let's talk about milk.

breastfeeding was such a scary and weird concept to me when i was pregnant.

i had talked to moms who chose to breastfeed their children until their kiddos were two years old, and i've known women who've skipped it altogether. one of my good friends sees so many benefits of breastfeeding that her and her partner are skipping vaccines for now for their child, seeing breastmilk having the power to keep their baby healthy without vaccines (which is a WHOLE different topic for another day). i've known moms who struggled with milk supply, who had too much milk, moms who had so much pain from their baby's latch that they chose to pump and bottle feed, and mothers who are too grossed out by the concept of a baby on a boob and opted out completely.

i was overwhelmed when it came to breastfeeding. would i be able to do it? would it be painful? could i endure the pain? would there be pain? will i even have milk? wait, when does my milk even show up???

well, i can tell you that 4.5 months in to motherhood, i've started to get a handle on breastfeeding. i've even gained some tips and tricks along the way.

because caleb and i waited several years to have a baby, i was lucky to have a lot of moms share their stories with me on breastfeeding. i also have a rockstar mother of my own who had four babies in five years and successfully breastfed all of us. i took a breastfeeding class, had several conversation with my mom about what makes a mother have success with this, and i met with THREE (!) lactation consultants in the first week of being a mom.

and let me just say: when my milk came in, it arrived with a vengeance. it was painful, it got everywhere, and there was a lot of it.

10 things i've learned:

1. your boobs will chill. when my milk 'came in', i looked like i had a massive boob job. i freaked out thinking this was going to be my life now. after about two weeks, everything completely went back to normal and my body really started to regulate production. PHEW.
2. mastitis is real. i knew this. and i was terrified of it. but, what i didn't know is that you can get mastitis 'warnings'. this happened to me twice. i had no fever (the dead give away of mastitis), but my boobs were all of the sudden very sore. i was googling everything under the sun on mastitis symptoms. i pumped after each feeding for about 12 hours and it went away. a close call -- yikes!
3. everyone says this, but i'll say it again... drink more water. even if you think you're drinking enough, drink more. i was a big water drinker before having kids. but, i made a few switches to increase my water intake: i got a 32 oz hydroflaks and changed out the lid to a straw. this was a game changer. i'm constantly filling and re-filling this thing. 
4. get your caloric intake up! i know it's temping now that you're *FINALLY* not pregnant to start immediately making fitness goals and lists on how you can get back to your pre-baby weight (hiiii, guilty!). but, it's important that you're eating enough. breastfeeding burns so many calories, and starting to count macros or cutting carbs can hurt your supply. so eat the banana bread and get the latte with whole milk! 
5. this was news to me: when you feed your baby on one side, the other boob starts letting out milk! it's called your 'let-down'. i was soaking through cloth diapers that were stuffed in my bra on the opposite side i was feeding. the cloth diapers would be soaked. i had no idea how much milk i was waisting until i started using the haakaa. by collecting my let-down at each feeding, i have saved about 4 oz a day. my freezer is now full of milk that i've collected just by using this nifty gadget. hiiiiighly recommend if your let-down feels like it's a lot. 
6. i use the spectra 9plus pump. i wasn't interested in getting a huge pump with tons of parts. simple was better for me, and this pump is great. i will say, now that i'm very regulated with my supply, i notice that i don't get nearly as much out when i pump verse when the baby eats. i believe that this is the case with most women and pumps -- baby sucks best! 
7. one tip that was given to me was to spray breastmilk on a baby if the baby is struggling with baby acne. this did not work for me, but it might work for you!  
8. the ultimate breast pads were what i used to help collect leaking throughout the day. at this point, i'm only wearing them at night. there was a time, though, that i couldn't not wear them without leaking everywhere between feedings. i also got a pad to sleep on in bed so that i stopped leaking all over our mattress at night. i no longer needed the pad at around 3.5 months postpartum.
9. breastfeeding is a learning experience for you AND the baby. now that august is older, i can see how he has really developed in how he eats. when it's time to eat, he gets down to business and is very efficient. a mother's body and a brand new baby both need to figure each other out. and trust me, they do figure each other out. 
10. last but not least, fed is best! simple as that. 

these are things that worked for me, or information i wish i was given before having a baby. all mommas are trying their hardest to be the best mom they can be for their baby. if another way works better for you, that's GREAT! :) 

bottle toy from cheerily