Some breastfeeding questions

[FeelLikeTweedleDee]

I've been breastfeeding for 2.5 months so far but I'm not short of questions

OK here goes...

1. Does breastfeeding really help you to lose weight?

1. Is it true that the baby can get most of the BFing benefits from just 50ml of breast milk per day?

1. Why did my health visitor say that there are no nutritional benefits to BFing past 6 months yet WHO say otherwise?

1. How can I increase my supply?

1. When co-sleeping, how does baby latch on by herself and stay latched with no input from mum?

1. What is your opinion on this article? women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6718276.ece

I found that when b/fing, when I thought I was hungry, I was actually thirsty. Not suggesting you don't eat proper meals or diet, but next time you are hungry, try drinking water. Wait for a bit to see whether you are really hungry.

Re: H/Vs. Not sure if there has been a thread on silly things out of the mouths of H/Vs, but mine once suggested that by having ice cream would improve the fat content of breast milk. I suggested (as a joke) that perhaps I should jump up and down to make sure the cream was well distributed, and she said, 'that would be a good idea...'

I'm another fatty who got skinnier

SM - That's quite interesting. Previous eating habits making a difference, My idea of a treat is ricecakes with hummus or a small square of dark chocolate.

come round to ours for tea starlight, not a rice cake in sight.

101 reasons to Breastfeed - I hope this list motivates you TweedleDee.

I am another who got skinnier...... eventually.

apparently it is the tiredness that causes the sweet tooth and sugar cravings.

MoonFaceMama - "I would ask her does she mean babies need no milk after six months? Oh no, they still need milk. So at six months of age human babies suddenly stop needing human milk but need animal milk instead"

This is brilliant, I have been looking for a succinct way to put this across as dd is now nearing the 6 month mark and family nay-sayers have smelt blood and are starting to circle...

FeelLikeTweedleDee -

1. Not me sadly :-( Bfing gives me a massive appetite and I have no willpower! I didn't manage to bf my first for very long and found that as soon as I switched to ffeeding my pregnancy weight dropped off very quickly as I simply was't hungry all the time.

2&3. No idea - but I have always told family that there are 2 main health benefits to bfing - the first (and most important IMO) being that it's the only way to avoid exposing baby to potential allergens such as dairy/soya etc before their gut matures (I don't think this is strictly accurate as they are exposed via Mum's diet, but it gets the point across). The second is the immunological benefits which are 'dose related' (e.g. the more they get the more protected they are).

1. Again, no idea but mine has been doing so since about 3 months :-) She has her own cot (one of those 3-sided ones that attach to the main bed) so when I hear her fuss I scoop her onto the duvet next to me, lay on my side and pull the duvet under whichever boob is the lowest (she has a sleeping bag so stays warm and I don't have to worry about her slipping under the duvet). I then fall back into a deep sleep :-) She rolls onto her side and latches on by herself. I either half-wake a bit later when she is finished and pop her back in the cot or she just stays there all night. My husband sometimes has to get up at 5am and on the nights where she has staying in with us has seen her stir, roll towards me and latch on for a snack without disturbing me at all. Oh, and my ffed baby woke more often in the night so I am loving getting a good nights sleep this time around!

neverquitesure, glad to be of service.

Think we're getting mixed up

Damn, fame, such a fickle mistress.

I didn't even realise. Thought i'd just hit on something good and not even realised (monkeys, typewritters and shakespeare spring to mind)

Opps sorry MoonUnitAlpha.

Of course lots of lovely stuff from MoonFaceMama too [Hastily digs herself out of hole. Retires for rest of day.]