5 things I wish I'd known before I started breastfeeding

[twinklegreen]

just reflecting really.

What things do you wish you'd known before you had your baby?

Mine are;

1. the tingling sensation when you get a let down, as it describes in the books, can actually be quite toe-curling, and is completely normal.

2. It can take up to 7 days for your milk to come in.

3. the REAL experts in breastfeeding hold IBCLC or Breastfeeding counsellor training. Midwives and HV's often have very little training (Even sometimes if they are an infant feeding co-ordinator) and often give out incorrect or out of date information and advice. :(

4. You should try to feed your baby as soon as possible after birth, not wait until someone gives you permission. :)

5. The smell of EBF baby's poo is actually quite addictive

Anyone else?

1. It would make me miserable
2. It would make me happy
3. It can be painful
4. It can be lovely, warm and cosy
5. I'd miss it like crazy when I stopped.

1. Putting the baby to the breast straight after birth is extremely important in establishing that suckling reflex. The midwife left us on our own for a couple of hours straight after birth without saying anything (probably her lunch break ), and I didn't know what to do with this squirming bundle. Didn't know I was 'allowed' to just start feeding him.

1. Babies aren't very interested in feeding for the first 48 hours of their life, and it DOES NOT MEAN that you should give them a bottle (as a 'concerned' midwife suggested...ds proceeded in showing her what he thought of that by throwing up that bottle- and never took another one again!)

1. Don't get into the whole using-your-boobs-as-a-dummy thing. (Actually I had this knowledge second time round, but still did it )

1. Do not enter into breast/bottle debates...either on the internet or in real life.

1. Lansinoh - saved the entire BF relationship with DS after a midwife pulled him off me (not breaking latch) in order to reattach him after I merely asked her to check we were doing it right

1. Don't feed then pump six ounces on day five and go to bed for the evening. It doesn't work, you will wake in drenched and in agony because your supply suddenly thinks you have triplets.

1. When your boobs go soft / back to normal it doesn't mean you have run out of milk (nobody told me this wasn't the case when I had DD 11 years ago) they are just settling.

1. Supply and demand is a completely counter-intuitive thing to understand. Nothing else in life works like that. If only my bank account produced more cash the more I spent...

1. Kindle.

I didn't realise how sad I would be when it comes to an end :(

DD is 18 months and now only asks for it first thing in morning if she is in beside me and can go a day without - so I'm guessing it will be over soon.
Astonishing really, considering how it was when she was up to 2 weeks old. I was in tears with the pain - really felt that I was being slashed with glass. Had 2 bouts of mastitis and the useless HV recommended going to the Breastfeeding Group - which was held once a month!

Top Tip 1 - doesn't always come naturally
2 - take baby's mouth off if latch is too shallow and start again
3 - hold breast like a burger and 'feed' to baby rather than let baby latch on incorrectly
4 - nursing bras from Mothercare are rubbish
5 - you don't have to feed in public - I topped up in car if we were out

1. That the first two weeks would be so so difficult with ds1, but he would soon get the hang of it and we would have a happy bfing relationship until he was two years old.

5.5. How sad it is when you know then next few feeds will be your last

Oh, forgot. With DD I could hand-express a small amount of colostrum before and shortly after giving birth. When I had DS I couldn't and was really worried until the midwife said, "if he's sucking, he will be getting something even if you can't"

Not sure if that is the case for everyone but I was ready to whip out the SMA before I was even out of the labour ward because my boobs were behaving differently to before.

5.75 Bfing makes you extremely thirsty. Do NOT mistake thirst for hunger and pile the weight on whilst breastfeeding when you had got back into your pre-preg clothes 3 weeks after birth...doh!

Things I wish I'd known:

1. Vest tops from Primark are the best. Buy lots.
2. You can never have too many muslins.
3. The lack of sleep is not that bad and that my body would adapt to it.
4. For dc1 particularly, make sure someone (mw, bfc, someone) sees you feeding a whole feed and can let you know if it looks ok.
5. A baby's stomach is the size of a marble/his fist. This does NOT mean he should only be feeding for 5 mins or that a few ml every few hours is enough to sustain him - especially once the milk comes in. Get help.
6. I was more worried about BF than I was about labour. I figured the baby would have to come out somehow, but that BF could be very hard. I wish I'd known that even in the worst times when DS had lost a lot of weight that it would all be ok and that at 14 weeks he'd be on 75 percentile for both weight and height.
7. It is worth it.

did anyone mention thrush yet? OMG - I had no idea what it was.

Nipples v pink and painful after bf for 3 mths with no problems. And DD in the mouth. Get anti-fungal cream for you and gel for DD from the Dr and go bra-free if possible. Allow nipples to dry after feeding. Change breast pads frequently. But keep feeding!

I only have one to add really.

If a midwife/hv/whoever is checking your latch, do not let them swoop in immediately. Neither of my girls open their mouths wide for a feed and with DD1 then kept swooping in, grabbing her off, forcing her to open her mouth. What they both do is come in with their mouth a little bit open, then once they have located the nipple with their lips, then they open their mouths. They have a great latch if left to their own devices. Some babies just find their own way, and it's not always text book. With DD2 I just made everyone back off by repeating ad infinitum "yes, I fed her older sister for nearly two years, I'm fine thanks."

It is not an indication of how good a mother you are or are going to be.

One downside for me:

When I finally stopped, my already small boobs were deflated and only perked up again when I got pregnant two months after. I guess it will happen again if I b/f DD 2 when she arrives, which I plan to do. I am told though that after the menopause your boobs perk up again, weird.

1, You can breast feed a premature baby if you persevere.

2, You can breast feed twins at the same time (if you play around with positions).

3, It's great for burning calories- pass the cake

4, Expressing is fine - just get yourself a pumping station set up

5, You may need to constantley live in a bra

clarkiee - yes to number five. I'd like to add that breastfeeding pads are rubbish, but if you don't wear any you're going to have milk running all over your body at all times of the day

My 1st dd was premature and was never able to latch on, so she got expressed breast milk for first 6 weeks, when my milk supply dwindled. Managed to breasefeed dd2 for 6 weeks, but gave up due to one very badly cracked nipple. Maybe by baby number 4 I'll have the hang of it!

1. Buy a widgey support pillow!
2. Medela hydrogel breast pads - for sore nipples.
3. Feed as often as you can in the beginning - you'll establish a better milk supply.
4. Before you leave the hospital, get your latch checked by the lactation nurse then make an appointment to come back in a few days time for reassurance.
5. No matter what time of day or night, if you're struggling look to mumsnet for support; there's so many mums out there keen to offer their expert advice and encouragement.

Good luck - every feed is a huge benefit to your wee one. xx

I BF both my children until they were 2 and they gave up themselves! I am thinking of ttc number 3but would have to get them used to bottle too as would be returning to work this time around

1- NO you are not spoilling your baby because you feed on demand and not by the clock (my mother-in-law loved to tell me how I was building a rod for my own back etc). 2- You can say no to a nurse that offers formula to your sick baby to give you the break you didn't need, want or ask for. 3- I wish I'd introduced the bottle earlier because I had to go back to work when my daughter was 7 months. 4- That I had rights and should have asked for breaks to express milk once back at work. 5- That you get as much criticism for BF as you do for FF just ignore the lot

Sorry for the lack of paragraphs but I'm using a mobile phone and I don't know how to use it properly LOL

That nearly 18 years since your last BF, you still remember it with a smile when you look at your two strapping DSs of 21 and 19! :)

Good luck to those of you currently BF your DCs!

Apologies if these have gone before but...

1. Good advice is vital
2. If your nipples are a horrible mess it will hurt initially when you get it right, then it will stop. If it doesn't stop hurting then it's still not right. So the "it won't hurt at all if it's right" is not accurate
3. You will not care about getting your boobs out in public. They are a milk bar, nothing more
4. It is not a guarantee of total health for your baby
5. They may not come off when they are full, you have to work that out yourself sometimes

1. People think breastfeeding is off putting and try and cover you up with shawls and things. I was in such pain - Mastitis and such - I didn't care who saw my boobs.
2. You don't see your boobs as a sexual things for quite a while after you stopped Bfeeding
3. That even though I did not enjoy it that much I could not stop (dd was over 2 yrs). I still don' t know why.
4. That it hurts an unbelievable amount and you can be doing everything right and it still hurts. Some babies are harder on your boobs than others. ds2 would bite me and look up at me and love to watch my reaction. When I stopped bfeeding him he would bite different parts to get the same reaction.
5. People can be a bit smug and judgmental about bfeeding.

Start using nipple cream a couple of weeks before your due date. It softens the nipples and helps to avoid cracks. Worked for me.

Graet post.Go Twinkle

Great !

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet:

1. BF, EBF, FF or mixed feeding is your personal choice and no one has a right to judge you on it. Do what you think is right for your baby and you

Also wish i'd-

1. Known what Tongue-tie is
2. Not bothered trying to pump after feeding to "up my supply" (on advice from a bf counsellor) I was just too knackered to produce anything and should have been resting when my baby was sleeping