31w+0d: Breastfeeding Class Experience

I've been really into researching breastfeeding and being "ready" for breastfeeding. I really want breastfeeding to work. Before I was pregnant, I wasn't sure I would want to breastfeed. I know formula and I know how to make formula feeding work. Breastfeeding was a bit of a mystery and very intimidating as well.

I really enjoyed the breastfeeding class! A lactation consultant ran it and I really liked her. I took her card, just in case I want to use her in the future. She was very knowledgeable and you can tell that she loves what she does.

Most of what was covered in the class, I had already read about on forums or blogs. Nothing terribly new. The one thing that I didn't really know about was when and why new babies cluster feed. This is really good information. Also, I liked that we went over the "signs" to watch out for if baby isn't getting enough breast milk. Going over the latch was also very useful.

Here is the booklet that we went over: 


I am very excited about breastfeeding. I feel as prepared as I can be at this point. I'm glad I have a resource if I need assistance. There are also weekly lactation support groups, which I think I'm going to take advantage of once baby boy is here. 

The other really helpful thing that she went over is when to start pumping if you're going back to work, what type of nipple to use on the bottle, and when to introduce a bottle. 

Breastfeeding is a pretty amazing thing when you think about it. It's crazy what a woman's body does during pregnancy and how the woman's body adjusts to nourish a baby. 

My insurance covers a breast pump and that's where I'm at a bit of a stand-still. There are so many options, but I'm really stuck on the top 2 options: Medela and Spectrum S2. Everyone has different experiences with these pumps and there's no way to really know which would work best for me. I'm going to make a call into my insurance and see if they cover "renting" a hospital grade breast pump. If they don't, I'll make a choice between the Medela and Spectrum. 

It's funny, there's so much to breastfeeding: 
  • Just getting started -- getting the latch right. Getting your supply up. 
  • Learning to breastfeed in public. From clothing options to comfort to even State Laws/Protections on breastfeeding. 
  • How to store breast milk. 
  • All the supplies you need for pumping. 
  • Going back to work and pumping supplies you'll need. How often to pump, how much you need to pump, etc. 
  • Managing daycare and supply. 

It's like a whole new world! I'm probably over thinking it, but right now all I can do is try to plan for things as best as I could. Luckily, I have the daycare and work pumping figured out. Just need to figure out the breast pump. Just hoping all goes well with getting started and that I learn to breastfeed in public comfortably.

I hope I'm able to manage blogging post-baby, so I can track how things go with breastfeeding. Will see! 

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