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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Breastfeeding - what I wish I had known!

83 replies

noitsachicken · 01/03/2014 14:50

Hi,

I am after a bit of help please.
I am a peer supporter at my local breastfeeding support group, I am writing a short flyer/leaflet listing all the normal things about breastfeeding that no one tells you about!

Such as cluster feeding, growth spurts, frequent feeding, milk not coming in for a few days.
We have so many mums coming in who are worried because they do not know these things are normal!

Can you help me please?

What do you wish you had know before you started, what would have made you worry less?

Thanks

OP posts:
zoemaguire · 01/03/2014 17:10

If you wake up feeling like you are dying one morning, assume mastitis!

zoemaguire · 01/03/2014 17:11

Keep supplies of chocolate by your bed. Bf is hungry work!

curlyclaz13 · 01/03/2014 17:14

It is not instantly easy but you get there in the end
drink lots of water !
In reality not many people take notice of you feeding in public so don't worry about it.
It's the best thing I have ever done. I love feeding ds.

geekaMaxima · 01/03/2014 17:25

That you work hard in the early days for amazing, faff-free feeding later on.

curlyclaz13 · 01/03/2014 17:47

Thought of a couple more, you won't run out of milk
no matter where you are you can feed your baby !
Bf groups are great I will miss mine now I am going back to work Sad

StillPukin · 01/03/2014 17:50

Before you sit down to feed remember that you could be stuck in that exact position for the next hour so make sure you have whatever you need within reach. For me this included; a jug of juice, tv remote, box of tissues (there always seems to be leakage!), laptop or phone with internet access and a couple of times a day at least a snack or two

:)

Icedfinger · 01/03/2014 18:52

That some babies are quick feeders from very early on. My nephews always took 20 minutes to feed early on. My DD has always fed in less than 10 mins except at bed time! Now at 9 months she sometimes feeds for 2 mins and she's done.

Wosson · 01/03/2014 18:57

Lip tie, ( not tongue )

Still seeking advice as to wether DD needs it snipped.

When the midwife said - hadn't she got lovely rosebud lips, little did I know its because of lip tie, & it made BF horrendous.

HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs · 01/03/2014 18:58

Buy loads of vest tops; the pull your vest top down and lift your shirt up for discreet feeding.
Buying suitable clothes in the first few days and weeks was really stressful - I hadn't given it the slightest thought while I was pregnant!

Facelikeafriendlyapple · 01/03/2014 19:00

Taking fenugreek supplement can help boost your supply. My GP recommended it to me and it transformed things for me and meant I could phase out formula top-ups.

GingerMaman · 01/03/2014 19:01

The pain
Tongue and lip tie
Mastitis
Thrush

Awakeagain · 01/03/2014 19:02

Cluster feeding
That yes a bit if pain is normal but bleeding isn't - don't be ashamed to ask for help- you aren't the only one!!
Effects on the body - I was so bloody thirsty and then ended up constipated on lactulose - again I'm sure I
Wasn't ever the only one
Boobs leak when ever they want
Info on expressing

I went to my local baby cafe and it was a godsend but I went with a neighbour whose baby was a day older than mine - I felt embarrass to go on my own and really shouldn't have because I needed I go!!

joanofarchitrave · 01/03/2014 19:06

I agree with FurryGiraffe about jaundice. I'd barely heard of it except as a disease for adults, nobody seemed at all concerned about ds's case, and I didn't understand how important the midwife advice was about feeding at least every 3 hours - with a sleepy jaundiced baby you MUST wake them up in the day and feed them frequently, and that's bloody hard when they are feeding for 45 minutes per hour all through the night desperately trying to get some milk...

Worth mentioning that if you have PCOS, there's some evidence it can make things a little bit harder - don't give up, but seek advice early and often. (I never got bf established properly at all).

Sounds daft, but it wasn't until a very experienced midwife showed me a picture at 11 weeks, that I finally understood what 'nose to nipple' actually meant. Something like this picture:
nose to nipple

I wish I had asked my mother and mother-in-law more about their breastfeeding history before ds was born (though perhaps I wouldn't have understood what they told me in the same way) - their advice was extremely unhelpful and even painful but I didn't realise that neither had got breastfeeding going at all, and they had always been reassured that condensed milk was just as good...

Awakeagain · 01/03/2014 19:07

Oh and mastitis can come at any time ds was 7 months
And agree with previous poster who said about waking up feeling like you are dying

FrazzleRock · 01/03/2014 19:10

I wish I'd known it actually IS possible to not produce enough milk.

22 hrs per day on the breast and I couldn't work out why he was so hungry all the time and losing so much weight. Then I tried to express to see how much he was getting. 1.5 hours later and 5mls of milk produced Hmm
I pumped and I pumped and I pumped in such desperation and treasured that tiny bit of milk! I had to FF after that and he really thrived.

Then I tried again with DS2. Same story. I was so determined and desperate this time around after last time. I kept trying, despite expressing clearly showing I (again) wasn't producing anything.
I look back at photos of DS2 and he looked skeletal Sad

5 years later and it still upsets me.

I just had my hopes set so high seeing as it's the most natural thing in the world and thought every woman could produce milk.

Just please don't set your expectations too high. Good luck though!

icanmakeyouicecream · 01/03/2014 19:12

That near constant feeding is normal for the first few weeks, and for the first few days all they need is a small amount of colostrum. And no, they won't starve.

Original poster
noitsachicken · 01/03/2014 19:22

Thankyou all so much!
Sorry you didn't have a great experience stargirl Sad

Maybe I should include a link to this thread!

OP posts:
stargirl1701 · 01/03/2014 19:24

It was quite a shock to me! I thought it would be tough but manageable. I truly had no idea. My Breastfeeding class really didn't cover anything that actually happened. Grin

WinterHasRuinedMyFace · 01/03/2014 19:26

I wish I had known that it can be as hard to stop as it is to get going in the first place. I don't think it would have changed my decision to bf, but I do like to make informed decisions!

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 01/03/2014 19:28

They don't automatically self-wean at 6 months on the dot Blush Don't want to say how long it took for the penny to drop.

WinterHasRuinedMyFace · 01/03/2014 19:31

Haha Jesus yes! I honestly thought I would do it for 6 months and then stop... I hadn't given a second thought to how that might happen.

Toothygrin · 01/03/2014 19:35

I lost loads of blood during the birth of my first and it wasn't until my booking in appointment for the baby I'm now expecting that anyone told me that would have had a major effect on milk production. Looking back I struggled to feed my son and beat myself up about it so much, but all the while my body was just healing and not really interested in bf.

Pipsmilkmaid · 01/03/2014 19:44

For prem babies lots of kangaroo care and only tube feed on mum from the beginning. Worked with my 29 weeker.
Milk coming in was one of the most painful things I experienced ever woke me up in tears milk running everywhere ( ended up catching it in a pot to take in with the over night stoke)

atthestrokeoftwelve · 01/03/2014 19:45

Who is funding this flyer/literature? With due respect as a peer supporter you are not qualified to be giving breastfeeding advice to mothers. Suport yes, but not all this technical advice.

GreenGoblin0 · 01/03/2014 19:55

Engorgement when your milk comes in. No one warned me about this and I was terrified I wouldn't be able to feed my baby as she couldnt latch on due to boobs being rock hard. Luckily had a supportive partner who never once suggested giving her formula and a sister with a breast pump! Still Bfing at 20 months.