Things you wish you'd known when you started breastfeeding

[gastrognome]

Just found out that you can stop the flow of milk by pressing hard on the nipple.

Very handy during the early days when baby pops on and off or struggles to latch and let down is quite strong! It's like a magic "Off" button - just wish I'd known this trick when feeding my first daughter, who was BF till she was 2. Would have saved me from a lot of damp clothing!

Also wish I'd known that feeding lying down is a lifesaver. And that most "breastfeeding" tops are rubbish!

Anybody have any other gems they would care to share?

I wish I'd realised that avoiding antibiotics was the best way to avoid thrush (or how excruciating thrush could be)! If I had I might have paid more attention to wound care after my CS and not needed the ABs that led to thrush.

Cradle hold is brilliant - I'm so thankful that an infant feeding specialist showed me how to do it properly with a 10day old DD when we were struggling.

And that big boobs and V-neck feeding tops can lead to blocked ducts!

Lansonil, lansonil, lansonil.
And the fact that you can spend 8 hours a day just bf-ing.
And that expressing is unnecessary in normal circumstances.

That newborns cluster feed in the evenings.

That you can let the baby self-attach and don't have to put up with all that grabbing boob/baby stuff the midwives seem to like.

That feeding all night for the first few weeks doesn't mean they've got night and day mixed up and is actually A Good Thing because night is when levels of hormones are higher and it helps get breast feed f established.

That a baby of a few days who goes 4-5 hours between feeds isn't necessarily a fabulous thing, more likely doped out on pethadine et al and that feeding him more often than he asked would probably have established his feeding better.

How to remove baby from breast!! Nobody showed me til a week after DS was born. I'd been trying to quickly pull my nipple out of his mouth eg if he was not latched on right or asleep with vice like clamp on boob or my all time favourite when he got lazy and preferred to suck the nipple - ouch!!!

Too much focus on Solely getting the baby on the breast!

That colostrom is yellowy-orange colour!

It freaked me out!

To stock up on breastpads.

To wear a sleeping bra...BUT make sure it isn't too tight or you will end up with mastitis (ouch!).

Get a kingsize bed or buy one of those cots that fixes to the side of your bed.

That it is OKAY to co sleep.

That in a few weeks it will become lovely.

that really & truly, some of them are so greedy you will have no evidence that milk is coming out other than the fact their nappies get filled.

to this day I have no idea what colour colostrum is, and it was only luck that one of mine eventually let one tiny drop of milk out fall out of the corner of his mouth, otherwise I could have been feeding him ginger beer for all I knew

Silversky I wish I'd learned that lesson earlier too!

And agree with all the other comments so far, including the colour of colostrum (found that weird as well, even the second time round!)

That expressing so someone else can feed is not a necessity for everyone.

I wish I'd found mumsnet sooner! Seriously, I've learnt so much since I've been lurking around this forum - just a shame that I didn't know about it until DS3 came along.

Oh and that there's nothing wrong with comfort sucking.

That DS would try to suck the boobs of anyone that picked him up!

Including sucking DHs nipple in the bath the other day!!

That mumsnet existed! Would have saved lots of tears and trauma feeding DC1

That not everyone feels let-down.

That your milk might not come in for several days.

That midwives generally do not know everything (or anything) about bf and nor do they necessarily know when a baby is latched on correctly (even though they might think they do!)

Dilys it's lansinoh not lansonil :)

That bf is HARD! I naively thought it was just a case of show the boob and the baby will eat. But also that it WILL get better :)

That i didnt HAVE to do it out of guilt or shame.
I could have actually gone to formula and i would not have been thrown in jail.
I think that if i had realized the above, i may not have suffered as much torture as i did, and some days it was living torture.

I wish i could have fast forwarded to now and looked abck and known it was worth it, it was going to get better and i would enjoy it towards the end, and actually miss it when i stopped.

think this is the most informative thread ever . can not be stressed enough to (literally) just go with the flow, feed young babies as frequently and often as they like, IT DOES NOT LEAD TO BAD HABITS!! the same with co- sleeping- it is lovely, and can be done safely, and is ALMOST essential for bf mums with more than 1 child. again your are not creating a rod for ur own back- NONSENSE. finally, don't stress about expressing, after dd1 refused several different bottles etc, i just never bothered with the other 2 dc- much easier, and once they're sleeping in the evening, mum can still go out and have a social life . Finally- enjoy the cuddles.

YY re letdown, have never felt anything Never leaked either - bought loads of breast pads and they're still sitting unused in the cupboard!

that just because I didn't stop bfing DD1 until after DD2 was born doesn't mean that feeding wouldn't change - DD1 I never felt a letdown, never leaked, was easy, DD2, massive oversupply, v painful letdown, leaking everywhere, screaming baby, not easy.

That it really does HURT in the first few days - but you will start to want that toe curling pain cos it means the little bleeder has latched on.

Read a LUDICROUS article the other days saying that bf-ing can be uncomfortable to start with because 'it's like when you meet someone new, you do a lot of kissing, and it can take time to get used to'.

No, bf-ing is NOT like a touch of stubble rash!

where to begin!! that its bloody hard work! thought it was just me until a friend left me a fb comment! it is though especially in the 1st 3 months.

that latch on groups are great and that i could have gone all the time even though i had no feeding issues :-( (i work as a peer supporter at one now)

that bf is a v emotive subject that bf mothers take v seriously!

yy to needing to wear a bra at night

wear a stretchy vest at all times so when you have to get your boob out you dont have to show your tummy :-)

you can buy said vest v cheap in primark - much cheaper than useless feeding tops

try all the different breastpads until you find ones that really duit you. i really liked the boots ultralsim ones - no lumpy bits plus they are bigger and more leakproof!

that diabled loos/mothercare room/anywhere with anppy bis are grim places to feed and cafes etc are much nicer once you stop feeling self concious (v fast in my case!)

that you need to feed on demmand no matter what anybody says. in my case i had to learn to tell dh to do one!!though he gets it now :-)

this is important....not all hcps know that much about bf. gps especially are often v vague about it. IF you don't think your gp etc knows what they are talking about and you are having problems PLEASE seek expert advice in either latch on group/nct/lll or even nhs direct (i had a brill nurse ring me back from nhs direct with extrmely useful advice about bf)