North Central Florida Breastfeeding Coalition 

In December 2020 we had our first child. All the processes of pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding absolutely amaze me! While preparing for labor and delivery and along with her birthing class, our doula recommended the online breastfeeding modules by midwives Cindy and Jana. As a first time mom, it was so very helpful and worth the few dollars.

Up to date regarding latest research and clearing up some old wives tales. Our little one latched in minutes after birth and nursed about 30 minutes each side before sleeping the next 8-9 hours. She had been awake during all of labor and about 2 hours after delivery. I tried to wake her in all the different ways but girlfriend wanted to sleep. I did hand express a little colostrum to place in her mouth with a dropper. And the nurses checked her blood sugar which was very level and well within normal range. Once she finally woke she ate every half hour for the next 6 hours. She was born with a tongue tie, which didn’t seem to hinder her feeding but by her two day check up with the pediatrician my nipples were getting quite tender. And because the tongue tie didn’t allow her mouth to stay sealed, she was swallowing a lot of air which was leading to a good bit of gas. Once the tongue tie was clipped, nursing has not been uncomfortable and she has been able to seal better when eating. I eat a diverse diet with lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, seeds, herbs, spices, whole grains, and some meat and dairy. All throughout pregnancy (when not too nauseous) I tried to keep the diversity for good nutrients but also to hopefully have some carryover. The same with breastfeeding. I’ve been eating a diverse diet and can can only wonder if it’s helped with my milk production and with our recent smooth introduction of foods, some potential allergens. My milk came in about 3 days after delivery. At that time I was eating a lot of healing foods, breastfeeding muffins were stocked in the freezer, seaweed soup in bone broth, vegetable soup, etc. To compensate for the extra calories needed to make milk I’ve been making sure to take in high nutrient calories like fruit and vegetable smoothies and raw nuts. As I’m writing this she is now 8 months old. My breastfeeding journey so far has gone smoothly, been a special time of bonding, and good for me to stop and sit and rest. I am quite task oriented person and can get too focused on the “todo” list (which we all know never ends) and not sit and rest.