My First Experience Breastfeeding

Shortly after giving birth, my doula assisted me with the first couple of breastfeedings. I remember drifting in and out of sleep as she held the baby against me to nurse. The doula basically was in charge. I was SO sleepy as giving birth is no simple task and I was pretty exhausted. Even though I was that sleepy, I did pay attention to how she told me to feed him, how often, etc. I had read some literature ahead of time about breastfeeding but did not take any classes. I already had the notion that it would be simple for me to do. Thankfully, it was, and still is.

In the morning, the nurse let me know it was time to feed my newborn baby. I recalled everything the doula told me such as the football position and how long to feed on each side, but realized she was the one who got the baby to latch on in the first place, not me. I was not taught that. I began to panic as my baby was crying and needed to eat! The nurse wasn't any help, but I was so grateful when the doula walked in. To this day I still remember the funny technique she gave me to get him to latch on. She said "Just make it (my breast) like a hamburger... like this" meaning to sort of pinch it into his mouth. Wow, that really worked! From that moment on that is EXACTLY what I did to get him to latch on effectively, and quite rapidly, just "make it like a cheeseburger!" It's a funny technique, but it worked and was very effective in allowing me a easy breastfeeding experience.