The most helpful thing about breastfeeding you wish you'd known...

[Fishpond]

I am hoping to breastfeed DC1 when he/she is born next summer. I am not a crazy anti-formula woman, but it's very common here in the US to bottle feed so I expect to get a bit of looks and meet a bit of resistance, so would like to go in with the most knowledge possible from (imo) the best experts - mums who previously breastfed.

What do you wish you had known before you started? I plan on not buying bottles / formula in 'just in case' as I have heard that makes it much easier to stop. Family is already telling me that I'll "need to have bottles or else you can't pass it to anyone else"

Reshape, I've never had any pain at all, either.

I used to let DD feed on one side for as long as she wanted and until she came off on her own. I would then offer the other side, usually she would take at least a bit more. I would then start with the second side first on the next feed. This is the way I did it, but there are other ways too.

If you don't fancy using a safety pin to remind you of which side you're on, a bangle or ring you switch from side to side is just as good. I've grown quite attached to the silver bangle I used for this in the early months of BF my DD :)

Reshape you're absolutely right. Not everyone finds it hard or painful. Unfortunately I got off to a bad start in hospital with staff who blatantly didn't know - or care - about best practice, so I was sore as hell from the start. But I was determined to make it work.

But professional help is available - BF specialist nurses, La Leche, NCT etc - and got me back on track in no time.

And actually you can usually tell which breast you fed from last, and if you can't it actually doesn't matter.

Really having to think about the bad or difficult things because by dd3 it was so easy. The trick is to just keep going and trying and try not to worry. Savoy cabbage is wonderful to soothe sore breasts. Lanisol is amazing for sore nipples. But once it get established it's so easy especially the more kids you have. I would feed first thing do the nursery run then see if the baby needed a bit more. You need to remember to eat and drink regularly especially drinking.
I did it with all of mine until they were over one.
Also remember some women can't do it! They really can't and so if it's not working or too much don't feel terrible or guilty of you need to stop.

The problem I had was that all the advisers and HCP said the latch looked perfect, but it hurt sooooo much I had to get DH to dig his nails into my arm to distract me for the first couple of minutes :(
However, after a friend recommended we took DD to a cranial osteopath, it was brilliant! She had got a stiff neck from the delivery (CS) due to the way she was pulled out, and although you couldn't see anything, it meant that she couldn't open her mouth very wide. I know some people will think it's all hocus pocus, but the first feed after her treatment, she opened her mouth so wide I couldn't believe the difference...and it didn't hurt AT ALL! Fed her for a year, when she self-weaned.
If we're lucky enough to have any more DCs they will be booked in for an appointment as soon as possible after they're born.
Oh, and yes yes yes to plenty of drinks and snacks. I was ravenous!
Good luck and enjoy :)

I expect I'm repeating what others said but still- my 2p

It bloody hurts to start with - zero tolerance with bad latch is important but actually cracked/ blistered/ bloody nips are the norm. I fed all 3 to beyond a year (3rd to nearly 2) and drumming heels on floor was a feature of their early babyhood.

Feed often. Feed lying down. Feed rugby ball style too. All the positions help the latch and boob drainage.

Expect an " unsettled baby" who crys in the evenings and doesn't sleep through that's normal IMHO. People who's babies are " little angels" are rare and thry will brag and will attribute it to their choice re feeding / site of sleep etc. they are not doing anything better than you , they are just lucky buggers!

Do not loose heart when you think you've cracked it and the next day you have a limpet feeding 24/7. Growth spurts need more milk and unlike formula the balance between need and supply take a wee time to catch up.

Combining bf and work is entirely possible do not swap to bottle just because you intend to return to work.

Not sure if you've been told this yet (sorry no time to read every pearl).. One thing I would do is get rid of your little finger nail, right down, so there is nothing scratchy. When baby is not latched on perfectly jam your finger between their gums and get him/her off quickly. Once your nipples are sore it takes a while to recover, best not to let it happen. Baby def gets to know what to do after a couple of weeks then it's not so much of a problem.
Also a proper demo of how to hold baby is essential, makes all the difference, nose to nipple and all that.
BTW left over lansinoh makes wonderful foot cream, sorts any cracks out a treat!

I'm sure someone else has already said this, but have the number for LaLeche handy and call them with any questions - nothing is too trivial. The hospital in New York where I had my baby also had a weekly session where all the breastfeeding mothers could come and feed their babies and have the advice of a lactition consultant, as well as get tips from each other.

You are already taking a very proactive role in getting the advice in first - well done!

What I wish I'd known? It is the best part of having a new baby. Mine are all teens now but when I think back the only part of having a tiny baby that I would like to do again is the breast feeding. It did hurt at times, was exhausting etc but that is not what I remember

if your baby is having trouble feeding to begin with, take all their clothes off and take your top and bra off and let the baby lie on top of you skin-to-skin. just relax, the baby will relax too and the milk will flow much more easily. Skin-to-skin is a life-safer early on.

Pop a blanket over the two of you though so you and her dont get too cold!

my advice is

1. HAVE A WEE BEFORE STARTING!!
2. Make a nest of things you need like phone(mine always went off as I was setlled),drink,snack and TV remote.
3. Drink plenty of non caffienated drinks like fennel tea
4. Go with what your body says
5. Feed as soon as LO is born
6. Get help as soon as you feel if you need it do not struggle on your own .
7. Be smug in the fact you are doing the best for your baby and every day is special to you and baby

Oh yeh, don't get stranded without the TV remote !

Or just go for it with learning to breast-feed whilst walking around room as I did later !

How to get them to stop. Still don't know, my 2 year old only stopped because I was ill, in hospital.

Some babies will feed ALL the time, it's normal but makes doing anything else hard.

You read loads about bottle fed babies being 'overfed' and weighing too much, but sometimes breastfed babies grow very very quickly to start with. Being on the 100th centile is ok.

It doesn't necessarily hurt to start with - didn't for me, even with a tongue tied baby. Bloody hurts now he has teeth though, I'm hoping it will pass :o

You may be absolutely starving for the first few months, breastfeeding biscuits are a good thing.

Check for tongue-tie!

Breastmilk janudice is scary, but it works out ok.

It's good to have a breast-pump, in case of blocked ducts.

Oversupply can be a problem (see needing a breast-pump for blocked ducts as DS could never actually drain a breast...)

Hi saturdayescape - Yeh, getting them to/ hoping they might ever stop was my main issue too.
But it does happen one day - one way or the other !

Echoing lots of others that breastfeeding is not always easy to begin with. It's a skill you and your baby have to learn together.

Feeding lying down can help if you're struggling to hold baby and latch him/her on.

Giving the odd bottle will not compromise supply even in the first six weeks. There is bog all evidence for this oft mentioned piece of "advice". Your body makes milk in response to the demand from baby. If baby needs more s/he will want to feed more and/or for longer. If you give formula for one or two feeds per day your body will adjust to provide milk at the times when your baby needs it. You may get engorged in the beginning but you just respond as your body and baby needs.

Get some breast pads. Your breasts may leak often in the first few weeks.

Until BF is well established, if your baby cries, feed them.

Get a breatfeeding kit sorted,
I had a little bag with nip cream, breast pads, spare vest top with built in boob support for if I leaked when out and a pashmina for coverage.

Then in the house I tried to make sure I had the Telly remote or book, a drink, burp cloth, phone and snack before settled down for a feed.

Also found that I leaked in bed at night so found sleeping on a towel helped so I could go topless and get some air to them! Hot shower on them in the morning also was good to relieve blocked ducts and get supply going.

With my first baby I obsessed over remembering which breast I'd fed from last - rubber band on the wrist, writing it down.... by the 3rd I make no effort at all to remember, beyond the fact that if one breast feels more engorged I start the next feed with that one - he's still breast feeding and thriving at nearly 9 months and nothing bad has happened because I haven't religiously alternated breasts!

Dummies don't in fact necessarily cause nipple confusion and can be useful if you just know the baby is not actually feeding any more - and very useful in the car. DC3 is my first to have a dummy, and ironically the only one who WON'T take a bottle and is still addicted to BF.

Having a c-section, even an emergency one that goes a bit wrong meaning you are separated from baby for several hours after the birth, needn't actually stop you BFing (this is what happened with my DC1 and she BF for 11 months). Although initial skin to skin and lots of feeding is ideal, it isn't essential and you don't have to give up without trying if your birth is difficult.

If you want to introduce bottles for whatever reason it may be a good idea to do it by about 3 months or you may encounter huge resistance - see above!

BF is a great excuse to get a break during from extended family/ in-law gatherings if you choose to feed in a different room :)

Once you have BF established it is vastly more convenient, easy and lazy than having to sterilise and make up bottles :)

I am another one who found it not at all painful, so don't imagine it's definitely going to be hard.

Oversupply can lead to a very fussy baby- look for bright green frothy poo! I had to feed on one breast for 4 hours before switching to sort out my massive oversupply, the midwives and health visitors didn't think it existed but Kellymom is a lifesaver.

Learn to feed when out and about. Wear a vest top under a normal top, then you can pull one up and one down and not show any skin at all when feeding. Also, feeding with baby in the sling is amazing- I have wandered all around my local shopping centre while feeding, when I had a newborn who would literally be hungry every half hour all afternoon. I would have gone mad if I hadn't.

Feeding lying down is great, feed when they seem to want feeding (even if that's all the time), ignore HVs who say they aren't putting on weight quickly enough.

It's the hardest thing I ever learned to do and for me it hurt like hell til 3 months, not helped by recurring mastitis (nipple shields probably contributed to that but probably also stopped me giving up breastfeeding).

My target was 6 weeks in the early days - am still doing it at 21 months with no plans to stop yet (aka hang in there if it's hard!).

PS - on the point about HVs, not meaning to sound flippant (obviously listen to them!) just bear in mind that bf babies don't put on weight as quickly as ff babies. I was permanently worried about my baby's weight, and looking back I didn't need to be.

The best advice from a midwife with my first baby when i wanted to continue to BF but was finding it very painful was ;Make it to the end of the week and then look back and ask yourself does it feel better today than it did last week ? if the answer is yes then carry on.If the answer is no then don't feel bad about, you have tried your best.It worked and i BF all 4 of my kids the last one till he was over 2 !
Also this sounds mad but for sore engorged breasts when BF use green cabbage leaves.They have an amazing soothing quality and cool them down, try it, i promise it works !