When I was pregnant the first time, I found that lots of women share their worst moments of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Mamas would share their experiences in vivid detail, not shying away from negativity. Ten different mamas are here to do some breastfeeding myth busting.
Ultimately, I realized how personal the breastfeeding journey is for each mother. Moreover, there may be a lot of residual pain or misconceptions that other mothers passed on throughout the years. One by one, each story added a breastfeeding myth to build up a whole library in my mind that I didn’t even know existed. When you listen to other’s stories, don’t forget that their journey is not yours. Let’s jump right into debunking breastfeeding myths!
Follow along on instagram to keep in touch for more inspirational content like this! Check out the motherhood section of the blog to find more information
First Breastfeeding Myth: Your Journey is Not Unique.
Truth: since the beginning of time, mother’s have breastfed their babies. So, you are not alone on your journey. Yet, you are still the only one in your shoes, experiencing your particular journey with your unique baby. It’s not easy or one size fits all, but you can do it!
August is National Breastfeeding Month, which aims to examine and point out the positive effects of breastfeeding on mothers and children. Did you know that in one year on average, a mama spends 1800 hours when breastfeeding? That’s almost as much as a full time job – 1960 hours! Breastfeeding can be tough enough as it is, without dealing with judgments, convictions and expectations set by someone else’s reality. It doesn’t mean it’s a universal truth for you!
So, without further ado, let’s get on to the breastfeeding myth busting!
MYTH: Pumping is Not Breastfeeding.
MY TRUTH: “Heck yes it is. This was my exclusively pumping reality with my first baby. She would not latch. We tried all the things, saw all the people, cried all the tears. So I pumped for 10 months. It was HARD.
For context, I was 20x more anxious about breastfeeding my second baby than I was about birthing him at home, in a pandemic. Thankfully, it’s been an easier journey this second time around.🙏”
Credit: Instagram @thebellemethod and website https://thebellemethod.com/blog/
MYTH: If You Lose Your Supply, You Can Never Get it Back.
MY TRUTH: “I lost my supply TWICE with my first born and I’m here to say it’s definitely possible to build it back up. It’s not all lost when you lose your supply!
Here are some tips to build your supply back:
- Latch/pump as often as you can. This tells your body to produce more milk because there’s a higher demand for it! With Ella I would latch her every hour even if I ended up giving her formula that feeding until I built up my supply.
- Stay hydrated! Did you know 90% of breastmilk is water??
- Make sure you’re eating enough. Breastfeeding moms burn an extra 500 calories a day! It takes energy to produce breastmilk.
- And finally, it’s always ok to ask for help! Reach out to your OB or a lactation consultant! They’ll be more than happy to help you in your journey. ❤️”
Credit: @mrs.caitlin_fought
MYTH: Breastfeeding Always Comes Naturally.
MY TRUTH: “I thought it did until my 4th😳 Boy was I wrong. My three girls were nursing champs. I thought I just knew how to do it, and I was great at breastfeeding. I thought I was a natural 😂 But Thatcher threw me for a loop! Poor bud was trying so hard to latch correctly with all of his ties, lack of jaw strength, and all of his tightness, his latch began to decrease my supply. All of a sudden, he’d only take a bottle, and I had nothing to put in it after a day. I had to rely on my friends’ donor milk . Nothing I’d ever had to do in the past with an oversupply in all my past experiences.
Long story short, I became an exclusive pumper for two months to increase my supply as I kept trying to teach thatcher how to latch differently. He also had all of his ties lasered in the process. Needless to say, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. On top of newborn exhaustion , there was a whole other layer to what in the past was completely natural. Now I knew how other women felt who had a hard breastfeeding journey, because this felt anything but natural.
So the truth is, it may come natural to you and your baby. You’re blessed. For so many other women, it’s a hard journey for both mama and baby 🤍”
Credit: Instagram @dear.november.days and website www.dearnovemberdays.com
MYTH: If you Supplement with Formula, You’ve Failed and Don’t Count as a Breastfeeding Mom
MY TRUTH: “supplementing saved my sanity! 👏🏻 I went over 1 yr with Kai and had an expectation same thing would happen with Bodhi. When he was born, his whole schedule, appetite and the way he was feeding threw me for a loop. My body couldn’t catch up! 😭 So what’s the big taboo with formula when talking breastfeeding? ITS OKAY to formula feed and give yourself a break! Moms, focus on you, focus on your sanity! Supplementing allowed me to continue our breastfeeding journey. We are still going strong and you bet I still keep formula on hand 🤗”
Credit: Instagram @joyfullygreen and website https://www.joyfullygreen.co/
MYTH: If You’ve Done it Before, You’re an Expert
MY TRUTH: “There is a learning curve for every baby! Babies aren’t born with the skill of a perfect latch. It all takes dedication and practice. I remember when I had Stella I thought “I’ve done this once already, this will be easy!” Boy was I wrong! Every baby is truly different and they all have different needs. Some babies are super efficient and nurse in 6 mins and some like to nurse for 20-30 mins! Now that I’m breastfeeding my third baby I’ve learned not to stress, drink a ton of water and just follow my babies lead. Most importantly, take care of YOU mama. A healthy mom = a happy baby, breastfeeding or not!”
Credit: @krissyleighcreative and website http://krissyleighcreative.com/index.php/blog/
MYTH: Cluster Feeding Isn’t Normal.
MY TRUTH: “I actually had no idea about cluster feeding when I had my first baby. I automatically assumed that she just wasn’t getting enough milk. Couple that fear with being told to discourage frequent feeds by a professional and you have one stressed out, discouraged mama. I even went on a “supply boost plan” thinking that’s what was necessary for my child and ended up with an oversupply. Definitely not a highlight of my first year as a mother. I finally stopped taking bad advice and found out something I want to share with all first time moms…..
Cluster feeding is normal. Period. Not just when your milk comes in. Not just in the evenings. Not just during growth spurts. In fact some babies nurse on and off all night or for many hours during the day. For weeks! It may be tough on mama but if baby is gaining weight and appropriately developing – there is nothing wrong! Babies have tiny tummies and breast milk metabolizes quickly. So make sure your drinks and snacks are in reach and don’t sweat all the couch time you’re logging, mama!”
Credit: @hkpfeff523
MYTH: It’s Supposed to Hurt or It’s Okay That it Hurts.
MY TRUTH: This is absolutely not the case!! Breastfeeding should not hurt!
“After the first two weeks of cracked and sore nipples, baby’s latch should be deep enough that pain should not be there. That was one of my first signs that something was up while nursing Phoenix! It was still so painful while with Griffin it never was (well, maybe when he decided to give me a chomp). If you’re experiencing any pain, please please please seek help from an IBCLC so they can help you troubleshoot your issues.”
Credit: Instagram @bitts.and.bobs and website bittsandbobs.com
MYTH: Every Breastfeeding Journey is the Same.
MY TRUTH: All of my breastfeeding experiences have been so different.
“They have all come with their own challenges. With Ada, I wasn’t expecting pain. It was excruciating. It was so bad that I pumped at least 50% of the first ten months before switching to formula. With Grey, it was co start mastitis. With Wes, it was a lower production and me trying all of the lactation cookies and supplements. With Norah, it was an overactive letdown and an oversupply. She doesn’t have one feeding where she doesn’t spit up.
All of this to say- if you couldn’t breastfeed your first baby, that doesn’t mean you will have trouble with your second. Or if breastfeeding was a breeze the first time, the next time could present challenges that make you unable to breastfeed. And guess what? That’s okay. I’m all about “fed is best” whatever that looks like for your family. Happy mama, happy baby- that’s all that matters friends!”
Credit: Instagram @thelittlefarmhands and website thelittlefarmhands.com
MYTH: Always Feed From Both Sides
MY TRUTH: “In order to keep milk supply up, baby needs to “drain” the boob completely. Baby determines how much milk you produce! It is hard to know what “drain” means upfront. My Lactation Consultant suggests to feed from one side at a time.
The first time around, all I remember hearing was to feed both sides every time. I got in the habit of feeding both sides for ~15 minutes each because otherwise I would’ve been feeding for an hour each time. 😙 Slowly, but surely, my supply decreased. Low supply made the first round of breastfeeding much harder – lots of power-pumping, over-analyzing my diet, and stressing out.
The other thing that helped was to use a milk collector. This time around, my baby drinks milk from one breast at a time. Typically he feeds for about 30 minutes vigorously. When I pump, I have significantly more milk than I ever produced with my first baby. So offer two sides if that works for you. If you dont have “
Credit: @makehomewarm and website https://makehomewarm.com
MYTH: Breastfeeding is Easy Since it’s Natural.⠀
MY TRUTH: Breastfeeding is actually hard.⠀⠀
⠀⠀
“This may be true if you’re on your 3rd or 4th kid 😂 but EVEN THAN, breastfeeding is a learning experience. If you have the will, the nips 😂 and the patience it is 100% doable. The first three weeks after having Kaycie, my 4 month old, was full of trial, tired eyes, pain and errors. I stayed up most night and days fighting through tears and tired eyes trying to make it work. I wanted so bad to be the “natural” source of nurturing for my daughter. It’s sure didn’t come naturally to me. I cried, I felt and still feel like a cow, some days are harder than others. After going though this experience, I give props to all the breastfeeding mothers whether you did it for 5 mins, 1 weeks, 1 month to years. MAMA, YOU ROCK!”
Credit: @mcruz_xo
Don’t forget to check out other motherhood related content. The breastfeeding journey really can affect posture, so make sure to read my favorite products to support good posture!
