BF'ing 101

We went to Part I of a two part BF'ing class last night at the hospital. Wow! It was GREAT! When we first got there, she asked us to pick a number to rate what we thought of BF'ing. 1 being "I'm not interested at all," 10 being "I don't want to do anything else," and 5 being "I have no opinion one way or the other about it."

I was a 10. DH was a 5.

She spent the class going over the benefits of BF'ing, from financial to physical for mom and baby. She showed us different ways to hold the baby. She talked about some of the most common difficulties that can come up, and how to address them. She dispelled myths and explained in great detail the basic anatomy of it all.

At the end of the class, DH was a 9-10. It didn't bother me that he was a 5 at first, I know it's not something he gives much thought to. But it really made me happy to hear he was on the same page with me. I'm going to need that at 3am when I'm tired and frustrated and in tears and just want to give up. He's ready to throw out the sample formula we got for registering at BRU, so it's not a temptation to us. He's ready to help me get the baby to latch on (she showed us how he could do that, too). He's ready for a nursing baby momma.

We have our second one next week. She'll go over equipment and products with us, where to find lactation consultants, where to find support.

After the class I went to speak to her, because I do have concerns. My body didn't know how to get pregnant by itself. Now that it is, it's not handling all aspects of it well. I have no faith in my hormones to do what they need to do, and I'm concerned. She told me that usually the women who have hormonal challenges to BF'ing are those with PCOS. Which made me sad, but she went on to say, "It just makes it more challenging. If you're one of the few that has a hormonal problem, we'll figure it out." It set my mind at ease.

I've been afraid to say, "Yes, I'm breastfeeding my baby." I've been afraid to set myself up, only to "fail." I've tried to keep myself open to the notion that it will be more difficult than I can imagine, and I imagine it can be pretty difficult. But now, I actually feel like I can do this, and I will do this.

And I'm looking forward to the rest of my baby care classes, too!