10/12/11

Last night my husband took another great class through Ministry Health Care at Ministry Saint Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point. I learned about the Breastfeeding class at the open house for the new Women and Infant Center from the Lactation Consultant who teaches it.

I have to admit as natural a thing as it is, breastfeeding is one of the things I am most nervous about. I have so many friends who have struggled or are struggling with it. Some don't produce enough milk to keep up, some get infections and some just say it hurts too much for them to stick with it. I have to tell you that I am so glad I took this class because I learned that if my friends had taken it they probably wouldn't have these problems and would've been successful at it.

This class taught us that in order to produce more milk you need to feed more. Which doesn't really seem to make sense until a Lactation Consultant explains it. To avoid infections you need to take good care of your breasts by trying to avoid engorgement and put cabbage leaves in your bra. I'm not sure I dig the cabbage thing, I don't really want to walk around smelling like coleslaw, but I guess if it works it works. For those who complain that it hurts too much they just haven't mastered latching on. Which is honestly much more complicated than I ever expected, but not difficult. 

We learned all the different feeding positions which is important because you really should mix them up to avoid breast discomfort. We learned how often to feed. How long milk can be stored. We learned about breast pumps and rules for working moms at offices of 50 employees or more. 

The class was extremely educational and I am much more confident that I can do this. I want to make the best choices for our baby and Josh is so supportive of my decision he attended the class with me. It didn't pertain much to him, but there were some suggestions for the support person which I think he found helpful.

I know I can do this, but if I have problems I also know that I can call the Lactation Consultant at Ministry Saint Michael's Hospital for help. 

Did you have problems breastfeeding? How long did you stick with it?