Realistic Ways to Achieve Your Nursing Goals

Whether you are a first time mom or welcoming baby #3 into the world, these tips will help you achieve your nursing goals.

Time and patience:

Dedicate your time establishing a nursing relationship. Push the house work to the side and lean on family and friends to help with meals and chores. If you don’t have family that lives close by, reach out to a local church. They are always willing to lend a helping hand when a new life enters the world.

Nursing Essentials:

These 3 essentials are absolutely necessary for your body to make enough milk for your baby. You must, on a regular schedule; eat healthy foods, drink LOTS of water, and get plenty of sleep. If you do not supply yourself with these key essentials, your body will not be able to provide the milk your baby needs.

Stay away from processed foods and stay as close to the source of your food as possible. For example, instead of having a can of pears, have a fresh pear.

Keep a water bottle full and by your side throughout the day and night. Since your baby will not have a sleeping pattern just yet, you will need to make sure you can get the hydration you need at any time of the day or night.

Sleep! I know that at times it seems impossible to catch any Z’s with a newborn under your roof. The best advice I can give you is to sleep when your baby sleeps. If there are older children in the home, do your best to arrange nap time, or just down time, so everyone can at least squeeze a cat nap in. Pop in a favorite movie or turn on a favorite show to help your kids wind down.

Determination:

Your attitude towards nursing your baby can make or break your goals. There will always be a reason to stop nursing. Dismiss negative thoughts quickly and replace them with positive thoughts pertaining to your goals. You have to become determined that this is how you want to feed your child, and no matter what, it is going to happen. Don’t let a bad moment or day deter you from falling short of those goals. Take pride and become set in the fact that you will make this happen.

Nurse on demand:

In the beginning you should nurse your baby as much as she wants to feed. Establishing a relationship takes time and practice. If you put the time in, the schedule will follow when your baby is 4-6 weeks old.

Nursing supplies:

Here are some supplies that can help alleviate some of the discomforts you will experience.

Gia Nursing Pillow – Helps find the most comfortable nursing positions

Medela Harmony Manual Pump – Use this pump when you become engorged

Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter – Relieves sore nipples

Nursing Pads – Prevents leaks

Little Remedies Gas Drops – Use these drops when your baby has tummy troubles

Nursing can be very challenging. Feelings and emotions can overwhelm a new mother quickly. Prepare yourself. You will experience elation, joy, pain, and a magnitude of other emotions during this precious time in your life. If you have a difficult time nursing your baby, always remember that you are the only person in this WHOLE world who can love, comfort, and feed her the way you can. You are everything your baby needs! What have you found to be helpful while nursing?