The Breast Intentions

Breastfeeding may be natural, but it doesn't always come naturally.

by Meagan Francis

While many pregnant moms assume that nursing will come as naturally as nuzzling a newborn's head, it takes preparation and know-how to get off to a good start. But even taking a class or reading entire books on breastfeeding doesn't always help when you're faced with a befuddling breast dilemma.



With my first baby, nursing did not go well. After the heavy-duty painkillers a well-meaning nurse gave me knocked me for a loop and put me to sleep for twelve straight hours the first night after giving birth, Jacob received several bottles and a pacifier in the nursery. After that, he was hooked on the ease of a fast-flow bottle and not at all into working for his food.

At home, things quickly deteriorated. My milk hadn't come in yet, so each time I put him to the breast he cried from frustration. And so did I. The sample of formula the hospital had sent us home with looked awfully tempting as my hungry baby wailed, and finally, we gave in and fixed him a bottle. For three weeks, I spent hours each day pumping, feeding the pumped milk to my baby, and then working with him to get him latched on. He eventually did nurse, but was never very into it, and our breastfeeding relationship didn't last long.

Lesson learned: stay away from bottles and pacifiers during those first few crucial days, and work on getting breastfeeding down instead. Also, don't accept medication without first asking what's in it and how it's likely to affect you.

With baby #2, I was determined to do things differently. I put him to breast within a minute of his birth, and he took to it like an old pro. I was happy--so happy that I neglected to check his latch carefully. By day 4 my nipples were cracked, bleeding, and looked like they'd been attacked by piranhas. The pain was worse than labor--it felt like glass was being ground into my nipples every time he latched on. His enthusiastic suck was working for him (he weighed 15 pounds by the time he was a few months old), but not so much for me (I got to the point where I was sobbing before and during each feeding because it was so toe-curlingly painful). Eventually, the pain seceded, and we went on to breastfeed happily for a long time. But those first couple of weeks took more than determination--there was, literally, blood, sweat and tears involved.

Lesson learned: Enthusiasm is great, but method is vital. Don't just let an eager baby start chomping away without making sure he's got his technique down.

With baby #3, I was careful about latch and his suck wasn't overly strong. So I was baffled when I once again started having that glass-on-nipples feeling by day 4. After much experimenting with positioning and even more gritting of teeth, I began to wonder if I might have thrush, a fungal infection that can grow in baby's mouth and on a breastfeeding mom's nipples. After two weeks of pain, I decided to treat for thrush (couldn't hurt, I figured) with gentian violet, an over-the-counter antifungal. I felt better three hours later.

Lesson learned: Don't suffer if you don't have to. Some soreness and sometimes, even pain, is normal when you're getting used to breastfeeding; but if it's been going on for weeks and isn't getting any better despite improving your technique and trying new positioning, there's likely something else going on.  Talk to a lactation consultant, La Leche League volunteer or a knowledgeable friend and see if you can't get to the bottom of it. (KellyMom is a great online resource for troubleshooting nursing problems).

I'm happy to report that I nursed baby #4 (and so far, his little sister) with relatively little soreness and no supply or latch issues. But as you can see, it took me a long time to get it down, so even veteran moms experience breastfeeding problems from time to time. There's no shame in needing help, and breastfeeding moms tend to be a passionate bunch who are only too happy to help a fellow nursing mom in need (myself included--seriously, drop me a line if you're having trouble!)

Expecting moms, do you plan on breastfeeding? Experienced moms, did you have trouble breastfeeding? How did it end up?