How to prepare for breastfeeding?

[Murtette]

DC2 is due in 3 weeks. Given I bf DC1 for 14mo, I kind of thought I knew what I'd be doing this time. Having just got all the baby stuff down from the loft & discovering breast shells (which I'd totally forgotten ever using), I'm wondering what else I've forgotten. All I remember is the excruciating pain of the first week or so as my nipples cracked & blistered & I struggled to deal with fast let down. After that, it was a doddle!
So, is there anything I can do to prepare my breasts for breast feeding? And what do I need to take in my hospital bag? Anything else?
Thanks!

In Japan pregnant mothers are taught to prepare their nipples for breastfeeding with a special form of massage.
It gently toughens up the nipples and makes them less likely to get sore when the baby gets latched on.
If you are interested, I'll pm you and attempt to describe it to you.

In studies they haven't found anything that helps prepare nipples for bfing and in fact telling mothers they need to do something in advance to bf 'right' it may make bfing more difficult for them and is associated with shorter bfing durations.

Try going to a local bfing group to have a chat with the bfing peer supporters/bfing counsellors, or have the bfing helplines on the fridge so that you know where to go if you need reassurance or help will do more to prepare you for bfing than anything physical.

TMI but my nipples are just as soft after 6y of bfing (continuously since March 2006 with 3 babies) as they were before 1st pg so I think the idea they need to toughen up is just a myth/local folklore - sorry Ruthchan!

Lansinoh nipple cream. Had it with ds, bought more for dc2 due any day now, need to just check I put it in my hospital bag. That and breast pads cos it is sticky stuff! Good luck

I didn't do anything to prepare nipples but just brought things that others recommended such as:

Lansinol cream

Breast pads

Box of 'goodies' for night feeding like chocolate or cereal bars, bottle of water, magazine, breastfeeding book/nhs booklet (useful for me as self diagnosed mastitis early on)

Muslin cloths (to mop up over supply or puke!)

Storage bags (if you are freezing milk, they're £2 in B&m bargains)

Download nursing/bf app on phone to record feeding times (if u have iPhone - useful for my first week until dd was weighed and I knew she was putting weight on)

Decent nursing bras / vests

Vest tops with hidden support as night wear (holds bf pads on place, primark have good cheap ones)

HTH

Make sure you get your breast pads and feeding bras in good time so as to avoid having to send your MIL out shopping for them after the birth! She even brought me a box of disposable pants in a size Large bitch.

In my small experience, the biggest thing which will help bf of dc2 is practical help with dc1 and housework. If you arrange support with both of these, then you will have the time and energy to devote to bf. This applies particularly if you have a DC2 like mine who loves to clusterfeed!

Yes, vg advice from heliumballoon! Outsource all housework and food preparation and get help with older DC.

Good luck. Very jealous, TTC no.2 at the moment and dying with impatience as it's taking ages.

Of course helium totally agree with support.

During the first few weeks of dd arriving, visitors were told asked to bring evening dinner with them and they could join us for tea

Normally got a stew / curry / casserole / lasagna out of our request hint, but if friends/family are going offer or ask how they can help, i took them up on it

Thanks! From GDJ & EmsyJ's lists, I think I have all of the equipment I need other than nursing bras which I'm going to buy tomorrow as my boobs are much bigger in this pregnancy than they were with DD.
As for the practical support, the cleaner's hours are being upped for the first two months & I've roped in a 16yr old neighbour to pop in for an hour each weekday evening to jiggle the baby/tidy up toys/do bedtime with DD if she isn't being too clingy etc. Cluster feeding is my main concern as DD feed pretty much non-stop from 5pm - 9pm for weeks. If DC2 does that, I'm somehow going to have to manage the nursery run (on the days DD is at nursery)/tea (on the days she's at home), bathtime, stories & bedtime whilst feeding DC2. That'll be fun!
EmsyJ - I hope you get a BFP soon. Its so frustrating, isn't it? DD was a complete surprise so I found the months of TTC DC2 a bit of an ordeal.