Preparing For Breastfeeding

This post will not contain antiquated ideas of toughening up your nipples, nor advertisements for breastfeeding gear or strange apparatuses to purchase.  That’s not really helpful in preparing to breastfeed.

No, this post is a look back on my breastfeeding experiences and sharing little tidbits that made it not only possible, but enjoyable.

As of today I have been breastfeeding for 11 years, 11 months and 11 days.  Straight.  My daughter is almost 12 and that is the beginning of my breastfeeding journey.  But, since then I have had six other children and am expecting another in July.  I have nursed through seven pregnancies and tandem nursed, allowing my children to lead the way in weaning.

11 years.  11 months.  11 days.

There have been great days.  There have been really tough days.  There are definitely days I felt like quitting.  Some children have been “easy” nursers.  Some have been finicky.  Some caught on right away and some took their sweet time and had quite the learning curve.  But, we have persevered.  I’m not afraid to say that I am proud of the fact that we have been breastfeeding this long.

I absolutely always knew I would breastfeed. There was never another consideration.  But, truth be told, I did have a very Western understanding of breastfeeding.  You know, you breastfeed exclusively until 4-6 months when you introduce solids–and by solids I mean that paste-like substance they call baby rice cereal.  (gag!)  And somewhere around a year you wean your baby intentionally by little-by-little or all at once saying no to nursing.  I don’t know where I got these ideas, except that I just absorbed them from living in America and from very “helpful” books like “What To Expect….”  (which I most whole-heartedly do not recommend).

Then I had Meg.  And we had a great nursing relationship.  I tried introducing solids at about 6 months, but she wasn’t so into them.  I tried “weaning” her, but just didn’t have the resolve.  BUT, I was already pregnant with Israel.  I just assumed that I would have to wean her before the new baby arrived.  Everyone I talked to assumed the same thing.  Time ticked by.  Closer and closer to the birth of our second baby.  Then a nutritionist at WIC of all places said, “Why do you have to wean her?  Nurse them both.  At least you won’t get engorged after birth because she can take whatever the new baby won’t.”

Well, that sealed it.

I tandem nursed.  One day when Meg was about 1 1/2 years old, I offered to nurse her and she said, “No thanks.  I’ll have an apple.”  So, I just had Israel.  But, Luc was born right before Meg was 2 1/2 and so I tandem nursed Israel and Luc. Until Israel was done and I just had Lucas.  And the story goes on.

When I moved to Mongolia a friend who had recently had a baby was not producing enough milk.  So, they asked me to nurse the baby.  I was uncomfortable with nursing someone else’s baby.  It didn’t fit in my Western Nursing Paradigm.  But I was willing to express.  So, every day I expressed a bottle or two for their baby.  They came over one night and all the friends were just sitting around the living room when the father of this baby warmed up the breastmilk.  Then put the nipple in his mouth and tested it.  Another friend said, “Man, you know that’s Daja’s breastmilk, right?”  He said, “Yes, but I wanted to test the temperature.”  The friend replied, “Why don’t you use your wrist like everyone else?”  The father said, “I trust my mouth.”  The friend said, “I hate to see how you test her bath water.”

Shortly after that I had some expressed milk in the fridge that they weren’t able to pick up.  I didn’t want it to go bad, so was considering what to do.  My mother-in-law said, “Can I have it?”  Ummmmmmmmm……..  Apparently, breastmilk is very good for one’s liver.  And she should know.  She’s a research physician.  So, she drank my breastmilk.  My Western Nursing Paradigm was not in Kansas anymore.

From that point on my mother-in-law frequently drank my breastmilk.  And when we go to Mongolia, even now, I express some for her everyday.

When we moved back to America, a friend of mine who was a doula was at a birth that took much longer than expected.  She had expressed milk ahead of time for her baby, but it was now gone.  Her husband brought the fussy wee one to Bible study.  The baby cried and cried and cried and refused to take a bottle.  Without permission I slipped to a quiet room and nursed her baby.  She calmed and slept.  Everyone was greatly relieved not to hear a screaming baby.  But I made the other moms that saw me do it swear to secrecy.  About a month or so later, Gana and I went to a wedding and these same friends watched our children.  It took longer than we thought to get home.  When we picked up the kids my friend said, “Um, I hope it’s OK, but your baby was so fussy and wouldn’t calm down.  So, um……I nursed him.  Is that OK?”  I started laughing.  “OK, well, now I can tell you.  Last month I nursed your baby when you were at that birth.”  We both cracked up.  From then on I regularly nursed her baby when babysitting.

Breastfeeding has changed me as a mother and as a person.  I’ve grown into a better understanding of the world, of my children, of my own body.  It has been a physical journey and a spiritual journey

“May the God of your father help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.” Genesis 49:25

Preparing For Breastfeeding

You need to understand a few things.

1. When your baby is born you will not have milk in your breasts.  This can freak a new mom out and they can sometimes falsely assume that they won’t be able to nurse.  What is in your breast at the time your baby is born is colostrum.  It’s liquid gold as far as nutrition goes.  But there isn’t a lot of it.  And that’s actually OK.  Your baby’s stomach at the time of birth is about the size of the tip of your pinkie finger or a marble.  It’s not big at all!  So, whatever you have, no matter how small, is likely more than enough!  Let your baby enjoy that powerhouse of nutrition!

2.  Your milk supply is established on simple supply-and-demand.  The more you put your baby to your breast, the more your body will make.  Sometimes, again, we can falsely assume that if the baby is at the breast constantly that is because there isn’t enough.  When in fact, having the baby at the breast is what will increase your milk supply.  Your baby innately knows this to be true and so will sometimes nurse constantly in the first week of life and then right before a growth spurt when their caloric needs will be higher.

3. Your milk will typically come in 3-5 days post-partum.  Some women fill up like crazy, leaking milk and cleavage everywhere.  Some women do not.  It is not an indication of the ability to nurse at all.  The way you will be able to tell if your baby is getting enough and if you are making enough is to check the diapers.  Disposable times are too absorbent, in my opinion, to be a good indicator.  You just can’t tell what’s going on.  So, with a cloth diaper you can certainly tell if the baby has peed or not.  If your baby is having 6-8 wet diapers a day, he is getting enough.

Overcoming Obstacles

There will be obstacles to overcome if you intend to breastfeed.  Physical challenges such as sore nipples, engorgement, maybe a plugged duct.  Logistical challenges such as what to do if you have to leave the baby with a sitter  or have a medical procedure.  The key is perseverance.  Seriously.  You need to decide if you really believe that breastfeeding is a gift to your child, the most natural and healthiest thing you can do to nourish your child, with long lasting physical, social and spiritual benefits.  If you believe it, you’ll find a way to make it work.  You just will.

From my first child, until my fifth child I struggled in a constant cycle of breast infections.  They were debilitating.  My fever would spike to like 103.  I’d have chills.  I’d be exhausted.  My breast would be hot and painful to the touch.  It got to the point that at the first hint of one coming on I would start massively flushing my system with water, taking Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) and sleeping it off the best I could, while nursing as much as possible.  (Not an easy thing when you have other little ones to care for.)  I could never seem to get to the bottom of what was causing the infections.  Anemia was most likely a factor, as was not adequate gut flora.  My story has a great ending as the Lord healed me in a single moment at a healing service at our church.  However, I truly believe that we have to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us, including healing.  So, I’ve tried to maintain my good health by adding lots of fermented foods, upping my protein intake, eating more clean and organically.  The fruit of it is that I haven’t had a breast infection in years!

Nutrition While Breastfeeding

There are two schools of thought when it comes to nursing nutrition.  One is that you can eat everything and anything and it will have no effect on your breast milk or milk supply.  The other side says that there is a long list of contraindicated foods and drinks and everything you put in your mouth goes straight into your breast milk.  So, you have to be uber-careful.

Well, I feel like both sides of that spectrum are ridiculous.  First of all, of course what you eat will effect your breast milk!  If you are malnourished, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, smoke, etc., it WILL effect your milk.  You are what you eat, right?  Your breast milk can only come from what your body has!  On the other hand, to burden a new mother with a long list of things she can’t consume is not at all helpful.  Some will say she can’t have broccoli, cabbage, tea, coffee, tomatoes, dairy, peppers, spicy foods, foods that are too rich, wine, eggs, pineapple, fish, etc.  Ack!  Who would want to nurse an extended amount of time if you must live off chicken breast and green beans, which is sort of what you’re left with.

Nursing just doesn’t work that way.  It’s not like if you eat a piece of steak, suddenly your body turns it into liquid steak and your baby drinks it, so now the baby has to digest steak.

Also, your breasts aren’t storing milk.  It can’t go bad, sour, or stay there.  So, the idea of, “I’ll drink/eat/take this medicine, pump and then dump” might appease our minds, but does not necessarily effect our milk.  Waiting several hours before nursing is more effective than pumping what you can out of your breasts and dumping it out.

All that said, it does take an enormous amount of calories to produce food for another human.  It takes, so they say, 500 more calories a day to breastfeed than to be pregnant!  So, when you’re really eating for two is when you are nursing!  The more you care for your body and make those quality calories from nutrient dense foods, the better you will feel and the more nutrient dense your milk will be.  What do I mean by “nutrient dense” foods?  Well, all food have calories, that is units of energy.  And some food has precious little else aside from calories (think chips, soda, processed foods.  You get calories, but little or no other nutrition).  Then there are foods that not only have calories, but are also rich in minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, etc.  Those are the foods you should partake of liberally!  Not only will you have the energy you need, but you’ll have the nutrients you need to feed your cells and create that breast milk!

So what do I eat while breastfeeding?  Pretty much what everyone else in the family eats–just a little more of it!  Organic and pastured meats, full-fat dairy, fatty fish, fruits and vegetables–especially those with deep colors, pastured eggs, bone broths, fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, etc.), whole grains and lots of water!

Avocado and eggs

Grass fed beef and vegetables

Spirituality and Breastfeeding

One of the names God uses to describe Himself in the Old Testament is “El Shaddai.”  It is translated “God-Almighty” and sometimes “God of Enough.”  The literally meaning, however, is “Many breasted one.”  We are quite accustomed to thinking of God in purely male terms.  But, remember it was male and female who were created in order to together bear the image of God.  God is the one who sustains us, with nourishment and care from God’s very nature.  This is the feminine side of God that sometimes we don’t see.

When I sit down in the middle of a busy day or a busy place and I put my baby to my breast, suddenly that baby is sheltered from the world, in the safest, most secure, most loving and nurturing place anywhere.  It’s a very real way I experience the nature of God.  “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the [Many Breasted One.].”  Psalms 91:1  At my breast my baby does not experience lack, discomfort, fear, or loneliness.  His needs are met completely.  And oh!  That’s how it is when we allow ourselves to be sheltered by the Lord.  We are there…comforted, loved, accepted, nurtured–at rest.  If only I can learn to take my time and rest in the Lord’s shadow, imagine the peace that could fill my being and carry me through every circumstance.

Breastfeeding is a mother’s gift to a child.  But, it is also God’s gift to women.  It is one way we bear His image.  It is one way we have to stop what we are doing and we have the opportunity to partake of the divine.  And in those sensitive early days, weeks, and months when we are most susceptible to depression and/or discouragement, we have to stop the most–every two hours or more.  More time with El Shaddai.  More resting in the shadow.  It was designed for our blessing and our good.

So, sisters, ENJOY your breastfeeding journey!  Whether it lasts a few months or 12+ years, it is a gift.  A treasure.  Believe it.

(Linked to Hearts For Home Hop, My Pregnancy Journal Link-Up!, Manic Monday, Motivation Monday, Creative HomeAcre Hop, Making Your Home Sing, Titus 2 Tuesday, Eco Kids,  Wildcrafting Wednesday,  Wise Woman Link-Up! Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Allergy Free Wednesday,  Hope In Every Season, Homemaking Party, Tasty Traditions, A Lovely Blog Hop and Pin It Monday)

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