Heya! Congratulations on your decision to breastfeed (I know it can be hard to decise what you are going to do when you have peopel left right and center trying to tell you what's best, and they all seem to be saying different things!
) and well done for looking for the info before the time comes!
Nobody ever told me what to expect before I started breastfeeding... I knew I wanted to do it but I had no idea what it would be like or how it worked!
A few key things I have learnt that would have been nice to know before I started are:
Your milk has to come in. This means that at first you won't actually have any milk in your breasts (even if you have been leaking all through your pregnancy!) it will just be a watery substance called colostrum (although this is still very, very good for baby!) so for the first few days your baby may want to suck and suck and suck (and they won't ever seem satisfied either!
) This is not because they are hungry, it is just because they are sucking to bring the milk in. You will know when your milk is in because your breasts suddenly become hard, full and heavy!
The thing to remember is your baby will not starve. Wanting to suck continually is normal and healthy - it is just how breastfeeding works at first - the milk comes in at the demand of your LO suckling 24/7. It does not mean that you do not have enough milk, it does not mean that your baby is too hungry - it is normal. Expect it.
The other thing to remember is that it won't last forever. You breast feed for such a short amount of time anyway and it goes so fast... but the period of time where they are bringing milk in at first can feel like a life time, but it does pass and breastfeeding can be so enjoyable so if you want to breastfeed you'll have to be prepared to stick at it!
I also was never told about 'after pains'. Because breastfeeding releases hormones to contract your uterus back to non-pregnant size, you can get terrible labour-like cramps when you first feed your baby. This also normal but unfortunately it can hurt like hell! haha Again, remember that is passes.
One thing that really surprised me was the amount of people that I came up against, who thought they knew my baby best (and tried to get me to give her a bottle)! This came from family, friends, strangers and health proffessionals. But my baby is nearly one year old now and is still breastfed - she never did need a bottle like so many people tried to tell me she did! Don't be put off. You know your baby best!
...With regard to cracked nipples, make sure you latch your baby on properly (most cracked nipples are caused by baby not latching properly). This can be difficult to get the hang of...
The key things I discovered about proper latching were:
- Wait for the baby to open her mouth before trying to get them to latch on.
- Baby should not latch onto just the nipple - a healthy latch places the entire nipple and most of the areola in the babies mouth as well.
- Once baby opens her mouth wide (as if yawning) hold your breast (like pinching a large amount of it together above the areola so it is held together so it fits in babies mouth) and push it in fast with the nipple pointing up toward the back of the mouth.
- When baby is latched on there should be very little of the areala showing... a very slim amount above the top lip if anything - there should be none below the bottom lip (a properly latched on baby will cover more of the breast with his lower lip than with his top one).
- Breastfeeding should not hurt if you have baby latched on properly. If you are getting pain while baby is feeding, slide your finger into babies mouth and around your nipple to get it out without grazing it between your babies gums, and start again.
- Try to hold baby up to the breast - supported by pillows if need be - don't keep baby down on your lap and lean over them - it helps if you keep your back straight or reclined.
- I also found that putting my legs up on something helped (like a foot stool).
I found this video that might be helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox8ht-EVnQA&eurl=https://www.snbsonline.net/id11.html
The key thing to remember is, if you are struggling with breastfeeding
seek support. Either while you are in hospital (via midwife or health care provider) or once you get home (ask your health visitor or midwife about local groups or what support there is out there. If it helps, ask your midwife to show your how to latch on before you leave the hospital. While Anna was in special care a very nice neonatal nurse saw me struggling and without me saying anything she came up to me, took hold of my boob and pushed it in, showing me how to latch Anna on... from then on it was all so much easier. So if you need support ask for it, even ask to be shown how to breastfeed and if the person you ask can't show you / doesn't know then ask them to find someone who does / can!
Remember: You can breastfeed. Don't let anyone tell you you can't / you need to top up with a bottle. Your body was designed to breastfeed just as it was designed to carry a baby inside of you. If you want to breastfeed, don't let anyone stop you!
I find the way that it is designed to spread the weight across your whole back and shoulders with the cross-over straps, it spreads it out so well, you hardly feel the weight at all 
