WHEN I WAS pregnant with my first child, I occasionally heard the same question from family, friends and even a curious stranger: “So, do you think you’ll breastfeed?”
I would reply, “Yeah, I think I’ll give it a go.” That was it. That was all the discussion I ever had on the topic of breastfeeding before I actually had a baby.
I watched a brief video at an antenatal class, and that made it look wonderfully straightforward. So simple, in fact, that I didn’t really feel the need to go looking for any additional information. I understood the process to be boob out, baby on – how much more could there be to learn?
Well, as it turned out, there was a lot I could have benefited from learning ahead of time. From how often my newborn would feed (a lot) to where I could find help and support, these are the things I wish I had known before I started breastfeeding.
1. Babies feed constantly, especially at the start
I remember my dad asking, “Are you feeding him again?”, stunned to find me still occupying his comfy chair and nursing my six-week-old for about the millionth time that day. Yep, feeding him again and again… and again. I had expected feeding to take a schedule akin to my own routine of nibbling on a snack every three or four hours. But no, my newborn wanted to feed almost constantly.
After investigation I found out that was pretty normal. Breast milk digests quickly and sucking stimulates supply (both facts that were new to me). Instead of following a schedule, I fed on demand and boy, was my son demanding, especially in those early weeks! Night, day, mere minutes after finishing the last feed, the milk bar was always open.
2. Modesty will become the least of your concerns
I have never so much as gone topless on a beach. But after about a week of breastfeeding, I lost all sense of modesty. Bra clips were left undone, and boobs were fully hanging out – chatting to friends, in front of the telly and, on one memorable occasion, in a play cafe.
3. Breastfeeding isn’t always easy, especially at the start
At my brother’s wedding, one of his friends was sitting beside me pumping for her baby. “They should tell you it’s hard, I would have felt better prepared,” she said to me as I fed my four-month-old. Everyone’s journey is different, but her words stuck with me because I agreed.
The breastfeeding video at my antenatal class made it look so easy, but that’s often not the case. It can be tricky to persuade a newborn baby to latch, and it can feel very sore at the beginning. Prolonged pain is a sign that something might be amiss, but when your nipples are suddenly forced to do something new, it can be an adjustment. If more of us knew that what is natural doesn’t always come naturally, we wouldn’t feel so shocked when it didn’t meet our expectations at the outset.
4. But there’s help if you know where to look
I didn’t know lactation consultants existed until I needed one. When my doctor couldn’t explain why my son was so windy, a lactation consultant later diagnosed him with a tongue tie.
I wish someone had advised me to get the contact details for local Cuidiu and La Leche League support groups – and to actually go visit them – before I had the baby. But it’s never too late, really. No matter when you reach out, the support is there and it’s amazing.
5. You might not love it all the time – and that’s okay
Yes, sometimes you’re feeding and overcome with love, staring misty eyed at your little bundle of joy while he’s suckling away. Other times, you’re touched-out and fed-up with having a limpet constantly attached to your worn-out nipples. I didn’t know how much I would love feeding, or how much I would sometimes hate it.
6. It can be downright messy
I wish someone had mentioned how bloomin’ messy it is while your supply is sorting itself out in the early months. Leakage, milk stained tops, sodden mattresses, it’s a soggy business altogether. But hang in there, after a few months, you should dry out a bit.
7. And breastfeeding clothes aren’t all they’re marketed to be
I often wonder who dreams up all those zips and buttons in clothes supposedly designed for breastfeeding. I wish someone had told me to save my money and just stock up on a bunch of vest tops.
8. You are legally entitled to breastfeed in public
“I wonder if it’s okay to feed here?” was a prevalent thought upon entering cafes and other public places in the early months that I was breastfeeding. I needn’t have wondered, because it’s always okay – and by law it should never be a problem. In Ireland, the Equal Status Act 2000 protects mothers from being discriminated against or harassed because they are breastfeeding in public places. It doesn’t matter whether a cafe has displayed a ‘breastfeeding friendly’ sticker or not, you are legally entitled to breastfeed your baby anytime, anywhere.
9. Benefits abound – for you and your baby
Nobody could have prepared me for how breastfeeding would mean so much to me. But apart from the sheer emotion involved in sustaining your little one, I also had no idea of all the other benefits to breastfeeding – the illness fighting magic, the soothing super-powers, the instant comfort for a tired, cranky or teething baby – it’s an amazing tool to have in the parenting arsenal.
Chrissie Russell is nominated for Journalist of the Year at this year’s Friends of Breastfeeding Awards.
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