Getting to 6 weeks

[hooplahoop]

I know the guidance about recommending breastfeeding till 6 months, but I also hear a lot about getting to 6 weeks ( something I am aiming for and then we'll see)

Does anyone know why is this?

Thanks

I think that for alot of people bfeeding calms down after 6 weeks. For some, feeds start to get a bit more spaced out and the initial problems such as sore nipples etc. have sorted themselves out.

It takes this long for breastfeeding to get established and for your supply to settle down.

Not everyone finds that things turn around suddenly at the magic 6 week mark for things generally do get a bit simpler.

Once you get to 6 months you can continue with breastfeeding- it's much simpler as they start to eat more solids and reduce their milk intake gradually.

Agree it's because it often feels so hard at the beginning. After about 6 weeks you start to see how much easier it is to bf and the benefits become clearer. I mean the benefit to you rather than baby. It is so worth going through the difficulties once you get it settled :)

Yes I think it's generally then that supply is sorted, but also you mostly start to get smiles from the baby so get some feedback as it were.

I would also say generally levels of stress decrease as the crying gets less too! For the first few weeks my DD would cry for nappy change, and for bath and when we were dressing her! By 6-8 weeks she was getting used to the world generally and the crying got much less. I know for me BF in the early weeks was a big challenge, not helped by lots of crying and when that settled down everything seemed easier!

The advise using bottles before 6 weeks as it takes that long for dc to learn how to suck properly, adding bottles confuses them.
After 6 weeks it does get easier but then it gets harder at 16 weeks when they have a major growth spurt.

And please read the 'recommending breastfeeding till 6 months' As you only need breastmilk till 6 months, then you can and should continue alongside food. A lot of people assume that you should only bf till 6 months then use formula when really you should bf till at least 12 months, preferably 24.

Sorry should be advise against using

As I just posted on another thread - the first 6 weeks or so is "breastfeeding boot camp" - if you can get through this then things generally click into place around 6-8 weeks and get easier. A lot of people stop before 6 weeks because they imagine that it's going to be this hard for the next 6 months, or 12 months or whatever - this is really really unlikely. Most of the early problems/feeding patterns sort themselves out given time. (Some won't and so you need to seek help.)

Thanks, a lot of that makes sense. Can't quite picture it being easy for me ( dreading bf out and about) but hopefully I'll be proved wrong in 3 weeks time!

Do you have any specific problems at the moment you want any help/advice on? As I said most things which are completely overwhelming when they are tiny just get easier. I remember my midwife helping me latch DS on at 3 days old when he would only feed lying down and she said "You'll be able to do this upside down in a tree if you wanted to, one day." and I didn't believe her but she was right

Personally I think all BF advice and encouragement should be really clear that BF before around 6 weeks and BF after that are SO different. Whoever said the 1st 6 weeks is bootcamp was right.

I think a lot of women struggle and give up because they simply aren't prepared for (or warned about) the 1st 6 weeks - I remember reading all this guff about how 'convenient' BF-ing was, how much easier night feeds were, how it made being out and about easier cos you didn't have to carry stuff and plan...And thinking, WTF are they on about??

At 3 weeks, I was tied to the sofa by a constantly feeding DS, could barely make it to the front door, let alone get out and about - was really feeling the burden of being the only one who could feed DS (well, almost - DP fed a bottle of expressed milk from 2 weeks).... 'convenient'???

At 7 months plus, all those positives are now true. And feeding out and about, which I was so rubbish at to start with (constantly hungry baby, butterfingers with bra clips and tops, really disliked the idea of revealing breast in public), I can now do one handed while eating a sarnie and having a cup of tea. As long as I remember not to put a stupid top on that I can't get into...

I promise it gets easier by 6 weeks!! Even if not completely pain free and easy it really starts to improve by then. Friends said that to me during my 2 bouts of mastitis, thrush, bacterial infection of my nipples which were bleeding and cracked! IT all started to improve (inc painful let down, blocked ducts and engorgement and I can honestly say since about 8 weeks I haven't had a problem (DS 12 weeks now) IT's so refreshing after such a tough start and from being so concious about feeding in public it's second nature now.

I bottle fed my DD after 2 weeks as she refused to breastfeed and lost too much weight. I was so desperate to manage it this time and it's wonderful! Not to mention so much easier and less faf. Hang in there! xx

Thanks for the offer bertiebotts, gloyw sums it up perfectly, bottle feeding seems much easier, as have a ds1, which means the many, many hours I'm spending on the sofa aren't sustainable. I've also mentioned on another thread the positions that work for us - may not be practical to use outside, without crazy pillows and a lot of exposure!

I realise the health benefits of bf, and it should not just be about what's 'easy' but I do want to get some semblance of real life back.

Yeah that does just sound like early bf boot camp then. Which is a good thing in a way :) Yes it does seem endless with all the pillows, constant feeding etc. It must be hard with a toddler too. You should be able to get "real life" back soon though :)

Boot camp is a great way to describe the first 6 weeks BertieBotts. I have a very funny mental picture of you bfing hanging upside down in a tree too.

hooplahoop- I remember that crazy pillow stage. I couldn't image ever being able to go anywhere without the pillow mountain. Somewhere along the line, and after testing out every chair in the house to find the perfect one, I realised that I didn't need all the pillows, I could just lift my DS to the height of my boob.

Is feeding in a sling an option - you can get out and about and do stuff with your toddler and nobody can see you are breastfeeding either.

If it helps at all.... I found BF-ing during the 1st 6 weeks very, very draining (and I didn't even have any specific problems - no pain or difficulty really, it was just SO constant, and the lack of sleep was such a shock) -

I remember around 2/3 weeks or so promising myself that if i could get to 6 weeks EBF, then I would give one bottle of formula, probably at bedtime, just to make things more bearable for me.

I set myself a deadline of 6 weeks because I knew that then my supply was likely to be well established - if I was going to use formula in any way, I wanted it to be my choice and my decision. I was aware that feeding formula early very often diminishes supply (every one of my friends who fed formula during the 1st 6 weeks stopped BF-ing entirely soon after that - lots of reasons apart from supply there, though). I didn't want to get 'forced' into using it, IYSWIM. Not use formula as a temporary solution and then find that actually, it became permanent.

Anyway, having gritted my teeth and got to 6 weeks, I found that actually, things had improved enough that I put the formula idea on hold... Then a few weeks on from that, I really saw no need.

All I'm saying is that maybe setting a deadline and then seeing how you feel things are going then might be an idea? If then you make a considered and rational decision to add formula, then at least you know that's the case - it won't be a snap decision made under huge pressure after the worst night you've had, for example.

I do sympathise, hugely. I'm very glad DS is EBF, but it really was no picnic to start with. AND I have no other DCs, and can only guess at how much harder that makes the 'prisoner on the sofa' time.

I just wanted to confirm that it really is easier for you if you can do this early part. Good luck.

I think I got the boot camp thing from The Food of Love - brilliant book :)

BertieBotts... I remember reading your MW comment about feeding upside down and I recalled it many times in those early days and nights!! It certainly helped me to see the bigger picture when I didn't think I could carry on.

Also second The Food of Love, lovely gorgeous book - they should hand it out free at your first antenatal appointment.

Aww that's lovely MrsG :)

You're so right MrsGubbins- even if there was a shortened version of it in leaflet form that could be handed out.

I've just lent my copy to the our infant feeding specialist so I'll be interested to hear what she thinks of it.