breastfeeding?

[daisy26]

I am in two minds what to do-this is my first do I try it out first and see how it goes, as people say it's healthier for the baby if you can do this and it's nice for the mother. Also I would like my partner to be able to feed our baby, I know you can use breastpumps but obviously I don't want to do this all the timw. I know there are positives and negatives, to breastfeeding and going straight to bottlefeeding.I still have few months yet before she's born but just wanted some advice

[lilyloo]

daisy night be worth putting this in the breastfeeding section, theres loads of good advice there.
I have bf all mine and although it has been difficult at ties the good times outway the bad by far. Your dp can always feed the odd exprssed bottle as mine does.
Good luck either way.

[3kidsisquiteenuff]

hi there i tried breastfeeding all 3 of my kids and found it very painful also found it hard to get them latched on to a breast that looked as though it was gonna burst.
they were very happy on the bottle and it has made no difference to their health or weight.
id say give a go its worth a try just for them to get the colustrum.
and there is that great added bonus that others can help(sheer bliss at 2am!!)

[theyoungvisiter]

whatever you decide, it's really really worth doing the first few days via breast as your baby will get so much from the colustrum.

Even if you decide to formula feed later, those first few days will stand your baby in good stead.

Also bear in mind that if you start bfing you can always change your mind and switch to formula, but if you start on formula it's hard (or impossible) to change your mind and go back to bf. So if you are in doubt I'd say start with bf and see how you go!

FWIW I adore feeding my son, I didn't know how wonderful it would be. It was tough at first (he didn't want to latch on) but very, very lovely, especially later. There is something amazing about looking at your baby and knowing you have grown and nourished every ounce of him/her.

Good luck!

[daisy26]

where's the breastfeeding section-in topics list?

[lilyloo]

here

[theyoungvisiter]

here

It's called Breast and Bottle Feeding (they do both in one topic so you will get advice from everyone!).

[berolina]

Do give it a go!

101 reasons to breastfeed

There are so many other ways your dh can engage with the baby - bathing, winding, dressing, carrying in a sling...

have a good look around this site for excellent bf advice.

also look here: bf blog

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

I bf ds for 9 months and will be bf'ing my next one as well - it is something I remember with real fondness.

I had problems for the first few weeks with nipple thrush, latch and mastitis. But this doesn't happen to everyone, and with the right help they can all be overcome.

Once your milk supply has become regulated (about 6 weeks) you can express so your partner can feed expressed milk.

I would really recommend you find some books that will answer your questions, and of course keep coming on Mumsnet!

Do remember though that if you go straight to bottle feeding, it is very hard to then switch to breast feeding.

[madmouse]

I would say start by breastfeeding and see how you go. You do not have to keep it up for six months, even three weeks is great.

My lo is 10 weeks and as you can see on my profile we had no easy start. It was a week after the first day (when he was fine, and fed) before I could hold never mind feed him, but we both love breastfeeding and it is really special and enjoyable. There are drawbacks. You can get insecure about how much your baby is getting (even I do and he has hamster cheeks, pudgy thighs and fat little wrists ) and occasionally it would be nice to leave him to dh and b*gger off for a while. It is also a learned skill. I had lots of support in SCBU and I believe that is why we are doing so well. Make sure your mw shows you how to feed and checks your baby's latch, not just on the first day but after that as well.

There are significant drawbacks with formula. Not as good for your baby, missing the benefits of immunity, constipation, more vomiting...Your baby will sleep through the night sooner on formula generally and as you pointed out your dp can help.

Make sure you are happy with your decision and do not let criticism from your environment bother you. Formula feeding is no crime.

[daisy26]

Yeah I will probably will breastfeed but wasn't too sure, i would like to give it ago and obv yeh ill read up on it all, thankyou for all your advice

[MadamePlatypus]

The earlier you start breastfeeding the better - babies have a natural instinct to find the breast immediately after breath. (think puppy or kitten). To be completely honest, I think that although its not by any means the end of the world if you can't breastfeed, there are more positives to breastfeeding and its worth giving a go.

[BetsyBoop]

great advice already

the other thing I will add is what my lovely community m/w said to me first time round "give it a fortnight & then see how you feel" (when I was on the verge of giving up)

I really struggled during the first week with DD - poor latch, sore bleeding nips, no milk & then terrible engorgement & they will tell you "you might get a bit of 'latch on' discomfort to start with" - Discomfort? - it was "where is that bloody wooden spoon for me to bite on?" type pain (and I'm no wimp!)

However by the time we got to 2 weeks things were MUCH better & I fed DD until she gave up herself at 16 months (and am 5months & counting with DS)

If you can manage it, it's a lovely thing to do for your baby (and better for them too) & I suprised myself by actually ENJOYING it.

TBH it's actually easier than bottle feeding IMO. The only downside is it's just down to you unless you express.

[vicky11]

I went to a breastfeeding workshop at my local hospital at 37 weeks. This was incredibly helpful especially with latching on and positioning which can be the difficult bit. we watched lots of videos, met other mums, tried positioning with dolls etc and got lots of facts about b/f.

I then attended the breastfeeding support group when dd was born at the hospital. find out if you have a local one near you. It really was a godsend we ended up going here every week for 7 months and I met some fab mums. (in fact 5 of us are now expecting again! 16 mths later and overdue!!)

I am hoping to b/f again and hoping this time it will be easier to start with but once you are established it's very rewarding and easy!

I would say though you have to persevere in the early days but you will get there!!!!