Be Patient with Nursing
If you are a first-time mom who has chosen the path of nursing your child, my biggest tip for you is to be patient.
There are books and even specialists out there who would have you think that your milk will come in after a couple days and be at full throttle from that point on. In all actuality, it may take weeks for your body to actually begin producing enough milk to make your baby feel full all of the time.
It took six weeks for my supply to come in fully. Six weeks! I was in a panic the entire time. I tried drinking non-alcoholic beer, taking Fenugreek, drinking lots of water, drinking Mother’s Milk tea, and pumping frequently.
All of the sudden, at the six-week mark my milk came in like gang busters and from that time on I had more than enough to satisfy Naufal. He nursed, by the way, exclusively for nearly six months. He supplemented heavily until 12 months.
After the fact I talked with at least a dozen other mommies who told me that six weeks was their magic mark as well.
Remember that your breasts don’t have to look and feel full in order for you to nurse. Don’t wait to offer the breast only when you see evidence of full milk ducts. The breast is actually making more milk AS the baby nurses. Once the kid latches on, the milk will start.
Don’t feel guilty if you need to supplement with formula for the first few weeks. I know there is the fear of nipple confusion, so you can continue to offer the breast in between feedings for comfort. There are also fantastic lactation aids that allow you to feed the baby without using an artificial nipple. You put the supplemental formula in a container and it travels through a long, thin tube that you place alongside your nipple. This way the baby is still suckling, practicing his latching on and becoming attached to the breast.
Keep at it. The persistence is worth it in the end.
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