Breastfeeding with the Ergobaby Nursing Pillow

This is part of a series of posts from a handful of guest bloggers, documenting baby’s first year. This post comes from talented writer and mama of two, Megan. Visit her Instagram account here, and read on to enjoy a peek into her life with her newborn.

Nursing León has been very similar yet very different than nursing my son Vincent. They have both proven to be very good nursers. They love to eat and have taken to breastfeeding immediately which I am so grateful for. Neither of them have had any latching problems, lip or tongue ties, food allergies or reflux. My supply has been decent with both of them and breastfeeding has been virtually painless for me (I know I am super lucky on that one). Because of these facts, I have been able to exclusively nurse both my babies on demand which I treat as a gift. I wasn’t able to birth either of them naturally or vaginally (which I desperately wanted). I felt pretty bitter about my unplanned cesareans for a while but now I am trying to focus on the good things that my body has been capable of doing, like breastfeeding. I know many women don’t get the opportunity to breastfeed so I am careful to remember how fortunate I am when it seems difficult or exhausting.

The only real difference I have noticed while nursing León is how much busier and chaotic my life is with her. Vincent is physical, busy and mischievous which means things aren’t ever quiet or calm at home. Gone are the days of long nursing sessions while eating or watching a movie or TV show. It’s been hard for me to sit and relax while nursing León. As I sit and nurse her I usually find myself making a list in my head of all the things I feel like I should be doing. For this reason, I tend to catch myself rushing through our nursing sessions sometimes. Rushing through nursing sessions can be problematic for a couple reasons. First off, if you only nurse your baby for a few minutes on each side, there is a good chance that baby isn’t getting your hind milk, which is the fatty milk that really fills them up and keeps them full. Secondly, it can end up decreasing your supply overtime if you aren’t emptying your breasts completely. I have to really focus on not rushing while I nurse León so I can avoid the adverse effects of nursing too quickly.

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One thing that really helps me to relax while I am breastfeeding is to ensure that I am as comfortable as possible whenever I can. I generally nurse longer, the comfier I am. The Ergobaby nursing pillow has been great for this reason. It helps to keep me relaxed and at ease so I don’t have as much urgency to unlatch León and get up. It’s also great because I can kind of move around and reach around to interact with Vincent and León will still stay put in the pillow so she is in a good position. I know that in the blink of an eye, León will be busy and nursing less and less. I am determined to sit and nurse her as often and as much as she wants before it’s over. It’s so hard but it’s so worth it too.


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