2. Persistence can pay off! Guys, I had the ROCKIEST start to breastfeeding. Most of the moms I talked to in advance all mentioned their milk came in within the first few days. I still, to this day, don't believe my milk really came in until week 3. My babe would cluster feed, not for minutes, or an hour or two...but for multiple hours! My longest cluster feeding went on for 9 straight hours with no more than 20 minutes breaks. I felt like such a failure, like my body couldn't support my baby, and on top of the guilt I was feeling, my nips were cracked, blistered, bleeding, and just completely unrecognizable. I wanted, so badly though, to be able to succeed with this journey, so I was persistent. We supplemented with formula and had to do weight checks (our girl lost over a pound and had a rough first month trying to gain that back), and count wet diapers, etc. My husband supported me in my desire to breastfeed, and I'm so so thankful. For two weeks the latch was excruciatingly painful, and he would let me squeeze his hand as hard as I could during each latch to take my mind off the pain. He cradled me while I sat sobbing in disappointment that I couldn't do this one thing that seemed like it should be so natural. He was such a champ. Here I am, writing this at 12 months and one week post partum and I've just started the weaning process. My point is this, if you're having a hard time, but really want to breastfeed, know you are not alone. You can do this, Momma!! 

3. Lactation Consultants are little gifts from heaven! When voicing some concerns in our first few days home from the hospital, one of my oldest and dearest friends told me to go see a lactation consultant. That little nudge was the single best piece of advice I have ever received regarding breastfeeding. Even though I'd read all the books and watched all the videos on breastfeeding, latching, holds, and everything in between, nothing was more helpful than sitting with a lactation consultant. She calmed my anxieties in a matter of seconds, reassured and encouraged me, and taught me things I didn't even know I was missing. I sat with her for about 30 minutes, but that 30 minutes gave me a whole new confidence in my new role as a mom. If you have even the teeniest of doubts or anxieties, then stop reading this and make an appointment right now! You can thank me later LOL!

4. Water, water, water...and then MORE water. I could NOT keep ahead of the hydration game in the early days of breastfeeding. I was easily drinking 100+ ounces of water per day and still found myself so thirsty, and needing more. Listen to your body. It gives you so many cues. I kept a jug full of water at my nursing station, and still make sure to take water with me anytime I leave the house.

5. Set up a nursing station! If you're pregnant or have a newborn, you absolutely should consider setting up a nursing station! Our house is small, so I only set up one in the nursery, but if we had a larger home or multiple levels, I'd set up multiple stations. Those first few months at home are spent doing a LOT of nursing haha! I set up my station in our nursery and had a big water bottle, a few snacks, nipple cream (alllllll the nipple cream), an extra burp rag, and a charging dock for my phone. I'd also recommend a book or some earbuds if you want to listen to a book or podcasts while nursing. I spent SO much time at my nursing station those first few months!

6. The hair tie trick! My best friend has successfully nursed three babes so I sought her out for guidance all. the. time. The best piece of advice she gave me was the hair tie trick to remember which side to nurse on at your next nursing session. Something I hadn't realized pre-birth was that if you nurse on both sides at each nursing session, you want to start your next nursing session on the same side that you ended the previous session on so that your baby gets all the good hind milk. I spent the first few weeks as a new mom religiously writing down the exact start time of each nursing session and what side, as well as the end time. It served me well for anxiety reasons but once I felt more confident in my breastfeeding journey I needed something much less time consuming, and I wasn't about to track it on some app LOL! So for the past 12 months now I've worn the exact same elastic hair tie on my wrists. I start each nursing session on the side that has my hair tie, and then when I end on the opposite, I move the hair tie over to that wrist so I know to start my next session on that side instead. It's so simple!

7. Breastmilk is magical!! I'm serious! This stuff can cure anything LOL!! Babe have an earache? Breastmilk. Babe have a scratch? Breastmilk. Babe have eczema? Breastmilk. Babe have a goopy eye? Breastmilk. I think you get the picture haha!! I could write an entire book on this, BUT there are much better resources out there, so why reinvent the wheel. If you're curious about all the amazing properties breastmilk possesses, then just do a quick google search! :)

8. SO many amazing resources, but two of my favorites are La Leche League and KellyMom! I still, to this day, have them saved as favorites in my phone web browser so I can find the answer to a question in a heartbeat. Check out both of these resources like yesterday!

9. Your view on breastfeeding may change between pregnancy and the post partum phase. I knew I wanted to feed my baby breastmilk but the entire time I was pregnant, I was just completely weirded out by it, true story, so...I actually had heavily considered exclusive pumping and then bottle feeding my baby. The baby came and she latched within minutes of being born, and my view changed immediately. I knew then I wanted to breastfeed. Especially after I watched countless friends dedicate so much time to pumping. WHOA! You EP mommas are soooo inspiring! (The time EP mommas put into pumping, cleaning the pump parts, storing the milk, feeding the milk, cleaning the bottles, etc...they're saints!) Day one in the hospital down, and I had a great first latch so I instantly had all the warm fuzzy feelings and seriously pictured this journey being such a dream. I'd have zero problems, luck me, and I'd breastfeed for the first year and wean at exactly 12 months. HA!!! My journey took a very rocky turn, as you already read, and my desire for how long I wanted to continue breastfeeding changed almost daily. Some days (very early on) I wanted to stop entirely right on the spot. Other days I set small goals, "if I can just make it through this week." Then it changed to, "if I can just make through month two." I made it to month four and thought to myself, "okay, if I can make it to month six." This continued and before I knew it I felt much much more confident in my journey and knew I'd make it to twelve months. I'd planned to wean around the 12 month mark all along, but here I am just a week after the 12 month mark and though I've started the weaning process, I'm not entirely sure how long we will draw it out. I'm equal parts excited to wean and so very sad to see this journey come to an end. I should note though, you do YOU, Momma! If you want to breastfeed for 2 days, awesome! If you want to breastfeed for 2 months, awesome! If you want to breastfeed for 2 years, AWESOME! Society will tell you you're wrong regardless of what you choose, so screw societal norms and do what feels right in your momma heart!

10. You can breastfeed anywhere! I've breastfed at a truck stop, in a pizza parlor, in front of friends, in front of family members, at church, in the grocery store parking lot, in Ikea, etc. When baby is hungry, you do what you have to do. One of the most empowering moments in my journey is when I had to nurse Harper in the middle of an insanely busy/crowded pizza parlor on a Saturday afternoon (think college football and all the people there watching the games), and my sister in law looked over at me and said, "that is so awesome!" I remember feeling insecure in that moment and her little comment, though she likely doesn't even remember it, was such a huge boost of confidence for this new momma (baby was 5 months old at the time). If you're reading this, THANK YOU, Whit!

11. Nursing bras are amazing. Nursing tanks are annoying. Before baby arrived I stocked up on all things nursing haha!! I still wear nursing bras currently, and love how convenient they are! (Side note - I've heard so many people say sports bras are just as easy and I'm here to tell you I disagree. Sports bras SUCK for nursing in my opinion.) Nursing tanks, however...those things are SO annoying! Way too many layers for me. I just felt bulky and frumpy in them.

12. Anything can be a nursing cover. So many new mommas (myself included) spend way too much time researching the best nursing covers. I ended up getting one on Amazon that doubled as a carseat cover, and while I loved it during the 4th trimester, I quickly got annoyed with how hot it seemed to make both me and baby. I quickly opted for something lighter. You can use a spit rag, a muslin swaddle (these are what I still prefer to use), a piece of clothing, two shirts, or heck you can nurse without a cover if that's your preference! When at home I never use a cover, but when in public or in front of anyone other than my hubby, I always cover up. I know many think it's not necessary, but I'm a bit of a private person and prefer to cover.

13. This journey is soooo amazing. I'm not here to knock anyone who doesn't prefer to breastfeed, because though I LOVE it, I'm a firm believer in FED IS BEST. That being said, the breastfeeding journey is simply indescribable. It's beautiful and powerful. It's calming and soothing. It's a bond that I never knew could exist, and I feel so fortunate to have had this experience!

If you've read this far, I just want to say I hope this has been helpful to you! If you have questions or need help, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm not an expert, but I'd be happy to help you find some resources and experts in your area to help you! Please feel free to share it with a friend who needs to read it or hear these words. Last but not least, if you're a personal friend who's read this, then let me take this opportunity to thank YOU for your support in this journey! It's meant the world to me! I would not have been able to make it this far without the support of my husband and my tribe. Alright, I'm signing off before I write the world's longest blog post, HAHA!!! Thanks for reading, friends!