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You should always seek medical advice from a physician or other qualified health provider for any questions pertaining to breastfeeding and milk storage. Any information found in this post, on this blog, and shared on any resources created by Mom Wife and Everyday Life is based on my personal experience as a mom and should not be taken as professional advice. The contents of this website are for general informational purposes.
As a new mom starting your breastfeeding journey I first want to tell you I think you are amazing for giving breastfeeding a go. And secondly, I want to tell you that if it doesn’t work out for you that is ok. You are an amazing mom for giving it a try and making an effort to attempt breastfeeding.
This is a resource to help and support new moms during the first two weeks of breastfeeding. Hopefully, you find these tips, tricks, and information to give you confidence and clarity with your breastfeeding journey.
Everyone has their own unique experience with breastfeeding. Yours will not be the same as mine, but take what applies to you.
Good luck and let’s get at it!
Before Birth
At this point, you have likely given birth. I do quickly want to touch on what you may experience before birth. Some moms experience engorgement and may even start leaking or expressing milk.
Do not worry about this!
Don’t feel that you need to do anything. Just put some breast pads in your bra to keep you dry.
First Couple of Days Breastfeeding
Right after you have your baby you are going to make your first attempt at nursing. It may feel quite natural or quite strange. It is a completely new experience your first time around. You may even feel a bit of impostor syndrome. Do not give into the doubt!
If you need assistance get help from a lactation consultant. Try to stick with the same person as much as possible. When you get advice from multiple people it can get a bit overwhelming.
A huge piece of advice I want to share is where your nipple should be in your baby’s mouth. Nobody teaches you this, but it is important. Image a two-year-old sucking their thumb, or even do it yourself. Where does the thumb rest? It is not near the front of your mouth. It is on the roof of your mouth. This is where you want your nipple in your baby’s mouth.
You really need to shove your breast into your baby’s mouth to get it there.
In the very early days of breastfeeding it is important to frequently nurse your baby. This will help your milk come in. You will feel like you are giving them nothing, but your baby is getting the oh-so-important colostrum. This is the yellow “milk” that comes before your traditional milk gets going.
Your colostrum is designed to be full of fat and hold your baby over until the milk gets flowing.
In these early days do not get discouraged. You may feel like you don’t have any milk or that you are faking it because you don’t know what you are doing.
Just keep chugging along. You will get there with time.
Milk Comes In
Anywhere from 2-5 days after giving birth your milk will come in. Be prepared for this. It can come in fast and furious.
When your milk comes in you should expect engorgement. Your breasts will feel large, full, and heavy. You could also feel lumps or hard spots in different areas.
Now that your milk has come in what do you do? Feed your baby!
Pay attention to your baby. Make sure you are not drowning them in milk. Take breaks as needed and consider using the Haakaa to get a little bit of milk out.
I do not recommend you use your breast pump. This could create even more milk and an oversupply. For the most part stick with directly feeding your baby. Again if you just need to relieve a bit of pressure try using the Haakaa. Check out my full article The Haakaa: a Simple, Affordable, and Effective tool for Breastfeeding Moms.
You are going to start experiencing the feeling of a let-down. A let-down is the feeling of milk coming into your breast. (I am not a doctor and going into the science of a let-down)
A let-down in my experience feels like little “zingers” as I call them. They aren’t painful but feel a bit like nerve pain would feel.
My final thoughts related to your milk coming in are to watch your bra size as well as lumps in your breasts. Make sure your bra is comfortable and not too tight. If you start to notice lumps forming massage them out. They could form based on your bra shape or even your sleeping position. While nursing your baby massage out the lumps.
It may feel a bit painful, but it also gives a sense of relief. I believe massaging out any lumps is vital in preventing mastitis.
Learn How to Breastfeed
At this point you have made it through your milk coming in. Your milk is now balancing out and you are learning how to breastfeed your baby.
I want to remind you to stay positive. You have never done this before. Your baby has never done this before. Give yourself grace!
Let’s briefly touch on pain. I have heard that if breastfeeding hurts you are doing it wrong. This is not entirely true. Breastfeeding is going to hurt a bit. When your baby initially starts a feeding it is not abnormal to feel pain for a quick minute. Now if you are in pain the entire feeding something is wrong.
Your baby could have an improper latch or struggle with a lip or tongue tie. This is where you may need help from a lactation consultant.
Your nipples are not used to breastfeeding. They are going to feel something. I recommend during this phase as well as the earlier phases applying a nipple balm after every feeding. It is like applying chapstick and keeps things healthy.
As you are learning your body and your baby don’t be afraid to try different things. Putting your baby in a different breastfeeding position could be a complete game-changer. This will also change over time as your baby grows and develops.
Remember right now in the early phases your baby is quite little and physically needs a lot of support. Over time this will change. Also, keep in mind that you are still recovering from birth. With time you will start to feel better and stronger too.
This learning phase is where you start to figure out what works best for your body and your baby. You are starting to get more comfortable with breastfeeding and getting the hang of it.
Finding Your Routine with Breastfeeding
Now you are starting to realize what works for you when it comes to breastfeeding. You are probably falling into a bit of a routine or daily flow.
The more feedings you do the more you are able to recognize when your baby is hungry and when they are full. You are learning your baby.
Your milk may be starting to get a bit more regulated. This will continue to happen over time.
At this point, you are gaining confidence and learning your preferences. You may have a favorite place to nurse or have built the perfect setup.
You are a nursing momma finding your way.
Random Breastfeeding Tips
Let’s talk about a few random nursing tips. These apply across all the phases.
Use Good Posture
Please please please do your best to nurse with good posture. Do not contort your body to meet your baby’s mouth. Instead, bring your baby’s mouth to your body in an appropriate and comfortable position. Your body will thank you!
Mid-Feed Burping
I found one of my babies would stop nursing and seem distracted mid-feed. They would come off the breast, but I didn’t think they were done and quickly realized the problem. They simply needed to burp. This would often happen about 5 minutes into the feeding. This is just something to keep in mind in case your baby acts the same.
Directly Breastfeed
In the beginning, I recommend you directly breastfeed your baby as much as possible. This will ensure your breasts make the perfect amount of milk for your baby. If you start pumping too soon you can cause confusion.
I understand creating a freezer stash for returning to work, but recommend you proceed with caution.
If you are feeding your baby plus pumping you could create an oversupply.
Your body might get used to say 10 direct feedings as well as 4 pumping sessions. Then you go back to work and can’t maintain this frequency. All of the sudden your supply starts to drop because your body is confused about how much milk you need for your baby.
Hunger Cues
There are a few easy hunger cues you can be watching for in your baby. They may start turning their head from side to side. You could see them rooting around trying to find their food source. You may also notice lip-smacking and other mouth movements. Some babies manage to get their hands in their mouths and start sucking.
Feed your baby at the right time by noticing these hunger cues. Do not wait until they are crying and upset. An upset baby makes for more stressful breastfeeding.
Conclusion
Your first 2 weeks of breastfeeding may be a rollercoaster of emotions. You just gave birth, dealt with engorgement, your milk coming in, pain and soreness, as well as learning to love the new little being you just gave birth to.
I hope you found this information helpful in supporting your journey to breastfeed your new baby. I am a huge advocate for breastfeeding for a variety of reasons, you can check out my full article The Top 17 Advantages of Direct Breastfeeding Over Bottle Feeding.
If however, it doesn’t work out for you long term that is ok. Give yourself grace and a pat on the back for trying.
Love and support other moms that are breastfeeding. Love and support other moms that are not breastfeeding. Being a parent is hard regardless of the way your feed your baby. We could all use help, guidance, love, and support on our parenting journeys.
Check Out My Articles
The Top 16 Baby Products Every New Parent Needs: A Handpicked Selection
The Haakaa: a Simple, Affordable, and Effective tool for Breastfeeding Moms
The Most Expensive Large Baby Items: Are They Worth the Investment?
The Top 17 Advantages of Direct Breastfeeding Over Bottle Feeding
