may be a reaction to the stress of traveling with an infant. I told her I would look into this, since I couldn't fathom why traveling would make a mom's milk supply decrease. A mom's milk supply could surely decrease when traveling WITHOUT her infant, but why WITH her infant? After some internet and article searching, I couldn't find any scientific reasons that would cause this phenomenon. But, since a few moms have seen this happen, I thought I would offer some advice on how to make sure that this doesn't happen to you.

Welcome to The Sanity Spot

Sleep deprivation, diapers, feeding, crying.....sound a little familiar? And not just describing your baby??? All within a matter of minutes, your life has completely changed and sometimes all you want is for it to go back to the way it was.... pre-baby! But then, that sweet little baby of yours (or your three and four year olds, in my case) just look at you with those adoring eyes and you are brought to tears as your heart fills with so much emotion that it is impossible to describe. Welcome to motherhood... the most rewarding and, definitely, the most difficult job you will ever have in your life!

So sit back, put your feet up, lay your baby (infant, toddler) on your chest, and smell his/her sweet scent while he/she sleeps for a few moments. It is all about being present, in the moment (if you will), and taking a deep breath. For it is those moments you will remember the most. Hey, if we remembered all of the difficult times, we would never have any more kids.

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