3 Brilliant Breastfeeding Benefits of Breast Shells

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In the hospital, one of the nurses mentioned breast shells to help with baby's latching issues. Once home, I ordered some (I looked in a few stores and it seems nobody stocks them).

I was pleasantly surprised to find their benefits are threefold:

1) If you have inverted / small nipples, it will help make them "protrude" a bit more to make an easier latch for baby

2) Allow the nipples to air out and protect them from friction against your bra

3) Help contain the milk that trickles out on the opposite breast during feeding or pumping (a good alternative to the disposable breast pads). You can use the milk (safe to drink only if you store it immediately)

*One bad thing about these is I didn't feel comfortable going out in public with them because, well... they didn't look normal. Kind of pointy, like they were designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier.

9 Useful Breastfeeding Products, Resources and Tips

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You see moms in the mall nursing their babies and it looks like the easiest, most natural thing ever. I never even put any thought into it until I was pregnant. That was when I heard how challenging nursing could be. I didn't know what I could do to prepare myself for it, and maybe there isn't. There are classes, books etc., but maybe it's a case of "learning by doing" and it's easier for some than others.

Did you know that high-pitched sounds (like a crying baby) can make your milk leak? Or that when you feed or pump on one side, you leak out the other? I didn't, until discovering spots on my shirt! Also the shower can bring on the waterworks... What surprised you about breastfeeding? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

1. Breastfeeding Classes, Organizations & Online Resources 
I remember telling a non-mother about how difficult it was and she said "yeah, I heard of a lot of moms here having trouble, but I've never heard of women back home in Venezuela having issues". That's probably because until you're actually going through it yourself, you don't seem hear about it. Breastfeeding issues happen across the globe - in fact there's an international organization called "La Leche League" built up around the subject.

In hindsight I definitely should have signed up for a breastfeeding class while I was pregnant. I'm sure they inform you about difficulties that can arise, how you can avoid / recover from them and tell you all about the helpful products out there. Most hospitals with Delivery Rooms probably offer breastfeeding classes for expectant mothers, and many also offer post-partum lactation support groups.

2. Get Rest & Focus on Breastfeeding!
If you could, I'd recommend to spend the first few weeks in bed trying to nurse pretty much 24-7. Don't try to get up, cook, clean, do laundry, play hostess to company. You can do that in later weeks/months. You only have a short window of time to get the breastfeeding established. The added bonus is that, if you're in bed, hopefully visitors will feel awkward about staying too long! 

3. Breast Shells & Nipple Shields for the Super Breastfeeder!
The nurses in the hospital kept saying that they were going to bring me breast shells because my baby was not able to successfully latch on, but they forgot about me. This is where that birth coach would have come in handy!

One lactation consultant recommended I get a nipple shield (not to be confused with the above mentioned breast shells!) as well for the latching problems, so I did, and it worked. It was also good for avoiding soreness.

4. Some Sort of Nipple Ointment
Because nipples can get quite sore from all those failed attempts to latch properly! After having baby number two, I found out about APNO (All Purpose Nipple Ointment), which worked much better than any other cream, salve or ointment I tried. Sorry, I don't have a link to it, because you have to get a prescription from your OB! Warning: it's expensive. I think I spent $75 for the smallest tube (I should add I haven't used it up yet after almost 8 months, because you only need it in the newborn stage. Possibly you'll use a little bit of it later if you're unlucky enough to be suffering from blocked milk ducts, mastitis or owning a Medela Pump in Style).

People swear by Lanolin ointment but it has done nothing for me. Try it, can't hurt! Your hospital may give you free samples in the recovery room. 

I was optimistic about Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple balm, since I found their other balm to be a gift from heaven, but I was mildly disappointed the "Earth... Nipple Balm" wasn't a miracle cream - it wasn't much better (except in ease of applying it) than Lanolin (I found Lanolin to be very thick, difficult to even squeeze out of the tube). 
I've hear of people using coconut oil, too. 

5. Nursing Bras
If you're staying at home most of the time, I found that I didn't need too many nursing bras with underwire. The most comfortable and convenient thing is regular Hanes cotton sports bras and nursing tanks. The stretchy spandex sports bras I used to wear to the gym made me really sweaty while holding a little furnace! 

6. Nursing Pads

Like I mentioned above, when you're lactating from one boob, the other follows. That's why you need nursing pads, so you don't get milk stains on your shirt.

The reusable nursing pads were so-so, I soaked through on occasion. But they're also more breathable than disposables, an important feature so you don't get sore nipples. I found the TL Care Organic Cotton Nursing Pads, Natural, 6 Count  to be better than the Avent brand reusable nursing pads. However, you can see the bulky outline on your shirt.

More discrete are the disposable nursing pads and they didn't leak either, but I ran through them so quickly I felt it to be more economical to use reusable nursing pads when I was just hanging out around the house.

7. Ice Packs
You will need ice packs whether you are dealing with milk coming in, oversupply, weaning, or blocked milk ducts.

8. Propping Pillows 
A boppy pillow was convenient, but not necessary. You could use regular pillows or blankets to wedge under your arms or under baby.

9. Supplements and Some Other Bonus Tips
With my first baby I had low milk supply in the beginning and I don't know if it was the constant effort that finally paid off or the fact that I gorged myself on lactation cookies (with brewers yeast - I'll post a recipe someday), this mama's milk tea, and that I finally broke down and bought an electric pump and used it on turbo speed. When she was 1 month old I actually developed an oversupply of milk! That lead to problems like overactive letdown and engorgement, so don't do that - take it slow!

When I started my first baby on solid food at 6 months, I increased her solid food portions too fast. Of course that meant baby wasn't as hungry at the breast - not draining as much as previously and I got clogged milk ducts, then one evolved into mastitis. Not fun! I'd say that was almost as painful as natural childbirth! Remember to really gradually increase the solid food portions.

However, blocked milk ducts and blisters may have been caused by sleeping on my stomach, being run down, not feeding baby on a rigid schedule, wearing a bra with underwire, improper latch, baby being lip-tied... Who knows, maybe the causes all ganged up on me and gave me a giant sucker punch in the boob?

With second baby I developed chronic clogged ducts again. Yayayayayay! Yay! One nurse suggested getting some Lecithin pills, which she said is supposed to break up the fatty particles in the milk so it can easier travel through the ducts? I'm not 100% believer in supplements, but figured it can't hurt! It's mainly sunflower oil.

Tip from my big sis that I kept in mind: Remember to nurse in different positions, so you don't develop blocked ducts. Also if your baby gets used to only feeding when you are laying down, it could be inconvenient when not at home base.

4 Infant Carriers Reviewed

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Infant carriers are pretty essential for grocery shopping until baby is able to sit up in the shopping cart. Otherwise you'll have to go shopping with the stroller or put the car seat in the shopping cart and won't be able to fit much in your basket or shopping cart much. After my first baby was able to sit, I did not use the infant carriers as much as I thought I would.

Ergobaby Carrier

Pros: Now this one is very comfortable, even distribution of the weight. Some of the support is on your hips. The Ergobaby, like the name suggests is ergonomic. I found that once the baby is big enough to have his/her legs out the sides (about 6 months), you can even nurse the baby in it! (I thought maybe from newborn age they could feed in it, but my baby's head was up too high for that to work). You can wear it front and back and on the hip! They don't outgrow it as early as they do the other mentioned carriers. In fact I carried my bigger than average 2.5-year-old in it (albeit once, when she was cranky, at Disney and my not-yet-recovered from pregnancy hips DID hurt afterwards). So far I use it a couple times a week with baby #2 and it works like a charm!
Most importantly, I should add that it's an invaluable asset for Halloween costumes, such as my "zombie with parasite popping out of its stomach" creation below.

Cons: it IS pretty expensive, so I didn't initially get it with my first baby until she was probably closer to a year old. And I only got it because I ended up finding it at a really good price at TJ Maxx and couldn't pass it up. Even though I only ended up using it a few times with her, I use it all the time with baby #2 (I have less time to sit and console him since I have a 2-year-old to cook for and clean up after. He is easily consoled while in the carrier and I can carry on multitasking. Truly worth it! Hey, how did the "cons" section  end up on a positive note?


Chicco Carrier 

Pros: None. We didn't like it.

Cons: I call this the Babybjörn knock-off. We didn't like it for a few reasons:
1) She slumped over to the side when she was newborn, not good neck support. I've heard from several sources that it forces their legs into an unnatural position, causing hip dysplasia.
2) By 6 months she didn't fit in it anymore, so she outgrew it before I could get our money's worth.
3) Our shoulders hurt when carrying her in it for any length of time.


BabyBjörn Original Baby Carrier

Pros: I'm a bad Swede, I don't have one of these.

Cons: The BabyBjörn, I hate to say it, supposedly isn't as ergonomic as you'd think. Plus it's kind of expensive for only being able to use up to 25 lbs., EYE think. Post in the comments below if you disagree!
There is an even more expensive version that is good up to 33 lbs, if you insist on supporting awesome Swedish design.


Lite-On-Shoulder Ring Sling

Pros: Affordable! I liked the ring sling because it is compact enough to fit in the diaper bag and easy and pretty fast to put baby into if you're just popping in someplace and don't want to hassle with the snaps, buckles and pulleys.
They have quite a few different pretty patterns to chose from.
Someone pointed out to me that if you have a tendency to get muffin top, the sling is more flattering than the other types of carriers. In short, this is for the fashion conscious mom! ;-)

Cons: Not ideal for walking around hours in end, make sure to put it on the shoulder you tend NOT to carry the baby on, to even out the tension in your both sides.
I did have a hard time figuring out how to comfortably get baby in there. I'm not sure if I actually did it right in the end. I didn't use this as much as I did the Ergobaby.
Side note from a graphic artist: the instruction brochure that came with this particular brand was really crappy and pixelated.

CONCLUSION:
The brand that actually is comfortable is Ergobaby carrier (I haven't tried their wrap). And the baby can fit in it much longer than in the Babybjörn or Chicco, probably the ring sling as well (how long can they be in those anyway?). However, the Ergobabies are more expensive. But with the Chicco and the sling, my shoulders hurt after about 10 minutes. Not with the Ergobaby!