Couple of questions about breast feeding if anyone can help?

[RoseberryTopping]

Ds2 is only a couple of days old and I was just wondering how you feed while you're out? Say if you went to the beach or the park for the day, how do you balance them on your knee without loads of cushions etc? Or what if there's no seat to sit on?

Also, my milk has just come in and there is sooo much, he's barely coming close to draining it even though he's drinking plenty. I did BF DS1 but barely left the house and only have vague memories of being full with milk all the time until I gave up after a few months. Will it go down soon or will I always have too much milk?

[Jeggie]

Hiya, congrats! Re your oversupply this will settle down fairly quickly - it's just boobs being keen. If you feed til your baby is full (sleepy, content), swap boobs after each decent feed if you haven't already during feed, and always offer again when he asks your supply will settle. I don't think expressing etc is recommended as it will just make boobs think more is needed.

The other question about positions - you can feed standing up if you have to, ideally leaning against something... You can feed in any position you can think of really...(!)

But might be worth waiting a few more days before going out if you're worried about it (and your other child can bear it)... That would give your boobs a chance to settle down a bit and your baby some practice at good latching. Or go straight after a feed and cross your fingers...!

[callamia]

Don't worry. Things are going to get easier. And congratulations on your lovely new baby!

Feeding out gets easier as your baby gets bigger. I fed propped on a billion cushions, and realised that it wasn't quite necessary. Going to a breastfeeding cafe showed me other holds that were more straightforward. Quite soon, definitely within a month, I was feeding DS anywhere (and we had problems to start. It was far from straightforward). You can feed sat on the floor (although that's not cosy for a long feed), or you can generally find somewhere (eg. Last week, we were on a beach and I fed on a pier and in the bandstand - jolly!)

Your milk was also settle down. There will be growth spurts when all that will happen will be feeding, and eventually your milk will become supply and demand. However, if you express, and you have loads you could consider donating to a milk bank or storing some? It's probably best to talk to a breastfeeding counsellor about this - this worked for me, but I don't know that it's the right thing for you right now.

[xvxvxvxvxvxvxvxv]

Balancing them gets easier as they get bigger which happens quickly!!

At first I used to balance mine on the soft squashy padded nappy bag which was on my knee.

A lot of places have feeding rooms too which I wish I'd found out about earlier. John Lewis mothercare large boots etc and some shopping centres.

[MsBug]

For the first few weeks I had to prop dd up on cushions to feed. If I had to feed her while out I used to prop her up on the change bag covered by a muslin.

After a few weeks your baby will be bigger and you can sit with legs crossed and prop them up on your knee.

Congratulations!

[TortoiseUpATreeAgain]

When they are older there's not so much balancing involved -- while they are little you tend to also be lugging around an enormous changing bag which can make a good substitute cushion for baby-propping-up purposes. Just make sure your back is well-supported (so if you're not in a chair, sitting against a wall or something can be helpful).

[TheABC]

Your milk supply will calm down (well, until he goes into a feeding frenzy, when it will ramp up again) and you'll quickly learn how to juggle baby in one hand for a feed whilst grabbing a drink/cake/toddler in the other. For my first few outings, I went to places that had decent seating with an armrest. This took the place of a cushion. I also went to bf-friendly places; toddler groups, breastfeeding cafes and mother/child rooms in John Lewis. That way I could concentrate on the latch without worrying about other people. As it's your second, you might not be as shy as I was!

My top, top tip is to get a sling. It removes the positioning problem almost entirely and allows you to feed whilst walking, eating, drinking - anything that requires movement. Baby will love it too; mine is 12 months now and still falls asleep in it. It's worth seeing if your area has a sling library when things have settled down as you can rent a few slings cheaply and see what works for you.

[SaggyAndLucy]

Experiment with positions which are comfy unsupported. I always quite liked feeding them "backwards", with their bum in the crook of my elbow and their head in my hand. They get lots of support and their head wobbles less. you can then use your other arm to prop the whole shebang up!