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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Please inspire a reluctant breastfeeder!

121 replies

jasper · 28/03/2002 00:05

What's so good about breastfeeding? ( apart from all the stuff that benefits the baby )
Please share your stories.
Eulalia/ tiktok, are you there?

I need inspiration.

Baby Jasper is nearly three weeks old, totally breastfed so far but I am finding it painful and difficult, and in danger of giving up.

PLEASE inspire me with stories about how the pain gets less ( bf counsellor has confirmed latch etc is good).

Even with no pain I can't imagine bf ever gets enjoyable so please convince me of this too.

Thanks.

OP posts:
pupuce · 14/04/2002 12:15

I was thinking the same... how are you doing ? Is baby gaining weight ? Is the pain getting better ? Are you bf for more reasonable amounts of time ???
Thinking of you.

Original poster
jasper · 14/04/2002 23:56

Mears and Pupuce,thanks for asking, and yes, I am still breastfeeding - sheer bloodymindedness is driving me on, as one of my friends recently observed
I feed him roughly every three hours, for about 20 minutes each side, sometimes more, sometimes less.He is a good wee sucker! - not a rigid timetable but it helps me to have a notional idea of when to expect the next feed. I really don't like the feeling of being always available that comes with demand feeding taken to exremes ( please don't flame me for this, and I don't want to start a war)and think this is a large part of why it is woking out better this time.
Unfortunately it is still sore but every few feeds it is a little less sore so I am optimistic for an improvement soon.

Baby gained 9 ounces this week, and while I never would get hung up on weight, I am of course pleased. He certainly looks bigger.
I hope to see my midwife again soon, she has not seen him for a couple of weeks and has a very good eye for the size and general health of a baby.

OP posts:
bloss · 15/04/2002 00:14

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tiktok · 15/04/2002 09:27

Great news, jasper

Azzie · 15/04/2002 09:28

Jasper, when I was b'feeding ds (on demand) I suffered badly from painful nipples, and got very tired and depressed. My HV (wonderful woman) actually told me to try and push him to 3 hour gaps between feeds. What was happening was that he was having a snack, then dropping off to sleep, then having another little snack etc etc. Consequently I was getting no rest and my nipples were getting no chance to heal up because of his constant feeding. When I managed to get a longer gap between feeds he had a bigger feed each time, which meant he was able to go longer between feeds and also got more of the nutritious hindmilk. My HV remarked to me that her advice was not particularly PC but was the most practical solution under the circumstances.

Enid · 15/04/2002 09:32

Great news Jasper, well done, I don't really 'know' you, but I feel quite proud for you if you understand what I mean!!

Original poster
jasper · 15/04/2002 09:44

Azzie, glad I am not the only one to have found this solution, which as you say is not particularly pc.
I must say the mumsnet experience has been a great help with the bf; it has been helpful to hear so many of you also had sore nipples in spite of the usual "if the latch/position is correct it won't hurt"advice . I am not knocking this advice but if like me the latch was as good as it was ever going to get and it still hurt, it isno bad thing to just accept it may well hurt for a few weeks, once latch problems have been eliminated. Many have said it got less painful at around six weeks - just one to go...
Bloss is the bf still going well?

OP posts:
Bron · 15/04/2002 10:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Marina · 15/04/2002 10:23

Jasper, that is such great news, you should be so proud of yourself.
How is it going with you Bloss?

bloss · 15/04/2002 10:30

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SueDonim · 15/04/2002 11:01

Great news, Jasper and Bloss. Mumsnetters must be the bl%dyminded types, as I think it's the only reason I got through the early days, too. Well done!

tigermoth · 15/04/2002 13:16

Result!

Wells1 · 15/04/2002 15:04

Wonderful news! I have to say, the best thing about b/f for me is the sheer convenience - no bottles, no fuss, just grab baby, spare nappy & wipes & go. And it is lovely to make him so ecstatically happy so easily! I think a lot of the reason it gets better with time is that babies get better at feeding - after all it takes two to tango - and breastfeed. We always think it's our fault if it hurts etc, but I was looking at my friend strugglling with a newborn compared to the ease of feeding my baby and mine can lift his head,adjust his body and get it at the right angle, and open his mouth properly and has just had more practise at it - no wonder he's better at it. Also, another good thing, is that by six/seven months you only need to breastfeed 3x per day and it takes hardly any time at all - first thing, mid pm and last thing - plus the odd snack if he's feeling clingy, cuddly. So you aren't tied to the sofa forever.

susanmt · 15/04/2002 22:29

Glad to hear it's going so well now! I am going to have to go and express milk now, all this reading about bf has made me let-down(!!!) and ds isn't due to wake for a good 4 - 5 hours (based on the last couple of nights anyway )

Thewiseone · 15/04/2002 23:09

Wells1 - when do you drop the fourth feed- I still bf 4 times a day my 7 1/2 months old ! She loves it so much I don't have the heart to stop her.

Wells1 · 16/04/2002 11:01

Hi wiseone

Erm, after all I've said about GF, I have to admit I got the idea from her. She says that it's OK around 6months (haven't got book to hand). She suggests giving a drink (water or juice) with lunch so the feeding goes 7am b/f (or in my case, half at 5am and half at 7am owing to trying to get my non-sleeping baby to give me a couple more hours in the am) - I give breakfast at 8ish (because he's not hungry before then) then a drink with lunch at 12ish (if he'll take it) then milk around 2.30, tea at 5 - 5.30ish and another b/f before bed at 7pm. So really I do 4 most days, because of the 5am waking, but sometimes I get him off to sleep with the dreaded dummy and just give him the one feed at 7ish. He's fine on this usually, and actually takes very little milk in the afternoon. I was worried about it, but he's fat as a bug. When he had a horrible cold he went off solid food and wanted to b/f more often, but I think that's normal too, and I totally went with it. I think you have to do what suits your baby and mine's quite happy with fewer feeds. Sorry to go on so much.

JanZ · 16/04/2002 12:49

Jasper - good to hear that you're persevering - and I hope the pain soon gets better!

My own b/f "career" was also characterised by bloody mindedness - not because of pain (and I admire you for carrying on through that), but because of ds's apparent poor weight gain, which we eventually put down to him having his "own" growth curve, because he was always happy, healthy and alert and I knew from the expressing that I did that there were no problems with my supply. Fortunately everyone around me was really supportive - and I kept away from HVs, just in case!

THERESA · 16/04/2002 22:57

We were the first in our group of friends to have a baby (now 3 1/2) and I breastfed solely for about 4 or 5 weeks and then we switched to bottles during the day and breast at night until she slept through (about 3 months). I agree that 'breast is best' but Jenny spent her first weeks crying constantly (so did I!) and I sat on the sofa for hours and hours with her 'feeding'. We thought that this was normal and they cried all of the time. She wasn't putting on weight and the HV eventually suggested a bottle and she was a changed baby! Subsequently friends have had babies, some breast fed and some bottle fed, but they've all been contented babies who in the early days have fed and then slept for a few hours. This never happened with Jenny and looking back I can see that she was probably hungry and I think that my trying to breastfeed when (for whatever reason) I couldn't, spoilt our first few weeks with her. I now have a 5 month old boy and I intended trying again but after a very bad birth I just couldn't face it. He is the most contented baby you could wish to meet and I've no regrets.
This may not be a very popular point of view. I do still think that everyone should give it a go, but try and keep things in perspective. Babies do well on formula (although it costs a fortune!). Don't let it take over and spoil your first few weeks.
Whatever you decide, good luck.

robinw · 15/07/2002 21:28

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pupuce · 15/07/2002 21:59

RobinW.... there you are I had noticed that you had been away - are you back for good or for just a quick look ???

Original poster
jasper · 16/07/2002 00:14

RobinW that was really nice of you to ask.
YES!I am officially a breastfeeding success story! My baby is four months old and has been fully breastfed from birth.
Gosh that sounds smug, i did not mean to be.
I resisted posting an update because I started back at work, just 3 days a week a month ago. I have not had great success expressing ( I am basically too lazy!) so planned on coming home in the lunch hour to feed and I was not sure if this would work out or not.So I did not want to report on my bf success prematurely.

I am happy to say it is working out fine and ds goes all morning and then again all afternoon without a feed quite happily. As soon as I come in the door he gives me a welcoming yell!

It was painful until he was about ten weeks old and then it gradually got better. It's now fairly pain free and I am SO happy to be breastfeeding him.
Suedonnim mentioned an amazing sense of satisfaction in admiring something which is "all your own work" and I can really relate to this.
I should add I am far soppier about this baby than I was with my older two and I can't work out if this is a cause or effect of my eventual success with bf.
Other things which helped were :
Amazing support from my midwife friend , both in terms of bf info and purely practical things like looking after all 3 of my kids for a few hours at a time in the early days and sending me off to bed for a sleep.
Domperidone to increase my supply at around 3 weeks (I think)
Realising after the first couple of weeks i did NOT have to have baby on the breast all the time, it was perfectly acceptable to schedule feeds to an extent.( again, thanks to midwife and a little help from G. Ford)
Last, I must not underestimate the help I got from mumsnet, both from the message boards and a couple of mumsnetters who " mentored" me by email.
(you know who you are ..THANKS )
This is starting to sound like an Oscars acceptance speech so I will stop now.

OP posts:
bloss · 16/07/2002 00:23

Message withdrawn

Marina · 16/07/2002 09:18

I am really pleased for you Jasper!

Lizzer · 16/07/2002 09:25

Well done Jasper! I remembered how much hard work effort and pain there was in the first few weeks. I still wish that HP's would tell you that this was probably going to happen, and then how it will start to get better for most people. I loved bf-ing my dd, but not for the first 6 weeks at all. So don't feel bad to be gushy, to get through it all is a real achievement and I think you should be singing it from the rooftops at every opportunity!

PS Also, I hate to admit it but your case is an example of how GF has worked really well, maybe I'll give her a break one of these days..... ('No, never!' cries evilizzer!!)

bron · 16/07/2002 09:31

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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