determined to BF- what to take into hospital to give birth?

[buttershy]

Hi all,

I'm 24 wks pregnant with 1st baby and absolutely determined to the point of obsession about breastfeeding, hence why I'm already thinking about this topic- what to take into hospital?

Here are a few things I thought might be useful to take in my bag, please say if you agree/disagree and if there's anything else you'd recommend! (Please note I saw a sign in my hospital that said no formula or bottles are provided including sterilising facilities?!)

1. Doidy cup
2. Medela nipple shield
3. Medela hand held breast pump
4. Nipple cream (I have the earth mama Angel baby one, worth picking up lanisoh too?)
5. Nursing bra and button front shirts/nightie
6. Breast pads

Do you think I should also take in a few cartons of ready mixed aptamil and a bottle, in case it doesn't work out or I need some time to figure it out without baby starving and being distressed?

Also, if I sterilise things at home, e.g the breast pump and store in a ziplock bag does that stay sterile for a few days until needed in hospital?

Is there any other prep I should be doing? I have bought 'the womanly art of breastfeeding' and check out blogs and YouTube videos. I didn't have a lot of success getting in touch with la leche league BF consultants but hopefully there is one who might be available to call out in an emergency!

Thanks all!

Don't be too desperate to get home, so many people are so desperate to get out that they leave hospital before they are comfortable with bf, the support you get from midwives (hopefully) is priceless.

Completely agree with Fox, stay in hospital until your feeding is established, if you can. 5 nights with DS, 3 with DD for this reason alone.

Take the phone numbers for all of the national breastfeeding helplines.

A smartphone so you can access mumsnet and kellymom.

Ask the midwives for help if you need it. (Do this first).

If everything goes wrong - and I hope it won't! - DON'T PANIC. There is very little in breastfeeding which is irreversible. Even if you do have to give formula, it's very likely you can build supply back up again later with the right support, after a rest and with a clear head.

:) You have got this.

Lansinoh breastpads are the only ones worth having. All the others I've tried are crap. Multimam compresses are lovely and soothing on your boobs, I don't get sore any more but I might get some more anyway because they feel lovely!

One thing I forgot was a comfy bra for nighttime. I have this one www.johnlewis.com/bravado-seamless-nursing-bra/p1813159?colour=Ivory

Really comfy and it dries quickly too - I can wash it in the morning and wear it again that night.

Just remember - breastfeeding is great and wonderful, but you won't be any less of a mother if for some reason you can't. I'm sure you will fly! But try not to put yourself under too much pressure.

PS. I had a couple of bottles of ready mixed Aptimil in the cupboard at home, just in case. On the advice of my wise SiL, who said to just have them, in case it all went to shit at 3am. It never did (well not yet anyway). But I think that's partly because I knew they were there if I needed them, if that makes sense?

I got off to a crappy start with Dd1. Never really understood what to do and that all boiled down, this is a basic supply and demand exercise. By introducing formula, you aren't allowing baby to create the demand. So in those early days and weeks you really just need to feed, feed, feed.

Best tip someone gave me for baby no. 2 was to ask for help a lot. Get them to come and check your latch every time - it's what they are there for. Although they are pro- breastfeeding they are very busy and so you need to keep asking and don't be afraid to. They won't necessarily come to you. I didn't do this with baby 1 and by the time we realised it wasn't working - by about day 4 she had lost +10% of her birth weight - I found it difficult to recover from that shaky start and had given up entirely by the time she was 11 weeks old. Contrast that experience to this time around and it could not be more different.

All I took with me was a tube of lansinoh, button down nighties and vest tops from Primark and breast pads but I didn't use them.

There's so much brilliant advice already been given here, but I guess I'd stress the value of perseverance (and it sounds like you have determination in spades).

My DS was in NICU for nearly a month after birth (recovering from lifesaving bowel surgery), and the hospital were very supportive of helping me hand express colostrum, and then providing me with a heavy duty pump once my milk came in. But as he'd been fed initially via an NG tube and then bottles (as he needed to be fed very specific amounts while his bowel recovered), I did find it diffficult to establish breastfeeding when we finally came home. He'd just got too used to the easiness of a bottle, and I had inverted nipples which didn't help!

But we got there, thanks to help from a lovely community midwife who sat through many feeds with me, and large dollops of lansinoh determination. We're still going strong 11 months later, and my nipples have completely popped out thanks to his strong suck (which might make it easier if we ever get round to DC2!)

Lansinoh is amazing stuff, and I'd second other posters who've suggested a doughnut-shaped bf pillow - it really helped me position him at the right height in the early weeks.

For a touch of luxury, washable bamboo breast pads are great - they feel really soft inside your bra and against tender nipples! I found I needed them from about day 4 or so.

Good luck and enjoy

Can I recommend a book? It's "the food of love" amazing. It really helped me to understand the mechanics of supply and demand.

Has anyone mentioned the Drugs in Breastmilk Helpline yet? Take their number, too (Google will find it - sorry on phone and don't know how to link).

Just one thought - I'd read so many awful stories about breastfeeding on here that I thought it was bound to be awful, painful etc etc, and in the end it was absolutely fine - not painful, no sore nipples, both DC took to it like a duck to water. It sounds like you are anticipating it being dreadful, but you might find it's ok. Good to have lots of ideas for support up your sleeve in case there are problems (eg the infant feeding board on here, the various helplines, Kellymom website, local BF cafes), but lots of people do actually find it's fine. And they don't tend to post on Mumsnet asking for help!

Good luck!

Two other tiny bits of advice:
Bf gives you period type pains in the first few days (or at least, it did me, and other people I know have this). The cramps actually happen while you are feeding. It is normal, and WILL stop soon. Also some degree of nipple soreness is normal for some women (Lanisoh really helps). But if you feel it is too excrutiating, get a midwife to check things. I had mild thrush in my boob in the very early days, which I was only alerted to because dd had a white mouth. With treatment for us both, it cleared up really quickly.
Second thing is that about day three post partum you may become unexplainedly very tearful. My midwife told me this is totally normal - happens to loads of mums. Hormonal, apparently. If you're expecting it, it may not worry you so much.
Good luck!

I've also just posted this on another thread - would be a good one to print out and take or bookmark on your phone.

kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

(What to expect the first few days)

An open mind. I was just as determined as you but my baby just wouldn't latch despite the best hourly efforts to for early ram my sore nipple into his gob of one midwife through the entire night. Eventually I had to feed him expressed milk and top him up with formula until I could convince him to latch. He never really took to it and despite me breastfeeding then pumping every three hours day and night to get my supply going we had no choice but to combi feed. Loads of women and babies find it easy from the start but a lot don't. No one was more determined than me and I was devastated that we didn't do it 'properly'.

It's easy to put a huge amount of pressure on yourself then feel horrendous if it's not smooth sailing. Hopefully it will be for you but please just bear in mind it takes more than just an iron willpower.

I second the multi mam compresses. Those and ibuprofen got me through the first week as my nipples toughened up (baby's latch was fine) so there is a little pain for some people at the beginning.