I Survived My First Week Exclusively Breastfeeding + Here’s What I’ve Learned

Breastfeeding is no joke. But it is possible, despite what others say.

I know it’s only been a week, but I’m determined to stay committed to it. 

🤱🏼My Breastfeeding story

It really is a journey from day one that evolves, ebbs and flows. They say the first two weeks of parenthood are the hardest and I can see why. 

When we first brought him home, it took a little bit for things to “click”. I’ve always wanted to breastfeed since before we even got married. But it’s easy to say you want to breastfeed and it’s whole different thing actually doing it.

My baby, thankfully, latched right away. And he actually does have a upper lip tie, but since he’s doing okay with feeding - we plan on leaving the attachment alone for now (as it can make things worse and he’s only almost two weeks old!).

The first time I nursed him, one of the hospital nurses helped me latch him about an hour after I gave birth. I was in a daze and I remember her handing me a nipple shield to practice with. She said it will help him feel sensation on his palate to help activate sucking. But in my mind, I didn’t understand why she was handing it to me so soon since he was able to latch just fine. 

At the hospital, I was only producing colostrum and he seemed like he was struggling with extracting it I guess? One nurse said my colostrum was very thick, so maybe that’s why. I’m assuming everyone’s colostrum content is different? LOL. So I pumped colostrum instead and gave it to him via Haaka tubes.

And actually, the day before we went into labor - I pumped colostrum and was able to give that to him straight away :) Highly recommend harvesting colostrum prior if you can especially since labor and delivery can be so tiresome.  

Colostrum I harvested the day before I went into labor! I pumped each breast for 15 mins and this is what came out. I freezed them in these Haaka tubes and was able to bring them to the hospital so he had it immediately:)

Our first night with our babe, he seemed very very restless and unsettled and I was very very very exhausted (40 hours of labor and no food/drink, will do that to ya!). So the nurse came in to take him and she ended up feeding him infant formula (almost 40 mL’s!!!). So he clearly was starving, but I had no idea. I just met the little guy. 

So we ended up giving him formula for the duration of our stay and I think I pumped only twice. Looking back, I would have pumped every 2-3 hours. But oh well, can’t change it.

Then when we got home, we were still offering him formula and I began pumping a lot more frequently. Maybe not exactly every 2-3 hours, but more than I was while in the hospital. To be honest, we really did not enjoy giving him the infant formula. My husband was better at it than me and very patient, which was great but to me something about it felt not quite right. And it honestly felt like more work because he just wanted to guzzle but he couldn’t because the nipple holes were too big for him!

Eventually my milk started to transition from colostrum to “transitional” milk. And I was pumping + storing it in the fridge while giving him formula only. Looking back, I should have just latched him because that transitional milk is MILK. But I had no idea what I was doing and was running on E. So he never got that transitional milk which makes me so sad. 

Then my boobs became extremely engorged (I call them the porn start tits!) and it lasted about 24-36 hours. Which made latching him really difficult because my areolas were so tight that he really didn’t have much to grab ahold of. So using the nipple shield during this part of my journey was a lifesaver! Once my boobs calmed down a bit, I was able to wean him off the nipple shield (it’s crazy how quickly babies adjust!) in less than 24 hours.   

It’s been over a week since I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding. All day and all night - he gets the boob! It’s a lot of work especially when you’re exhausted from interrupted sleep and honestly just lack of sleep in general. I do plan on continuing to only breastfeed until I can start really establishing more of a storage for him — I am desperate for a date night and a glass of wine!

✨Here are some things I’ve learned:

#1. Having a supportive and encouraging husband is super important. Without him, breastfeeding and even bringing my newborn home would look much different. He’s been super supportive with breastfeeding and he was actually the one encouraging me to latch him despite how much milk my body was/wasn’t producing. I was nervous because I felt doubtful, but the more my babe successfully latched, the more confidence I felt to continue. My husband wants me to breastfeed as much as I do! I know a lot of husbands out there that could careless. 

#2. Patience is virtue (and so is giving each moment your undivided attention). I didn’t realize how much time it took to nurse a newborn. The first few days I had no idea what I was doing. We had lots of intermittent feedings in the beginning. But now, I’ve mentally committed to it taking at least a solid 40-60 mins per feed which includes burping, diaper changes and helping him get through gassiness along with any other hiccups that come about with feeding a newborn. 

#3. Nipple care is a necessity. Keeping your nipples nourished makes all the difference. Sore nipples are inevitable with breastfeeding especially when you’re feeding every 2-3 hours. The cream I like best is a healthy, all natural and safe-for-baby. It’s called Nipple Butter by Mother to Mother. Here’s the link if you want to check it out! It’s on Amazon 🙂 I’ve also used Frida nipple hydration/cooling masks that have helped but you need to make sure you clean your breasts before you latch again. Whereas the nipple butter is completely safe in between feeds. 

#4. Flu-like symptoms are common when your milk starts coming in. In the beginning, the symptoms are very prominent. But by your first week or so in, you’ll notice you feel a little off just before you have to feed your baby. You may also feel burning sensations in your breasts which signifies a milk “let down” and you most definitely will feel super sleepy when you feed your babe. I’ve also cried many times while feeding him, especially when my husband and I are disagreeing on something. Your body is going through hormone changes every 2-3 hours, so it’s expected and then you’re even more hormonal because you're holding your baby that you just birthed!  

#5. To trust my baby and my body. A lot of women don’t like the idea of breastfeeding because they can’t visibly SEE how much milk they’re making and it can give them anxiety. For me, that part didn’t give me too much anxiety because a) my milk came in and b) my baby was showing signs of satisfaction after his feeds. Accepting the unknown and the inevitable is making this experience feel a bit easier!

#6. I wouldn’t have used the nipple shield so soon because that’s all I used every time I latched him and then when I would try to latch without, my babe was like wtf is this and had some nasty looks lol. The only time the nipple shield was necessary (in my eyes) was when my boobs were engorged. 

#7. I would have started pumping every 2-3 hours (at least during the day especially) during my hospital stay. We stayed there for 2 additional days after delivery! I ended up being positive for GBS bacteria and since my water broke so early, they wanted to keep a close eye on my baby for 48 hours to monitor him for any infection (even tho I was on IV antibiotics during labor🤦🏼‍♀️).

#8. I really do think the first two weeks are SO valuable to building an initial milk supply. You’ve really got to be mentally committed to making it work or you may not be very successful. Taking care of a newborn is a full-time job. Breastfeeding is a full time job. And not only that, all the postpartum emotions and body feels are 100% present. You just gave birth and now you’re taking care of a new baby with maybe 2 hours of sleep, a bleeding vagina, a swollen vagina and leaking tits! It’s unreal, but sooooo cool at the same time. Our bodies are incredible and we really underestimate what we’re capable of. 

#9. I think breastfeeding really does make your life easier. A lot women would say otherwise, but I disagree. I think feeding your baby in general is a lot of work, but when you’re breastfeeding things are less robotic. For example, some days your baby is super hungry and some days your baby is not. How your baby feeds and the length of time it takes, will dictate that. Whereas when you bottle feed, it’s based on ounces and it can cause unnecessary stress. Your baby will guide you, if you are open to it.

#10. Breastfeeding hunger pangs are crazy! I get so hungry feeding him especially through the night and into the morning. A lot of people have told me to keep snacks out through the night, but I’ve never been a fan of eating during the sleeping hours of a day and the last thing I’d feel like doing is flossing and brushing my teeth after I just sat with him for almost an hour. Sleep is more important to me! I’ve definitely been in the mood for more fatty foods like chocolate and peanut butter and as well has carbohydrates like mac n cheese and muffins! Green smoothies are a go-to, too!

I unfortunately know a lot of moms, especially first-time moms, that “try” breastfeeding, but give up too soon and it makes me sad. But I also feel like people make breastfeeding (and labor and delivery) feel like one big secret that they don’t want to share with others. So if you are new, like me, at breastfeeding - you are not alone! Keep going!!!