Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post.
My oldest child will turn 5 tomorrow.
Five years ago I was a fumbling breastfeeding mess. My milk didn’t arrive until 5 days after her birth.
I can remember taking a bath and looking at myself and just sobbing.
“Milk? Where are you?” I asked my body.
But I was determined to breastfeed my child–no matter how hard it was.
Fast forward five years and I’ve now breastfed 3 children for a total of 50 months. We practice self-weaning in our house, and that was at 22 months for Little Girl, 18 months for Toddler Girl, and Baby Girl is still going strong on mostly breast milk at 9 months.
The journey hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been very, very rewarding. And breastfeeding is now one of the topics about which I am the most passionate!
I launched this site two years ago last month.
My first series on the site was about breastfeeding. I had always read to “write what you know,” and by that point I had already been consistently breastfeeding for well over two years, and it felt like I had lived and breathed it.
Two years later, and I’ve learned so, so much more that I want to share.
I know I can’t be the only mother who has ever sobbed over her own breasts asking the milk to come in.
So I’m here to help–and to encourage.
Image by Pusteblumenland
Today I’m launching a new weekly series: Breast-Kept Secrets.
This series will run every Tuesday for the next few months. I thought about running the series on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, but since we have such a varied audience, I didn’t want to bore those of you who are long past the breastfeeding stage!
However, I do hope that those of you past this stage will come to the site once in a while and weigh in on the discussion questions (and on Facebook as well!).
I titled this series “Breast-Kept Secrets: Breastfeeding Advice from One Mom to Another” for a reason. The very best breastfeeding advice often comes among friends, and I know the breastfeeding moms in our community will appreciate any wisdom you have to share!
Among other things, this series will cover:
- Homemade Lactation Cookies
- 5 Reasons Why You Should Breastfeed
- The Best Breastfeeding Advice Ever (that a friend gave me in the beginning!)
- Preparing to Breastfeed While Pregnant
- The Breast Crawl: An Ideal Start to Mommy-Baby Bonding
- The First Two Weeks of Breastfeeding
- 5 Amazing Benefits of Colostrum
- Breastfeeding a Baby with Thrush
- Facing Opposition While Breastfeeding
- Pumping Breastmilk and Breastfeeding as a Working Mom
- When Your Baby Refuses to Breastfeed: Nursing Strikes
- Preventing and Treating Mastitis
- Extended Breastfeeding and Child-led Weaning
- Dealing with Sore Nipples While Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding a Baby with a Posterior Tongue Tie
- Breastfeeding a Baby with Food Allergies
- How to Determine if a Breastfed Baby has Food Allergies
- Milk Sharing
- How to Bring Milk In
- Why You Should Wake a Sleeping Baby–to Nurse
- Breast Shields, Breast Pads and Nursing Bras…Oh My!
- Breastfeeding Resources
- Co-sleeping and Breastfeeding
- and more!
Already struggling and ready to get a jump start on breastfeeding advice? I recommend the following books:
The Nursing Mother’s Companion
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Breast to Bib (also covers toddler feeding)
First Bites(also covers toddler feeding)
Breastfeeding Simply (written by a lactation consultant!), Breast to Bib and First Bites are three of 35+ eBooks included in this week’s Natural Mothering eBook Bundle!
By themselves, they would cost $42 ($25 alone for Breastfeeding Simply!!), but for this week only they are $29.97 along with an assortment of other eBooks–PLUS over $200 worth of freebies (including a FREE Luna pad!!).
Read more about what’s included in the Natural Mothering eBook Bundle here.
I can’t wait to delve into the topic of breastfeeding with all of you next Tuesday!
What are some of your breastfeeding questions? Are you currently breastfeeding? Did you breastfeed in the past? What are some of your biggest breastfeeding challenges?
We love our sponsors:
Plan to Eat: Simple Meal Planning, Made Easy
Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post.
Stephanie Blue
Love this idea! My kids are nearly 9 and 13 so my nursing days are long over but I am passionate about breastfeeding. I had so many nursing struggles and it was my new mama friends at LLL who encouraged me and supported me. My kids also self-weaned, at 3 and 4. Were it not for my online and real life natural mama communities, I would not have made it past a few weeks. So, yeah for this series!
I struggled like crazy with my first and overcame just about every beeastfeeding challenge imaginable: nipple shields, thrush, mastitis, low weight gain, pumping for 5 months, poor latch, SNS, etc. If you are interested, I’d love to do a gurst post on dealing with thrush. 🙂
Looking forward to sharing this with my new mama friends.
Erin
Thank you so much for weighing in! I find with each new baby I face new breastfeeding challenges! With my 3rd I faced a posterior tongue tie for the first time!
I would love to consider a guest post! Can you email me at thehumbledhomemaker at gmail dot com?
Catie
Looking forward to this! 🙂 I’m expecting our third baby in Sept. I nursed both our girls until 16 months and 22 months. We had A LOT of struggles and I think what it comes down to is one’s commitment to breastfeeding. You HAVE to be committed or it just won’t work.
It’s such a wonderful thing to be able to give your child. And women could definitely use more encouragement and help in this area. 🙂
Erin
Yes–I think commitment and determination are KEY!
Kelly
What perfect timing! I’m 6 months pregnant with my first baby, so I’m all ears to any advice I can get. I think my biggest concern is continuing to breastfeed after I return to my job as a teacher and finding enough time to pump at work. Looking forward to reading this series!
Erin
I pumped at my job as a teacher with my first! It’s a challenge but definitely doable! Congrats!!!
Laura Weymouth
I’m so looking forward to this series, Erin! My first will be a year on the 21st and still LOVES to nurse. I wonder if you would consider running an entry on nursing through a breast injury? When my girl was about five months old we were in a car accident and probably a third of the milk ducts in one of my breasts were totally crushed. We made it through and she still feeds super well on both sides, but it was a trial and error process–there’s no information that I could find on the subject. It would be great to hear someone weigh in on that! Especially because I’ve since found out that breast injuries due to seatbelt straps are fairly common in women.
Erin
Wow–are you interested in guest posting?
Laura Weymouth
Sure! Let me know what you’ll need from me and when. My email is lauraweymouth at hotmail dot com.
Erin
Thanks!
Stephanie Blue
I had a breast lump removed and that breast no longer produced milk. So, with my second, I nursed solely on one breast. And I have the slightly lop-side breasts to prove it. 🙂 the human body is really amazing in how it compensates. Great idea for a post, for sure.
Erin
Wow! That would be a great post in and of itself as well!!
Talina
Looking forward to this as well! My baby is now 4 months old and we have already had to leap over many hurdles. Who knew that something so natural could be so difficult at times?
I am SO VERY thankful for the women in my life who helped to educate me. One week postpartum I got a breast infection due to blocked ducts and I really had no idea what to do with blocked ducts. I kept of battling with them over and over and finally my infection turned to an abscess. It hurt and I cried and cried. I kept putting her on the breast because I was not willing to give up. My midwife said I needed to go to the hospital and so I did. There a surgeon said he would need to surgically drain it and that I would NEVER be able to breast feed again. I cried again…or sobbed. I knew in my heart that I could’t give up. So I let him proceed. He was cold and harsh and used no numbing agent. I felt defeated. With my one month old babe in my arms I went home.
The next day the abscess had only come back bigger, but I knew I could not go back. So I asked to be referred to a breast feeding friendly surgeon. We traveled to another hospital and the surgeon was gentle and encouraged me to keep breast feeding!
The days and weeks ahead were not easy! He had to cut my breast open over the abscess and leave it open and packed. Every day a nurse had to come and repack it. I cried out in pain once again, but each day it got easier to manage. There is something very alarming about being able to peer inside your own body, I think I struggled with the thought of it more than anything else! I was a milky mess with two places to leak from now.
I am proud of myself for not giving up. I did it! I persevered and for that I am so thankful. My baby is 4 months now and still nursing strong. What a blessing!
Erin
Oh my goodness–you deserve a major award for going through all that! Good for you for sticking with it!
Mandy
My LO will be 14 months old in a week. He nursed great up until a week and a half ago and he stopped suddenly for seemingly no reason. I am struggling to try and get him started back but its very difficult. I work full time and pump during the day. I am also having to cut back pumping sessions at work because my 1 year is quickly coming to a close. I will only be able to pump once a day at work during my lunch break and I have cried myself to sleep a few times this past week thinking its over before I was ready. I am trying to stay positive and just keep offering at night hoping he will eventually start nursing again. I think he has 1 year molars coming in so I pray once the pain and frustration with those is over he will nurse again. Here’s praying!!
Erin
Oh I feel your pain…weaning is so hard! How is he doing today? If you keep on trying and he still refuses, could you pump once more at home and still give him your milk in a bottle?
Mandy
I am still pumping and still offering but he is still refusing. 🙁 I will snuggle with his head on my chest at least. I am going to keep trying for a few more weeks and if he still keeps refusing I guess I will just need to stop and just keep pumping til I am ready to wean. I was just trying to make it til this fall. 🙁 Praying that something will change and he will come back to it. If not, I don’t know what. I guess I will face one hurdle at a time. So glad I found your blog!
Mandy
I mean he will snuggle with his head on my chest. 🙂
Tracy
You might want to smell your milk. Sounds weird I know but there is an enzyme in your milk that helps breakdown milk fats. When milk cools after pumping the enzyme starts to breakdown and it can make the milk smell metallic or rancid. The enzyme is usually only noticeably present as the child gets older or if you are working out. This will NOT hurt your baby but they don’t care for the taste/smell. Straight from the breast of course it is not a problem because the milk is still warm. To solve the problem scald your milk right away after you pump and then refrigerate/freeze it. To scald put in a pan and as soon as you see tiny bubbles around the outside turn off the heat. Do not get to a boil. I know, ‘you will kill off all the goodies in breastmilk,’ even scalded breast milk is still vauable stuff for your babe and still light years away from formula. Hope this helps, btw I have six children and have nursed for 98 months total of course. Haha.
Havilah D
Hi!
I am currently nursing my 19 month old daughter. I have IGT/cronic low supply and nursed with an SNS for 18m and pumped 4-8 times a day for 12m. My milk came in only in drops and the most I ever made was 2oz at a feeding. My baby received all her feedings at breast (save for some finger feeding in the beginning). I nursed through baby in the NICU, six months of baby colic, three bouts of thrush and chronic low supply. I even mastered the SNS when nursing in public and it was un-noticeable. I have used donor milk from amazing moms in my community and will be forever great full. I have learned so much and would love to share a guest post on breastfeeding with an sns and donor milk if you would like. Blessings!
Havilah
Erin
What a neat story! I am SUPER interested in a guest post!! Can you email me at thehumbledhomemaker at gmail dot com with your info? Thanks!
Siné
I am so glad to see milk sharing on your list of topics. Milk sharing was a life saver for my son when my supply tanked when I was pregnant with my daughter. A lot of people don’t even know that milk sharing is an option.
Erin
I’m super excited to write about it! I shared with a friend with low supply when I had my first.
Nikki
Love this idea for a series!! I’ve been thinking of writing something similar on my blog. I have one child and she has been breastfeeding for almost 30 months now. I am VERY passionate about breastfeeding and educating about it! Can’t wait to read every week ( :
Erin
I’ll be looking for you in the comments, Nikki! It’s fun to meet other mamas passionate about breastfeeding!
Christy S
Sounds great! I’m now nursing my 6 week old with my toddler running around and it’s definitely a challenge to balance both of their needs! Any ideas on how to do that would be great. Even though I’ve done this once before it’s still hard having to spend so much time nursing! (I do demand/cue feeding with my babies.) Looking forward to this series!
Erin
I have so been there! I found that we just had to learn how to sit–a lot! lol I also learned to do all kind of stuff while carrying her around nursing her! Congrats on the new baby!
Christina
Really looks forward to this! I’m due with my 1.st child at th 18.th of june, so this was a real good timing =) I’ve already read a whole lot and watched educational movies about breastfeeding, I REALLY want to make it work, but I can imagine getting advise from other mamas is probably the bes way to learn – gonna read every single article ! =D And by the way, thanks for a great blog, it has inspired me a lot, in these days of preparing for a stay-at-home-mommy-life with all its joys and difficulities. I bougth the e-book boundle about natural mothering just now, and I most say ALL the books are so interesting to me – My huspand and I struggled with infertility for 5 years without any diagnosis, and I really belive in nutrition mm as fertility-tratment. I also plan on using cloth-diapers, so I’m exited about your book as well! 🙂 Keep up the good work and God BLESS you !
Erin
Oh my goodness–CONGRATS!! I will be looking for you on here during our Tuesday series. Let us know when the baby arrives, OK? I wish I had had the Natural Mothering bundle when I was a new mom. Hope you learn a lot!
Kristen
I really need tips on how to breastfeed and pump to get a supply for going back to work in 6 weeks. Please help I don’t want to stop breastfeeding but can’t get the pumping figured out… My baby will be 4 months when I go back to work.
Erin
We will definitely cover this…and I went through it. 4 months is plenty of time. Can you tell me what kind of pump you are using?
anna martinyuk
wow this topic is totally perfect timing! I’ve been nursing for 5 months now with my 3rd and all of a sudden I noticed how drastically low my milk supply was. I don’t even know what could be the reason. I used to have about 5ounces from both breasts now its barely 2ounces! I started pumping in between feedings (I have a great medela pump) but that hasn’t seemed to be of much help. I’m starting to have thoughts that maybe my milk is going bye bye for good so I should just start supplementing but I SO DON’T WANT TO! I would do anything to bring my milk supply back up! Can’t wait to start reading some advice!
Erin
Are you sure it’s dropping? Does your baby seem hungry? After a few months, you will often lose the feeling of letdown and the pump doesn’t get out as much milk as the baby. Be encouraged! As long as you are nursing frequently, your body should continue to make milk!
Tracy
Try eating some lactogenic foods like oatmeal, spinach, salmon, papaya, apricots, carrots, hummus, asparagus, brown rice, and water (don’t over do it on water, at one time I felt the same way so I drank massive amounts of water and it actually had a negative affect on my milk supply.). Good luck and you are an awesome mom for breast feeding your baby!
Stacey Carter
Formula fed the first one, and going to try bf with our second-30w pg.
Your name came to mind, ah, this is God-sent-perfect-timing! 🙂
Erin
Oh I am so excited you will have the baby during the course of this series! Congrats…and I hope we can help!!
Em Prata
I wish I had found this part of your blog sooner! SO MUCH GOOD STUFF!
Kinda just want to roll around in all the information, like Scrooge McDuck did with his vault of coins. Haha!
The more I read, the more I breathe a sigh of relief that someone else out there had the same thoughts.
Helena
Currently 26 weeks pregnant with my second and really looking forward to this! Nursing was relatively easy with my first although she self-weaned at 10 months. No sore nipples and one relatively mild case of mastitis (the viral kind so we just nursed through it) throughout the entire time. It was just baby and I with #1 as Daddy was deployed to Iraq but this time around Daddy will be home and we have an 8 year old now too. Curious to see what advice you have to help allow Daddy and big sister to participate in feeding AND help me get set up to go back to work at about the 10-12 week mark. 🙂