Breastfeeding Tips That Made Life Easier For Me

Like natural childbirth, I thought that breastfeeding would be a relatively intuitive and empowering experience. Yes, I had heard stories from new mamas that it was "difficult," but frankly I didn't believe it would be for me. How wrong I was.

The reality is for most women breastfeeding takes a lot of work, patience, observation and prayer. When Griffin was born after a grueling 27 hours of labor, he came out of the womb crying... probably because he was stuck in the canal for three hours and was HUNGRY. It took us nearly an hour to get him to latch, and to do so I had to use a nipple shield. Sigh. This wasn't the vision I had of my new baby easily accepting my breast as a loving source of nourishment and comfort.

I got Griffin to latch the next day without the nipple shield, and we've been getting better at it ever since. Along the way, I've talked with other moms, consulted with TWO lactation consultants (who should get extra angel wings for their amazing service to motherhood and all things good), and have the best husband ever who's helped me at every turn.

Six weeks in, I have to say it gets easier, but it still can have its ups and downs.

Now I totally understand why women switch to formula. Breastfeeding is not for the faint of heart. I'd love to breastfeed Griffin for at least one year, but after getting through this first month I'm not so sure if I'll make it. LOL! I'm gonna believe all the mamas who say that breastfeeding gets SO MUCH EASIER and trust that we can make it a year.

In the meantime, I want to share 10 tips that have made breastfeeding easier for me. I hope this helps some new mamas out there who need encouragement. I know that I did.