SO YOU'RE HOME WITH YOUR BABY....WHAT NOW?

Mom and baby are home from the hospital, and now the real fun begins!  

I'm sure you're tired, and who wouldn't be after doing the hardest work of their life?  Don't try to be supermom.....I've gone that route before, and it simply won't work!  Here's a bit of my personal advise for these first few days/weeks.....

Sleep when your baby sleeps.  I know, I know, there are dishes in the sink, the floor needs moping, and if you don't pay the electric company they're going to come and cut off your lights!  So leave the dishes, ignore the floor, and have your husband write a check to the electric company!  Go rest with your baby!!!  (and I mean that....get off this computer and go SLEEP...as soon as you finish reading this page!)

If breastfeeding is coming easily to you and your little darling, you're one of the lucky few!  If not, don't despair; and don't be afraid to ask for help.  If your local hospital has a lactaction consultant on staff, I'm sure she stopped by to see you before you went home---call her, that's what she's there for.  Another great source of help is your local La Leche League leader.  She will happily take your phone call day or night, so call her!  There are also some great breastfeeding message boards on-line (see the link page soon to come) for some mother-to-mother support.

If you haven't already found out the meaning of the word "engorgement", you probably soon will!  You'll wake up sometime in that 1st week and have a breasts the size of Texas and hard as bricks!  Although your husband may like this newly aquired look, I'm sure you're not enjoying it!  This stage will pass (I promise), but here are a few things you can try to help with the discomfort until it does:
                --hand express just enough breastmilk to make you more comfortable. 
                   don't get the heavy-duty pump and go crazy, though....remember that
                    breastfeeding is based on a supply and demand system.....the more you
                    pump the more you make!
                --stand in a warm shower and relax.....you're bound to leak just a bit with
                    that warm water hitting you
                --some mothers say heat helps, and some say an ice pack does.....try them
                   both to see which works for you. 
                --remember that this only lasts for a few days---hang in there!!

After you've gotten through the engorgement stage, you may feel like you don't have enough milk.  You're breasts are back to normal, and how can you tell your baby is getting enough?
                 --don't try pumping just to "see" how much you can get--your baby is MUCH
                    better at nursing than you are at pumping, so you can't use this as a
                    means to compare!
            --let your baby nurse as long as she wants.  The more your baby nurses, the more
                    milk your body will make.
                 --remember that if it comes out, it must be going in!  Keep track of your baby's
                    wet diapers--8-10 per day is a normal amount for a newborn.

Got through the engorgement and the "do I still have milk" stage and now your nipples are sore?  There are several causes for this, so it's best to talk with your lactation consultant, LLL leader, or pediatrician about this.  The most likely cause is baby not latching on properly.  If your baby is only getting part of your nipple in her mouth, this can surely make you sore!  I found that warm tea bags helped when I had this problem, so give it a try--it might work for you too!

These first few weeks are the hardest, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!  Your baby is new to this whole "real world" thing, so give her time to adjust.  She'll get into a routine on her own time, and things WILL get easier.  Remember that you're doing what's best for you and your baby--there are many special nursing moments to look forward to! 


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