Breast feeding for beginners- help pls

[shittingit]

Second dc due v soon. Plan on Bf, with 1st dc I bf initially but was re-admitted to hospital and therefore had to stop. I remember exactly nada about breast feeding except Dc latched on ok, but seemed to feed every couple of hours.

Now, dc1 is toddler, I really want to bf this baby, any tips, things I should know, I have bought some bottles just in case, unable yo get to any bf meets or clinics as currently sole carer for dc1 who won't sit still for longer than a minute.

At our local bf meets you can bring your active toddler is this not the case where you are??

It is hard work bf with a toddler am doing it now ds1 is 2.3 and baby is 6 weeks! I do use tv as entertainment for toddler while bf and I try not to worry too much about it. If your latch was good last time I'm sure you'll be fine the early days are the hardest before your milk comes in it will seem like they are constantly at the breast but this will stop unless they are growth spurting.

Best tip if you are bf make sure dp does his part by helping out as much as poss with the toddler. Mine gets my toddler up and brealfasted before he goes to work so I have a bit of extra time in bed.

If there is an LLL meeting near you then toddlers are always welcome at those.

There are lots of basic tips and info here and MN is brilliant for support.

Hope the birth goes well :)

Hello thank you for the replies.

H works away so, im pretty much on my own with dc1 most weeks, he will be around maybe a week after birth but then needs to return to work. Im imagining it will be tough going with a clingy toddler ( apparently we are NOT having a baby according to dc1!)

I will look up LLL and I'm sure toddler is wrlcome at these meets but mine is such a handful at the moment ( tantrums/clingy) that I think she will be disruptive for the rest.

Thanks for the replies :)

At our BF group older children are welcome, it's in the local Childrens Centre so we always have all of the toys out and snacks.

TBH a clingy/trantruming toddlers is fine, we wouldn't bat an eyelid, and if you start going regularly to the group DC1 might start to relax and want to play with the other children.

Some newborns are constantly attached - this doesn't mean they aren't getting enough milk (as I was frequently told by relatives!), it's just that they're demanding more and your body will make more. Trust your baby, they know what they're doing. Main thing is that if they're poo-ing and wee-ing and gaining weight, they're doing well (even if they are feeding around the clock).

They also have growth spurts (10 days, 6 weeks, 16 weeks and others I can't remember) where they do just feed for a few days, until they get to a point when they don't need to feed frequently.

With regards to toddler, I also relied a lot on TV, but also invested in a few different toys for when I was feeding and read stories to my youngest. I tried too to make sure I was giving the toddler some time when I knew I hadn't fed the baby for a while and expected to be feeding soon (almost like tanking the toddler up with a bit of attention before I knew I would be feeding again!)

Breastfeeding Network and La Leche League also have great helplines, with trained counsellors at the end of the phone.

Good luck! I also think there will be lots of well intentioned advice (HV, MWs, relatives). I tried to take all of that with a pinch of salt, but rely on breastfeeding counsellors in the early days.

Sorry - that post looks a bit patronising, it wasn't meant to be. Just I personally got really worried when DS1 was just constantly feeding, I felt like I couldn't have enough milk if he needed to feed so constantly. It worried me, but in hindsight now, I wish I knew not to worry.

Remember that it might be natural, but it's still something that you both have to learn how to do. So don't be afraid to ask for help

Make sure you have a sling you can feed in when you're out with your toddler. Buy a tube of Lansinoh and read some of the early days of bfing on here. Oh, and try to forget you've bought the bottles...