Preparing to breastfeed. **warning--long post**

hi friends.  it's been awhile since i've posted on this 'ol blog.  but the holidays got the best of me and this third trimester is looking/feeling a lot similar to the first one.  more on that in another post ;-)

on top of all the holiday frenzy, i've been trying to tie up a few loose ends at work before i head on out for maternity leave.  my last day on the job will be 1/17.  i can't tell you how excited i am to take the time off to get ready physically and mentally for baby gabriella.  oh, and get the house ready as well.

so back to this post.  i took a breast feeding preparation class yesterday and learned lots!  the class certainly de-mystified a lot of the "unknowns" of bf-ing for me so i thought i'd share all the deets with you, just in case you were planning to bf soon or in the future.  please keep in mind, bf-ing is not natural, it's a learned behavior for mommy and baby.  of course, i plan on exhausting my lactation resources once gabriella makes her grand appearance.  but i'm big on preparation and education which is why i decided to take the class.

first off, can i tell you that i gave my husband the night off yesterday?  i told him he didn't have to come with me to the class.  but i ended up to be the only one without a partner!  oh well.  the men in the class were surprisingly as eager, if not more eager to learn about this topic than the women.  how cute and endearing is that!

despite the title on this post, the good thing is that women do not have to do anything to prepare their bodies for breastfeeding.  luckily, nature takes care of that for us.  the rest of the info will be presented in bullet form.  be prepared, this may be a LONG post.  so if bf-ing doesn't interest you, please feel free to go on about your business.  you've been forewarned.

• when you are in the hospital, every time the baby wakes up, get ready to bf.
• around day 4, your breasts will increase in size like you've never imagined.
• things to buy before you give birth: a medela sleep bra, bravado nursing tank, nursing pads, and nipple cream (you can also use olive oil or coconut oil)
• when babies are born, they are not hungry.  but they have a high suck need.
• you must put your newborn to breast at least every 3 hours because the more the baby sucks, the more you increase your milk supply.  continue the every 3 hour routine until your 2 week pediatrician appointment.  if your baby's weight is back up to birth weight, you can relax a little on the every 3 hr. feeding schedule.  
• remember: weight gain = bf-ing is going well
• babies are born full of poop and are very sleepy.
• sucking moves their bowels
• do not introduce a pacifier at this time.
• on day 4, when your breasts are engorged and hard, use ice compresses.  
• babies have growth spurts. this typically occurs on day 9-11/3 weeks/4 weeks/6 weeks/12 weeks/16 weeks/6 months.  every time a growth spurt occurs, the baby will go back to sucking a lot, which can last 2-4 days.  this may throw off your feeding routine that you thought you had established.  this increase in sucking can last 2-4 days.
• 4 bfing positions: cradle hold, cross cradle hold (this is the one i'm going to try first), football hold, and lying down.
• how to latch: rub your nipple back and forth on baby's mouth.  get baby to open mouth wide, point nipple upward holding breast in a V like fashion, make sure baby's bottom lip is tucked out, make sure nipple is far into the mouth.
• the deeper the latch, the better the feed, the more comfortable bfing is for mom.
• signs of hunger: rooting, hands to mouth, crying is a late sign.
• if bfing hurts, take baby off by breaking the seal with your finger first.  then try again.
• bf on one side at a time, alternating breasts with every feed.  the reason behind this is that initially, the milk that comes out is watery.  however, the longer the baby breast feeds on 1 breast, they start to get hind milk which is higher in fat and calories.
• there is a difference between active sucking and pacifying.  if the baby is pacifying, take baby off the breast.
• how do you know baby is getting enough milk? listen for audible swallowing, the baby is peeing and pooping (this can occur with every feeding), your breasts will feel softer after feeding.
• tip: change baby's diaper after a feed b/c sucking moves their bowels
• weight gain typically occurs on day 5.  babies gain wt 1-2 lbs/month.  they double their birth wt by 6 months.  and triple their birth weight by 1 year.
• tip: "dessert trick".  after feed, change diaper, swaddle baby, then bf baby for a few minutes to top her off.  then pick her up and "shush" baby with rhythmic movements into a deep sleep. deep sleep may take 15-20 min. this is a great thing for dads to do.
• tip: place a heating pad in the crib to keep the sheets warm.  once baby is ready to be put down, remove the heating pad before laying down baby.
• tip: the foundation of getting a good milk supply is simply to put the baby to breast a lot for the first 2 months of life.
• tip: set up a bfing station at home: glider w/ ottoman, water, phone/ipad, nipple cream, and bfing pillow.
• you can expect to bf 8-12 times in a 24hr period. continue to take your prenatal vitamins, and drink lots of water
• it is ok to drink 1 glass of wine and bf baby!  it is only when you are drinking multiple glasses and drinks that you need to pump and dump.

wowzers, that was a long post!  the class went into more information and details, but i figured this is a good place to start.  once gabriella is here, i'll be posting a lot of information of what i'm doing, she's doing, tips/tricks i'm learning, and schedules.  i'm hoping this will help you with your own newborn.  oh, and if you've got some things you'd like to share, please do so!!!