If you have pain while you’re
nursing, try putting some lanolin on. It relieves cracking and dryness.
If you have shooting pain and
red lines on your breast along with flu-like symptoms, call your doctor
immediately. You probably have mastitis and need an antibiotic. This is
very common.
If you find you are leaking
milk (you will), there’s not much you can do to stop it, but you can buy
breast pads at grocery and drug stores to keep you from drenching your
shirt.
If you are constantly tired
and feel you need to sleep all the time, then SLEEP for goodness sakes!
You’re using a lot of energy with nursing, plus you haven’t gotten a full
night’s sleep since the huge ordeal of having a baby. Give yourself a
break.
Another solution for low
energy - wait for it - EAT! You need more calories when you are nursing.
Dry skin and mouth is a
symptom of nursing. Drink as much water as you can and eat a low sodium
diet if it’s a real problem.
Crying and feeling hopeless
are symptoms many women experience in the first week after having a baby.
It’s called the Baby Blues and it’s normal. If these feelings last more
than a week, contact your doctor to talk about post-pardom
depression.
Breast-feeding is hard, let’s just be clear on that. The first days after
your baby is born, you are tired, sore, euphoric, and tired again,
and yet you have this needy creature to care for. The first week is the
hardest, but keep this in mind: the longer you stick with it the easier it
gets.