This post is to all "moms to be".
(and I hope / pray / cross my fingers that I don't jinx myself by writing this! EEK!)
I'm still coming across posts in other blogs that talk about how hard breastfeeding is to adjust to, how much it hurts, etc etc etc. I actually thought it would be "very hard at first" and definitely "painful" for a few weeks based on everybody that I've read posts from and talked to in real life. I think those posts scare future-bf-ers. They scared me!! Then I read books and took a class. All the experts say "if you are doing it right, it won't hurt". I was thinking maybe they were wrong? But I'd have to wait and see myself.
I know every baby is different, and every girl is different, so I'm only speading about MY experience and MY baby:
Breastfeeding came naturally and was not painful at all. Yes some girls have difficulty (even some of my close friends) and can never even do it at all due to medical issues, baby issues, etc, but IT IS POSSIBLE that there can be no pain and it works perfect!
Then I read about "all the gear" people buy to nurse. I bought a whole box of those breastpads for leaking but have used NONE of them. Nothing leaks. I don't even really use that cream very often. I refused to buy nursing shirts and nursing bras. I'm picky about clothes what can I say?!
So let's recap with some pieces of advice:
1) Use icepacks ALL the time the first week. "Preventative icing" I call it!! I learned being a runner that if you ice when things don't hurt, it prevents hurting. Your milk will be coming in and things will be sore, so just keep an icepack in there! Sore isn't pain.
2) Watch a video of a baby latching right. The video at class is what made it all click for me. You have to know timing of the baby opening his / her mouth and what to do when. Sometimes you just have to sit there and wait for the baby to move his / her arms out of the way AND open up wide enough! PATIENCE is key :)
3) Pray you have a good nurse in the hospital to help you get started. My friend swears it was her "bad nurse" that ruined bf'ing for her and she gave it up 3 weeks in because it was so miserable for her. Who knows? I LOVED JONI THOUGH :)