Oh wow!!! I had no idea how hard breastfeeding would be in those first few weeks or how sore my nipples would get. On top of being sore she wouldn’t nurse on the left side at all!! I had to start her on the right side every time just to get her going so I could switch her to the left side.
I’ll be honest I wouldn’t have made it through without the amazing support of my husband. There were times that I wasn’t even able to hold her while she was nursing, so I would be standing in the middle of the room with him holding her up to me!!
Here are 3 tips for supporting your successful breastfeeding journey!
Have a natural oil on hand to apply before and after nursing to keep moisture of nipples supple. Organic is best. I prefer something like coconut oil because it is natural and absorbs into the skin quickly leaving a mild taste without residue in your baby’s mouth.
Get a pure lavender essential oil (not store bought) and apply to nipples between feeds to support healthy skin and reduce inflammation. The source is super important here because anything that is not pure could have any amount of fillers in them including alcohol which can cause burns, drier skin, and more irritation. FYI just because a bottle says 100% pure doesn’t mean it is pure, according to the FDA only 5% of the bottle needs to be pure/organic to be labeled that way.
Have a support group to help you on the journey. Talk to your spouse about what your wish is for breastfeeding and share your fears and concerns with him. He can’t help you if you aren’t honest about what is happening in the moment either.
Bonus Tip: Let your nipples air dry after each feeding to reduce risk of thrush!!!
If you would like to know where we get our essential oil must haves for pregnancy, childbirth, and daily living you can see more information here.
Please feel free to reach out if you would like to connect or have any questions, I would be honored to support you on your pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding journey!
Oh and if you have breastfed your first, in my experience the babies that follow are much easier and you don’t tend to have the complete soreness. Now I had my babies pretty close together so if you have longer transitions between your babies it may be hard again. That being said I used these tools with all 4 of my breastfeeding journeys!!
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