So, I’ll get to the point. I know you’re all dying to hear about anything that has to do with rubbing nipples…y’all are SO predictable! I won’t waste any time…let me tell you a story…
Bonnie – The motivation behind this post!
“Insist on having the lactation consultant visit you every day you’re in the hospital. I did for my firstborn because he was having a hard time latching, but not for my second — I thought I knew everything. Big mistake. Each baby nurses differently, and it’s nice to have some extra advice and encouragement.”
“I’ve learned that it really relieves the pain if I massage my breasts often.”
“I didn’t know how much one breast can leak while you’re breastfeeding on the other side. I was always scrambling for a piece of cloth or a tissue!”
“I wish someone had told me how insatiably hungry I would be when I was breastfeeding.”
“My breasts leak like crazy, and most breast pads don’t absorb enough milk to allow me to leave the house for more than 15 minutes. Finding good breast pads is key.”
“Three years after I stopped breastfeeding, my breasts still get a little damp sometimes when I think about my daughter.”
“Know which foods can upset a baby’s tummy while you are nursing. I knew about a lot of them — broccoli, cauliflower, caffeine, beans, garlic — but for some reason I hadn’t heard about tomatoes. As soon as I stopped eating them, my son’s colic disappeared.”
“I wish someone had warned me about how much it hurts when your baby latches on for the first few weeks. I had no idea and thought it was never going to go away.”
“For once in your life, you’ll have a Playboy-worthy chest — grab the camera and take some pictures. If only the rest of my body matched!”
“My baby and I never got the hang of breastfeeding. Every feeding session ended with both of us crying. I wish I hadn’t put so much pressure on myself to breastfeed, because once I accepted bottle-feeding, he and I could both finallyenjoy feeding time.”
“Don’t stress about the breastfeeding issue. Whether you do or don’t breastfeed is up to you — and sometimes you don’t even have a choice. Trust your instincts.”
The Nursing Mother’s Companion, by Kathleen Huggins.
I’m still nursing my one-year-old and loving it! Even with the teeth. It’s such a nice way of having “down time” together. BTW, you shouldn’t have cracked, bleeding, sore nipples, that means the baby is latching wrong. I’d also recommend the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Le Leche League. It’s kinda hard core breast feeding, but its a great source of info. CDntact your local Le Leche League leader to see about class times – totally worth it. I wish we had one here in podunksville.
You should have done this post sooner! I will make sure both my sister’s read it! This is right up their alley at the moment!
I’m so glad you posted this! Perfect timing for me 🙂
After 7 kids, now I feel like a milk cow put out to pasture.
The towel rub…yes…the best thing. Also, don’t put lotion on them because you want them to get “calluses,’ not stay soft. The one exception is “Bag Balm” (lol…made for real cows but it works) the stuff is GREAT but I’d use it only if you’ve got a “situation,” and not as a preventative, if that makes sense.
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the great nipple rub huh??? Oddly enough I am grateful for this post today.. lots of helpful hints!
Um, your sentence about how you’re still breastfeeding all your children cracked me right up!! You are so funny, Mariel. It’s time we do lunch again.
I have never heard of ‘The Great Nipple Rub’. I bet John would like to help out with that one. heh heh.
Thanks for warning all the pervs at the top, that was so funny. It’s too bad I am all done. I say that a lot, but really. This nipple rubbing is great advice and I did it for my last one. And the little gems survived. Although the bag balm worked wonders too, even though as a child my grandmother used to use it on her neck.
I nursed all of my kids and found that another thing that helps with the sore, dry, and cracking is Lansinoh. It’s a purple tube of pure lanolin you can find on the baby aisle and is safe for baby to still nurse when you have it on.
Awesome info – thanks. You’d told me about the nipple rub, or was it Bonnie!?!? In any case, it does work. I can’t wait to order that nursing bra. I desperately need a new nursing bra, so I’m trying this one! Love your blog!
Rubbing your nipples can also help to induce labor. So I did it a lot before I had my kids. That’s probably why my nips made it through without cracking/hurting. Makes sense!