To plan to pay someone to help me with breastfeeding?

[CaptainChristmas]

I’m due dc2 next month. Dc1 and I had a rubbish time breastfeeding. Cutting a long story short, she ended up losing too much weight and had to be rushed into hospital. She was treated for an infection there as well, (they suspected meningitis, but it wasn’t), so i think her being poorly was a factor in the rubbish breastfeeding. It turned out I was poorly too and was also rushed down to another ward for iv fluids and antibiotics, so all in all a bit of a combination of us having a poor latch, poorly baby and poorly me meant we had to top up every feed with formula. We did this for a few months, before all my milk dried up after being given the combination pill as contraception. So we never really got into the swing of things.

This time round, I am hoping to establish better feeding before we leave hospital, as this didn’t happen last time. I remember post natal care being very stretched last time and imagine I won’t get much help with it this time either.

So wibu to talk to a lactation consultant or similar now, about coming to help me in hospital after the birth? Has anyone else done similar?

Fwiw, we could afford it, but we don’t have money to burn, so if it’s an avoidable cost then we’d rather avoid it.

It was advised at antenatal classes to put money aside if at all possible for this. In our area there are free peer supporters, the HV are great and there is a localish LLL meeting so I’d probably use these first.

I don't think YABU. A good lactation consultant is worth their weight in gold.

You could also consider a postnatal doula with BF training, who could do other supportive stuff for you.

Pressed post too soon! A peer supporter helped me in hospital which was amazing.

A doula would be an option, too.

Thanks @pink. I would put money aside, but I’m wondering, by the time I’ve had the baby, is it not a bit late to organise? I’m a bit of a planner, so maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.

Sorry x posted with all of those comments.

Thanks. I’ve seen a postnatal doula advertised locally actually.

Definitely a good idea - worth getting the help, and why not? It is not easy, and at least you will know if it is just not a goer because you will have an expert view, instead of just worrying and floundering.

I'm due end of Jan and we are not going to hesitate to call in some help!

There should be a lot of drop in breastfeeding support groups local to you, usually in children's centres. Are these available near you? If the help is available for free then you dont need to pay for it (though you may wish to, for the convenience of having someone come to your house)

YAB very sensible! I did exactly this.

Lots of IBCLCs do packages that include an antenatal consultation. They can advise on colostrum harvesting during the final weeks of pregnancy, help you prepare for breastfeeding but I think the most important benefit is giving you the confidence to know you’re prepared and have someone ready to call should you run into difficulties.

2nd time round I still had issues (two tongue tied babies!) but I knew what I was doing and I had support; it made all the difference. I’m still feeding my 8mo and she isn’t having any formula. 😀

Since you will have 2, I wonder if the money would be better spent in childcare for your oldest child, in order to give you time to establish breastfeeding.

Yes I think it's a very good idea.

Make sure you get somebody who is IBCLC certified. Anybody can call themselves a breastfeeding consultant, but this is a properly recognised qualification.

It’s a brilliant idea. Definitely the best money I ever spent. Make sure you get an ibclc certified LC though!
Best of luck!

Please do check the credentials of whoever you choose; there can be a massive range of quality/knowledge in people who call themselves lactation consultants. Which is another really good reason for meeting someone in advance. I have met lots of so called experts who hit the limits of their knowledge when they came across us; a tongue tied baby who was losing weight and a mum with genuine supply issues.

Very, very good idea.
I had an awful time breastfeeding DD at the start - she couldn't latch, I had supply problems (couldn't get much out with a breast pump either), DD got sleepy and wouldn't drink, she lost so much weight we ended up back in hospital... It was awful.

In a last-ditch attempt, I had two 90minute appointments with an amazing private lactation consultant - one would probably have been enough, but in the 2nd one we rechecked what she had shown me, tried some different breastfeeding holds which became useful later, and she passed on some more general tips, e.g. about sleeping.

As a direct result of her help, I managed to get to EBF by about 8 weeks. I'm absolutely certain I wouldn't have managed without her help (I'm very determined, but it was pretty disastrous!) and I'm incredibly grateful to her for giving us that chance. I breastfed DD up to 17 months, and after that rough start it was a very positive experience for us. Absolutely worth every penny for the consultations.

Oh, and getting started now is the right thing to do!

The lactation consultant I used had a package which included discussing things with you beforehand (so you do the right things at the start), a visit in hospital, and then a couple of visits at home.

I wish I had known to do that!

Thanks all!

I’ve messaged a consultant who I found through the LCGB website. I think it’s only registered Lactation consultants on there.

YADNBU!! Especially if you had such a serious scare last time! having a newborn is stressful enough as it is!

YANBU but saying that, you may have a better time of it this time - I had lots of problems with breastfeeding DC1 (loss of weight etc.) which luckily we fought our way through but with DC2 they latched on immediately after birth and guzzled constantly from then. Can you cancel it if everything goes according to plan?!