breastfeeding mums???

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Can you give me your tips please? I only managed to feed dd1 for 5 days looking back I now realise it didn't work out as I didn't expect how much she would want to feed and coupled with all the comments of she can't be getting enough if she is feeding again etc etc I gave up and switched to formula. I also had stupidly read a very routine based baby book ( you can prob guess which one) and was determined to make a routine work I can now see that life would have been much easier for me and dd if I had just went with the flow.
I'm pregnant again and I am determined to make it work I've been reading up on it and now realise that the first few weeks/nights it can be pretty much constant. How did you cope with this? And did you end up sleeping with your baby we have bought a bedside cot as thought this would make through the night much easier. Any tips would be really appreciated Thanks

It sounds like you've already learnt a great deal about BF so my bet is that you'll be fine.

Yes, an acceptance that you'll be BF ALOT in the first few weeks really, really helps.
A sling, lots of crappy telly or easy read books, co-sleeping, supportive partner, lots of pre-prepared meals in the freezer - just do what you can to make life easier so you can focus on building a great nursing relationship. It will pay off by about 3 or 4 months.

Try and find other people who BF. You really don't need people telling you their stories of woe or asking you daft questions. It is very, very rare for a women to not make enough milk for her baby. There can be difficult days when the baby is boosting your supply by nursing all day, but try to go with it and it will settle down.

Hi OP, I am breastfeeding my first who is just coming up to six months and still going strong (although I did have a little wobble recently). Some tips from me:

Buy a little tube of Lanisoh and in the early days put some on your nipples after every feed regardless of whether they are sore or not. I did this, and found it stopped my nipples ever becoming really sore;

Get people to check your latch. And check, and check. Literally every time a community midwife or health visitor comes to your door in the early days, ask them to watch you feed and tell them any niggles. They'll be delighted to help and the more people you ask the better because some will be more helpful than others;

During the night, having a baby sleep beside you is a great plan. In the day, camp out on the sofa. Boxsets will be your saviour (a Netflix subscription is cheaper than formula!);

Also, for night feeds, in the early days make yourself up a little plate of snacks (I had dried fruit and chocolate biscuits and malt loaf) and put it where you'll be feeding. You'll be hungry, but also I found it helped when I woke up and thought "oh god it's 2 am" to also think "ooh, chocolate!";

Yep, in the early days your baby will want to feed all the time, but this does serve a purpose - as well as feeding for comfort, the baby is increasing your milk supply to make sure you produce enough for him. This happens in the early weeks and again during growth spurts - you will think it is a step back at the time, but it is only temporary and serves a purpose because you'll make more milk as a result;

Ignore everyone. Even my pro-bf mum came out with a lot of "he can't be hungry again" comments, forgetting she had fed two delicate girls, not my sturdy hungry boy;

And echoing what someone said above about not signing up to a philosophy, be kind to yourself. Bf is not always easy but it is very rewarding. If it works, brilliant. If for some reason it doesn't work don't beat yourself up about it.

Good luck!

FWIW, I never used Lanisoh. Never had sore nipples. It's not always essential.

First time round I was worn down by the constant feeding and cracked and tried to give formula at 6 weeks, but he wouldn't take it. I cried a lot. Then things picked up and I ended up bf him for ages.

Second time around there was just as much feeding but I went into it expecting that, knowing it was normal and knowing it would only be for 6-8 weeks, and that made all the difference (plus DC2 napped better than DC1). We did end up sleeping with the baby -- I think your having a bedside cot will definitely make your life easier.

I found it helped to think of myself as a mammal - if you watch dogs with puppies they just let them nuzzle, nurse and fall off the breast as and when, and it is pretty often. I was pretty incapacitated post birth anyway which I think helped me to establish feeding, as the constant feeding occurred while I was laid up anyway.

I found 'The Food of Love' a good, down to earth book. I really found meeting up with other people who were ebf helpful so the baby cafe mornings etc were helpful.

I have BF my little boy for 26 months (actually sad that he seems to be weaning himself!) baby will be on you constantly at first. So get comfy and invest in Lansinoh! Forget routines, just feed on demand. Yes it is tough at first especially first two weeks but it gradually gets easier. Ask for help and support from midwives/hvs etc or find a bf support group. Kellymom and the leaky boob are great sites for help and info. Good luck xx

All babies are different - with DD I had to just push through the pain but with DS he was so much easier. He didn't cluster feed in the same way that DD did.
I was more relaxed about not trying to do everything as well second time round. Sometimes all you can do is sit on the sofa and watch tv, but that is ok! It is a good chance to get your body rested after giving birth. DS is 10 months now and he is down to one feed before bed so it really doesn't last for ever!
Good luck OP and congratulations on being pregnant

Lots of good advice already. My advice (ebf feeding 8 week old DS2):

Freeze food for DC1 (if not eating same as you) - I just heat up DS1s evening meal which I can do one handed during clusterfeeding

Get up, washed and dressed before DH leaves. Ten he can hold the baby and supervise the toddler and you dont have to worry.

Cook lots of meals you can eat one handed. With DS1 DH had to cut up my meat etc as I fed whilat eating. Thia timw around we eat more sensible stuff!

TV for DC1 is a god send. I cant watch any tv for me as its not suitable for a toddler. I do however watch a lot of postman pat/fireman sam/button moon etc!

Ignore the ironing!

DS1 goes to bed late (9pm) so Sometimes I let him watch a film in the evening whilst DS2 cluster feeds.

Its not recommended but I found a dummy a godsend in the first few weeks as it made DS2 wait a couple of minutes whilst I took DS1 to the loo etc. i only ever gave the dummy for a few minutes though.

Ask midwife to check for tongue tie before you even leave the hospital. Ours wasn't picked up on for a couple of weeks then it can take a few more weeks for appointment to come through. Having it snipped made a difference to how often my ds fed as I think it was hard work for him to get the milk with the tongue tie.

In fact ask everyone who checks over the baby in the first few days to check for tongue tie because some miss it.

I exclusively BF DD and also ended up co-sleeping (something I never thought I'd do). DD was also a slow feeder, she seemed to be on boob almost constantly. All I think you can do really is manage your expectations and remember that as they get better/more efficient at it (as BFing is also a skill babies need to master) they'll get quicker and quicker. This time around I know what I'm in for so will be expecting to hold baby a lot and will also make much more use of the sling.

Find out where the breastfeeding groups are in your area now so that you can access support quickly after the baby arrives. If you can afford it nct do good antenatal courses and you can get to meet other women who will be breastfeeding too - it really helped me to be around other breastfeeding mums so I could see that the constant feeding was normal and tell people to stop with their "helpful" comments and advice.

Don't rely on caffeine like a pp suggested - it will affect baby's sleep (and therefore yours).

I coped well thanks in part to baby being a good feeder, but the up all night thing was really hard. There's a thread on here for night time bf-ers somewhere! So at least you'll be able to chat on here if you fancy it.

Yy to lansinoh. Brilliant stuff.

Oh, also before ds was born I was invited to a breastfeeding workshop for expectant mums. Ask your midwife if there's one available for you.

Feed before they cry. With my first I did routine nursing and had a horrendous first three months. With the other two I ignored mother's snide comments and nursed as soon as the wriggling started.
Babies weren't stressed before nursing (as they get when they're already crying) and the whole thing was much calmer.

Mine slept after birth but then had a marathon 24 hour on the boob to get milk coming- ignore the whole 'colostrum for a few days then milk' thing. My milk came after less than two days.

Don't get panicked if they have days when the natural routine changes and they want to nurse all the time. It could be heat, a growth spurt, teething etc. It doesn't necessarily mean your milk supply is low (as my SIL was told and she started formula at 4 months because of it).

From personal experience I find that BF is so worth continuing. Aside from natural benefits it's basically so practical. It means your baby is mobile and you can travel/go anywhere without lugging bottles and formula around. Yes, the first couple of months are tough but after that BF is ideal for lazy people!

Congratulations by the way!

Learning to feed lying down saved my sanity!

Lots of great advice here. Sounds like you're already prepared for the first bit which can definitely be hard. I found it got a lot easier after about 6 weeks when my DS was latching more naturally. Definitely get midwives to check latch at every visit. I tried to be quite routine-y at first too and still am a fan of the flexible relaxed routine at 6 months. One thing I found that did help at first was making sure my DS was really full at every feed and getting the fatty hind milk - this means long feeds sometimes - 20 mins one boob, nappy change to keep them awake and whatever they want from the next boob. The advantage of this is that they do often then conk out for a bit longer afterwards and your nips get a bit of a rest!

Bulk buy Lanisoh. Chocolate. Cake.

Learn to feed in the sling. Means you and toddler don't need to keep stopping on park benches to feed and you can still follow toddler around when feeding. And IGNORE anyone who says "they can't STILL be hungry"... Yes, they are! You feed like every hour in those first weeks pretty much. Don't focus too much on feeding - just do it when they want it or cry and carry on as normal

One thing though is get your oh on board,he can ward off the comments and he can do the bedtime for the older one for the time being.
Also have loads of stuff recorded on the telly and have some books on cassettes as well.
Have loads of snack type things in and loads of water as well.
And seriously anyone dares make a comment be as narky as you like you can blame the hormones.

It will take time to be established i bf all 5 of mine and even there were some days i thought i would flip but take it day by day and enjoy it.

How old is dd 1?

Don't feel bad about her watching a stupid amount of telly for a bit a couple of months while you sit on sofa and feed.

And a big yes to feeding constantly, ignore people who say she/he can't be hungry again, yes they can be, their tummies are tiny, they have just be born and need that comfort of being close and sucking. Don't overthink it, if in doubt, try a boob! If they don't want it they won't feed, if they do they will. Many a time I have wapped Out a boob to realise that is really not what they want, but hey ho!

The best advice I was given to help dealing with the constant waking up in the night to feed was simply accept it. As soon as I just accepted it, and not huffed and moaned and did the usual "he can't possibly be hungry again", things got much easier. He slept in the bed with us in a type of cot reductor thing and it worked perfectly. I actually then began to enjoy those moments in the middle of the night and continue to do so now at 9 months!!!

Oh Ladies such good advice especially nom (no I'm not stalking you!!) I fed 3, also with many problems, especially DS2. Agony! But was so determined. It did get better and fed him till nearly 3.
BUT......looking down on their little faces, their little hands caressing your body, their ears wiggling when latch good, them pulling off with a milky smile....oh so worth it. Good Luck OP.
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My first health visitor told me that breastfeeding mothers need a slice of sticky toffee pudding or chocolate cake every day. Fact.

Yes Boca! DS2 was my last and did I enjoy him! Even at night after the initial 'oh not again'. Just me and him.....Magic. Was strangely disappointed when he slept through at 9 weeks!! (Rose coloured specs??) I would put BF as some of the most special moments of my life.

And can I just say that my Best Friend had DC later than me and had seen me in agony and wanted all the gory details....I told her! Do you know....she didn't have one problem, no cracked nipples, no pain, a perfect latch and weight gain and a baby that fed 3 hourly...from birth!!!! I was sooo happy for her. It might be the same for you OP. I really hope so.

I read a lot of books on my kindle (one handed reading is comfortable on that...) whilst feeding my second, I was totally expecting to get a lot of time to read and DS2 didn't disappoint.