A few questions on Breastfeeding

[Charlee]

Hi, just a few questions on breast feeding sorry if they sound a bit silly.

Im currently pg with no2 baby, i couldnt feed ds myself becuase i was on medication at the time of his birth and by the time i got a strieght answer from the hospital on weather i was safe to breast feed he wouldnt take it. But i do want to try from the start with this one now i know its 100% safe.

What does it feel like? sorry to be personal but people keep telling me i wont beable to do it because it hurts loads, is this true?

Did anyone whos done both bottle and breast with different babies find they slept differently, ds slept well-ish on bottles, do breast fed babies get used to only sleeping whilst feeding?

Any usefull tips on getting the best out of breast feeding before i do it? im deffantly going to try so any advice much apreciated. thanks

Charlee, it shouldn't hurt if you get the latch right. If you try it and it hurts, you should ask your MW or ring one of the bfing helplines ASAP. I don't know about a comparison between bf and ff, but ds slept through from 3 months old, fully bf, and has been perfectly able to self settle rather than feed to sleep. There are loads of MN experts who'll be along in a minute (or may have posted while I've been slowly typing...!) but hope my rambling helps a little. Good luck, it is worth it (I'm still bfing 13 months later and while pg with number 2)

Thanks 2happy i am certainly going to try, i wanted to so much with DS but he plainly refused but he was 1 1/2 weeks old when i first was able to try.

charlee it might hurt intially, for me it did on dd but not on ds, they heal and u wont notice oyur feeding
check out janesbreastfeeding.com lots of info there

as for sleep - i belive its partly to do with a good routine after the first 12wks, which are busy busy, then a breastfed baby can sleep better than a bottle one.

me, my ds breastfed slept greeat, my sil ds bottlefeed never has slept a full night since 4mths! now 18mths.

well hi
I am sat here b/f a 14 month dd
it has never hurt except when she used to bite --she doesnt anymore.
sleep-- all babies are different in my opinion breast or bottle fed
getting the best?
probably by being relaxed about it----babiesfeed as much or as little as they need and they let you know when they are hungry it is a lovely feeling looking at your baby and knowing that they are all your own work iykwim
are there any breast feeding groups near you perhaps you cold go along and speak to some mums who are breastfeeding and get some first hand advice they generally have a support worker / counsellor there to

I hear theres some sort of shieldy thingy you can get to protect the nipples and cream does that help at all? (by the way i feel such a moron asking these questions)

Lasinoh is good cream, though I found boots own brand lanolin cream good too. Jelonet dressings are really really good, and they can go in the fridge so are lovely when you put them on. Nipple shields aren't popular because they can restrict the flow of hind milk to the baby, but I had no help when I was in the ward and got the latch all wrong and ended up with cracks, and frankly nipple shields were the only things that kept me going (though ds has never had any problems with his weight, if he had I dare say I would have been more hesitant with them).

nipple shields if you are sore and have established feeding do work but never with any of mine
creams are great when you get sore kamillosan and cabbage leaves straight out of the fridge lol worked wonders

Thanks for all your help ladies, i would ask my midwife these things but shes pretty useless my first midwife was brill but this one is never around and is always to busy to answer my questions. Its silly really but im so nervous about breastfeeding i think its because i have done the rest before with DS.

I don't find it hurts with the latch being right, also postiioning helps I think.

as for what it feels like - honestly, it's odd, weird but so overwhelming at the same time (when u first start out I mean) it brings a smile to your face cos u think wow, look what we're doing. (sounds slushy/weird doesn't it, that's the best way I can describe it anywas, kinda a weird excited proud feeling)

deffo get the cream and lots of it, I used a fresh pad and fresh cream after each feed to begin with. was the only way for it to not be sore etc.

don't listen to what other ppl tell u either with regards to u not being able to do it - after all don't know till u try! main thing is u and baby are happy with each other, be it BF or Bottles.

and sleep - er what's that then! lol. still not sleeping thru at 5 months althou both DB and I slept thru form about 8 weeks so i'm told so i'm clinging onto the hope it will happen one day and every baby is differnt!

Hopefully Charlee you will not need nipple shields (don;t know anyone who has used them out of several friends who have BF) and maybe just a bit of cream on occasions.

I didn;t have any particular problems with pain until DS got his top teeth at about 11 months! Then it lasted a week or so, helped by a bit of cream, and back to normal.

I agree that all babies are different when it comes to sleep. I have four friends who BF babies slept through from 3-4 months - DS didn;t, but perhaps he wouldn;t have done if FF either. All I do know is he woke, fed, and went straight back to sleep. He was never bothered by illness or teeth during the first year.

DS fed to sleep for about 12 months, whihc suited me fine, but I can see if it was my second, I might not always be able to do that. I think you have to work out your own way of doing things that suits your child & your family.

I think it would be great if you could meet up with some BF mums locally - ask your HV if they have a drop in clinic.

while pg, try to go to a bf support group. the NCT and LLL run them. visit their website which should have a link to your local area. also, there is the baby cafes where you can speak to real bf mums. not people who though with best intentions sound like they are passing on bf myths to you. you will be able to take along your ds with you. this way you will already have a support system and knowledge when your baby gets here. oh, and there is always MN too but nothing like real life.

Hi Charlee, as everyone else has said, it shouldn't hurt if baby is latched on properly. It really is the most wonderful experience... the bond it creates is just amazing, so special. I used to look down at DD and cry with joy as she fed, i'd gently sing to her and she'd lovingly look back at me. Its beautiful. Such fond memories.

The sleep thing is definately about routine, after the first couple of months, don't let them fall asleep at the breast, always make sure you sit them up and wind and change the nappy, then they dont rely on it to get to sleep. The best money I ever spent was getting the baby whisperer book. You can't follow it to the letter because I dont believe you can instill rigid routines in small babies, but her principles are fantastic... such gentle parenting.

Hope it works out for you huni xx

Technically you shouldn't have any pain if the latch etc is OK. But most people I know have had a bit of discomfort the first day or two. So expect a little, but don't put up with any more than that and get someone to help you out with the latch etc. I have had other occasions when feeding that I have had pain - thrush, teething baby and most recently, biting baby. But once you get going with the feeding, these things seem easy to sort out. (except the last one for me!)

To get the best out of breastfeeding I suggest you trust that your body knows what to do. Ignore 'advice' about why you need to give bottles. Unless of course it is for good reason, but even then I would question it first! Check out the kellymom.com website for great info.

How it feels? At first I remember it feeling far more powerful suction than I could imagine. But I hate having my nipples touched and it didn't bother me in that way. The best feeling is the once I can't describe that is simply lovely. It took several weeks/months for me to feel all 'gooey' about breastfeeding, but it was worth it. And the last 2 days I've been crying as I'm stopping due to DS biting. Can't believe I could feel so strongly about it. In the early weeks I was ready to quit at every feed!