breastfeeding mums???

[Jumpingovaries1]

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

One more thing, at the first sign of a blister slap on the Lansinoh. It's fabulous stuff that will enable you to carry on feeding. Cos a blister hurts like a bastard but it needn't spell the end of BFing for you.

I loved getting him weighed in the early weeks when I knew it was all down to my milk.

something I will remember for next time though is the feeding to sleep habit is very easy to get into and is proving very difficult to break. I know a lot of people on here say just go with it but next time around I will be much more aware if this and try to get them asleep at least once a day without feeding. Because you don't know how much milk they are getting literally every time my ds cried I fed him and he fell asleep so he hasn't really learned to fall asleep any other way.

Annarose you don't have to breastfeed if you don't want it's entirely your choice. As for feeding constantly, I didn't, I did for the first two weeks but then started to space out feeds, making sure the baby had had a really full feed from both sides and the fore/hind milk before moving on- plus keeping them awake to finish the feed if they dropped off (by doing what someone else said, either moving position or gently waking them, just for a few minutes to finish). I didn't feed to sleep but put them down separately to this. I also started to distinguish day and night from about then- so day a bit more active, keeping things quiet at night. I fed within a routine that worked for us. Now there were days when they did feed more and I certainly didn't make them wait if they were hungry, but you don't have to go the constant feeding/AP route to still make bf work for you, both mine fed well, were a good healthy weight and were good sleepers for naps and nights (night wakings til about 6-8 months), I preferred a more structured approach as it suited my personality.

The most important thing I can advise us feed feed feed as much as baby wants for at least the first few weeks. Don't try and control timings until 6 weeks in. This is how you establish a proper supply. It gets way you easier once you have done that. It's a tough few weeks and baby will be possibly crying with hunger at times but that is all part of establishing breastfeeding.

tea I can remember when my Ds was 5 months and like a fat little pig with wrist folds and thinking"I did this, my body did this "
Amazing !

annarose breastfeeding can be constant at times but you don't have to stay in watching box sets. Once you have 2 or more children then it isn't really possible anyway. I was out and about most days with dc 2 and 3 from their being a few days old - they do tend to fall asleep in the pram or sling and make up for it when you get home, but once you gte used to feeding out and about then breastfeeding actually makies it easier to go out - no bottles, sterilisers, paraphenalia, they just feed when they're ready, wherever you are.

I think that when people share tales of blood, mastitis and tears and it all came good in the end, they're trying to be reassuring and show that you can keep going and crack that breastfeeding relationship even if you do run into difficulties. The most important thing I'd advise is that if you do run into problems, don't accept that feeding is painful, it honestly shouldn't be if the latch is right and there's no mechanical problem like tongue tie. even if health visitor thinks the latch looks ok and doesn't spot a tongue tie, ask to be referred to the Infant Feeding Co-ordinator for an assessment - some problems are difficult to spot but easy to sort and you need an expert eye. And find a support group with trained Peer Supporters who can help you keep going.

Don't panic, just take it as it comes!

I can remember when my Ds was 5 months and like a fat little pig with wrist folds grin and thinking"I did this, my body did this "
Amazing !

That's really lovely! I think though that it can be hard for mums of naturally smaller babies (mine were quite dainty and still skinny children) - to me it seemed like everyone else had these chubby babies, all achieved by their own bodies, and mine was failing somehow. Of course, it wasn't, because my babies were nourished and healthy - just wish professionals could have been more reassuring that healthy babies come in all shapes and sizes.

He is 6 foot 6 now johnny .
Thin like a rake!

Not sure if anyone has mentioned tha analytical armadillo on fb (haven't read the whole thread). She is a very good bf expert and I've posted there before with my worries and have my answers within minutes.

I follow the "baby led" approach. Every baby is different. If my baby is hungry, I feed. If they want to be held, I hold. If they hate the sling, I avoid it. Listen to your baby.

I read (and re-read) the breastfeeding book by Claire Byam cook even though loads of people advise against this. I gained a lot of knowledge from this before I gave birth and firmly believe I didn't have many problems because I "knew" what to do. However I could have had two very easy to breastfeed babies. We will have to see about the third!