What I wish I could tell every new mother

New! This list is now available as a printable!

I get so outraged when breastfeeding mothers receive inaccurate information and advice, especially when it does more harm than good. And the eager-for-education, naive new mother believes everything! So this is an ongoing list I wish I could share with all new mothers out there. I'll keep adding as I think of new things:

• Nursing is supposed to be uncomfortable in the beginning. But not for longer than a week or two. If it does hurt for longer than it should, have your baby's latch evaluated to make sure that that's not the issue.
• There is NO need to "practice" giving a bottle a day to your baby in the early weeks. This does not make your baby any more willing to take it when he or she is a few weeks old. I know this from experience. We gave Sam a few bottles when he was under 3 weeks old, which he took fine, but then he refused each proceeding bottle for a long while. We later figured out it was due to excess lipase in my expressed milk.
• If your baby is jaundiced, there is really no need to stuff your baby with formula instead of breastmilk. Breastfeed as usual, or even more than usual, and that should help in almost every case. The goal of formula in those cases is to pump digestion and elimination to rid the body of bilirubin, but breastmilk can do the same thing.
• Using an electric pump should not hurt at all. If it does, it doesn't mean that pumping is not for you - it's simply a sign that you're wearing an ill-fitting pump (or you have a plugged duct).
• Not everyone gets engorged in the beginning. I never did and milk supply was pretty fine for a while. In fact, I was probably experiencing oversupply in the early days!
• Don't be ashamed to breastfeed your baby out of the home. If you find it uncomfortable to do so in public, find a quiet or unused room and face away from other people. Don't let that stop you from venturing out of your house!
• There is no good in nursing your baby for 10-15 minutes on each side. Why is that a magical number? It isn't. Nurse on one side until your baby won't take anymore from that side, and then switch. Next feeding start with the second side. 
• Nursing babies don't normally sleep for long stretches at night until much, much later. If friends are bragging that their breastfed babies go 12 hours at night without eating, take it with a grain of salt. And remember, that's no way to maintain a healthy milk supply.
• Plugged milk ducts are NOT breast infections. They may cause one if left untreated for a very long while, though. For the record, I've had plugged ducts lasting up to a week without any infection (and the infection I did have was not even caused by a plugged duct).
• You don't have to give your baby bottles in the hospital (or any time) if he is nursing well and gaining weight. If you offer your baby a bottle after nursing he will probably guzzle it down because it's fun to suck, but it does not mean that he was hungry!
• Pumping after nursing is a great way to boost supply but there is no need to pump if you are not planning to be separated from your baby or if you already have enough milk. When doing so, pump immediately after a feeding to bring out the hindmilk (fatty stuff).