Surviving breastfeeding

 

I saw a lovely new mother yesterday who asked me “So how exactly do you survive this breastfeeding palaver?”

Aside from the obligatory tender nipples and general exhaustion, her experience of pushing a baby out, her subsequent recovery and breastfeeding on the whole had been positive. Her comment on the downside of breastfeeding was, ‘…there is just so bloody much of it’.

When you’re in the midst of the first few weeks, it’s hard to foresee that the frequency of feeds in the early weeks doesn’t continue forever. 

What is rarely acknowledged is the additional stress on every new mother’s body, especially if things are going well. All that sitting, holding, squeezing, loving, staring, and connecting constantly to a needy, small human attached to your breast, can mean your neck, shoulders, arms and wrists can take a bit of a battering. 

I asked this lovely mother to demonstrate some of the mobilisations she was doing to combat these behaviours. 

Neck mobilisations when feeding

Bear Hugs - good for the chest, shoulders and upper back

Bow and Arrow - great for shoulders, thoracic spine and neck

Do mobilisations help?

They certainly won't hurt and they'll remind you to commit just a small amount of moving and thinking time to your own body every day.

I'm still feeling a bit broken.

Sometimes you need a helping hand to maintain the energy needed to nurture new humans. The osteopaths or massage therapists at Fairfield Osteopathic Clinic can work with you to mange any post-pregnancy, post-labour, excessive baby-carrying, or breast feeding aches and pains.  

You can book online or call 9489 0981 to schedule an appointment.