Become a contributor and register to submit your story!
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

Boobingit
  • Mama Stories
  • Breastfeeding and…
    • All
    • Being prepared
    • Covid19
    • Doing it longterm
    • Products + Reviews
    • Returning to work
    • Self-care
    • Showbiz
    • Sleep
    • Style
    • Support
    • The benefits
    • The challenges
    Breastfeeding my son with Down Syndrome has been hard but it’s given me a sense of empowerment

    Breastfeeding my son with Down Syndrome has been hard but empowering

    Laid back nursing – what it is and how it can be beneficial

    Do you breastfeed in secret? 

    My sister gave me the confidence to breastfeed

    Empty Jury Seats in Courtroom

    Australian Judge under fire for ordering breastfeeding mother to leave courtroom

    Mothers Day Giveaway – Win £100 gift card to spend at Bump & Milk

    Mothers Day Giveaway – Win £100 gift card to spend at Bump & Milk

    Mothers Day gifts for the breastfeeding mama

    Mothers Day gifts for the breastfeeding mama

    Trending Tags

    • breastfeeding
    • covid vaccine and breastfeeding
    • breastfeeding and Covid19
    • Hypnobirthing and breastfeeding
    • boobingit podcast
    • Latched breastfeeding bra
    • breastfeeding support
    • diy breast milk soap
    • Sleep
    • Covid19
    • Being prepared
    • Returning to work
    • Self-care
    • Showbiz
    • Style
    • The benefits
    • The challenges
    • Doing it longterm
  • Resources
    • Guides
      • Breastfeeding after giving birth
      • Breastfeeding after a c-section
      • Breastfeeding a baby in NICU
      • Breastfeeding the unsettled baby
      • Breastfeeding and Down Syndrome
      • Breastfeeding positions
      • Responsive feeding
      • Breastfeeding and teething
      • Breastfeeding in public
      • Breastfeeding at Christmas
      • Breastfeeding multiples
      • Expressing milk
      • Breast refusal
      • Bottle refusal
      • Tongue Tie in babies
      • Mastitis
      • Relactation and Induced Lactation
      • Breast milk soap
      • Babywearing
      • Weaning a nursing child
      • Transitioning baby to solid foods
    • A-Z Glossary
  • The Podcast
  • Contributors
  • Shop
    • Baby & Breastfeeding Essentials
    • Boobingit Merch
  • Buy Our Book
  • Mama Stories
  • Breastfeeding and…
    • All
    • Being prepared
    • Covid19
    • Doing it longterm
    • Products + Reviews
    • Returning to work
    • Self-care
    • Showbiz
    • Sleep
    • Style
    • Support
    • The benefits
    • The challenges
    Breastfeeding my son with Down Syndrome has been hard but it’s given me a sense of empowerment

    Breastfeeding my son with Down Syndrome has been hard but empowering

    Laid back nursing – what it is and how it can be beneficial

    Do you breastfeed in secret? 

    My sister gave me the confidence to breastfeed

    Empty Jury Seats in Courtroom

    Australian Judge under fire for ordering breastfeeding mother to leave courtroom

    Mothers Day Giveaway – Win £100 gift card to spend at Bump & Milk

    Mothers Day Giveaway – Win £100 gift card to spend at Bump & Milk

    Mothers Day gifts for the breastfeeding mama

    Mothers Day gifts for the breastfeeding mama

    Trending Tags

    • breastfeeding
    • covid vaccine and breastfeeding
    • breastfeeding and Covid19
    • Hypnobirthing and breastfeeding
    • boobingit podcast
    • Latched breastfeeding bra
    • breastfeeding support
    • diy breast milk soap
    • Sleep
    • Covid19
    • Being prepared
    • Returning to work
    • Self-care
    • Showbiz
    • Style
    • The benefits
    • The challenges
    • Doing it longterm
  • Resources
    • Guides
      • Breastfeeding after giving birth
      • Breastfeeding after a c-section
      • Breastfeeding a baby in NICU
      • Breastfeeding the unsettled baby
      • Breastfeeding and Down Syndrome
      • Breastfeeding positions
      • Responsive feeding
      • Breastfeeding and teething
      • Breastfeeding in public
      • Breastfeeding at Christmas
      • Breastfeeding multiples
      • Expressing milk
      • Breast refusal
      • Bottle refusal
      • Tongue Tie in babies
      • Mastitis
      • Relactation and Induced Lactation
      • Breast milk soap
      • Babywearing
      • Weaning a nursing child
      • Transitioning baby to solid foods
    • A-Z Glossary
  • The Podcast
  • Contributors
  • Shop
    • Baby & Breastfeeding Essentials
    • Boobingit Merch
  • Buy Our Book
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

Boobingit
No Result
View All Result
Home Mama Stories

6 things I’ve learned in my first year of breastfeeding

Freya Flaherty by Freya Flaherty
August 5, 2022
in Being prepared, Breastfeeding And..., Mama Stories, Support, The benefits
0

As my Son’s first birthday quickly approaches I’ve been thinking about the journey we’ve been on together over the last year. 

Compared to some, our breastfeeding journey has been relatively straightforward, though that’s not to say it hasn’t had its challenges. I wanted to share what I’d learned, and hopefully some words of wisdom for all the expectant and new breastfeeding mamas out there. 

1. Practice doesn’t always make perfect

You’d think the longer you feed, the easier it gets, but this isn’t necessarily true. In some ways, it does get easier, but there are always new challenges, babies tend to throw curveballs!

Teething has been the biggest challenge for us. Rex got his first tooth at about 5 months old, and since then he has become a little land shark. Each time his sharp little teeth take a bite out of my boob I feel like giving up, but we are still going strong. It hurts (A LOT) but seems to come in phases which does make it a bit more manageable.

2. Breastfeeding to sleep is normal 

If you asked me a year ago how I’d spend my evenings as a mum I’d have said that bedtime would be done by 8 and I’d be sitting in front of the TV with a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. 

In reality, I spend most of my evenings in bed, feeding and cuddling Rex. Some nights I manage to sneak away for an hour before he wakes up, others I give into the exhaustion and go to bed myself.

I do get the odd eye roll when I tell people I feed Rex to sleep every night, but who cares, it works for us and that’s what matters.

3. Every journey is different 

Some babies (mine included) are boob obsessed and even as they approach a year old will still feed like a newborn! Others are down to just morning and night feeds by 12 months.

No two breastfeeding journeys are the same, and that’s ok! Some babies (mine included) are boob obsessed and even as they approach a year old will still feed like a newborn! Others are down to just morning and night feeds by 12 months.

Don’t compare yourself to your friends, and remember not everything you see on Instagram is real!

4. Contact napping is actually great!

Before Rex was born I naively thought he’d spend hours at a time napping in his Moses basket, so that I could get on with jobs around the house. How wrong I was! I could count the number of times he napped in his Moses basket on one hand.

During the first few months of his life I felt so much pressure to get him to nap independently, every day I’d feed him to sleep before trying to transfer him and nearly every time he’d wake up and I’d be back at square one again. So, I learned to embrace the contact nap, who needs a clean house anyway?!

Contact naps are great because:

  • Your baby feels safe and you can resettle them quickly by popping your boob back in their mouth if they stir
  • You get to soak up hours of cuddles 
  • It gives you the opportunity to have a much-needed and well-deserved rest 
  • You can be productive! I try to use some of my time to meal plan and order my weekly shop.
  • You can finally get round to watching all those Netflix shows you’ve been meaning to binge

5. Breastfeeding in public gets easier

The first time I fed Rex in public was pretty nerve-wracking. As my tiny 1-week old baby screamed for his milk, I fumbled with the buttons on my dress and tried to latch him on without showing my engorged boob to the whole cafe. 

As time went on though it got easier. I was very lucky and had made some great friends through our NCT class, we’d meet up for a coffee most weeks and soon enough none of us thought anything of whipping our boobs out to satisfy our hungry babies in public. 

6. It’s not forever 

Whenever I’ve had a bad day I try to remember that he won’t need me like this forever. Breastfeeding is hard work, it’s physically demanding, emotionally exhausting and keeps you up half the night. But it’s also the most amazing way to connect with your baby and gives you a great excuse (not that you need one) to eat those extra biscuits! 

Thank you to my beautiful, boob-obsessed boy for a wonderful year!

Would you like to share your breastfeeding
story? Sign up today to add your story! We’d love to hear from you.

Tags: breastfeeding for one yearBreastfeeding helpBreastfeeding in publicbreastfeeding lessonsbreastfeeding supportbreastfeeding tipsbreastfeeding to sleepcontact nappingnursing in public
ShareTweetSend
Previous Post

Stepping up for my friend and stepping up for breastfeeding

Next Post

World Breastfeeding Week highlights just how all-consuming and challenging breastfeeding can be for mothers

Freya Flaherty

Freya Flaherty

Hello! I’m Freya, mummy to 1 year old Rex!

Next Post
World Breastfeeding Week challenges

World Breastfeeding Week highlights just how all-consuming and challenging breastfeeding can be for mothers

Please login to join discussion

Recommended

Breastfeeding my son with Down Syndrome has been hard but it’s given me a sense of empowerment

Breastfeeding my son with Down Syndrome has been hard but empowering

7 hours ago
Laid back nursing – what it is and how it can be beneficial

Do you breastfeed in secret? 

6 days ago

Become a boobingit member today. It's FREE!

Sign up today for the latest breastfeeding information & inspiration.

Sign Up Now!

Trending

Beautiful couple being romantic and passionate in bed

Let’s talk about Sex and Breastfeeding

January 10, 2023
celebrity breastfeeding photos 2022

8 celebrity breastfeeding moments that broke the internet in 2022

December 29, 2022
Weaning a nursing child from the breast or chest 

Weaning a nursing child from the breast or chest 

January 5, 2023
Boobingit

Boobingit is here to inform, inspire, and empower you as you navigate your own unique breastfeeding journey.

Follow Boobingit on social

Be part of boobingit.com

Become a Partner

Become a Contributor

  • About boobingit
  • Shop
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2020, Boobingit - for breastfeeders everywhere.

  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart
No Result
View All Result
  • Mama Stories
  • Breastfeeding and…
    • Sleep
    • Covid19
    • Being prepared
    • Returning to work
    • Self-care
    • Showbiz
    • Style
    • The benefits
    • The challenges
    • Doing it longterm
  • Resources
    • Guides
      • Breastfeeding after giving birth
      • Breastfeeding after a c-section
      • Breastfeeding a baby in NICU
      • Breastfeeding the unsettled baby
      • Breastfeeding and Down Syndrome
      • Breastfeeding positions
      • Responsive feeding
      • Breastfeeding and teething
      • Breastfeeding in public
      • Breastfeeding at Christmas
      • Breastfeeding multiples
      • Expressing milk
      • Breast refusal
      • Bottle refusal
      • Tongue Tie in babies
      • Mastitis
      • Relactation and Induced Lactation
      • Breast milk soap
      • Babywearing
      • Weaning a nursing child
      • Transitioning baby to solid foods
    • A-Z Glossary
  • The Podcast
  • Contributors
  • Shop
    • Baby & Breastfeeding Essentials
    • Boobingit Merch
  • Buy Our Book

Sign up today to become a contributor and share your story!
Sign up now!

Copyright © 2020, Boobingit - for breastfeeders everywhere.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create a boobingit account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
OR

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Breastfeeding for Beginners – Latches, letdowns & leaky boobs

Out Now!

Shop Now

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?