The Challenege of Breastfeeding: You CAN Do It

There's so many good reasons to want to breastfeed.  It is recommended that a baby exclusively breastfeeds for the first 6 months.  It gives your baby valuable immunities, helps the mother's body get back to normal after giving birth, and creates such a special bond between mother and child.  I'm not here to persuade anyone, but there are so many articles with evidence  of the benefits of breastfeeding I find it hard to imagine why any mother would chose not to try.

Many mothers worry that they will not be able to create enough milk for their little one, especially if they have heard horror stories from other mothers who did not have the best experiences with breastfeeding, and ended up switching to formula.  It's true, many mothers have trouble establishing a milk supply, but with time and effort, this problem can almost always be solved. There are many accounts of women being able to breastfeed twins, so it's very likely your body will be able to supply for just one.

It can take as much as 6  weeks, or possibly more if you face unusual challenges, to establish a good milk supply to get your little one gaining weight in the same ranges as formula-fed infants.  Even when you are struggling to establish a milk supply, your baby should gain at least half an ounce a day.  Even at this level though, your pediatrician may start to recommend supplements.  If this happens, request to have an appointment in another 4-7days to re-evaluate your child's weight gain, and in the mean time look up tips online for increasing milk supply to help your child gain weight.  If your pediatrician is still worried about your child's weight gain, you may have to start supplementing with formula, but continuing to supply as much as your child's nourishment with feeding as possible will help you keep up your milk supply, and possibly allow you to switch back to exclusive breastfeeding in the future.

Here are some tips that helped me when establishing a milk supply:

Most importantly, speak with a lactation consultant to ensure your baby has a good latch.  Review with other lactation consultants if your baby has a weight gain problem.  Follow up, make sure things are still going well. In addition to the consultant at your pediatrician's office, every hospital has at least one on call if you  have any concerns.  She's not just there for when you're in the hospital, don't be afraid to call!  And of course your local WIC office also has lactation consultants ready to help, even if you are not on the WIC program.

Nurse from only one side per feeding.  Some will tell you to try offering both sides, to stimulate both for milk production, but nursing from one side ensures your baby gets all of calorie-rich hind-milk to help your little one gain weight, and the more time you spend on one breast the more milk that breast is told to produce.  Save the other breast for the next feeding.

After your little one finishes a feeding and refuses to drink any more, use a breast pump to express as much milk as you can from that same breast.  Leave the pump going for a few minutes even after the last drop of milk is released, this provides extra stimulation to signal to your milk ducts to produce more. DO NOT feed this expressed milk to your little one, store it away.  There are plenty of articles online telling you how to store breast milk.  Using a bottle to feed this expressed milk will take away from the time your baby spends on the breast.  The stored milk will come in especially useful if your pediatrician does recommend supplements, as it will help you prevent introducing formula to your baby. Again, leave the other breast full for the next feeding.  

Feed frequently!  Even if your little one is sleeping or seems uninterested in feeding, babies will continue to suckle instinctively, even while sleeping, once you get them latched on.  Feed a minimum of every 2 hours.  If your pediatrician is concerned with weight gain, this goes for night time feedings too!  Every. Two. Hours.  Don't worry, it won't last forever.  Actually, it should only take a few days before you can go back to slightly longer night time sleeping. How will you do it, you may ask?  Take a 'nursing vacation'  Go to bed for 2-3 days, with your baby in a co-sleeper or bassinet by the bedside.  Relax, watch TV, use the internet, read, eat and drink plenty of liquids. Take naps whenever your baby is sleeping.  The extra time in bed will more than account for the frequency of feedings you wake up for, and by the end of it you should have a much more luck with your milk supply.

The most important thing is DON'T GIVE UP.  Most mothers I know who switched to formula did so within the first few weeks, before they ever had a chance to get their milk supply up.

Reasons women stop breastfeeding, and how you can work around them:

Illness.  In some cases, mothers become sick, and can not take the exhaustion of waking up every two hours on their bodies, not only weak from giving birth but compounded by illness.  If you can stick it out though, please try.  Remember all the women who have done it back when there was no formula!  Even when you are ill, your body will continue to produce enough milk for the baby.  Whether you continue to breastfeed is usually determined not by physical limitations but by your ability to continue through exhaustion and stress.

Medication.  Related to the one before this.  Most mothers are under the impression that they can not take any kind of medicaton while breastfeeding for fear that it will be passed through the milk to their child.  The truth is there are very few medications that will prevent you from breastfeeding, the warning medications put on their boxes is to precautionary.  Call your child's pediatrician, as they will know most which medications will effect your child.

Pain. Now, most articles on breastfeeding will warn you of 'fullness' or 'soreness' when your milk starts coming in.  What they don't mention is the pain so sharp that it makes you jump out of your skin and nearly sends you through the roof.  The good news, it isn't constant pain, it only lasts for a few seconds to a few minutes at the beginning of a feed, while your little one is suckling on empty ducts that haven't figured out when they need to be full yet.  More good news is, it's very temporary, often lasting less than a day, though it can continue for a few days.  Unfortunately for those of you out there who are unlucky, the intensity of that pain can seem torture, even if it only last 12 short hours, when you add it too the exhaustion from giving birth and being woken up at regular intervals, its extremely tempting to grab some formula.  Remember, even when it seems at its worse, that it WILL go away, and breastfeeding will soon become a comforting, soothing experience for you.

Returning to work.  Most countries in the world offer ample amounts of maternity leave, ranging from 6 months to several years, the majority of which is paid.  While living in the United States does not guaranteed you this much, there is luckily one law in place to help.  The Family Medical Leave Act allows for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, so if that's how long it takes for you to establish breastfeeding, take that time, and know your rights.  Also, the law generally requires a break every 4 hours, which is how often you will need to pump milk to prevent overfilling and clogged milk ducts, which could lead to infection.  More good news is thanks to the recent health care bill, companies with more than 50 employees will soon have to provide a private space other than a bathroom for the purpose of letting nursing mothers express breast milk.

Flat or Inverted nipples. I admit I don't have much experience is this area but This Website has wonderful advice.
Babies breastfeed, not "nipple-feed", and if a baby is able to take in a good mouthful of breast, most types of inverted or flat nipples will not cause a problem during breastfeeding. However, some types of nipples are harder for the baby to latch onto, especially at first, but in most cases, patience, persistence, proper latch-on technique, and perhaps a few other helpful measures will pay off.

Babies with physical or mental barriers.  The most common issue with breastfeeding is a baby born with tongue-tie.  I have tongue-tie and my son has inherited a moderate case of it. He had difficulty latching on correctly at first, but with time and practice, things got better without medical intervention.  It took 3 weeks for him to gain enough weight to hit the minimum level of 1/2 oz a day, and by 6 weeks he was gaining right along average with other babies his age.  Of course, babies can have much bigger barriers to overcome. Though an uncommon condition This is one of my favorite success stories. 


When trying to establish a good latch, especially when barriers are present for either mother or child, it is important to remember that babies are tired and very groggy after the birthing process.  Studies have shown babies whose mothers received epidurals have a harder time latching on, and if you were given a spinal block or other anesthesia, it will only increase this effect. Add this to the physical limitations of mother or child, and the result is a several week or even months long process at teaching a baby a proper latch.  And once a child gets used to bottles, espcially if the bottle was introduced prior to 2 weeks, nipple confusion only compounds the issue.  As things pile up, it may be very difficult, and seemingly impossible, for you little one to breastfeed.

I want to make it clear that this post is NOT attacking mothers who choose not to breastfeed, or those who begin breastfeeding but switch to formula for any of the reasons listed above, or for any other reasons.  There's always some things that just can't be helped, from psychical complications with the mother, to issues preventing a baby from obtaining or sustaining a sufficient latch, but there are more and more devices and techniques out there to help people in these situations and with the right support and determination, breastfeeding may still be a success, though it will be a much more difficult road.  I understand that not everyone is as fortunate as I am, and that over half of mothers who begin breastfeeding switch partially or completely to formula by the time their child is three months old.  I was fortunate enough to have to support that I did that allowed me to continue exclusively breastfeeding, and I merely wish to extend the same support to mothers out there that are hoping to accomplish the same thing.  It IS possible, and the more you believe that, the more likely you are to succeed. 

Good Luck, and Best Wishes!