Breastfeeding - Set-Up

Make a little Nursing Retreat.

Set it up in the nursery, bedroom or living room. This is a place where you have your pump already set up next to your chair for quick access when your baby is hungry. It can also serve as a place to bring your baby if he/she is overstimulated and you can easily get them away and calm and (hopefully) asleep quickly and simply. If you have other kids in the house, this can also be either an escape from them, or a place to read to them while nursing the new baby before bed or during the day. The use is up to you, but this Retreat can come in very handy. Gwen likes to lay her head on my legs while I scratch her back or play with her hair. It works.

For set-up, I use a TV tray table next to my glider rocker in Garrison’s room which works really well to hold my pump and a few other items. Occasionally, if I want to catch up on some TV I’ll move my ‘Retreat’ (read: TV tray) to my living room and use that nursing time to catch up on shows; though usually I much prefer reading and quiet to watching TV while nursing. Obviously, I sit somewhere close to an outlet so I don’t have to plug/unplug the pump. I leave it constantly set up.

In addition to the pump, you’ll also want a few pillows or your Boppy easily accessible and some reading materials such as magazines or a book you’re working on, or your cell phone. I have an Iphone and really enjoy reading blogs while I’m nursing and/or playing some mindless games (at 3 in the morning you’ll be amazed at the simple things capable of entertaining you). If you’re a person who has and enjoys their smart phone, then have a charger at your Retreat also so you can easily bring your phone and not run out of juice.

Lastly, make sure you have ice water on hand, or, as a second-best, a few bottles of water hanging around your Retreat. The ice water is wonderful as for the first two months you will be amazingly thirsty each time you nurse. Seriously. You will seem like your normal self, sit down to nurse, and then inexplicably feel like you have just crossed the Sahara and wonder, somewhat rabidly, WHY THERE IS NO WATER ANYWHERE. It’s strange, and don’t try to explain it, just do yourself a favor and keep that area stocked with water, or have hubby do it for you.

Stereo. I love to listen to quiet guitar/piano music and have used it recently to calm my colicky son. I have a small stereo in my Retreat which almost constantly plays soft, quiet music. If you also have a colicky child, try a small fountain as well. For some reason the sound of falling water is very soothing to newborns.

Pretty much all of this stuff (except the pump and fountain, if you choose to have one) you have on hand. If you don’t have a chair get one off of Craigslist. I got a great glider-rocker for $50 with footstool! The point is, this shouldn’t be expensive to set up, or really even that complicated. Eventually, in spite of the initial pain of latching on and complication with the pump and all that – you may start looking forward to sitting in your chair and just rocking, reading, and nursing. It’s very relaxing once you get the hang of it – trust me. You’ll even eventually find that pumping while doing all of the above isn’t a big deal, it will take some getting used to – but you’ll get it.

Especially in the middle of the night, it’s nice to have a place to go to that’s already set up for you and your baby. Don’t pump much (if at all) in the middle of the night, you’ll want to sleep/doze/read instead. I much prefer nursing sitting in a chair, even in the wee hours of the morning as I never really got the hang of the side-by-side latch. If it works better for you to nurse lying down then, by all means do it. Whatever works for you. My Retreat is good for both night and day, but you may have a separate night routine which works better.

Next: Supply and Storage