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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

What did you wish someone had told you about breastfeeding?

76 replies

camera · 20/10/2006 14:54

that at least you get to sit down and good for getting out of the washing up!

OP posts:
tutu100 · 20/10/2006 20:57

oh, and that I wish I'd never stopped. I really missed bf can't wait to do it again with the next one.

FillyjonkthePumpkinEater · 20/10/2006 21:02

yeah, formula can be a right faff also

have only done feeds for others kids, but god, I found it hard. I once had to get the egg whisk out.

HRHQueenOfQuotes · 20/10/2006 21:05

I found FF no more difficult than BF - just prepared the days feeds all togheter - stuck in fridge.....the time it used to take DS1 to calm down enough from his screams to actually latch on properly to get his milk from me was the same time it took for DS2's bottles to warm up to a temp he liked LOL.

2MwahHaHaHappy · 20/10/2006 21:06

That no-one will tell you if a) you have leaked, or b) your breast pad has slipped and is poking up above your clothes, leaving you to wonder exactly how long you've been wandering around like that.

somethingunderthebedisdrooling · 20/10/2006 21:13

that a bf baby may take a bottle until about 10 wks then absolutely refuse it - quite the opposite of your experience imnot. but it is not the end of the world and when needs must, they can still learn to take a bottle or go straight to a cup.

ps: and that no baby is too big or two hungry for one woman to feed. lots of people feed twins successfully to toddlerhood.

Jalexandra · 20/10/2006 21:14

That no matter how prudish you think you are, (I was very) you will breastfeed your baby anywhere and think nothing of it. (Although now I have stopped breastfeeding I can't believe how uninhibited I was)

Neilsmum · 20/10/2006 21:16

That it requires a lot of commitment and hardwork and you shouldnt feel guilty if you cant/or dont want to do it.

GoingQuietlyMad · 20/10/2006 21:23

That for the first few times it is bl**dy painful!!

Was in tears for weeks in fact before it got better.

Actually, delete that, i know why they don't tell you that.

SoMuchToBats · 20/10/2006 21:26

That not everyone enjoys it , even if you manage to do it. I did it (for a while, then mixed feeding for a bit), because I thought it would be the best thing for ds. But I hated it. Also all these people who say about you should have enough milk supply - it doesn't always happen. After a few initial problems, we got the hang of ds latching on, and it wasn't too painful, but I never seeed to have enough for him, especially at the end of the day.

I hear so much about people leaking, and spraying everywhere - it's so alien to me. I think in 5 months of breastfeeding, I leaked once, after ds slept for a very longtime overnight. If he accidentally slipped off the nipple, I never sprayed - there might be a small dribble round the nipple , but that was it.

If I tried to express, I never seemed to get more than about an ounce of milk, even when my breasts felt fairly full. And although I love ds, I didn't feel the bfing made us any closer.

I also found that a lot of the time he kept sucking, even when I felt there was nothing left, but would never accept a dummy.

Eventually, when I tried to get him into a bit more of a routine with his feeding, it did get a bit better, but still never felt "natural" or enjoyable.

mumchez · 20/10/2006 21:41

2MwahHaHaHappy ---- lol, i have always wondered why people are giving me looks, only to later realise what an odd shape my boobs where due to a mishapen breast pad ...

i wish someone had told me that eating anything mildly spicy/herby/exciting etc. would leave my 6 week old dd1 in agony all day and me wrecked to pieces with her crying all the time coz the poor mite has bellyache!!!!

we live and learn

amijee · 20/10/2006 21:42

that you will be feeding almost constantly during a growth spurt. My ds is going thru a 12 week one at the moment and for the last 2 days I have been feeding, sleeping and eating and that's it!!

Neil's mum - you may wanna take note! The 12 week mark is not without its probs! My LO has gone back to feeding hourly and is on for ages longer. I'm hoping he reverts back soon - god knows what i'll do if he stays like this!!

VoodooBanana · 20/10/2006 21:43

that it would hurt like bloody hell for the first 4 weeks...

...yes, that latching on properly was actually VERY important...

how to deal with embarrassed FIL and dodgy pervy waiters...

bctmum · 20/10/2006 21:44

It's fab!!

VoodooBanana · 20/10/2006 21:51

after 3 mths you stop seeing it as a hassle and enjoy it as half an hour rest every three hours.

yellowrose · 20/10/2006 23:21

That your bf toddler will one day pick up his favourite teddy bear and try to feed him on your boobs

PinkTulips · 20/10/2006 23:43

lol yellow rose, my dd stopped feeding at 1 year when i was 3 months pregnant but for the last few months of my pregnancy she insisted on teddy getting a breast feed from me every mornig, lol. even now he occasionally gets hungry and needs 'bfoov'.

i wish some one had warned me that you can be doing everything right and still be in immense pain from letdown. and that it does fade after a few weeks and it'll become the easiest most natural thing in the world.

and i wish someone had impressed upon me before dd how vital it was to buy lansinoh for my hospital bag so poor dp ddin't have to ask at the counter in boots for it after 2 days when i was bleeding so bad dd was spitting up blood.

QueenQuootieSpookypieBee · 21/10/2006 00:02

That feeding after 6 months isnt odd.

That it can hurt to begin with, but if you just go with it, it works out ok

If your baby doesnt latch, express. I got sent home with shouts of formula following me... luckily I had the good sense to buy a breastpump and happily pumped for a week then DS latched on

About them shell things to catch leaks... id have pints if id used them.

QueenQuootieSpookypieBee · 21/10/2006 00:05

oh yeah, growth spurts, cluster feeds... and greed. I had to find all this out for myself and thought my milk was poor, I was feeding wrong, DS was ill...etc.

yellowrose · 21/10/2006 08:17

Pink tulips and yellow roses = our colours clash

Toddlers learn by example, which sometimes, is a good thing

LucyJu · 21/10/2006 10:05

How much time it can take up, especially in the beginning.
That it's perfectly normal for bfing to take up loads of time, especially in the beginning.
How much love and pride you can feel when you look at your beaming, chubby 6-month-old baby and know that you "made" her.
That the first few weeks can be hell. But you can change from thinking about giving up on a daily - or even hourly basis - to wondering why on earth anyone would ever want to give up.
That bfing can seem the hardest thing in the world in the early stages - but the easiest a few weeks down the line.
That the struggle you may go through to get bf properly established can turn you into someone with very strong opinions about bfing in a society where bottle feeding is the cultural norm.
That I've never met anyone who has regretted breastfeeding their baby.

Piffy · 21/10/2006 10:35
  1. That the latching on bit is toe curlingly painful for the first few weeks but after a month or so you can hardly remember it being a problem (though I know why people don't tell you this bit!)
  2. That sometimes your milk supply is low at certain times of the day, it doesn't mean you are a failure or don't have enough milk in general, just express when you have loads (i.e. the morning for me) and give a bottle of ebm to top up babe when you have less
  3. That not everyone leaks milk, and it doesn't mean you don't have enough - I never needed the breast pads I bought
  4. That giving the odd bottle of formula so you can have four precious hours sleep together won't kill/harm/destroy/neglect/cause your baby to hate you - you need time off too
  5. That expressing/feeding with boob hanging straight down (like a cow LOL!) can often clear a blockage/mastitis without antibiotics (though always visit doc too of course)
  6. That when you go back to work that last feed of the night with your babe will be your precious time that no-one can take away from you - cos no one else has the boobies
bctmum · 21/10/2006 10:37

It's so amazing and wondeful that your body can feed and support your baby totally - just you keeping your baby growing and happy.

texasrose · 21/10/2006 15:17

Someone did tell me - that breastfding is all about confidence. If you're confident in the process of supply and demand and confident enough to do it wherever and whenever your baby needs it, you can't go wrong.

sockmonkey · 21/10/2006 15:27

I wish someone had told me BFing a child who has teeth wont hurt. (unless LO wants it to!)

KathyDCLXVI · 24/10/2006 14:50

That there's no point in buying maternity bras when pregnant - just buy nursing bras from the beginning, as you'll end up going through so many bra sizes that it costs a fortune.

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