anyone else new to bf?

[pinkyp]

thought we could start our own support thread, i'm currently feeding my 15day old. Past few days it seems like i can feed him for hours then i think he's full so we'll go out and he wants more as soon as we go out. New to feeding in public too...scarey stuff

Congratulation :o

also new pinkyp thanks for your post on my thread and congrats too - remember you from the preg topic! hope the birth went ok.

have had mastitis past few days felt like rubbish. finding it really difficult bfing but sticking with it. saw a brilliant feeding coordinator today at the hospital and did it fine with her help but now back at home and struggling again! aarrgh!

wish it wasn't the holiday period as noone seems to be available and feeling like a bit of a failure.

ur doing really well planner! i remember you from preg topic too! Its really hard bf, was feeding tonight for just under 2 hours then we went out for a hour and half, baby was sccreaming all the way home - felt like a failure that i was starving him :( i'm thinking of expressing 2 bottles a day, 1 for around dinner time (before we go out/take ds to nursery) then 1 for teatime (so i can make ds's tea/have 1/2 hr when i can do some house work etc)

How ru finding bf in public? i did it in a cafe for 45 mins, felt a bit 'on show' then baby wascrying for more 1/2hr later...:s

aw i think the one that's finding the bfing hard is me, not DD - she is gaining weight like a trouper and also got it down to feeding for about 20 mins now (with a wind in between) from about 50 mins a couple of weeks ago. Also she can now go up to 3 hrs in between (though usually 2 - 2.5 and in the evening about 1 hr cluster feeding!).

don't know how you feel about it personally, but the MW advised us to do a FF last thing at night (think it was a bit to do with DP still feeing like he is involved) but this really settles her for up to 4 hours from about 10pm (so also selfishly i get a bit of kip!).

expressing has saved me so many times, it's a great idea when DP takes her out visiting relatives so i can get some kip!

God I haven't even attempted in public, I need to get my latch right first otherwise I'll just be sat there with my boob in my and staring at my nipple to see if it's mishapen/ more cracked etc. I'd probs get carted away! Right, off to express now before bed time mmmm!

Just lurking here girls :)

There's always experienced BFers hanging around so don't ever feel alone on MN.

Don't stress to much about the feeding in public thing. It gets much easier after a few weeks. To start with you are trying to juggle so many things it's tough to do it discretely, but pretty quickly you get the knack of it and you can just lift your top a bit, shove their head under and carry on eating your chocolate muffin with noone the wiser.

Just a note on evening formula. The important thing if you choose this route is that you are making a fully informed choice with it. It takes longer for your baby to digest formula than breastmilk which is why they can go longer but this is certainly not guaranteed. If it works for you then that's brilliant.

The downside is that it strips off the protective coating on your baby's intestines, negating some of the defense against illness that breastmilk gives. It will also affect your milk supply, especially at a time when it's just trying to level itself out. Furthermore, it's possible that your baby will decide that s/he prefers the speed of delivery from a bottle and may start to reject the breast (although some babies go between breast and boob without a problem).

Apologies if you know all this but I feel it's important to know the facts when choosing what route to take!

Congratulations on your little ones :)

Agree with organiccarrotcake- if you do choose to mix feed by giving formula make sure you are fully aware of the implications. Because it enables baby to go longer between feeds it can affect your milk supply as your breasts aren't being emptied regularly. It can also make babies used to the easiness of bottle feeding so they are less inclined to work to suck at the breast, and possibly also stretch their stomach so that it seems they are not satisfied with what a breastfeed. It can mean the beginning of the end for some women for these reasons, not for everyone though, as it can work well for many families.

Not judging at all though, just trying to share some information to help anyone make an informed decision.

For night time feeds feeding lying down or co sleeping can help mums get more sleep. ( come to think of it that's what I'm doing right now)

I havent yet given any formula as i'm getting plenty off through expressing at the min,its good to know feeding times reduce, my baby likes to have a break half way through where we have a staring competition lol. I also think he likes sucking as comfort, a dummy seems to sooth him at times. We do co sleep, however i try to put himback in his moses basket as much as possible, 9 times out of 10 he never sleeps in it but last night he went in it about 4 or 5 ish and slept till just after 8 so i was happy with that. Currently trying to win a sling on ebay so i can discreetly feed.

Sounds like you're doing a fab job pinkyp.

thanks poppy dog