The Ultimate Guide to Breastfeeding for New Moms

In this Ultimate Guide to Breastfeeding for New Moms, I’ve collected a series of posts to share the information I learned about breastfeeding, as well as encourage new moms to continue nursing through difficult times.

When it comes to breastfeeding, I thought it would just come naturally. Not to be. I had a rude awakening when as days passed, my experiences went from uncomfortable to excruciating. I almost gave up a bajillion times, except–like giving birth naturally–I didn’t want my husband to think I wimped out! No, I’m just kidding – the real reason I continued to breastfeed was two-fold:

Education and Encouragement!

When I was searching my mind and heart for topics, I considered things like when I breastfed, and where I breastfed. I also thought about who supported me along the way. Communication and support throughout the breastfeeding experience is the third dimension so often overlooked.

When my first son was born, the hospital did not seem to take much interest in making sure breastfeeding was successful. A lactation nurse came in, made sure baby was latching, then left. They had me pump with a professional hospital breast pump, which is really different from the variety of cheaper pumps available to moms in stores.

Nobody thought to check if my baby had a tongue-tie (he did), or questioned the intense discomfort I was feeling. Any pain was chalked up to “new mom, you’ll toughen up!” Yet weeks went on, and the pain became worse, to the point where I ended up with mastitis. More on that story later.

The point is – new moms beginning to breastfeed need more than just a schedule, place, and a desire to breastfeed. They need quality education and continued support, often weeks and months into the process.

As the folks at World Breastfeeding Week state:

This third dimension includes cross-generation, cross-sector, cross-gender, and cross-culture communication and encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience, thus enabling wider outreach.

Who is more likely to breastfeed?

Breastfeeding for me seemed a natural thing to do, because my mom had breastfed, and I have a lot of friends who breastfed. But was I so open to the idea was because of how / where / when I was raised?

I wonder:

Do younger mothers have the same interest to breastfeed?

Do younger mothers have the right environment to encourage this desire?

Are moms today given the tools and education they need to understand the benefits of breastfeeding?

Are some cultures more likely to promote breastfeeding?

And why are the dads seemingly out of the loop when it comes to breastfeeding? (No worries, I didn’t spare my husband ONE. AGONIZING. DETAIL. 🙂 Love you, babe!).

I’d love to hear from my readers your experiences and opinions on this topic! Did your cultural / family / social background play any influence in your decision to breastfeed or not to breastfeed?

I hope you enjoy (er, dare I say, latch on?) to this series!

Guide to Breastfeeding for New Moms

If you have a question about breastfeeding or a resource to share, please post in the comments! Thanks for being a part of this series!

Yum

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