If only I'd known...
If I had realised that breastfeeding was going to be such a Sisyphean task, taking weeks just to sort out, I wouldn't have been in such a rush to buy a nursing pillow. With everything breastfeeding-related (pillow, pumps, etc.), I was paralysed with indecision for months; I didn't know what I'd need, didn't know how to anticipate what I'd need, and didn't know how to choose between the different options. I finally settled on a nursing pillow about 10 days before Jakob was born. (Of course, if he'd been born when he was expected, it wouldn't have seemed quite so last-minute.)
I chose a Bosom Baby pillow, in a soft-touch purple cover. When I nurse Jakob in one of the the armchairs in our family room, it works well. It was also great for sleeping during the last few days of pregnancy. But, for nighttime feedings, when I'd like to nurse in bed, it isn't at all helpful. Soft and squishy works wonders in a supportive chair, but is frustratingly unhelpful when seated in bed. For that, I probably would have been better off going for the horribly-named My Brest Friend. The wrap-around support - which I definitely did not like when I tried out the pillow in a rocking chair in the store - is probably exactly what is needed for nursing in bed. Even the Boppy might be better, although I haven't seen it in person.
(Oh, and the side-lying position, recommended for nursing in bed? No luck there. It wasn't taught to us during our breastfeeding class because "You'll be taught by the nurses while you're still in hospital". And the nurses didn't teach me. And I can't figure out how to get Jakob to latch without me supporting his head and also using just one hand.)
If I'd known I wouldn't really be nursing for the first month of the Bärchen's life, I would have waited and brought him to the store with me, so we could more or less pick out the nursing pillow together.
But how could I have known?
I chose a Bosom Baby pillow, in a soft-touch purple cover. When I nurse Jakob in one of the the armchairs in our family room, it works well. It was also great for sleeping during the last few days of pregnancy. But, for nighttime feedings, when I'd like to nurse in bed, it isn't at all helpful. Soft and squishy works wonders in a supportive chair, but is frustratingly unhelpful when seated in bed. For that, I probably would have been better off going for the horribly-named My Brest Friend. The wrap-around support - which I definitely did not like when I tried out the pillow in a rocking chair in the store - is probably exactly what is needed for nursing in bed. Even the Boppy might be better, although I haven't seen it in person.
(Oh, and the side-lying position, recommended for nursing in bed? No luck there. It wasn't taught to us during our breastfeeding class because "You'll be taught by the nurses while you're still in hospital". And the nurses didn't teach me. And I can't figure out how to get Jakob to latch without me supporting his head and also using just one hand.)
If I'd known I wouldn't really be nursing for the first month of the Bärchen's life, I would have waited and brought him to the store with me, so we could more or less pick out the nursing pillow together.
But how could I have known?
posted by Melanie A at 11:56 a.m.
1 Comments:
Don't despair about side-lying. He's still awfully little for it. I found that lying Joffre on a pillow beside me, so he was lifted higher and rolled slightly toward me, helped a lot.
As Jakob gets older, side-lying might start to work for you. It's a mixed blessing, though; Alec still expects an all-night milk bar, even though he's 17 months old and day weaned.
Post a Comment
<< Home