How did I get here? My nursing journey with four kids has come to a close. I was able to nurse all four of my children to at least their first birthday and some beyond. Each breastfeeding relationship with each baby was very different, but here are some things both from a mindset and a physical standpoint that I think helped me achieve this with my four kids.

Honestly, there were many times when I didn’t think I’d make it to this goal, which I’ll share below. Before I jump in I also understand there are many reasons moms are not able to or choose not to breastfeed. This post is not meant to brag or judge anyone for their decisions on how they feed their baby in those early months or years, but to inspire those who like me have wondered…how do I get there to whatever your breastfeeding goal might be whether 3 months, 6 months, a year or beyond.

Find a Great Nursing Class

First, I truly think it is very important to set a strong foundation and understanding of breastfeeding. To accomplish this I recommend expecting parents take a class focused on breastfeeding. When we were expecting our first daughter we were blessed to take a class with a very talented lactation consultant and mom of five who shared so much wisdom with her students. While her class covered all the typical breastfeeding topics like holds and latches, the most important takeaway from her class was the emphasis she placed on the important role that husbands play in the success of breastfeeding in the early days.

So many new moms and dads think that breastfeeding is just an instinctual, easy-to-do thing for mothers and babies. However, from my experience and that of many other Moms I’ve talked with, it is a skill and relationship between mom and baby learned through lots of practice, support, hard work, sweat, tears, and sometimes blood. However, this skill and relationship can be supported and encouraged by a supportive husband/partner. This support can look like getting up with you during late night feedings to adjust the pillows, bring you water, or just assure you that it will all be okay when the baby won’t seem to latch or you are almost too sleepy to stay awake. In those early days choosing to breastfeed through the tiredness, pain, and uncertainty is a labor of love.

Take it Hour by Hour and Day by Day

What I mean by this is in the very first days when you have a newborn you will need to nurse every few hours or sometimes what you feel like is all the time! So take each nursing session one at a time. When you start to think ahead or have a bad session it is easy to begin thinking how can I keep doing this. But this thinking won’t help you or baby.

Try to take each breastfeeding session as they come and eventually, you will be thinking about nursing less hour to hour and more day to day. As your journey transitions and your baby grows you may begin dropping feedings. Having a mentality that you will do your best during each session to ensure your baby is well-fed will help you both. Be sure to hydrate and eat healthy meals and snacks that will also support your success.

Seek Help when Needed

With my first daughter just days after we left the hospital, I knew something was wrong with our breastfeeding journey when we were both super fussy! She was fussy from not getting enough milk and I was fussy from nipple trauma caused by her shallow latch. Luckily our pediatrician’s office had a lactation consultant who quickly diagnosed my daughter with a tongue tie. With this identified at just 4 days old she was able to get a tongue-tie revision or frenectomy, which improved her latch that day.

Knowing when to seek help is helpful in the early days of breastfeeding and throughout your breastfeeding journey. With my second daughter, I developed mastitis two different times. The first time I had never experienced mastitis, but knew something was very wrong when I felt like I had the flu so quickly. After being diagnosed with mastitis I was able to identify the early onset of it when I developed it again and knew to seek medical attention quickly.

Having the Right Tools

I also think it’s important to have the right tools in the beginning and throughout your breastfeeding journey to support you and your baby. While some of my friends swear by the Boppy, in the early days I loved the My Breast Friend nursing pillow because it was more supportive and adaptive.

I also loved having a Hakaa for collecting milk and unclogging clogged milk ducts.

For breastmilk storage I have fallen in love with the new Boob Cube! the different containers allow you to store, pour, and freeze milk in easily usable ounce sizes.

Having a pump is key and I was lucky to have my insurance cover the Medela Pump in Style, which while not wearable was pretty quiet and very reliable.

Also, a Caden Lane cloud blanket is a must-have for late-night nursing sessions in a rocker. These blankets are so soft and will keep Mom warm while feeding baby!

Support System

Outside of education, mindset, the right professional or medical help, and nursing tools, I believe the most important thing is a reliable support system. I say this because with my third and fourth children, the logistics of knowing how to breastfeed was a bit easier, but my responsibilities as a Mom were also increasing.

I needed help learning the nuances of each new baby while ensuring my other kids were safe, entertained, and well cared for. For this, I relied heavily on the support from my husband and grandparents who were equally invested in my dedication to nursing. This support system stepped up to allow me the time and space to focus on nursing and creating a close relationship with the baby while helping care for my other older children. Eventually watching my older kids play while nursing was a breeze, and I could even do it on the go but in the early days, I needed this support to focus on the baby.

I hope that this post will help any new or seasoned Mom who has similar nursing goals stay the course or feel inspired to keep the journey up with their baby.