Preparing for breastfeeding

[Kione]

I can't find any places with this topic so I hope its ok ask here. If not, MN please move it.
I wasn't successfully breastfeeding my DD and want to try again with next baby due in December.
I was told a few years ago that I should've used Lansinoh even before birth to prepare the nipples.
Is this correct? I have bought some and happy to start, but not sure if it is necessary.
Anyone heard or done this?
Thanks!

[Kione]

Sorry awful writing.
"I wasn't successful" that should say.

[ShatterResistant]

A friend of a friend swore by rubbing her nipples vigorously with handfuls of straw in the months leading up to the birth, to toughen them up. I can't vouch for it.

[AntiHop]

I've never heard that.

I was advised by the breastfeeding support worker that vaseline work just as well for sore nippers and is much cheaper. I used that. But only after the birth.

[TheDuckSaysMoo]

Lansinoh is awesome but I never used it before the birth. Use after every feed though. I'm sure there is a bf topic. I'll check for you. Kellymom is a useful bfg website too. Good luck!

[ShatterResistant]

(But I used Multi-Mam compresses to heal any cracks etc that resulted from feeding at the time - miraculous.)

[ShatterResistant]

No, the straw thing was unique to this strange woman, I think. But it appeared to work for her!

[TheDuckSaysMoo]

The best topic for help is Infant Feeding, which is under the Feed the World section.

[stoptouchingthat]

No that seems excessive. I only used Lansinoh in the initial weeks when my nips were getting a bit 'worn out' by the newborn relentless feeding. Or when I got a wee crack or graze because of wonky latch when DD's mouth was tiny.

Was it pain that you struggled with the last time?

There is an 'Infant Feeding' topic under 'Feed the world' on here which I found very helpful for advice.

Good luck when your baby arrives :)

[MotherDuckSaid]

Tht is Definitely the best cream, u dnt need to remove it before u feed, slap it on as often as u can and leave breasts open to air as much as possible, rubbing a bit of ur breastmilk onto exposed nipples and letting it air dry is also fantastic for helping prevent / heal cracked nipples.
Ive fed five babies and not put anything on prior to delivery ,but I was actually thinking about whether I 'should' just the other day , so will follow this feed with interest.
Good luck for delivery and feeding , its tough to start, but stick with it, after the first couple of weeks its so much easier 😊

[wayway13]

I used lansinoh last when I bf but not before the birth. I didn't do anything to prepare. Lots of lansinoh and tears got me through that first week!

[booox]

No I'm sorry, that advice is tosh.

A good latch and no issues such as tongue tie means no need for lansinoh, but it's useful to help in the early days incase these issues arise.

I really really recommend you give the la leche league a ring to chat things through and to have a point of contact after birth. The Nct and BF network are also fabulous,

I have a very supportive local la leche league group who operate through fb. There are varying amounts of this sort of thing across the country - for example I know of a group in York called the treasure chest.

Feel free to pm me where you live - if it's near me I'll add you to our group- they have local meetings and are just bloody amazing women! And do not judge if you decide to ff. Their job is to support the BF and help solve any issues.

If not I can ask them to point you towards a good active group.

[Kione]

Thanks for all the responses! I will go to that other topic, I thought it was just for recipes!
I struggled with pain but she also had bad colics so we had to take turns to feed so I could get some sleep. Tried pumping but not enough was coming up so not sure if that was the issue. I found the HV very unhelpful.
I know how to get in touch with La Leche ligue but TBH I find those groups intimidating for some reason. I might try just to see.
Thanks!
I'll leave the Lansinoh for later :)

[ReallyTired]

Knowledge is power when it comes to sucessful breastfeeding. The best way that you can ensure a good breastfeeding experience is to read up on good breastfeeding positioning.

This is a really nice book and it's funny too.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00P0ZOO2U/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

You might like to watch this video of an alternative way for a newborn to initiate breastfeeding.

Biological nurturing uses similar reflexes to get a newborn to latch on.

www.biologicalnurturing.com

In the early days I found it best to use th cross cradlehold or biological nurturing. The cradlehold that so many midwives teach is hard because newborns don't have enough strength in their necks to support their heads.

Another suggestion is to go along to your local la Leche league meeting. It's free and there will be a wealth of up to date information. (I stopped breastfeeding five years ago so there may well be more up to date better research)

[ReallyTired]

Oops here is the link for the breastcrawl video

www.breastcrawl.org

[ODog]

No need to use lansinoh antenatally but definitely before and after every feed religiously for first few weeks. One tube has always been enough for me.

Other than that, the following is helpful:
Lots of activities you can do with older child while bf (books, stickers, playdoh, films, CBeebies - assuming older child is under 5).
Some decent nursing bras.
A bit of grit and determination.
Faith in yourself.
Contact details of support lines of you need them.
Don't leave hospital until you are happy with how baby is feeding.

[magicroundabouts]

My midwife, when I was pregnant with DC1, recommended massaging rose hip oil into nipples from 34 weeks pg until 37 weeks. The idea being that it helps to moisturise the skin and allow it to stretch without cracking when you start breastfeeding. Then when baby arrives use Lansinoh as needed.

I did follow the advice and had some cracking/ soreness to begin with that cleared up in a couple of weeks by using lansinoh and then no further probs. Obvs can't say if it would have been the case anyway!

I have to agree that correct positioning/ latch is the most important thing. The cracking I experienced was definitely down to feeding position not being quite right.

[Kione]

Ok thanks.
Mine didn't even crack with DD but I think my nipples are very sensitive as they get really sore when I am cold too, like really really sore.
I want to breastfeed but I am not going to go through agonizing pain for it either. I want to give it a good go but if it doesn't work its not the end of the world...

[Bumptittybump]

I have actually heard about 'prepping' nips with lanolin cream too. I can't remember where from but I did it with my last babies. Rubbed in a little after showering for week or 2 before birth then after as most feeds for about a month. I had virtually no problems with cracking or soreness - they were like rubber! This was with twins so they were getting lots of use too, although both had a good latch so may just have been down to that. No way of knowing really but I'm still planning on doing the same this time though, prob from 38 weeks. A tube of Lansinoh goes a long way (I didn't use a whole tube last time) so not like it's going cost any more, so where's the harm in giving it a go?

[Kione]

That sounds fair enough, two weeks beforehand is not big deal even if it doesn't work, no harm done.
I was told to do it like 3 "months" beforehand and that is quite a commitment if it was and ild wife's tale.
But 2-3 weeks is reasonable. Thanks!

[StrawberryQuik]

I bought some lanolish before DS was born then forgot to take it to hospital with me, by the time I remembered I had it breastfeeding had stopped being painful (maybe after a week/10 days?)

My top tip is a practical one, rather than buying breastfeeding bras which are fiddly and hard to re-Clip one handed while holding a wriggly baby, buy a load of cheap stretchy sleep bras (Asda is good for this) and just yank them down.

Good luck :)

[oatybiscuits]

I think the best thing to do is find out who you can call for help if you find you are struggling, whether peer supporter/breastfeeding counsellor, lll. Your local breastfeeding support group should be able to direct you and it's useful to go and chat to other mums about breastfeeding beforehand so you know what is/isn't normal.