Hard truth for first time moms who want to breastfeed

FIRST TIME MAMAS FOCUS ON ALL THE WRONG THINGS. There. I said it. And I'm not sorry. And also I'm guilty AF of this too. And I say this, and everything else in this post from a place of love, and a strong desire to see you met your breastfeeding goals. I'm exhausted from seeing so many first time parents needlessly struggle. 

With my first baby, I think I went a little nuts. With alllll the things. Once nesting kicked in, I was in hyper focused baby preparation mode.

And I wish I could go back and SHAKE MYSELF and say, "Kelly... you're focusing on all the wrong things! It's not going to matter what the nursery looks like, and all that baby gear you registered for is an expensive waste of resources... you won't use most of it, and definetly not for long!"

The truth is, that nesting mode is real, and towards the end of our pregnancies we. can. not. help. ourselves. We want everything to be perfect, the house to be in order, the nursery to be ready, the gear set up and ready to go, and we spend those last anxious months doing whatever we can to fill the time until we meet our little one. 

BUT if you want to breastfeed like most first time moms say they want to do... I ask you... how much time are you spending on preparing to breastfeed??? Statistics show that most first time moms don't do much of anything to prepare..... and sadly... statistics also show us that most don't meet their breastfeeding goals. (Do you see the correlation here?)

I have a solution for you though... so if you're still with me... read on!

WELCOME TO THE SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDING BLOG

Hey there! My name is Kelly Maher Carvell.
I offer effective telehealth lactation support and education to modern families.  
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Here's a hard truth, and I'm going to be blunt here.... The most important thing you'll need to do after your baby comes is FEED YOUR BABY. It's the basic for survival. And yet very very few of us truly prepare for this.

And if you're planning to breastfeed, preparing to breastfeed is more crucial than anything else you'll need to do. YES! More crucial than your birth plan. Sadly, most of us start out with the intention of breastfeeding exclusively, and almost all of us go in it with the wrong ideas. As a consequence, as of 2020 only 25% of mothers will be breastfeeding exclusively at 6 months. 

So many things can happen in those first couple weeks. I call these early weeks the roller coaster period. And that's exactly what it's like. A whirlwind rollercoaster of joy, fear, more joy, and often doubting yourself. Your baby will do things you won't know how to interpret, and most commonly that leaves you feeling like you're not enough. And since you don't have a plan in place, or the resources to get through it, you're likely going to end up making a choice that will lead you down the slippery slope of breastfeeding failure. Or maybe you'll face a tongue tied baby, a baby that isn't gaining weight well, or has jaundice, or low blood sugar. Maybe breastfeeding will be too painful (FYI breastfeeding should not hurt. That's an instant red flag.) There are so many unknowns, and road bumps you don't even know to account for. 

MAMAS- We should be putting just as much, if not MORE effort in to planning to breastfeed our babies than we do for our births. Birth is incredible, and I do understand (because hey- I'm also guitly AF of this too) that desire to put a lot of energy into that birth experience is valid. Birth can be intimidating, especially if it's your first baby, or if things didn't go how you'd hoped the first time. (And even midwives will tell you this part...) Your birth is only a very small peice of that transition into motherhood and being with your baby. YES, your birth matters. AND everything that happens from that point forward is going to really, really matter. And preparing for THAT is so so so important. 

And I don't mean learn breastfeeding positions, and how much milk your baby will need. I mean really learn what it takes to breastfeed, establish a healthy milk supply, and trust in the process. Learn your baby's cues, get education for your partner so they can be an involved part of the process that will support breastfeeding instead of hurting it (hint: pumping so your partner can give bottles isn't it!). Reading books and taking a general lactation class is not enough, and I'm not just saying that. This is backed by research. Gaining some basic knowledge is a good start, but it's not enough. 

After working in a lactation clinic (where I taught a breastfeeding class) and years of supporting thousands of private clients, I was able to figure out the secret to making breastfeeding as simple, and successful as possible from the start. I created a system based on all of the struggles the thousands of clients I supported had faced, and give you access to everythin you'll need to prevent the most common problems, and face anything head on without worry. PLUS I'm there with you through the learning process before your baby, and the roller coaster phase after your little one is born.  And I can proudly say that 98% of the clients who've used my system have met or exceeded their breastfeeding goals.  

Scroll down for some more info about how you can access the smartest way to make plenty of milk for your baby so you can get confident with breastfeeding in 4 weeks or less without doubting yourself or your milk supply. I want to help you, and if you let me I strongly believe that I can. 

You will not regret signing up for the NEST for Success Prenatal Breastfeeding System, but you just might if you don't. 

If you are curious as to whether or not you've really got all the knowledge you need take our Prenatal Quiz and find out... and if you don't pass it....Then I strongly urge you to join me in the NEST for Success Prenatal Breastfeeding System to really increase your chances for successful breastfeeding. 

Get access to the NEST System now!

The NEST for Success System includes: 

• N.E.S.T. for Success: Pregnancy Prep for the Best Postpartum Ever!
• Tools for Your Partner so They Can be as Bonded with Your Baby as You!
• You'll be an Expert in Your Baby's Cues and Know What They Need Before They Cry
• Expert Methods for the Best Sleep Possible with Your Breastfed Baby
• Master the Latch and Have Pain-Free Breastfeeding from the Start
• Secrets for Making Milk and Knowing Your Baby is Getting Plenty!

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author

I'm Kelly! As far as credentials go I am a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Certified Lactation Educator (CLE), HUG trained, breastfeeding counselor, a mother of 4 beautiful kids, and advocate for families.  My personal experience with breastfeeding fueled my passion, and generated my mission. I founded Successful Breastfeeding because I saw a need for a better, more thorough, and individualized support for breastfeeding moms- especially working breastfeeding moms! I provide an approach to breastfeeding support that you won't find anywhere else! Breastfeeding is not one size fits all, and breastfeeding support should not be either!