Breastfeeding, Milk Supply, and Pumping Tips

• Gatorade helps my supply a TON! I am busy running after toddler twins and rarely have the time to drink the amount I should be to be successfully breastfeeding a baby in the 76th percentile for weight. I drink 1-2 a day.

• If you are pumping, these flanges are a MUST! This listing is for all the sizes, but if you know what size you would need you can order individually. They are slanted which makes pumping so much more enjoyable. I hated having to sit straight up before I purchased these. Also, having correctly fitting flanges will make a difference in the amount you are able to express.

• Absolutely purchase a hands-free bra to use while pumping. No one has time/desire to sit there and hold the flanges!

• Do not stress if the baby does not latch immediately. I wish someone had told me that before I had my baby. I was completely freaked out the first 24 hours when he had no interest in nursing. He wanted to sleep. Then a lactation consultant came to my room and told me this was perfectly normal. 

• REQUEST A LACTATION CONSULTANT! It makes such a huge difference to have support! While you are in the hospital see if they have lactation consultants and request them to come daily.

• The Medela shells are a GOD SEND! I wore these the first 6 weeks. My nipples never cracked, bled, hurt, etc. They keep anything from touching them during those weeks of toughening them up. I think they are one of the main reasons I was successful through the difficult first weeks.

• Have a nursing position you love! I love to nurse cross-cradle with my boppy. He is 5 months old and I still use my boppy!

• Side lying position was incredibly difficult for me when he was a newborn. I have a very large chest, and he was 8 lbs 7 oz at birth. It was still too far of a distance from his mouth to my nipple. After a couple months we were able to do this position at night, and we love it!

• Buy Lansinoh Lanolin cream before going to the hospital! This cream goes on your nipples and helps keep them from drying/cracking/bleeding. I used it when I was pumping for my twins. With the Medela shells this time around, I did not need it.

• I store my pumped milk in Lansinoh Milk Bags. I did not pump until he was 2 months old. I stored it in 3 ounce increments. I wish I had done 4 ounces. Freeze them laying flat, so they will take up less space. 

• At 3 weeks old I decided to try a pacifier. I knew you were supposed to wait longer, but I felt like he was using me as a pacifier. He used a pacifier for less than 24 hours. All of a sudden it was taking me 30 minutes to get him latched where as before it was immediate. The only way I can explain it is it felt like he was sucking too soft. It was awful. I thought I had ruined my chances at breastfeeding. I cried and cried. The next day we were back to normal and he never had a pacifier again!

• I did not introduce a bottle until he was 2.5 months old. I was worried about nipple confusion, especially after the pacifier incident. 

• We had Dr. Brown's bottles from our twins, so I tried those first. He would suck them, but it took FOREVER for him to drink a bottle. Nearly 30 minutes for 3-4 ounces. So, I tried the NUK bottle since it more resembles a breast. He does much better with this bottle.