Warning: the word nipple will be used. Multiple times.<\/em><\/p>\n Just like with Hailey, I pretty much spent the first postpartum week topless. I\u2019d put on a nursing bra (I love this essential Bravado Nursing bra<\/a> for maximum comfort around the house and this Bravado Bliss bra<\/a> when I really want to make sure I have the girls well-contained when wearing regular clothes) but would make sure that after nursing I\u2019d let my nipples dry fully before attempting to cover them back up. The last thing you want to do is trap moisture in and risk infection. I\u2019d love to avoid mastitis again this time if I can!<\/p>\n There are some serious healing qualities in breast milk. Both Hailey and Kaitlyn had a clogged tear duct and each time I nurse them, I\u2019d squirt some in their eye. Gunk be gone! Miraculous. After nursing I also expressed a little extra milk and cover my nipple with it, allowing it to air dry completely. It can help heal cracked and sore nipples.<\/p>\n [Tweet “8 tips for breastfeeding a newborn. What would you add?”]<\/p>\n The first week (or few) is exhausting for so many reasons. Everything just takes more time. Even a quick stop to relieve your bladder turns into quite the ordeal: spray bottle, new liners, possible ice packs, etc.<\/p>\n Because of this, it\u2019s tempting to just nurse and be done with it, but taking a few minutes afterwards can make the next session go so much smoother. Once Kaitlyn finished nursing, I expressed a little more milk and covered my nipple with it. Then I let it dry completely before dabbing on a little lanolin<\/a>. Finally I used\u00a0nursing pads<\/a> to protect my bras before I tucked the girls back in until next time.<\/p>\n So important. Don\u2019t let the baby latch until she opens her mouth wide, then make sure that tricky bottom lip is out, not tucked under. If the baby isn\u2019t latched correctly but it still drinking milk, stop her and start over. It\u2019s not worth the pain.<\/p>\n When you are unlatching the baby, make sure you slide a finger in the side of her mouth to break the suction before just pulling her off. As a first-timer I remember just pulling Hailey off once or twice and OUCH<\/em>. You learn quickly not to do that again!<\/p>\n The cross-body hold is what I used most often, but in the beginning it can be nice to switch up the holds to allow the baby to approach nursing from another angle and give a break to a sore spot on your nipple.<\/p>\n Here are a few other options for nursing holds<\/a>. It can seem intimidating, but just go for it. Nobody is watching you!<\/p>\n I keep this vague because it means something different to each person. Personally, I struggled with an over supply so I tried to go as long as possible without pumping to allow my supply to regulate. I made it one week before I finally had to pump here and there for a little relief. If you are interested in increasing your supply, pump after each feeding. Whatever you use it for, I found it pretty helpful to have it from the beginning just in case!<\/p>\n Yes they are babies, but at some point it\u2019s ok (and recommended) to cut them off. This can help teach them to be more efficient in their eating and not to take multiple snooze breaks during nursing.<\/p>\n Finally, be patient. <\/strong><\/p>\n Though breastfeeding is natural, it\u2019s not always intuitive. It\u2019s not only your first time trying it, but your baby\u2019s too. It takes both of you learning together and it will take some trial and error. Hang in there!<\/p>\n [Tweet “Though breastfeeding is natural, it\u2019s not always intuitive. Here are some tips!”]<\/p>\n I\u2019m not naive enough to believe that these tips are the magical cure-all for every nursing frustration, but these are the tips that have really helped me make this second time nursing a newborn much easier.<\/p>\n Fellow moms, what are your best breastfeeding tips or biggest frustrations?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you like this post, you may also be interested in\u00a05 Baby Favorites for the First Five Weeks<\/a>\u00a0or What Nobody Told Me About Breastfeeding<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Though breastfeeding is natural, it\u2019s not always intuitive. It\u2019s not only your first time trying it, but your baby\u2019s too. It takes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":21958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1483],"tags":[403,1518,438,1521],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21960"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Freaking](\"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tips-for-breastfeeding-a-newborn_thumb.png\")
<\/p>\nTips for Breastfeeding a Newborn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Let it all hang out.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Use breast milk to your advantage.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Take the time to give your girls some TLC.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Make sure you get a wide latch.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Help unlatch the baby.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. Learn multiple holds and adjust as necessary.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7. Use the pump wisely.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
8. Don\u2019t be a pacifier.<\/strong><\/h3>\n