Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

BF - what to read in preparation?

37 replies

RuckAndRoll · 07/06/2013 15:01

I'm due DC1 in August and hoping to BF. Everything I see says the best way to succeed is to read up as much as possible before baby arrives.

I'm struggling to find much that doesn't just say 'baby to boob'. Are there any books or websites people can recommend are worth reading beforehand? Also, anything designed at DH for supporting me at the start.

OP posts:
Meringue33 · 07/06/2013 15:04

Womanly Art of Bf :)

UniqueAndAmazing · 07/06/2013 15:08

MN, this board Grin
and loads of facebook pages.

and youtube for some how-to videos.

and join a bumps to boobs group

UniqueAndAmazing · 07/06/2013 15:10

all your DH needs to know is
bring you food, drink and water
make sure your phone/laptop/tv remote are within your reach
avoid giving you gravy until you've mastered eating with the wrong hand.
never mention formula
don't tell you to cover up
learns the phrase "what do you want me to do?"
he should change nappies

EauRouge · 07/06/2013 15:11

Womanly Art of BF is fantastic. The Food of Love is another popular one but I've never read it.

Avoid anything by Clare Byam-Cook!

If you've got a La Leche League group near you then they might have a lot of books that you can borrow.

Original poster
RuckAndRoll · 07/06/2013 15:21

Wow thanks, that was quick. I've just quickly googled la leche league but unfortunately the babies meeting is only once a month so going beforehand is out as it's when I'm still at work or the day before babies due date.

I'll get on amazon later for the womanly art of breastfeeding then.

Unique I'll give DH your list, I think he'll be fine with most of it, other than giving up the tv remote and changing dirty nappies!

OP posts:
plummyjam · 07/06/2013 15:32

kellymom website
La leche league website
Mumsnet forum
Not directly BF related but other books I found useful and enjoyed were "Three in a Bed" (on co-sleeping - v useful for frequent night feeders), and "What Mothers Do - especially when it looks like nothing"

TheBirdsFellDownToDingADong · 07/06/2013 15:35

Do NOT read CBC or Tracey Hogg.

Agree with plummy, both the other 2 are lovely books, as is Deborah Jackson's other book whose name escapes me.

UniqueAndAmazing · 07/06/2013 15:37

ooh, he'll have to deal with it.
if he doesn't threaten the breast pump on his nipples Wink

(or get your own remote...)

SuffolkNWhat · 07/06/2013 15:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DrMcDreamysWife · 07/06/2013 15:39

Nothing about routines!! Womanly art of breastfeeding is great.

Nct/ la lechwe league/ local mums groups sometimes do a breastfeeding workshop for mums to be. They are sometimes in sort of hippy yoga places but are actually really helpful!

Original poster
RuckAndRoll · 07/06/2013 15:41

Co-sleeping is out unfortunately. Due to sleep problems DH has it wouldn't be safe.

I got given the contented baby book of breastfeeding. Didn't get on with it at all and it seemed to have so little on actual breastfeeding in it! DM and DGran are both adament you just put baby to the breast and it just sort of happens, which I'm sure it might, but I'd like to be prepared!

OP posts:
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 07/06/2013 15:42

Another vote for 'the food of love' also three in a bed in case you need/want to cosleep, and 'what mother's do'

StealthPolarBear · 07/06/2013 15:42

Food of love by kate evans. Brilliant. I will post you a copy if you post it back to me when youre done.

TheBirdsFellDownToDingADong · 07/06/2013 15:43

See how it goes re the co-sleeping,

When I was pregnant my baby was going to be in her own room from day 1 and I was going to bottle feed.

I breastfed her until she was 5 (years) and we co-slept until she was 7. Smile

VinegarDrinker · 07/06/2013 15:44

Another vote for The Food of Love.

A million times better than you would guess from the title. Useful, easy to read, non judgemental and funny!

Original poster
RuckAndRoll · 07/06/2013 15:44

on that note Unique should I buy a breast pump before the birth? I kind of though give it some time to settle down then buy pump/bottles steriliser when required for the odd expressed bottle.

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 07/06/2013 15:45

Serious offer btw. My youngest is almost 4 so I no longer need it very often

UniqueAndAmazing · 07/06/2013 15:46

nah, i only bought a pump when i had to express some for a friend of mine.

i hand expressed for DD's use.

aufaniae · 07/06/2013 15:47

How about a 3 sided cot (that goes up to your bed)? That way you get a lot of the benefits of co-sleeping without actually sharing the bed. It can make a massive difference when BFing IME.

Original poster
RuckAndRoll · 07/06/2013 15:47

Thanks Stealth, I can get it on amazon for £5 so suspect that's cheaper than the postage.

Good list of websites to trawl through later on. Thanks!

OP posts:
UniqueAndAmazing · 07/06/2013 15:48

if you can't co-sleep, it's still worth getting a "co-sleeping crib" - it butts up to the side of the bed and you basically roll the baby into it when they're fed to sleep.
much easier when you need to do a night feed.

and yy, don't worry about trying for a routine - it's best to go with the flow. a basic routine will appear, but if you try to stick to one, it will regularly go out of sync! Shock

StealthPolarBear · 07/06/2013 15:48

Ah fair enough. It's definitely worth a read

Original poster
RuckAndRoll · 07/06/2013 15:53

keep the advice coming everyone, I'll check back in later this evening Smile

Looks like MN is a good place to start for advice once baby is here.

OP posts:
BearsLikeMarmalade · 07/06/2013 15:56

The Politics of Breastfeeding is another good read, quite eye opening.

I'd suggest limiting visitors in the first few weeks when you're trying to establish feeding. You need to have lots of time holding your baby and getting the hang of latching. Lots of people will want to come and see baby and have a hold etc, but worth thinking about limiting to close family and time limiting visits (apart from anyone who wants to do something really useful, like cook and do the washing).

Get help early on with latching. Get the midwives to watch you every time you feed. I did this when I was in overnight after having DS and then asked the community midwife to check when I got out.

Do not take any advice from anyone who hasn't actually BF a baby .

I think the best thing you (and DH) can do is to understand how BF works. This will help when baby does things such as cluster feeds to establish your supply (this is the point when many people believe they "don't have enough milk" and get worried about baby being hungry so top up with a bottle, inadvertently undermining supply). The books and websites other posters have recommended will help you understand how it works. Its very clever. Act like its the only way to feed your baby and don't buy things "in case" it doesn't work out. Tesco is open 24 hours if you need something.

If you can't take baby into your bed safely, I'd recommend a bedside cot, such as an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper, or a Bednest (look on NCT website). I have an Arm's Reach for DD, and have found it very useful, wish I'd had one for DS.

Best of luck Smile

BearsLikeMarmalade · 07/06/2013 16:02

X post with lots of others about the co-sleeper cot.

FWIW I have never used a breastpump successfully, and I fed DS until 17 months, and feeding DD fine without one now. I know people who have pumped for various reasons and got along fine with it, but also others who started getting worried about how much they were producing once they started using a pump, and this didn't help matters (your baby is much better than a pump at getting the milk).

Definitely agree with your plan to hold of buying anything like this until feeding is established.

Swipe left for the next trending thread