OK ... tell me everything I need to know about Breastfeeding

[FoghornLeghorn]

I am expecting DC3 in 8 weeks and having never even tried with DD's I am determined to give breastfeeding a try this time so .....

hit me with it !

[scorpio1]

i am breastfeeding my third child and i havent done it before either.

You will be very thirsty and tired in the beginning, i got DH to bring me water at each feed.

Get some nice well fitted nursing bras and good breastpads (tommee tippee ones are good).

I really really enjoy it. You may not always feel like you want to, it may be hard or hurt a little in the beginning but i adore it (8 weeks in)

When your milk comes in around day 3 you may have to express a little milk so baby can latch on - use your hand or do it in the bath.

Get MW to help you latch lying down - a life saver in the nights

[BroccoliSpears]

Good decision Really hope it goes well for you. And excellent plan to get sorted with lots of info.

I'm not any sort of an expert, but will add my tips for what they're worth:

Have the contact numbers of your local BF support groups to hand, and know where and when your local babycafe meets. You can even go to a few babycafe groups before you have your baby and chat about stuff.

If it's not going well SHOUT for help from your midwives, from a BF councellor, from MN, from ANYONE. Don't struggle on in silence - if it hurts it's because something needs to be a bit different for it not to hurt. It's not always straightforward to work out what that is, but you'll get there.

Be prepared for your baby to feed more often that you could possibly imagine! Just roll with it. It's lovely and cuddly.

Lansinoh. Lansinoh. Lansinoh.

Breastpads are good.

I loved my feeding cushion. Not everyone rates them, but mine saved my back and helped my latch enormously.

GOOD LUCK! I had a rotten start to feeding dd but eventually went on to BF her for 14 months, and am now 6 weeks into BFing ds without a hitch. People will tell you how warm and snuggly and bonding and wonderful it is, but it's also so practical and faff free and by far the easiest option if it works for you. I hope it does.

[yomellamoHelly]

It's not easy. You'll really struggle at times and question why you're doing it. But every so often you'll get a magic moment when they take a break and look up at you with a semi-sozzled smile.
You need to look after yourself food and especially drink wise or it'll drain you.
Some days it'll seem like lo is permanently attached to your boob. Persevere.
Don't give a bottle if they seem extra hungry. Put them on more often. It's natures way of increasing your supply. If you start topping up it's the start of a slippery slide.

[McDreamy]

Good for you foghorn. There are some great experts on here. I have just found out I am pregnant with DC3, although I bf both DD and DS I had my problems, mainly that I fed one side better than the other. I only fed for 6 months, this time I want to feed for longer but need to sort out my lopsidedness!!! I also rate feeding cushions, helped me get a much better position which helped enormously!

[FoghornLeghorn]

Thanks guys

I have been doing a bit of reading up on the internet and I didn't realise how much there was to take into account.

Also - I was planning this time on just staying the minimum time in hospital (6 hrs here I think) and then coming straight home but should I really prepare myself for having to stay a bit longer to get help with the breastfeeding ?

[BroccoliSpears]

I had another thought. Don't be afraid to be purposeful when latching LO on. If you leave them to nibble their way on they may not get enough nipple in their mouth and it could be sore. I sort of shove boob and baby together when baby's mouth is open widest. Be quite confident and definite about it. Once they get the hang of it it's fine and you can leave them to sort themselves out, but at the start they're learning too.

[BroccoliSpears]

Re staying in hospital - depends on your midwives! Mine couldn't have cared less and were far less useful to me that the support of my DP and access to the internet which I had at home.

[sallycinnamonhere]

I'm no expert as I am oly 7 weeks in with my first child. The first 3 weeks were hell and I almost gave up countless times. Would totally recommend the Lansinoh to slather on nipples in the early days when it really hurts. She fed loads at first - every one and a half hours through the night and I was exhausted - but this does get better and she now goes 4 hours between feeds at night.

I guess my advice is to aim for 1 weeks, then two then maybe aim for a month. Little hurdles seem much more achievable. Formula is not evil and if it doesn't work out than at least you have done your best.

I'm (touch wood) really starting to enjoy it now - especially when she gazes up at me while feeding - it feels so special. Also, once you get used to doing it out and about it's so much quicker to just get up and leave the house in the morning.

Good luck

[VictorianSqualor]

Make sure you have the helpline numbers to hand, they are on my profile.
The second something feels odd, painful, or wrong, post on here and call someone, you will get the support you need, it's just a pity you need to ask for it.(I like to claim the credit for scorpios breastfeeding)

The most important thing IMO, is to be aware it may seem strange, ut may feel a bit weird, it may be tiring, and will go on for a long time fr the first few weeks, but what you are doing is fucking amazing man!!!

YOU are amazing, and you are the only person that can do it.

Also, every time you feed that feels like you want to stop, think about getting up, sterilising a bottle, boiling a kettle, waiting for the water to cool a but, making a bottle, cooling it even more, feeding winding et. then compare it to..............getting your boob out!! that's it!!

There are likely to be times that you ave had enough, and consider stopping, the second it occurs, post, because the issue might be fixable.

I have read so much about bfing, and consider myself quite well informed, it's me the ladies on my post natal thread ask for info, and I've bf'd one baby with no problems for 9 months, but this time round (am at 9 weeks nearly) I had to post to realise I had thrush, I also have posted two other questions re: bfing because when you're doing it yourself, its totally different to advising.

We are here for you.

Hope you enjoy it.

[Joolyjoolyjoo]

They say if it hurts you are doing it wrong- rubbish!! I've bf 3 (still feeding ds, 7 mths) and it always hurts for the first couple of weeks. After that it is fab, so really try to give it a chance.

Use the fact that you are bf to your advantage- you are doing the important bit, and it is time consuming, so DH/ DP will need to step up and do lots of other stuff (hehe!) This now means that at 7pm every night I retreat to our bedroom with ds and a good book, while DH deals with the other two and the resultant chaos downstairs!! That in itself is worth a couple of weeks of sore nips!

cabbage leaves actually do work!

Breast pads aint sexy, but they are a must!

Good luck- hope it goes well for you!

[VictorianSqualor]

Oh lansinoh, I have about two thirds of a tube if you want it, it'll save you buying some, do you want it?

[Elasticwoman]

I knew another woman in the OP's position, who tried bf for the first time with dc3. She not only fed successfully, enjoyed doing it and noticed better health for that child than his older siblings, but also gave up smoking with very little effort.

Remember it's different for every one. Some mothers leak copiously, some never do; some get problems like sore nipples, some don't. Some feel they don't have enough milk, some think they have too much. There is help available for all problems from the bf organisations, and some problems will just sort themselves out over time.

I got by with FAITH (you can do it!) and PERSEVERENCE (don't give up at the first hurdle). There are an awful lot of subtle pressures out there to give up. No one makes much money out of your bf. Formula companies on the other hand have a huge vested interest in bf failure.

[DonDons]

I am no expert by any stretch having only one daughter of 7 weeks but.... I was petrified of breastfeeding and never thought I would want to/be able to do it. Basically, DD latched on within a minute of being passed to me (and after an E-CS). She latched on without any help from anybody and stayed put for about 90 minutes. I couldn't believe it was going so well and kept asking the midwives if we were 'doing it properly' and they said yes so 48 hours later we went home.

No real issues at all really....sore nipples yes after my milk came in and for about 4 days - lansinoh lansinoh lansinoh - miracle stuff.

I use lilypadz and think they are great. Disposables got stuck on my sore nipples (ouch!) and I felt guilty piling them into the landfills.

I also started expressing at 2 weeks and DH gives a bottle at 10.30pm. We don't have any issues with nipple confusion etc etc. DD has been sleeping through from the 10.30pm feed until 6.30/7 am since 5 weeks old. DD was 9lbs at birth and is now just over 12lbs.

We've been very lucky I know but I do think BFing is the best thing since sliced bread (oh and the baby weight came off in 3 weeks and is still falling despite copious chocolate and cakes).

Sorry for long post but can't recommend it enough! Best of luck

[Judy1234]

It's enjoyable once it gets going.
Ensure you have no bottles or baby milk in the house.
Relax.
My sister in law didn't feed number 1 but hired a breastfeeding expert for number 2 and fed very happily and well second time around.

[Klaw]

I've bf both my children till weaned and have become a Peer Supporter at my local hospital as I recognise that the support we all need is not necessarily always to be found when needed/wanted.

You CAN do this, the first few weeks as you and baby learn about each other can be fairly tough but it does get easier and more pleasurable. If you have any problems along the way call the national helplines, go to your local support groups etc.

Now is the time to find out where your local support is, contact your local NCT branch, find out if your area has a Lactation support worker (or whatever they call it where you are) by asking mw/searching online etc.

It is paramount to get the latch right and to know what you need to do to get it right. If it feels sore past the initial latching on then you need to take baby off and start again. If you perservere baby will quickly learn, ask your dh, mum, sis whoever... to check the latch with you as they can see from a different angle.

After a few weeks it should stop being sore at the initial latching on.

Try this for good info and

then enjoy your bf relationship, there's nothing quite like it!

[BouncingTurtle]

Make sure your DP is 100% committed to helping you bf - that is soooo important! Tell him about how wonderful it is, but also let him get involved - he can help you get comfy, bring you drinks and snacks, and even simple things like giving you a cuddle and stroking babies head while feeding will help him feel close to you and baba. I often pas ds to DH for winding straight after so he was felt involved.
Also it is bollocks to say you need to drink milk to make milk. You need chocolate - and copious amounts of it
And lots of really good DVDs and books!

[Rowlers]

I failed miserably to get dd (now 4) to breastfeed for all sorts of reasons. I just sort of thought it would happen all by itself and that I would get lots of good help / advice in hospital / from midwife. That didn't happen.
With DS (7 months), I had a totally different approach.
Firstly, I read up a lot and looked at loads of those advice leaflets which show correct positioning. It's not obvious what to do and getting your head round it in advance helps.
Secondly, I latched DS on very soon after birth. I didn't with dd and reckon a lot of my problems stemmed from leaving it too long. Midwife was lovely but no good / not interested at all in helping me with breastfeeding. Take the initiative yourself.
Thirdly - Good advice here re: contacting support lines etc. I'd perhaps also try to speak to someone locally before the birth and see if anyone would be prepared to visit you at home soon after the birth if you are struggling.
Also,
drink loads of water,
ensure before you start you have drinks / food / phone / remote nearby,
expect it to hurt at times and find ways to work through it.
wear clothes you are comfy feeding in - I find these stretchy camisole tops (£5 in M + S) under a t-shirt really good,
enjoy it!

[BroccoliSpears]

A small thing that no one ever told me prior to BFing dd: when you need to unlatch your feeding baby don't just pull baby off; instead gently ease your finger into baby's mouth to break the seal.

Knowing this would have made my life very much easier first time around.

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

Check out this

[LadyBee]

when you read about BFing timings etc don't forget that most people are talking about timings after the very first couple of days. In the very first days think 'little & often', say just 5 mins or so, don't think you need to feed for the 20/25/40 whatever is described in books etc. straight away - your nips won't stand it. Start with short times, break the latch gently with your finger and build up gradually. Also, try not to panic when you've only got colostrum, you only have tiny amounts, that's all your baby needs - it's very high in calories but there isn't much of it. Your milk WILL come in, just keep feeding little and often.

[castille]

Nothing to add to all this great advice.

Except to say that don't assume you'll have problems. Make sure you get proper professional help to get the latch right at the start, and you could very well be in for 6 months of baby bliss