Enormous Norks and breastfeeding

[CricketSoph]

I have absolutely enormous norks (was 36G pre-preg, now, at 41 +4, 40L is looking too tight ).
I have been trying to look for books/websites that have pictures/suggestions for breastfeeding positions for the overly amply endowed but all I can find are the usual "tummy to tummy" pictures of women no bigger than a DD cup - and perky with it . I have spoken to a NCT BF counsellor and she suggested that tummy to tummy probaby won't work so well for me... though that might be more to do with sagginess rather than size . I'm booked in to be induced on Friday and I'm concerned that I will end up being trapped in hosp with no access to specialist advice and I wanted to do a bit of homework/research in advance.
Can anyone suggest any websites/books that might have some suggestions or even just pictures of the rugby ball hold? Also any ideas on where to source bigger nursing bras than an L cup...

[MrsSpoon]

I do know someone with huge norks who breastfed, I didn't like to stare but I did notice that when her DS was newborn she more or less laid him across her knee and held her breast away from his nose (presumably so he wouldn't be suffocated), believe she fed him for quite a while, would imagine it gets easier when they get a bit older.

I was an H cup at one point when b/feeding and found that I couldn't feed lying down but other than that no real problems.

[JackieNo]

Mine are pretty large, and not very perky, and I fed tummy-to-tummy, but had to use the hand on the side of the breast being fed from to support under the breast (does that make sense?). Worked fine, but was difficult to do discreetly. Whereabouts in the country are you?

[cece]

I too was L cup at this point.

Try the 'rugby ball' hold or uses a v shaped pillow to support the baby while you hold the nork up a bit.

TBH neither of my babies were able to get it all in their mouth so I used nipple shields in the end till the were a bit bigger. 4 months ish. I also have large nipples, as they are supposed to put it all in their mouth they couldn't iyswim. Just too much for them! (sorry if tmi)

I managed to bf dd for 8 motnhs and ds for 15 months so it is possible but takes a bit fo practice!

[JackieNo]

Might be worth investigating US websites for larger bras - there's one here that might be able to order larger sizes, it says.

[cece]

royce were the only comapny that made nursing bras back in 2003 in that size.

[CricketSoph]

thanks for such speedy responses! I assumed I'd have to "prop" the breast up a bit for feeding but thought my arm would get tired and i'd have to cart a pillow around!
I hadn't even thought of the nipple issue cece- mine are pretty big too... I just assumed that getting as big a mouthful as possible would be enough
did using nipple shields not affect your supply and was it difficult to get rid of them once babies mouths were big enough?

[mamijacacalys]

Cricket Soph.

Welcome to the club! Normally a 38F and now a 38J whilst bf. Suggest ebay for bras (partic US suppliers).

Both mine have been tummy to tummy. In the early days, found it easiest to sit up in a chair rather than in bed, put the baby on a pillow on lap and then manouvere norks to baby's mouth.
Once established, no need for cushion and could feed in most positions in a general tummy to tummy position, although had to use one hand to squash the feeding boob slightly to allow plenty of air round the baby's nose.

HTH

[crimplene]

Same problem. I'm a 38L (finally got fitted after nearly 6 mths of wearing a saggy 44G) was also a 36G before pg. I was given a support pillow called a dream genii (now from the NCT) which works really well and doesn't slide about like the crescent-shaped ones as it's anchored by a little back-cushion, as arms not really long enough to hold ds in the right place. Lying down (on side) is good for me. Rugby ball works less well for us, but only 'cos he giggles if he can see my face and then I start giggling and we don't really get far with the milk - it worked pretty well when he was younger. I have to support the boob or it just pulls out of his mouth and I did find it all took a lot of getting used to - much longer than other people seem to take to get to grips with bfing. I still have to squidge the areola to a better shape to help him latch on and to give him an airspace if they're soft. Watch out for blocked ducts where the supporting fingers dig in (I have to change my grip or if I forget stroke downwards or very occasionally use a hand pump to unblock).

Dunno if this is size related, but I've always had problems with him deliberately pushing the nipple forward (and crushing it) to slow a flow that was too fast. Ow. Used to have to keep switching from one to the other during a feed to give each mangled nip a chance to recover.

Out and about I prop him on a pillow, or a couple of baby blankets and hold the ankle of the leg he's resting on on my knee with the other hand to get him to the right height (does that make sense?). Leg goes a bit dead but he's getting quicker. Or better still I find a way of sitting cross-legged as this works much better - but is less acceptable in a restaurant!

In terms of covering up, I've finally worked out that (longish) strappy vest tops from asda or H&M under a t-shirt top work well as you pull the vest top down (and it covers up your tummy) and the t-shirt up so that it covers the top of your boobs. I don't have a hand free whilst feeding in public to cover up with a scarf or anything.

On the bra front, I'd probably go for any soft-cup bra that's big enough to start with (even if I had to go up several back sizes)as they seem much less likely to block if they're kinda hanging a bit, and then see what size they are when they settle down after a while - you might be lucky and get back into an L cup. Rigby & Peller make custom made bras - but you have to go to London and I've no idea how much they cost. There are a few other companies online if you google 'custom-made bras'

good luck - we're still doing OK at 6 months. I agree there's not much advice out there.

[beckybrastraps]

I just used an ordinary cushion (I found that teh secial feeding ones put my babies too high up , or if I was out I used a coat folded up or just crossed my legs to raise the baby up.They weren't really facing me as in the pictures, more tilted to face upwards as my nipples pointed down ( again at implied sagginess!)

It was all fine. I could also feed lying down. In fact, that was the most comfortable position of all. I did hold my breast to start them off, but once they were away I could let go. I know that hospitals get a bad rap on breastfeeding, but you may, like I did, have a pleasant surprise. My midwives and especially the healthcare assistants, were very helpful .

[beckybrastraps]

And no - it wasn't particularly discreet to begin with, but once we got the routine going, there was only the merest flash of flesh!

[BlueberryPancake]

Respect! I was 38 A before being pregnant and guess what, I was 38 A during my 6 months of breastfeeding!! I had a friend with a similar problem though, and she almost always used the 'rugby ball' position in the first few months, or lying on her side in bed. It's quite a nice position when you get used to it, I had to use it as well because of c section/pain in the tummy. Good luck!

[BlueberryPancake]

Oh yea, and I read somewhere that you can get a small wedged cusion that you can put under the feeding breast to support it whilst you hold the baby. It was on an american website though, I think. My friend used to use a pair of rolled up socks and stick it under her boob!

[USAUKMum]

Can I just say the one thing I found good about being on the "bigger side" (though only a G/GG cup now, H when feeding) with bfing is when I did it lying down (e.g. in bed) the nipple was in the right place for both DC when lying on their sides, so could doze in peace while they got on with it

BTW agree with everything else said here -- only had to hold the breast away from nose for the first month or so (?) definately not ater 2 mths. Also is much easier once they can support their head, so you have one less "thing" to support.

[maewest]

crimplene - I could have written your post, I also do the leg thing, also the vest and top combo, keeps the tummy warm and doesn't expose too much flesh. I'm only a 32Jish at the moment, usually an H and currently feeding DS who is 15 wks. It took me a while to get the hang of being discreet, but now I manage it ok when out and about (although it is a relief at home to let it all hang out).

CricketSoph - now that DS is bigger he almost sort of sits in my lap with my hand at his back, I found that I had to adapt 'tummy to tummy' to make it work (he is long as well as my boobs sagging). When he was newborn he lay on a pillow in my lap, agree that you will find it easiest to sit up really straight at first (hospital beds are actually quite good for this I found). I would also add that pretty much all feeding bras are rubbish support wise, this maybe because I'm used to spending a fortune on well fitting underwired bras. I'm just putting up with them containing the boobs at the moment and forgetting any real uplift .

Wish you well with feeding - and demand help if you need it. Also helps if your partner can help manouver the baby in the first few days.

[crimplene]

maewest - I'm glad I'm not the only one! DS wants to sit up to feed, but I find it less comfortable, perhaps I should persist? it would be handy not to need to find cushions all the time.

I understood the tummy-to-tummy thing to as much of a principal then a position. The idea being that it's much harder for a baby to feed with a twist in their neck, so they really need their whole body to face you. It's more a matter of getting LO lined up so they are at a reasonable angle in relation to your boob and not twisted round.

Cricket - I bet the midwives will have plenty of experience as there are lots of women with smaller cup sizes who are fat and the problems are much the same according to a couple of friends of mine who are midwives. Just keep pestering them as much as you need to.

[CricketSoph]

thank you all so much - to be honest i was feeling a bit like a freak and its great to find that there's a crowd of us. Not only that but to find out that it might be possible bf in public (I had given up all hope that discretion would be possible as well!).
Sorry if i'm being thick but question for maewest and crimpline; when you say you hold the ankle, do you mean YOUR ankle (as opposed to DC) - so sort of like cross legged but with only one leg?

[hoxtonchick]

i used the rugby hold a lot when both mine were tiny. or another adaptation that worked well was to have the baby sitting on a cushion next to me on a sofa, very upright. not sure how i invented that one....

[Cazwa]

Im 36J and BF with a 3 months DD and did find it hard at first, but easy now. The pictures of postures dont quite relate to having massive norks. I struggled for the first 2 weeks just using pillows then got a V shaped cushion the cushion which was a godsend.

Rugby ball worked great for me on one side that I had lots of difficulty with because of soft boobs (AKA saggy) and a small nipple, the other side was no probs. Took me a while to get the hang of not suffocating my DD with my boobs, I was really paranoid at first that she couldtn breathe but you dont have to watch them the whole time, you can hear it when their nostrils are blocked.

Out and about was more problematic for me than my friends with smaller ones I found. They were able to cradle their babies in the arm they were feeding with and have one hand free. I found that I didnt have enough space between that arm and my breast for DD's head to fit without the whole boob covering her head like a jellyfish! I now use a sling that sits under the pram, fold it over till it makes a little pillow under her head on my lap and lean over her, with one hand holding my BFboob and the other on her back leaning her in to me.

Sounds complicated but you find ways of making it work.

This site is brilliant by the way with lots more tips:
www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/NursingWhenWellEndowedFAQ.html

[crimplene]

Cricket - I sit with my legs apart and then rest the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other. I then put ds on the folded up leg with his head at the knee end with a blanket under his head and then use the hand on the side I'm feeding from to support the boob and the other to hold the ankle from slipping off the knee. Does that make more sense?

[mrsmalumbas]

Try this one by la leche league

and \link {http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/NursingWhenWellEndowedFAQ.html\nursing for the well endowed}

The second link also has some great info on SPD if anyone is interested

FWIW my norks are huge too and the biggest problem I had was very fast and furious letdown and copious milk supply, as well as not-very-big nipples which made it hard for DD to latch on. In fact I never did very well with DD1 but did great with DD2 - still nursing at 27 months!

I never found the football hold very good for me but I did find the soft "boppy" nursing pillow excellent, that and nursing sitting up in bed with both of us propped up by masses of pillows.

As she got bigger and the head-to-nork ratio evened out it all got easier! Softer and less engorged boobs are also easier to cope with - I found it was just a case of hanging on in there during those early weeks really. I just kept saying to myself "if we can just get to 2 weeks ...if we can just get to 4 weeks ...if we can just get to 8 weeks ...and so on until it all sort of worked itself out.

Now she is bigger I only ever nurse when we are both lying down i.e snuggling up just before bed - sitting up just doesn't work anymore. But in the early days I just found her head too small and her neck not strong enough to enable her to feed succesfully in this position - I think she was about 6 months old before we worked this one out.

Good luck!!!!!

[cece]

'did using nipple shields not affect your supply and was it difficult to get rid of them once babies mouths were big enough?'

well yes and no.

DD wouldn't give them up and I used them for whole 8 months.

DS was fine and took to the nipple fine when he was 4 months old.

They never seemed to effect my supply though... Maybe I was just lucky. The mw were all full of dire warnings because I was using them.

[Pitchounette]

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[Pitchounette]

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[Lio]

Californifrau has alerted me to this! I am similarly well off in the bra dept and will reply properly when dc are asleep...

[MrsApron]

udderly yours boob support pillows are supposedly the dogs for big boobers. Mine don't quite qualify but have heard great things about them from the well endowed lot

here