Genius Tricks for Nursing Moms
Commercials make nursing look sweet, cozy and downright spiritual. Sometimes, it may actually feel like that — and sometimes you’ll be sweaty and exhausted, your nipples will bleed and you’ll silently promise your kid a future pony if he’ll just LATCH already. Nursing is different for every mom and different every day. We talked to real moms about how they’ve made the process work for them.
Adjust Your Mindset
The first rule of nursing? Give yourself a break. Don’t expect it to be a joyous process every time, says Leigh Anne O’Connor, a private practice lactation consultant and a mom of three. “It is important that nursing does not get over glamorized,” she says. “Sometimes it is really sweet and sometimes is is just an ordinary part of caring for your baby.”
Remember: as long as your baby is getting enough to eat every day, you’re succeeding. If you’re mentally prepared to end a feeding early or supplement with formula, you’ll end every nursing session feeling good about your mothering abilities. Shrug, say “oh, well,” and remember: fed is best.
Nurture Yourself Too
Nursing is a two-person activity, and both of you should get something out of that time, says certified professional life coach Diana Kerr.
She suggests making a very intentional choice about what kind of activities you’ll do while nursing. “I set a goal before my son was born not to watch TV during the day during my 3-month maternity leave,” she says. “Instead, I set out a couple life-giving books in the places in our house that I’d sit to nurse, and learned not to take my phone with me when I sat down to nurse, so I could read or do something else more ‘productive’…. as in: snack, drink water, pray, reflect, rest, stare at my baby. If I do have my phone with me, I try to use it intentionally.”
Keep Notes
One thing your phone is useful for during nursing? Keeping notes. When she started nursing her now 6-month-old daughter, Saskia Cameron used the notes app on her phone to keep track of the time and length of each feed, as well as the side her baby fed on. “I would abbreviate every word and keep it as simple as possible so I could quickly update it and check which side I would need to feed her from next,” she says. “Doing this meant that I could quickly and easily access the information when I was half asleep and I didn’t have to worry about trying to remember everything.”
More Tips from Moms
• “Invest in cute nursing clothes,” says Marcie Cheung, a currently nursing mom of two. “It will help prolong nursing when you feel good about yourself.”
• Minimize distractions as your child gets older and more easily distracted, Cameron suggests. When her daughter started noticing noises around her, she would get fussy and frustrated. “I decided to feed her in the bedroom, with the curtains drawn, and no television or music to distract her, and am pleased to say it worked a treat!”
• Practice being flexible, O’Connor says. “Learn to nurse laying down and sitting up. Learn to nurse while eating dinner.”
• “Make sure you’re using the right size flange when pumping,” Cheung says. “I recently learned that nipple sizes change throughout the day, so sometimes I need to change flange sizes in the same day.”
• Reach out for support! That’s advice that multiple moms echo. Join a breastfeeding support group, attend local La Leche League meetings or join the conversation on mom sites. Millions of moms are going through the exact same thing you are — lean on them.
Kathryn Walsh is a freelance writer specializing in parenting and travel topics. Her work has appeared on mom.me, TheBump.com, and USAToday.com.
