My Breastfeeding Journey (sore nipples, big boobs, pumping!)

Welcome back to #TheHormoneDiaries! In this episode I chat about my breastfeeding journey through the first four months, rocky starts, incorporating pumping, and all ✨I was trying to manage my expectations from the beginning (though I don't know how successful I was!!) but ultimately it has worked out for me and I'm VERY grateful for it. Let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in a video about my pumping routine!
MENTIONED IN VIDEO
Huckleberry app: huckleberrycare.com/
Elvie Curve
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
02:50 - In the hospital
09:32 - At home
12:38 - Lactation Consultant
15:24 - Tracking Feeds
17:42 - Pumping
20:22 - The Places I’ve Breastfed
20:51 - Wrap-up and Thoughts
26:32 - Outro
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The Hormone Diaries Season 2 playlist: • The Hormone Diaries: F...
Postpartum, C-Section Recovery & My Stoma: • Postpartum, C-Section ...
My Breastfeeding and Postpartum Faves: • My Breastfeeding & Pos...
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[@amypritchard8570]

Hi Hannah, I'm not sure if anyone has explained to you why the staff were so insistent on waking Rowan for feeds regularly since this video, but just in case they haven't I just want to try and explain as best I can. In newborns, there's a close link between low blood sugar (from babies going a long time since being fed), cold babies, and babies having low blood oxygen concentrations. This is because as babies' blood sugar lowers, their metabolism increases to try and keep their body functionings with reduced glucose store. This can lead to babies becoming hypothermic (very cold). As I've heard you mentioned in another video, babies aren't able to regulate their own body temperature the way that we do, but they do have what's called 'brown fat' which they can burn to create heat. Cold babies will therefore burn more of this brown fat to maintain their temperature, which will increase their oxygen consumption and, in turn, their respiratory rate and may lead to respiratory distress. Also, when babies are hypoglycaemic (when their blood sugar is low), their blood vessels constrict and the production of lubrication in their lungs reduces which can lead to increased respiratory effort and respiratory distress. This can then lead to oxygen deprivation which can have horrible implications such as brain damage, or even death. I'm really sorry that this wasn't explained to you when it seemed that the doctors, nurses, and midwives were manhandling Rowan on the unit. Hopefully this explains why it is so important that neonates are fed regularly, and why the staff may have seemed brutal in their insistence that Rowan be fed. I hope this helps and hope you're all well. I'm a midwifery student and just so you know I haven't made all of this up, a reference is here: www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/62951/5thermoregulation.pdf

[@GloriaTulwan]

this is so interesting and well explained, thank you !!

[@ellenkarlsson9490]

I thought that human babies would've evolved to scream for food when they needed feeding. I mean, would a hunter-gatherer society wake up their sleeping babies? I think not.

[@sortathesame8701]

I think that in the more 'modern' age, people have over thought breast feeding like they have over thought so many other things. As a 65 year old woman, I can tell you that we did not wake our babies up to feed and we didn't think twice about whether or not we would be able to breast feed. We just did it! Since I didn't know that I COULD fail at breast feeding, it never occurred to me that I WOULD fail at breast feeding, which is probably why I and my new mom friends just picked our babies up and put them to the breast and away they went! The only advice any of us was given about feeding baby was that we needed to drink a large glass of water every time we put baby to the breast. I know that information is very important to share, but in reality, how many babies who are breast or bottle fed die of malnutrition or hypothermia due to burning their 'brown fat' when taking a long nap!? I do love that more new mom's are communicating with one another today, because new mothers need support, whether with breast feeding or something else!

[@clrtomsett123456]

@@sortathesame8701 hi, people have been struggling with breastfeeding forever, and certainly since before 40 years ago. My mum is around the same age as you and she did really struggle with breastfeeding and we were formula fed pretty quickly on. Just because you were able to do it fine doesn't mean everyone around you was.

[@emilymontague8550]

I realise this video is over a year old but it's worth saying that the infant mortality rate is the lowest it's ever been and more knowledge around fine margins such as maintaining newborns' blood sugars has contributed to that. Of course most babies won't die if they sleep for 6 hours without feeding but some (on a global scale) will, and anything we can do to prevent that is worthwhile. Once newborns have regained their birth weight they can be fed on demand and the need to wake them to feed goes away.

[@cristinacornejo3361]

On the medical staff being ‘vicious’ about the feeding… they were probably worried about baby’s blood sugar dropping too low if he slept longer. They could’ve been nicer about it though.

[@venessalizabeth]

I just had my 20 week ultrasound and found out I’m having a little girl today. This is my first and I’m equal parts excited and terrified. Beyond grateful for this content ❤

[@Ilikefrogs..]

Aw, congratulations! I have an 8 year old daughter, and there is truly no love like it. There are definitely hard parts, but overall you are going to enjoy this journey so much. Welcome to the Girl Mom Club!

[@woolypuffin392]

Bottle baby here. My mum could not nurse me as she has inverted nipples and the plastic nipples hurt her very bad, bleeding and infection was hard on her. I am fine and NO ONE never should ever judge a mother how and how long she feeds her baby.

[@powderandpaint14]

Loads of babies are formula fed and absolutely fine! There really shouldn't be this pressure about breast feeding that makes mothers feel bad.

[@Nadia1989]

Formula babies unite!

[@charlotte4966]

I was bottle fed and as a result my jaw never quite developed as it should have. With breastfeeding you have a deeper and wider mouth full and saw your jaw develops optionally. I do now struggle with mouth breathing as my jaw is too far recessed back to support optimal nasal breathing when I am lying down. This does impact me as now my nasal sinuses are always blocked. Other people may suffer sleep apnoea, reoccurring tonsillitis, tooth decay from mouth breathing. As a result I mouth breathe at night which is not an optimal way to breathe. I breathe small shallow breaths instead of long deep breaths. Optimal breathing sounds very simple but you wouldn’t believe how many of us don’t breathe optimally. It impacts all levels of health as your body survives being optimally oxygenated. It is all relative. We can all say we are “just fine” being bottle fed but personally I don’t want to be fine - I want to be great. I do not judge my mum or judge anyone who decides to bottle feed. I just wish there was better support and awareness to the risks of NOT breastfeeding.

[@powderandpaint14]

@@charlotte4966 have you had a mouth guard from the dentist to help with your breathing when you're asleep?

[@charlotte4966]

@@powderandpaint14 not yet, but I will! Thank you

[@lindsaymcdougall2119]

Yes! Large saggy boob crew (professionals are very quick to comment on my low nipples when helping - THANKS!). I felt exactly the same about these demonstrations and it made me feel self conscious about feeding in public (my boy has a 91% percentile head and still smaller than my boobs at 3 months. I even thought I'd just never get positioning down because I had to manoeuvre them. On the boobs scooshing thing - if your letdown is at the same rate (mine can get across the room) it's called forceful letdown. I had it because I pumped too early (and used a haaka not realising it was pumping) and my baby would choke and projectile vomit as a result. Nobody tells you this stuff!! I paid for a private lactation consultant and we're all good now but the education I got from the NHS (who really push it!) was really lacking. My health visitor suggested I just go to a breastfeeding support group in another town.

[@hannahwitton]

I don’t think I’ve got a forceful let down because I’ve never seen him choke on it. But Rowan’s head (at 5 months, 91% percentile) is still smaller then my boobs 😂😂😂😂 completely ridiculous.

[@justathumb]

ugh i SO wish anyone had given me any kind of breastfeeding education at hospital other than "how to latch", and "feed on demand". i had this exact issue and had no idea, and it completely messed up our breastfeeding trajectory. she really struggled to gain weight and my supply dwindled as a result of formula supplementing, and now i'm not sure if i can get it back up. it can become such a mess without having some basic knowledge! (which i thought i had 🤦‍♀️)

[@lipstickdreamer]

At 20 months, my boobs are still bigger than my toddlers head. I think my boobs are bigger than my head so got some way to go 🤣

[@Jess-qh9ol]

@@justathumb I hope you manage to get your supply up! I finally managed to stop supplementing with formula when my baby was 4 and a half months (almost a month ago now) after thinking I never would be able to. I fed and fed as much as I could, and also used a hand pump sometimes on the other boob or between feeds because she wouldn't really be put down long enough for me to use an electric pump and gradually cut down on the amounts of formula she was having until she didn't seem to want it anymore. No idea what your situation is or if that is in any way helpful but I didn't want to not say anything just in case it could be of any help to you. You're doing an amazing job no matter what!

[@jadefg1353]

Omg this is really enlightening! My milk sometimes just squirts out of my boob and I have to press down on the nipple to get it to stop. Though if I'm at home I sometimes enjoy just watching it fly out (weirdly satisfying, like the squishing boob and spraying milk out! Ha!)... and I've been wondering why my let down is so fast and forceful. But I used a strong pump very very early on, in the first couple of weeks, as I thought I had no milk supply and knew nothing about what I should be doing and research led me to that. So now you've made me think, that is probably the reason! Urgh, the lack of education about breastfeeding is unreal!

[@NightWhinnys]

Congrats on making it through the hard stuff! I had such a rough first 12 weeks nursing my child, but then we finally got it straightened around and are still going (just twice a day) at 20 months old. I have learned so much along the way and it's so wild to watch friends go through it now. There's so much that you just have to learn/ come to understand yourself because in the moment everything seems so urgent and hugely hard and no amount of advice from anyone can change that. I just always tell people to talk to an IBCLC lactation consultant about literally any concern/ question-- they have been such a great resource!

[@jennivamp5]

I have been so looking forward to this video in particular from you. I knew it would be a real and unflinching discussion of the nitty gritty stuff that no one tells you. Thank you Hannah!

[@rachyriottt]

I've breastfed my daughter from birth, those initial few weeks were horrible - especially with a tongue tie! But she's just turned 4 and still feeds for about 10 seconds at night, so things definitely improved. My main struggles have been with feeling extremely touched out, and experiencing nursing aversions (propranolol tablets helped with these immensely!). During these 4 years, and although my daughter is currently an only child, my boobs have fed 3 babies directly (my nephew and my best friend's son) and provided pumped milk for another 3-4 babies. It's amazing that we have the ability to keep other humans alive with our bodies 😍

[@ab-jc8nv]

Nice, u have good experience, u do now currently?

[@Kat_1490]

yes to the routine pumping video please - finding it hard to find time to pump and build up a freezer stash while also exclusively breastfeeding. Currently watching this in the side-lying position with my 9-week-old!

[@katehoran4081]

After watching this I cannot believe how similar our experiences have been. My son is neatly 4 weeks old and is quite fussy on the breast and doesn't always latch great but anytime anyone has watched he always feeds fine! I also have big boobs so I feel your pain. Very much looking forward to getting past the 6 week mark and things becoming easier because it's super overwhelming sometimes!

[@troybagby4902]

I have always loved your videos, Hannah… Congratulations on being a new mom

[@krystinapearson8417]

As a parent to be, who plans on breast feeding, this has been really helpful. Shows a little more reality than 'feed every 2-3 hours, wake baby if they havent etc etc. I know I've got some tough times ahead and this reassures me that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks 👍

[@purpleghost106]

Unsolicited advice: Try not to worry about your supply in the first week. Newborns in their first month only eat like 50-150ml at the very beginning they might only eat like 20ml in a feed. Because their stomach is the size of a cherry. I've seen people get so discouraged thinking they have a 'low supply' in the first 2weeks and they have like 30-100ml in a pump, when in fact that's matching their baby's age and ability to eat. Plenty of people feel like they absolutely have to top up or supplement (which is fine, just to be clear, do what works) when they are actually producing a completely normal amount of milk and only feel pushed that way out of insecurity.

[@mackdagoitom2360]

Thanks for yet another informative but also hilarious video Hannah. My child is 2,5 years old and your retelling of your breastfeeding brings me back. We also had problems with a sleepy baby, struggles with the latch and lots of ensuing anxiety. I am happy you have found your grove now. Lots of love from another mom!

[@forksofnature]

Hannah, thank you so much for sharing your journey! I’m one week postpartum with my little girl and breastfeeding has been such a rollercoaster experience. So much of what you describe I find myself in the thick of. My little girl had jaundice so we stayed in the hospital for an extra few days and had to top up with formula and I was breastfeeding and pumping. Since then it’s been a ride. I really appreciate you sharing your journey because it gives me hope for the future! ❤

[@fionabrandis439]

Thank you for sharing your story! It's affirming and nostalgic to hear about your breastfeeding journey. Ah, I remember mine well with newborn premmie twins: naso-gastric tubes, pumping, nipple shields, mutilated nipples, creams, anxiety, note keeping, etc, etc. Pumping and formula top-ups created so. much. sterilising! My freezer broke down once and I lost my milk stash (you better believe I cried!). If your baby is fussy at the START of a feed it might be you have so much milk that his little mouth is overwhelmed. You may want to pump a few minutes BEFORE the feed to lighten the flow to a manageable level for him (maybe seek some LC advice on this one).

[@meganhartman83]

Omg, it is so much better with the second kid. I was so much calmer, it was easier, and it was all just a better situation. You're doing great, and I'm glad it's working now that you're in a routine!

[@stephaniestorie5825]

I think you just identified a market for educational material for you to corner! 🤣 Diverse boob breastfeeding education! my little girl is almost 5 months and our breastfeeding journey was thankfully not too bad except for my supply 😭 but supplementing with formula has helped immensely! also can confirm side lying latch is SUPREME it's my favorite by far way to feed her!

[@TheCurlyOne13]

I loved breastfeeding, my son self weaned at 8 months though which devastated me. My boobs now look like a golf ball in a sock. It’s fabulous 😂

[@nelicora]

Oh my, I relate so hard to this. The first eight weeks were horrible, but I'm so so happy I stuck with it anyway. I also got into it without much knowledge at all, I thought it will just work out somehow. Took a lot of blood and lanolin (that really was the only thing that helped) and I still don't know how I or baby figured it out eventually. We're two years in now and still nursing ☺️ Anyway, congrats on your tenacity! I'm impressed again by your notes, that's something I really had no mind for and regret it now. Thank you for making this video and shedding much needed light on breastfeeding! ❤️

[@hannahwitton]

Oh wow!! 2 years! That’s incredible! I’ve no idea how long I’ll breastfeed for but no intention of stopping just yet 🥰

[@rachelo7094]

I loved this video. I have just stopped feeding my daughter a month before her 4th birthday and it brings back the memories of the early months!

[@rachelwilliams1454]

Thanks so much for making these! My baby is 4 months old and I went back to work 3 weeks ago - in the same boat with breastfeeding and pumping, would love to see you talk about your routine!

[@valetiff90]

Hi! My baby's turning a year old tomorrow (omg) and I'm still breastfeeding. Like yours, Hannah, my experience at first was hard, and painful, and stressful, and I also took crazy notes. It had a similar path going forward than yours, except my LC's visit was so timely and so amazing and helped with positions, back pain, and most of all to calm me down and assure me I was doing a good job. But there were more changes down the line for me! There were moments at 3 and 6 months when she started feeding more and my hunger just exploded. It was crazy. And at 9/10 months my boobs stopped engorging at all, and I now have zero warning about it being time for a feed, but there's still always milk when she wants it. And recently she started lowering her milk consumption, but I've had no physical changes from it. I've read fully weaning can also be a very intense hormonal shift, and feel crazy. Maybe you could consider an extra Hormone Diaries video if you also experience changes, or when weaning. I've found content from people living a similar life stage with their babies to be comforting and so much fun to compare experiences. Thanks for sharing!

[@amyg5580]

Loved this video Hannah, you’ve done so well! I’m 10 weeks in with baby number 2 and can confirm it’s a lot easier this time around! I remember the anxiety of tracking feeds on huckleberry with baby number 1, this time round it’s been a lot more relaxed and enjoyable! The joy milk squirting brings is next level 🤣👌 xx

[@daniellehowson1883]

Watching this breastfeeding my four month old. Had a similar neonatal journey with a very sleepy baby and nipple shields. It’s so hard at first but once the cluster feeding eases it’s totally worth it

[@stagetopage]

Am I on holiday? Yes. Am I watching this video on my first night to relax? Absolutely 😌

[@BellaHardcastle]

Love your breastfeeding bingo section! I share mine with my nct friends, we swap back and forth places we have fed. My favourite so far is in a carrier on the beach 😁 I definitely found it difficult to start with and someone told me it's natural like walking not natural like breathing you both need to learn how to do it. ❤ I would love to become a volunteer that helps support new mothers with breastfeeding as I think it's something we should be supporting people with more!

[@zeinaaaaaa7468]

this is really interesting, as someone who is somewhat older than my siblings i don't remember my mom ever struggling with breastfeeding so i always thought it was easy??? even the side lying thing my mom did it all the time, the internet really gives u a perspective on so many things

[@marlowe460]

I can really relate to many of the things you said. Breastfeeding at the hospital was really stressful (staff not only poking the baby but also constantly squeezing my breasts for a better latch). In Switzerland we’ve got this system of a midwife coming for regular visits after having given birth which saved me, as I was so full of anxiety after spending those first three days at the hospital. And I agree the first six weeks are really hard and that there’s nothing as calming as when you sit down with the baby for a proper feed. In the end I fed my baby for 1.5 years as a working mum and only stopped once we were trying for a second one. Number two is now due in about 6 weeks and very curious how it’s going to be the second time round 😊

[@shawniwannell6039]

We spent just over a month in NICU and the nurses are crazy on it with feeding! Glad I'm not the only one that felt the anxiety it created! We carried on waking every 3hrs for a few weeks at home before my lovely HV gave me "permission" to feed on demand like such a huge weight being lifted. Keeping to 3hr feeds is so bloody hard for everyone involved!

[@0roseable]

This waking up baby to feed them seems odd to me. Why don't we trust the baby to know what it needs?

[@shawniwannell6039]

@@0roseable agreed, there's always reasons for it, underweight ect. Mine was premature she was only 5lb when we took her home so had to keep the weight gain. I wouldn't do it again unless there was very good reason!

[@tiniewien]

Very similar experience. A young, semi-solo first time mom here of a boy born on June 7th. The first five weeks were simply horrible, including bleeding nipples etc. Now working again and pumping milk for him while he’s at daycare - so please share your pumping experience and tips! I’m trying to match his need but it’s hard getting enough out. (luckily I’m allowed to pump for two hours during a work day) Breastfeeding is precious but also hard work and I think your video shows it perfectly.

[@eringrasse7512]

Knowing that there's a difference between nursing and breast/chest/body-feeding has BLOWN my mind! My perception--as someone without children--is that being able to nurse is considered the gold standard of feeding your kid, so I wonder if knowing the distinction that one is a particular bodily feeding method and the other just has to do with the type of milk would help decrease some of the pressure around the very one-dimensional seeming BREAST IS BEST ideology. If breast/chest/body feeding is defined by the milk being used instead of a more anatomically-centered process, then SO many more people can do it! AND if it's just one of the many types of milk that you can use to feed your kid, then maybe it'll be JUST that much easier to portray formula-feeding as an equally viable option since the focus can then be more about the fact that you're FEEDING someone, as opposed to how. I'm going to be thinking about this for the rest of the day.

[@samantharhodes8946]

Hi! I'm currently long term breastfeeding my second baby, and I think I could have some insight. I am absolutely a fed is best momma, because there's so much involved (mother's mental health!!). I think what could be a big factor in people that want to push the "breast is best" could have to do with some biological things. When baby's saliva touches the nipple, the mom's body creates milk based on baby's needs. Such as, more watery or more fatty milk, or milk with certain antibodies to help baby through illness! A way around this for those who choose to pump and not latch baby would be just putting some of baby's saliva onto the nipple routinely ☺️ bodies are amazing! *I use the term mom for myself, but of course this applies to anyone with the title they choose* ☺️

[@greenleafe1238]

What the hell are you talking about 😂

[@eringrasse7512]

@@samantharhodes8946Yes, the magic nipples! That's one of my favorite breast/chest feeding facts! I think what unsettles me more about Breast is Best is the societal implication (not from you or Hannah, obviously) that any other method of feeding your baby is automatically "second best," if you will. I was formula-fed for a variety of reasons, so it's a weird thought for me personally to think that I got some sort of inferior deal based on lots of the language out there that extols breast/chest-feeding above all else. But again, I don't think that's what either you or Hannah are saying! This topic made for an interesting conversation with my mom, which was pretty cool!

[@filthiestfish]

The world's gone mad 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@rubyrose3553]

Thanks for sharing about your experience

[@sllagnire]

Congrats on the perseverance. With my first, it took about 3 weeks for it to click with us and my second took a little over 6 weeks. Those first weeks are ROUGH. But it is so cool and convenient once you get the hang of it. My first was a pandemic baby (she was born Dec 2019, so we weren't far out from figuring it out when the world shut down). I very rarely fed her in public because we never went anywhere. But with my second, oh man, he gets fed everywhere. We actually just took a trip to Disney World with the two kids, which has a bunch of the places on my list of weirdest places to breastfeed - on rides, in lines, during shows, walking around the parks, on the bus, and like you said pretty much every restaurant we went in. And there was definitely once that I was still feeding him as we were getting off of the ride, and I managed to get out of the car and onto a moving platform with him still latched. I was pretty impressed with myself. Felt like I leveled up as a Mom.

[@onelittleafrofriend]

I loved breastfeeding my son, I had to transition him to formula recently though as I needed to start a new medication which would not have been good for him. Even though I loved bf and would ultimately prefer to go back I’ve been surprised how much more emotional and relational energy I have for him now. I knew bf was requiring a lot of patience but I didn’t realise there was a toll in that!

[@Bendyzebra]

Thank you for this video hannah. I am currently 4 weeks into breastfeeding, and it has been a struggle. So hearing that it will get better is reassuring. Would you be able to do a video demonstrating the positioning that you have found work best for breastfeeding as a large busted woman? So far only one we have been able to do successfully is rugby hold.

[@sarahdugdale2764]

Wow this took me back! I suddenly remembered the obsessive note making while watching this which I had totally forgotten from having my first son. My second baby was a much more relaxed experience, partly because I was experienced and really calm about it but also my second baby took to breastfeeding really easily. It makes it so difficult to give advice because it's so intense your brain just can't make sense of it! The difficult thing with my second was mostly that I was still tandem feeding his brother and while the newborn was fine feeding the toddler was 🥴 It did get better with time though. He's recently weaned himself at 3½ and I'm very happy that happened on his terms. As they get bigger and get mobile you get to contend with nursenastics where they try to stand up/ stand on their head/ dance while breastfeeding. It's hilarious and infuriating. Ohhh the happy hormone oxytocin release is amazing 🥰🥰🥰 there's nothing like it.

[@ninaninaninapina]

I’d be super interested in a video with more details on your feeling/pumpning schedule, as I am 4 weeks into breastfeeding and want to start expressing so that my partner can bottle feed one time during the night once in a while. The sleep deprivation with nursing is so much more dufficult me to manage than I’d thought ❤

[@svitrai]

Same!

[@vhangel36]

I've been nursing my son for 8 months now. Had a bad start in hospital where he wouldn't latch and I had to pump and syringe/ cup feed him. But since going home on day 4 he has only fed from the boob. I totally agree with the demonstrations and also leaflets etc all not being very helpful because the breast shapes and sizes are not very representative, I have large boobs and downward nipples. The first few weeks were very hard but also for lots of other reasons other than breastfeeding. The distracted feeding stage was definitely frustrating, especially when he would pull back on the nipple to unlatch, my boy just ended up feeding more at night to make up for the lack of feeds in the day. I love breastfeeding my son. I love how convenient it is that I can just whip a boob out when he is hungry whenever, wherever. I love how nursing him helps to get both him and me to sleep, I love how content he is on the boob and how he looks at me whilst he is feeding and strokes my arm and face.

[@angelapinkster]

My baby just got her bottom teeth and she accidentaly bit my nipple last week. Took me right back to those early days where every feeding was so painful because of the cracked nipples 😭

[@SoulxSpectre]

My mum told me I got teeth quite early in infancy and bit her accidentally and she instinctively went "OW!" and apparently I was so shocked and affronted by her exclamation I never breastfed again, straight up refused to ever latch again they had to bottle feed me expressed milk 😂 as you can imagine, I've continued to be known to be rather dramatic throughout my 30 years.

[@jensschroder8214]

Congratulations for the little one. May mother and child have good health and many happy hours.

[@Ludesto]

"Oh! My milk! Tililililing

[@gempezza]

I can relate to the waking up part but ours went a step too far and we ended up with jaundice and too much weight loss. The extra sleep was a symptom, not just a sleepy baby.

[@amalienoer6847]

Yes please to video about pumping and feeding :)

[@Jess-qh9ol]

I like the keeping track of strange breastfeeding places, I might need to do that! My strangest would probably be a pedalo, a barge, a postman pat ride at cbeebies land and during my friend's wedding ceremony!

[@lynn69jackson]

I had to give up at 8 weekswith my oldest son who wanted to be fed all of the time and was more settled on formula. His younger brother was a joy to nurse as he took to breastfeeding as soon as he was out of the womb. He got into a routine really quickly and I nursed him until he was 2 ½ years old ( cows milk allergy). I never had a problem nursing but I was useless at expressing milk and could never relax enough to get more than 2 fluid ounces when expressing .

[@hellomumpsie]

I ended up exclusively pumping for 16 months, just weaned her last month! I ended up with over supply and DMERS, which meant I had A LOT of letdown and anxiety attacks every time I had letdown. Hoping and waiting that the massive saggy boobs, shrink back to just extra large saggy boobs. I'm thinking of seeing my GP to get the reduction process started now that I am done breastfeeding. Good luck on your journey with feeding!

[@jaidepoppy]

100% the first two months were so hard! I too saw a lactation consultant, but our baby had a tongue tie so once that was sorted we both worked well together. My baby is nearly 6 months and I can’t nurse in public at all because of the lack of concentration. I pump if I know I’m going somewhere the night before and take a bottle of breast milk with me xx

[@melissayellou9188]

I have been nursing for nearly 5 years. Never bottle fed and only expressed when an emergency demanded it. I seem to have a awful lot of milk and strong let down. My 2yr still nurses but damn is it a tough journey full of mastitis/nipple thrush/ scratched and pinched bleeding nipples. Cluster feeds... not to mention needing to be around. My boobs have grown 3 cup sizes and are saggy.

[@drawyourbook876]

I had a very similar experience, with the first couple of weeks being a complete struggle, but when we found our rhythm, it is honestly the easiest, and I love that I can just pop my boob out anywhere if she is hungry. The only thing is that my baby and bottles dont agree with each other. Luckily I work from home and I have been able to have her around to exclusively nurse. We are weaning down now, she is almost a year old, and in a weird way, I am going to miss it.

[@sofiaivarsson3482]

I'm glad that breastfeeding worked out for you in the end!

[@Zedstergal]

YOU DID THAT! ❤👏

[@ingridhelmeczi6041]

I wish I could've nursed instead of exclusively pumping. I hated being in the hospital. I also have large breasts and my baby struggled with my boob size and the nurses and lactation consultant just were so unhelpful. No one gave consistent advice and so nothing anyone said made any sense. Once I got home my anxiety went down and I just decided to pump as it made life less stressful. I also have short nipples and my baby hated the nipple shields. I was also not told my baby has an upper lip tie when I was in the hospital it wasn't until their 2 month public health nurse visit that it was discovered. Upper lip ties can cause latch issues, but by 2 months it is a little too late to introduce the breast again.I am hoping to be able to nurse the next baby

[@generallovesucks]

If there aren't any good demonstrations for large chested feeding you could always make one for other mothers. Be the change you want to see in the world Hannah! 🌎 I think educational breastfeeding/lactation guides are even allowed on KZbin.

[@TheAlyssap]

I relate to feeling like everything they educate you with regarding breastfeeding doesn't work as well for larger boobs. I really struggled and as a result exclusively pumped for 8 weeks at the start of my sons life occasionally trying him on the boob unsuccessfully. Then he just suddenly clicked what he had to do and we've been breastfeeding ever since.

[@thayerwilliams905]

Breastfeeding was a nightmare, similar to what you're describing. Especially the lack of good information part. I was very thrown and offended by how rough the nurses were with getting us in position and getting him awake to nurse. I felt very violated and scared by them. They were very condescending when I asked why it hurt so much, and they were very insistent that when I only had colostrum the first 5 days it meant I would never be able to breastfeed and I was wasting my time trying and every time one of them came in the room they tried to shove a bottle in his mouth and got hissy with me when I'd say no. I also thought babies needed sleep and woke up when hungry so he actually got taken away from me at 24 hours old because we'd gone 5 hours without feeding because he was asleep. They said his sugar and potassium got into dangerously low levels and took him to the nursery to bottle feed him every 90 minutes and didn't give him back for over another 24 hours when they said his levels were good again. And maybe that was medically necessary but they way they did it and talked down to me was humiliating and judgemental. I got crazy nauseous every time I had a let down, and was fighting with everything I had not to throw up each time. I have extremely flat nipples. They almost never get hard, and he had such a hard time latching. They'd grab and pinch and squeeze and lecture me while I cried from the pain to try and get him something he could latch onto. We ended up using a nipple shield to simulate the right shape and it worked, but it was difficult to get it suctioned onto my skin enough to work properly. The whole thing was a traumatic nightmare. I'd like to say once we got home and my milk came in things went better, but they didn't. Then my milk dried up on its own when he was 5 weeks old even though we were still trying. And for all that trouble, I gained 3 cup sizes. I'd never in my life until then had large boobs. I had no idea how to manage them. And then they couldn't even do their job producing enough milk. The whole thing was extremely frustrating. Not sure if I'm going to try again with baby #2. I know the result could be completely different, but I don't know if I'm willing to put up with it if i try again and it's not different. I also have lichen sclerosus and turns out the Breastfeeding attempt for number 1 triggered a HUGE flare up and my labia fused together and disappeared, never to be seen again. And who knows what the LS will do on kid 2. There was just so much I had no idea was going to happen 😳

[@greensteve9307]

Never heard of lichen sclerosus, so I looked it up. What a shocking condition!

[@thayerwilliams905]

@@greensteve9307 I certainly was shocked!

[@fionabrandis439]

I'm sorry you experienced this, it sounds awful. What some of these medicos forget is that we the mothers are LEARNING how to breastfeed and the baby is learning too! Grabbing our nipples and manipulating them without permission is very confronting. AND that everyone is different. A lot of the advice I received sucked: I had tiny twins who were losing weight and I was desperate to feed them with every trick they gave me. What nobody told me was that supplementation with formula was ok and that fed is best! My babies were starving and I didn't even realise. I hear you, friend ♥

[@hannahsenders6462]

I exclusively nursed for a total of 26 months between my babies, so we nursed EVERYWHERE! My favorite weird place I’ve nursed is while getting a pelvic exam 😂 When my babies got to the distractible phase I would start to put the breast away and they realized if they let go then Mommy will declare them done. After a few times they stopped looking around as much and just focused on nursing.

[@PipReads]

Nursing didn't work out for us but i was able to express. I remember overnight my boobjuice changed from colostrum to milk it was totally wild. Because i was expressing i saw the change bodies are incredible!

[@allizalli]

The anxious-mom-note resonates so deeply with me. You should see mine for my baby’s sleep 😂

[@justathumb]

haha wow....some people REALLY have the exact opposite experience - and yet equally anxiety-inducing! 😅 we were doing the same with our girl (giving her formula top-ups), because she fussed almost CONSTANTLY, for like 12hr stretches without sleeping 😑 she also projectile puked her entire feeds a few times a day, everyday, so it was hard to know if she was getting enough food. and it turns out she wasn't gaining enough weight - so we had a baby who never slept and constantly ate and it was ALSO extremely stressful 😂 has to be a sweet middle ground somewhere! (she's a lot better now, 4.5 months) 😊

[@YvaineFra]

Hand expressing shall be taught and practiced before birth... I had to create a colostrum freezer stash for my baby due to increased risk of hypoglycemia related to my T1D and it was a lifesaver the first day as my baby could not latch at all due to a severe tounge tie. My breastfeeding journey has been rough and I think I was not at all prepared for that... It caused so much anxiety that I had to stop at 9w to be able to take medications. I was not prepared for the baby fussiness at the breast and the continuous anxiety that he was not feeding properly were too much for me 😭

[@saragoose]

My friend used to have to express a bit before nursing her first kid because things were so forceful. And then also something about foremilk vs hindmilk and her baby's stomach upset? Kiddo is 12 now, though, so I don't really remember!

[@janelleh]

a More Hannah video on your routine would be interesting!

[@sophieirwin3497]

I was the opposite to Rowan, I preferred the left breast. My mum said because I’m blind in my right eye, I didn’t like my left covered so didn’t go for the right breast. My mum got to the point she transferred to formula/expressed milk after a couple of months as she was getting lopsided and her right breast felt too uncomfortable

[@Flyterbut]

Word of advice, keep a cloth diaper on hand when breastfeeding now. It really helps when you're mid convo with a friend at brunch and baby hears a loud noise and turns to see it right when your let down is in full force and your start spraying milk all over his face, hands help cover for modestly but hands alone won't soak up the milk 😂. My let down was soooo intense, I'd even have to let down into a cloth diaper on a usual after my daughter started to drink or she'd be gulping it down and end up uncomfortable. We exclusively nursed, so didn't need to save it.

[@laurenschenck5355]

SO EXCITED!!!🍃🍃🍃🎃🍂🍂🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🍁📙🍃🍃🍁👻👻👻🍁🍃🍃🎃🎃🍂🎃🎃📙🍁👻👻🍁🍃🎃🍃📙🎃🍂🍂🍂🎃🎃🍃📙🍁👻👻📙🍃🍃

[@carolinaazevedo2088]

I heard that sun tanning the nips for the last weeks of pregnancy help with the endurance of them during breastfeeding, have no idea if it's true, it's just popeular belief here in Brazil, I just know that I'll try it when I am pregnant

[@adrienneweisner5263]

My experience has been almost identical to yours!! Thank you for sharing (Also what saved my nips was silverettes-nipple cream did nothing for me Xoxox my babe is 3.5 months and hope to continue my bf journey!

[@magnoliaskogen]

I had never heard of silverettes; they look so cool! That's amazing that they work for people

[@RubbishExcuses]

The asking the baby to open the mouth wide rang very true for me! I remember begging my newborn daughter to give me a “big mouth”. 2 years later she’s lifting up my shirt and latching while I’m not even awake 😅

[@Keyaqp]

Could you do a video about your first plane ride experience with Rowan x would appreciate x thanks

[@mrsoph28]

I’m so anti waking children from sleep, but in the newborn stage it is important to wake them to feed. It still feels so wrong! 😅

[@kaylilafon9360]

I couldn't express anything either at the hospital but the lactation consultant could, she said that it doesn't mean anything, there's a technique to it and she's had tons of practice haha. My baby wanted to sleep more than eat too and it was startling to see one of the LC's try to keep him awake while nursing. We would struggle the first couple days to keep him awake for a full feed hahaha, he just wanted to go back to sleep after a few minutes of eating. We also started from the beginning having an alarm on my phone to wake up and feed him every 2/3 hours until his ped said we don't need to wake him up to make sure he eats anymore which was at a week old probably because of that haha. I have heard that a strong let down can make a baby fussy at first! My LC showed me how to slow it by applying light pressure to help. My little guy is definitely used to it and doesn't like when it's slow lol

[@SamarkandChan]

In norway we have an amazing free resource with volunteers called ammehjelpen (nursing/breastfeeding helpers) with loads of information and the possibility to have digital consultations. Maybe the UK has something similar? If not someone should start it.

[@hannahwitton]

There’s loads of free breastfeeding support groups round where I live but you have to go to them!

[@SamarkandChan]

@@hannahwitton ah, yeah that's hard to do here as people can live quite remotely from a city and it can be hard to even leave the house with a newborn.

[@fairykorinne]

In my personal experience, just watching my mother work as midwife and lactation consultant, this is the knowledge that I have: 1) sore nipples are not "normal", and "hardened nipples" do not exist. If you experienced pain, but now it has gotten better, it was probably due to uncorrect latch resolved by the baby themselves. (And if the pain does not go away it means that something worse is going on) 2) formulas are a great help when milk is missing (for any reason, and no parent should feel ashamed for using them), but "formula comas" are not normal. If the baby does not wake up for a long time, it means that digesting it is too difficult and maybe it is not right for them (and it can cause reflux and colitis). 3)listening you talking about doctors forcing a baby to wake up and feed in those ways made me unconfortable. As written above, if the baby, during the first days/weeks, does not wakes up spontaneously for feeding.. something is messed up and need to be fixed, but not like that!! 3) any pain experienced during lactation is not normal. Again, could be for any reason, easy or hard to solve. Reacing out for help is the roght thing to do. 4) It makes me sad to know that, even in other countries, breastfeeding parents are basically left alone, with very little information (or none) other than "if the baby does not grow in weight add formula"...breastfeeding is hard, takes a lot of energy and, despite the common knowledge, it is not always spontaneus, nor it has to be like that. My mother likes to say "It takes a village to raise a baby". 5) oooh yes, hormones are lifesaving 😂 and babies are sensitive to them. If you are relaxed, your baby is more likely to be calmer too.

[@febberz]

Oh waking tiny sleepy newborns up to feed seems so wrong to me as well. I think they have to do it to be on the safe side, but I feel like a mother's instinct could be taken into account a bit more here. With all else being well, maybe they just need an extra long nap to grow a little, and unless it gets to like 8 hours, is it really so vital?! I don't really know, but I feel you when you were talking about that!

[@DariaKalm]

I recommend Haaka pump to everyone who’s breastfeeding. I loved it

[@gugusgigi]

I heard a lot of people love it. But just so you know, it doesnt work for everyone. Didn't work for me.

[@melanieeger1904]

Would also love a video on pumping and breastfeeding, as I plan to start working when my son is 6 month old. He is 9 weeks by now and i started collected some excess milk in the night or morning irregularly if my boobs are too engorged. For me the first six weeks were also very painful... he was sucking strongly from the beginning and clusterfeeding a lot. I got silver covers from the midwife which you put on between feeds and which keep your niples in moist conditions (you may also put a bit of milk in there) to heal it. Then it suddenly got better... which may also correlate with less clusterfeeding and in general he is eating much faster by now (10 min vs 40 min at night...)

[@tayknbaykn]

Postpartum doula here- if anyone experiences baby having a much easier time latching on one side thank the other. Consider pursuing some body work for your babe! (cranial sacral or chiropractic) consistently struggling to latch on a specific side can be an indication of body tension in your new born or torticollis. Nursing on both sides is super important for baby’s development! Eye development especially as they look up at you while nursing 🥰

[@raenewnham7490]

Do people actually prefer chest feeding as a term? Every person has breast tissue so using the term breastfeeding would be accurate for anyone who does it right?

[@laurafrizzell8721]

For some trans/GNC folks the word "breast" can just be very loaded. Both are anatomically correct :)

[@hannahhainsworth7720]

I remember when my first friend to have a baby got excited about the boob squirting thing and showed me and we were both very amused by it, it was great 😂😂😂

[@shellymanyevitch1302]

Americans call the rugby hold the football hold and that's all I have to add but it made me smile

[@livelongandprospermary8796]

My mom breast fed my baby brother (who is about a decade younger than me). My mom was small chested (a-b cup) and quickly went much larger (c-d). After feeding, she’s now like an a cup but they’re saggier and look different. My mom was what I would describe as a “nak3d mom”. She was a single mom a lot of the time and often the only time we got to spend together was when she was getting ready for work so that meant the bathroom was like a locker room and, yeah, I saw her chest. My husband is so appalled that I ever saw her naked but like I feel it’s less weird for mothers and daughters. 🤷‍♀️

[@ximenauilenberg1750]

Tbh It was a new concept to me that some daughters never saw their mothers naked at some point and were not comfortable being naked in front of each other because I grew up with my mom also getting ready and just chatting away naked, same for her and her mom (my grandma). I think I even took showers together with my mom to save time and water utill I turned 11 or so. I now understand everyone is different but idk I never realized nakedness is seen differently in many places even for mothers and daughters.

[@lisadevries992]

This is also very much a cultural thing and obviously a parenting choice, but seeing both your parents naked and vice versa seems so normal to me. I go to the sauna with my parents and we only have 1 small bathroom so if everyone has to shower on a workday morning, the reality is that there is someone in the shower, someone brushing their teeth and someone doing their hair or something. It feels cozy to me, but that is different for everyone and that is fine. You do you!

[@IonIsFalling7217]

I feel like seeing real human bodies instead of the airbrushed crap we see in media all the time is so important!

[@livelongandprospermary8796]

@@lisadevries992 I’m American so nudity is scary here lol so it does defy the norms a bit. Also should note that my mom did watch me birth my son vaginally so 🤷‍♀️one time also when I was 12, she had me help her with a diy, at home, bikini was situation that she didn’t realize she couldn’t do solo until it was too late. so I’d say we’re even at this point 😂

[@indiemagnetic2996]

I used to have a fibroadenoma and it made my breasts extra sore before a period, esp the nipple and it literally used to reduce me tears almost, its just crazy!

[@tammiedowning2188]

The nurses do that here in the US as well..they made me wake my baby every 2 hours for feeding and they made me start the time between feedings when I started to try.. so I would wake her, spend 20-30 minutes trying to get her to eat, she would eat for an 30 minutes I would put her down to sleep, then pump and within the next hour they were yelling at me to wake her up again.. it was very aggressive and wasn't helpful to anyone... I honestly hated my birth experience because of the postpartum nurses and staff.

[@Nadine9ymp]

Oh can we all please be honest about breastfeeding-anxiety. My baby took 45 minutes to feed, comfort and chill. It was so frustrating I felt always attached to my child... had to stop for my own mental health. Due to my anxiety there was no milk left.

[@Marina-cq2yt]

Do you guys ever give him a bottle of breastmilk during the night? How often during the night do you feed him? I only breastfed for a few days with my first child and then we switched to formula- but I'm thinking I'd like to breastfeed a potential future child but I'm SO scared about the sleep deprivation because that has been the hardest part of parenthood for me.

[@Kerrislife]

I'm still breastfeeding my little girl (she's 15 months) and I am so proud of myself for getting this far as I have had my fair share of obstacles and challenges. I had to use a nipple shield for the first few months as she would not latch without it, I was really anxious to nurse in public at first (mainly because of the shields) so I had to battle with pumping so she could have a bottle in public. I started only nursing one side and pumping the other as my daughter too, preferred one breast over the other, then ended up getting a clogged milk duct over Christmas when I went all day without emptying 'the pumping boob'. The clogged duct was bloody horrible but thankfully i never got mastitis! I was able to pump at work at first, (I work in a nursing home) but then I got the feeling that they didn't want me to do it when I was walked in on by the (male) deputy in an empty residents room and all empty doors where subsequently locked (I had got permission from the actual female manager) but since that incident I stopped pumping at work through fear (luckily I don't need to empty my boobs that often anymore anyway as my daughter is feeding much less but still, it wasn't a good feeling) Also, I shouldn't need permission anyway as isn't it law that all breast/chestfeeding people should be allowed to pump/nurse whenever and wherever they need to? The best thing atm though is how she asks for milk by saying "mama" and I love our special cuddles while she latches. And feeding to sleep is so easy!

[@slowdancers]

heya, Hannah! wonderful video as usual, very eye opening for a childless person such as I

[@genwright3601]

It is very healthy so breastfeed beyond the 1 year mark. It’s actually recommended to breastfeed until at least 2 by the world health organisation. there are absolutely no bad habits involved in breastfeeding. A child seeks comfort from a parent, that is all. Until you are a parent yourself, I feel like it is very difficult for you to have an opinion on the matter. I’m sure you are coming from a good place but I am also sure that the parents you know who breastfeed beyond 1 would tell you it’s absolutely none of your business x

[@laundryweather]

I agree that this is an important thing to talk about, but I’m guessing that Hannah might avoid it since it is touchy enough to warrant responses like the one above. There are real issues and drawbacks with blurring physical boundaries between parent and child past the toddler stage, and it would be nice if we could discuss it without anyone feeling personally attacked. I even saw another comment on this video of someone saying their two-year-old lifts up their shirt to feed when the parent isn’t even awake- to me it’s a huge problem if a child isn’t starting to understand physical boundaries and consent once they get past that age. Every family and every child is different but there are legitimate drawbacks to breastfeeding past age 2 beyond other people thinking it’s “weird”.

[@genwright3601]

@@laundryweather it is possible to explain physical boundaries and consent as well as breastfeeding past the age of 2. But once again it’s no one’s business how long people breastfeed for ☺️

[@CazAvery]

Was the 'That I would like, to share, with you, now' a referend to Dave Gorman? (The video was good and interesting too, but I that's my main question)

[@MusicalK93]

Years ago now, Colleen Ballinger posted a picture of her accidentally spraying her son Flynn in the face with her breast milk, and it is still genuinely one of the funniest things. I had no idea breast feeding was like a shower head and not a tap, haha.

[@IceNixie0102]

Hannah, if you have that much extra milk, you should contact local midwife/lactation groups, to see where near you takes donations for mums who are unable to breastfeed. If you're willing, that's such a great resource!!

[@YTLawnGnome]

Whether it was my wife nursing or feeding from the bottle the first 2 months were very time consuming when it came to our daughter feeding.

[@alisalaska1786]

The thing I have a weird time with at this point (13 weeks) is that my breasts have been a sexual organ to me and my husband and suddenly that will change. I know I’m not the only one with a weird internal conflict over that. I told my husband that under no circumstance is he to be weird about baby breastfeeding and make sexual jokes and make it weird. 😆

[@hannahhh148]

Did you/ have you ever tried the "Rugby Ball" position to feed on the left side? It can trick them to think they're on the preferred side :)

[@headstanding_Penguin]

Hearing all this I wonder how on earth people did this stuff before modern times. (Probably explains a bit of the verry high Childmortality rates in the past?)

[@rachaeltumer1498]

I remember first breastfeeding with my first son and making a "boob sandwich" with my boob pinched between my fingers and then just shoving it in his mouth. I thought it was hilarious, but it definitely was effective until he learned how to latch properly on his own

[@laurenschenck5355]

You are doing amazing job Hannah so proud of you keep it up xoxo 😚 👻🎃🍃🍃👻🍂👻🍃🍃🍁🍃🍃🎃👻🍂🍂👻🎃🍃🍃👻🍂🍂👻🎃🎃🍃🍁🍁🍃🎃🎃👻👻🍂🍂👻🎃🍃🍁🍁🍃🍃🎃🎃👻🍂🍂🍂👻

[@alyj6398]

My mom would say she would just be in the shower and her breasts would just shoot out milk without her help, so I wasn't surprised by that bit at the end.

[@AmandaKriti]

My cousin travelled with a six month old and the baby was definitely in the distraction phase. My cousin glared at another cousin just because she ate chips too loudly and it made the baby look away from the boob.

[@reneeturcottecicigoi9435]

Thank you so much for sharing this video. I was literally laughing out loud when you were talking about how fun you thought it was to squirt your milk because I did the same thing. Lol. The first time it happened to me was a total accident. My son was nursing and pulled away from my nipple and my breast milk literally sprayed across my living room like a hose 😂 Also, I understand your frustration having large natural breasts myself. It was very hard at first to find comfortable positions but in the end I ended up nursing my son until he was 19 months old. Unfortunately, my boobs paid the price as they are now super flat and saggy and my nipples are huge. Sorry if that’s TMI 😊

[@anastasiafish]

Did you experience uterine contractions when feeding? I did for the first couple weeks, and they hurt *so* badly. Nobody told me about that part beforehand. I dreaded feeding my baby until those subsided. Definitely didn’t help the whole process haha.