I had my first child in 2003. I was so proud of myself for delivering pretty good for a first time delivery and my one goal was to nurse him after he was born. Well, sorry to say but after having kids you realize that nothing will go your way again.

After my son was born he cried for about 3 seconds and was done BUT he wasn't hungry in the least. He was more interested in learning his new surroundings. I tried to nurse him for the first 3 hours I had him and it was a no go. I kept trying to nurse him and since I couldn't get it right away I had the nurses also giving him a little formula to make sure he wasn't hungry or dehydrated.

The day of or the day before we were to leave the hospital I finally got help from a Lactation Consultant. They came right out and said, "Look, it's not easy and it will take a while for you to get in sync with each other. Remember just to take it easy." While I was learning we found out that his palate wasn't down far enough (which I think is normal) so they had us do this thing that while I'm getting my breasts ready to nurse my husband is taking a little of the formula and putting it on his pinky finger and have our son suck on the finger. It teaches him how to suck and also help bring the palate down.

I tried many different positions to get him to latch on, which by the way is the hardest part of nursing, and found that the football position was the best for us. A few weeks later I found my breasts were getting hard, swollen, and huge, so we all go back in for another consultation and found out that I was on the verge of mastitis. Mastitis is when the milk ducts in the breast become inflamed from not being able to get out all the old milk you will know when that happens. At the appointment we go over what I had done in the hospital and found out that I still was having problems with him latching and staying on and getting all the milk out. So we spent the next hour going over how to get him latched, the best hour and $50 ever spent. While we are the appointment with her she also tells me that I probably should rent a hospital grade breast pump so that way if I can't get him on that I can still get the milk out and not have problems.

Now I will advise you that I AM NOT a doctor so if you feel any symptoms of mastitis you need to seek medical help ASAP and they will tell you how to treat it according to you, what I'm about to write was told to me by a licensed Lactation consultant and was written out for me. Since I did seek help they gave me some good pointers on how to make it easier to get him to feed.

Like I said I was on the verge of mastitis but luckily didn't need antibiotics, so one of the things was take a very warm shower or soak your breasts in a sink with warm water for however many minutes and massage accordingly to help get the breasts soft. If your breasts are engorged the baby won't be able to latch on because the nipple area becomes smaller, you may need to pump some out before hand just to make sure the breasts aren't too full. You can do this whether or not you have mastitis, it does make it easier for everyone. When he finally does latch on he/she may or may not be hungry. Either way after he/she is done feeding pump, that way all the milk is out and you can start producing for the next feeding.

If you want your milk supply to go up you CAN try some of these methods but it's NOT a guarantee that it will work. Make sure to eat well rounded meals and have a healthy snack in between meals. Stay hydrated and rest when you can. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR PRENATAL VITAMIN WHILE NURSING. You have to remember that if you are nursing that you are burn a lot of calories which does help you to lose weight but you still have to make sure you eat well and healthy. Try not to take medicines (legal or illegal), alcohol, or smoke. Remember that what you do to yourself WILL go to the baby when they eat. Also, if you plan on taking any birth control, even the kind "made for nursing moms" it can still reduce your milk supply.

It does take time just stay calm and hopefully you are able to do nurse. It's best do it for at least seven months.

Now, I have another side of nursing that isn't nearly as nice. I had my second child in 2005. And in general this last birth was very difficult and so did the situation as a whole.

When my daughter was born she wanted to nurse and cuddle with me right after she was born. I wasn't able to do either because of the hard labor I had. The delivery nurse and my husband are telling me I have to nurse. I yell back at them like a mom who just delivered that I can't because my arms are to weak and I'll drop her.

I hated dealing with this hospital after my delivery and it just kept getting worse. Half a day after I delivered my daughter I'm now ready to start breast feeding and call for the lactation consultant. Be forewarned that nursing your second child will hurt almost as much as delivering him/her.

The consultant comes in and I'm already stressed and she's not very nice and make no attempts to get me to feel at ease around her. I kept telling her that I only need help with latching and I already know that I need to use the football position. She thinks she trying to help but she's making it more difficult and frustrating. To add to the situation she doesn't even listen to me so I just give up and have her leave.

When I get home I'm able to breastfeed a little easier because I'm comfortable at home and at ease (for a little while). Now if you have a lot of stress in your life, it will be very difficult to nurse. I found that one out the hard way and was never able to recover from it but  I did learn what not to do.

My nursing days were numbered. Just after my daughter was born our lives are pushed into overdrive with stress of my husband being transferred (we won't go into those details) and we stay behind. After my husband leaves my son won't leave me alone to feed my daughter and that stresses me out because he's getting into everything and won't let her focus on eating.

I'm getting so upset with everything that I just don't know what to do and the stress is taking a toll on my health. I start having gall bladder attacks and really not being able to nurse. I try everything to get my supply up, I pump every two hours, I drink the herbal tea for nursing moms, and take prenatal vitamins, and drink tons of water. Nothing worked and I wasn't able to nurse her past two months.

I have done everything I could think of to salvage my nursing nerves even so much as to move to California to be with the husband I never got to see. Nothing worked so she had to be on formula from two months on.
If you aren't able to nurse, please don't beat yourself up. I did that and believe me it doesn't work and it just adds to the stress in the family. If you are able to nurse, be proud of yourself. Either way, if you tried that all you can do that's giving it your best. Don't let anyone ever talk down to you about nursing. It's your decision and you don't need to defend yourself for it.

So, hopefully you are able to try it and it works for you. Try some of the tips to try to make it easier. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it, that's what the lactation consultants are there for. If you're not comfortable with one, then try a different person until you mesh with her. Do try to buy or rent a breast pump, it does help simplify your life. Remember that nursing does not come easy and you both have to work with each other for it.

A breast pump does help with nursing, also if you don't feel like getting up to nurse, you can have a bottle ready and ask your husband to feed him/her once in a while. Nursing is a bonding time and you need to find a comfortable quiet place to do it. Remember to drink plenty of water and eat healthy meals and snacks to keep your calories in check.

I know that it is frustrating whether it's your first or fifth child but you should at least try because it's for the health of your baby. Just give it time and remember that if it's getting hard there is always help some where and it will help.

Hope this helps with your nursing and you and your baby are able to have fun with it!