(Many of these 'tips' will work for any size mom, baby, & breasts but its from my perspective and the only perspective I've ever had is plus size breastfeeding) As I like to do, this post is link heavy.
"When we trust the makers of baby formula more than we do our own ability to nourish our babies, we lose a chance to claim an aspect of our power as women. Thinking that baby formula is as good as breast milk is believing that thirty years of technology is superior to three million years of nature's evolution. Countless women have regained trust in their bodies through nursing their children, even if they weren't sure at first that they could do it. It is an act of female power, and I think of it as feminism in its purest form."
----- Christine Northrup M.D.
----- Christine Northrup M.D.
1. YOU CAN DO IT!! Repeat after me - you can feed your baby the way God intended!
You don't really have more milk ducts you just have more breast tissue. Don't fret about your anatomy all that much. On the flip side don't let people act like you should obviously be a breast feeding champ because they are big... that has nothing to do with it and may even make things harder.
*Your milk might take 24-36 hours more to come in than smaller chested moms - but this was not the case for me.
2. Get a really good nursing bra. After five babies and countless nursing bras this is my personal favorite. I got it in a batch I bought used off of ebay. (That's a good place while pinching pennies - Like I've said before many, many moms give up on breastfeeding but they've bought 4-8 nursing bras at $40 a pop - know what they do with them?? yup.. ebay - just wash on super, duper hot with some bleach and you're good to go - no different than that birthing gown at the hospital you wore that so did thousands of other moms with their "juices" see previous link where I blogged about that topic too.)
Anyway back to my favorite nursing bra features:
*NO underwire. Maybe when you are very well past engorgement and establishing breastfeeding you can go to an underwire nursing bra but just be very, very careful. Your milk ducts can go as far as into your armpit and engorgement can cause your lymph nodes to swell (to the size of marbles if you're me). If you have an underwire digging in: HELLO clogged milk ducts followed by mastitis maybe even accompanied by a raging 103 degree fever. All from personal experience here.
*Soft breathable material. Or HELLO thrush. Avoid too much lace with 12 times a day of tugging on it the lace will rip. It will no matter how much you paid for the bra. Trust me.
* Wide-ish shoulder straps, not so much that it feels like your purse on each shoulder. But us gals with the big bags can't have no spaghetti straps holding us up.
*One-click flap: If there is one thing that drives me mad on a nursing bra is a small hook like what's on the back of the bra - that is almost impossible to latch with one hand also hard with both hands if the baby is still in your arms.
Here she is isn't she a beaut? comes up to 46 DDD and this model is decidedly not plus size but that's cool:
$20 for two - need to order online for plus sizes - unless your walmart is cooler than mine!
** lets talk about those who swear by the "no need to buy a nursing bra just stretch your regular bra or get a sports bra. Well for one thing if you really have a plus size chest there is no "just stretch your regular bra" unless your regular bra does not fit you very well. And as for the sports bra you have two options, pull it down then you have it stretched to kingdom come by week 2 postpartum or pull it up and it chokes you while you feed the baby and digs in - Hello clogged duct again.
3. Nursing clothes. These you don't really need. Just stick with pants and shirt and skirts and shirts - you may need to skip on dresses for a while, Though I still wear them sometimes and just hike up my entire dress in the mother's lounge at church if my baby blanket is big enough to cover me. Wrap dresses are great too!
4. Take the whole boob out. All of it -lift and place it out of the nursing bra, especially in the beginning.
This is the part where you need to be comfortable with your body. Be at one with your breasts, fat rolls, etc. Handle your body - just letting your nipple poke out is not good. Picture your breast as an icing bag. Imagine it being crimped in the slightest in one area. Things will eventually get all lopsided and even twisted. That will happen if your breast is constricted in anyway by the bra. A clogged duct/ breast infections pops up faster than a zit on prom night. Give your breast freedom when feeding your baby. you can be covered for modesty - but covered is different from constricted.
5. Bring the baby to the breast not the breast to the baby. This one took me a while to learn. I was so desperate for Benjamin to nurse that I would get into any contorted position and stay there if he happened to latch. Then I'd be in some crazy bent forward, arm crooked spot for 20-30 minutes and was barely able to move from the back cramps afterwards. So get completely comfortable yourself! Then bring the baby right up to you. If you get in a twisted sister position break the latch and start over again!!
GET COMFORTABLE. Get lots of pillows - position them where you need them. Breastfeeding pillows may or may not help depending on your particular shape but if they help great.
My best trick for getting comfy and ready is a rolled up hand towel under the breast that I am feeding on. It puts my breast in a better position and keeps me from having to hold myself up and strain my back.
6. Yes it will hurt. But no it should not really hurt. This is a tough one to explain. If you are experiencing pain when your baby latches something is not right. That is a true statement. But after 5 I can tell you that the first 10-20 seconds of a baby latching for about the first six weeks JUST SUCKS (literally & figuratively) Its like your breasts aren't really ready for a baby to be hoovering them and the baby on the other hand has practiced nothing but sucking in utero.. so what I do is this: My baby goes on and I tap my foot rather forcefully to the count of 10, If its still hurts like hell I break them off and we start over. Those 10 seconds are hell, but after that I find the nipple finds where it should be in baby's mouth and its stops hurting all together. (This could be because I have flat nipples...)
7. Flat nipples. Lots of plus size moms seem to have this problem. I don't know if its because extra fat tissue fills out the areola and what would normaly stick out for the baby to latch on to is now spherical in nature. But here are my tips for flat nipples:
- DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY ANY ARTIFICIAL NIPPLE. That means bottles, pacis of any type or even your finger if you can help it. Not until breastfeeding is very, very established. Print a index size card saying this request and have dad stick it to the bassinet if you are delivering at a hospital. The baby of a flat nippled mom has to work to breastfeed - there is not really anything to just "stick" into their mouth. They have to suck it in and be awake and motivated enough to do so. One bout on a a pacifier and you could be working extra hard on breastfeeding for another few weeks. ( now I am not against them later when you feel completely comfortable with BF'ing.)
- You should not by practice pinch any area of your breast while your baby is breastfeeding but if you are flat nippled you may have to. You can pinch up some of your nipple to get your baby interested, tickle their face and lips with it and have something to put into the mouth, if you have a latch ease off of your pinch (remember you don't want clogged ducts)
-You may need to play with your nipples to get them up and out or better yet pump for about 30 secs to 2 minutes and then they may be in the perfect shape for a latch.
- Some mom's swear by nipple shields but I have no experience with them.
8. Your body is not broken. You will not drown, or suffocate your baby. Don't be overly self concious or worried about your baby's nose, they will adjust to breathe. Just work to get as much nip in their mouth as possible and they will figure out the rest!
9. Don't give up!! Even if you started bottles, pacis, and formula keep at it! Its so very worth it. Even if your milk has dried up you can still put your baby to the breast - nutrition is only one purpose of nursing its not the only one. If you want to nurse for comfort only go for it!
10. If you feel a clogged duct coming on - increase nursing on that side, massage the clogged area when nursing and pump till empty if needed once every 24 hours. Have a good breast pump that has adjustable nipple sizes. Stay away from home remedies like cabbage leaves - they can dry up your supply.
....
Any other advice moms of the ample chest?
Any questions?
I'm sure I'll think of more later!
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