Alright, here's my deal with breastfeeding.
Everyone
posts about how it's not easy but it's amazing, and then they give a
gazillion pointers on how to get through the rough patches. But can I
tell you about MY rough patch -- the one that tends to get glossed over?
Latching.
It absolutely drives me crazy to hear things like, "Latching is as simple as X, Y, and Z." Because you know what? I've tried X, Y, and Z. A million times. And latching has never been that simple for me or for my babies -- not for my first daughter, nor for my second. For whatever reason, latching has been and always will be a source of great difficulty for this small little family.
Since
I figured I'm probably not the only one with this problem, I thought
I'd share a few things I've learned along the way to ensure a good latch
(or at least, help steer you in the right direction).
Please note: What
I will NOT do is give a step-by-step guide for getting a baby to latch.
Numerous resources from lactation experts are available (
here,
here, and
here,
among other places). Personally, I "knew" the diagrams inside and out,
but it didn't actually do anything until I followed the following
steps.
1) Diagnose the Actual Issue
There
could be a number of reasons why your baby is not latching. Are your
nipples flat or inverted? Do you have an overabundant supply? Is your
infant tongue-tied? Seriously, before you get worked up over the whole
thing, really figure out the exact issue.
For
instance, with my first child, I had flat/inverted nipples and ended up
using nipple shields for three months to get her to latch (I wouldn't
recommend using them for three months, but that's a separate topic).
With my second child, I figured it was the same issue -- until the
lactation consultant informed me that my nipples were now fine having
breastfed my first child. It took me a while (and a lot of research) to
actually diagnose the problem this time: an overactive letdown and
overabundant milk supply. These are two entirely separate issues with
entirely different solutions.
2) Lactation Consultant = Your Biggest Ally
Before you go ahead and try to figure it out on your own, save yourself the headache: see a lactation consultant. They'll be able to see things you don't and can save you WEEKS of unwarranted stress.
Now
to be honest, LCs don't come cheap, so do some digging in your area and
with your insurance. For instance, I found out that my insurance will
cover an LC visit if it's connected to a practice. Luckily for me, one
of the doctors at the pediatrician's office is also an LC. Problem
solved. Some other idea:
La Leche League, asking around for friends of friends who are training to be an LC, etc.
However you can manage it: go see a lactation consultant early on before habits form and before tears are shed.
3) Play With Positioning
Find out what positions are best for what type of problem you may be experiencing. For instance, did you know that the
football hold is the best position for mothers with flat/inverted nipples? Did you know that the
side-lying position is
the best position for moms with an overactive letdown/overabundant milk
supply? Did you know that there are moms who don't even use the
typical 3-4 positions and
make up their own?
So
try the positions out. ALL of them. At different times. Is it time
consuming? Yes. Will you be able to breastfeed and multitask? No.
But it will be temporary. Figure this out, and your baby will get more
effective at nursing -- and, over time, will become a better latcher.
4) Have Patience
It
won't be easy. If you don't have a baby that latches naturally, you
have to go in to breastfeeding with great patience. I freaked out the
first time around and didn't give myself or my daughter the time and
patience needed to get the latch down correctly. I wanted to rush
things. Eventually (three months in), she got it -- but maybe she would
have gotten it sooner had I just had patience.
This
time, I didn't freak out in the hospital. I asked for help, and I
tried out different things. I let my daughter take her time. If she
started to get upset, I gave her to my husband to calm her down before
trying again. I had patience.
5) Change the Scenery
If
nursing in bed isn't working and you're both getting flustered, take a
minute and change locations. Seriously, I would get so worked up in the
middle of the night that we'd wake up my husband or my toddler, that it
wasn't worth trying to figure it out in bed. So for the first few
weeks, I'd run downstairs to the couch and try again. We were both
calmer and it helped to just change the scenery a bit.
6) Relax
...and
by this, I don't just mean, "breathe," I literally mean R E L A X.
Find a position that's comfortable. Make yourself comfortable. Get
more pillows. Get a glider. Get whatever you need and can afford to
make yourself INCREDIBLY comfortable. I couldn't believe what a
difference it made once I gave myself the extra two minutes I needed to
rearrange the pillows on my bed. If I was relaxed, my baby was relaxed.
7) Research, Research, Research
And finally:
use the internet.
I just spent hours upon hours reading every article I could on
breastfeeding -- even ones that I didn't think related (special thanks
to Christine of this blog for her
breastfeeding series -- which I de-
voured!).
Also:
don't underestimate the powerful help of Youtube. I just searched high
and low for videos on different positions, different latching
techniques, different breastfeeding issues, and some of the videos I
found were unbelievably helpful.
Rachel Stephan Simko is
a mother of two, a professional writer for a marketing company, and
loves cooking with squashes. She blogs about faith, simplicity, and
mommyhood at even one sparrow.
