Myth Busters: Breastfeeding Will Take Over Your Life

Mamas, have you ever felt like breastfeeding was going to take over your life?

Sometimes it seems like baby wants to eat constantly. Or you have to stop what you’re doing to nurse so often you never get anything done. Or baby insists on only eating in quiet, dim places, so you can’t go anywhere when there’s the slightest chance they might get hungry.

Does being a breastfeeding mom mean you have to give up everything–or what feels like everything–until your baby weans? It definitely does not! Far from being something that might take over your life, breastfeeding can become a precious part of your life: your new life as a mom.

Breastfeeding Doesn’t Have to Take Over Your Life: 5 Ways to Integrate Breastfeeding into Your Day

1. Practice multitasking. It’s easiest to breastfeed while you sit down. However, there are a lot of things you can do one-handed while baby eats (besides check your messages and watch TV). Read a book to your older children, listen to them read, or help them with homework. Write or type out your menu plan or shopping list. Make phone calls and catch up with friends and family. Take a nursing session or two a day to work on reading a book. You’ll finish it in no time!
2. Learn how to breastfeed while wearing your baby. It is possible to nurse while your little one is in a carrier such as the Moby wrap! There are a lot of videos out there on how to do this. Here’s one I found particularly helpful. So many possibilities open up when you can breastfeed while walking around. You can keep an eye on your kids at the park, do some tasks in the kitchen, light housework, etc.
3. Find a nursing cover that really works for you. There are quite a few different kinds of nursing covers out there. I have one that I like and have used a lot. But my little man is big  and wiggly enough now that it’s a pain to keep the cover in place. Now, it gets in the way more than anything. But it was great when he was tiny and I was still learning how to nurse. If I ever get another nursing cover it will probably be this one. It’s completely full-coverage and its design is brilliant. It has a magnet that you can attach to a magnet on the headbands that come with the covers. That way you can get baby latched on in complete privacy. With a great cover you can nurse confidently anywhere!
4. Plan your schedule accordingly. If you go out and about with your nursling for any amount of time, chances are they’ll get hungry at some point. That’s okay–it doesn’t have to ruin or stop your whole outing!  Take a break for a few minutes to nurse, and then continue with your activity. If you anticipate nursing breaks it won’t be so frustrating when baby needs one. Go take a walk! Choose a route that has benches or a park along it where you can sit and nurse. Enjoy a girls’ day at the mall. Take a break to feed yourself and your little one. Even take a date with your spouse! Just include a movie or dinner at a quiet restaurant where your baby can eat while you do.
5. Get comfortable nursing in your car. The backseat might be a bit of a squeeze, so move to the front if you need to. But if you can nurse in your car (or in a bus, or on a plane) you can go anywhere! Again, factor in breaks for feedings if you’re going on a trip for more than an hour or two. Obviously you can’t nurse while the car is moving (gotta keep yourself and baby strapped in safely!). But you can pull over for a few minutes to nurse, and then pop baby back in their carseat and get back on the road.

Don’t let anyone tell you that breastfeeding has to take over your life. Breastfeeding can fit in seamlessly to your normal day. It doesn’t have to limit what you do or where you go. But do enjoy those quiet moments with your little one, especially first thing in the morning and late at night. Hold their tiny hand in your own, stroke their soft head, look into their bright little eyes and enjoy the blessings of being a nursing mama!