anyone had an easy time breastfeeding?

[romoca]

Currently pregnant and would like to try breastfeeding, but all I hear is horror stories of pain and bleeding nipples and infections!!!!! Never hear of anyone who has had an easy time!!! I've always bottle fed my children as I get myself so scared!!! X

Yes I did - mostly.

I did have some let down pain for a couple of weeks and recall one really bad night but apart from that it was a breeze and I fed 2 DC for 14 and 18 months.

I just assumed i would do it, had no back up plan. DP did try giving dd1 a bottle a couple of times which she rejected so it was down to me.

I would say overall it was a breeze and offered me loads of freedom. With dd1 I travelled lots and lived somewhere very remote for 3 months and I could not have done that without EBF.

I also had some informal mentors I sought out in older women who had bf.

Best of luck.

Ps I know you here lots of nightmare stories but I really don't think my experience is at all unusual.

I loved bf, had a few sore nipple days and boobs like boulders on the odd occasion but nothing lanolin and a hot flannel couldn't remedy!

I missed it when I gave it up when ds was 9 months, it's such a lovely bonding time and there is something wonderful about being the only person that your baby truly needs... also formula is expensive, bottles are a pest to heat /make up /transport! Good luck!

I found it quite tough with DD, had various problems, but they eventually settled and she fed till 3yo. DS just latched on in the recovery room and that was it, no pain, no problems, still going at 21mo. My nipples never got tough with either DC and I have been breastfeeding with a small break towards the end of my second pregnancy for nearly 5 years now.

I did - still am at 17 months (although now wondering quite how to stop!). Had a few issues but they were easy to resolve. I do think you need good support but it can honestly be easy and I would think easier than making up bottles. Good luck if you give it a go!

I BF all 3 of mine for a year each. It was all vey easy from the start, I never got cracked nipples or had any problems at all. I had 3 CS too.
Give it a try.

Breast feeding my daughter has been one of the most rewarding parts of motherhood for me.

ELCS, sent home 24 hours not really knowing what I was doing, day 3 with a hungry baby dropping weight & a lovely midwife who visited showed me where I was going wrong. And I've never looked back!

Still feeding her myself 17 months on, no bottles etc just on demand until weaned then down to a breakfast and bedtime feed once I returned to work.

It is hard, I had bleeding, cracked blisters at first. 1 bout of mastitis, 2 blocked ducts. And resentment from family who felt I was depriving them of being able to give the baby a bottle. But honestly give it your best shot. Sometimes when I'm feeding her we meet eyes and I see the newborn right through to the girl she's becoming. It's really precious. Very best of luck, there's lots of support here should you need it.

I had a little bit of pain for the first 6 weeks, my letdown was too fast for DS and he would come off without releasing my nipple first, left me a little sore. But there's plenty of support out there, my local children's centre runs "latch on" breastfeeding groups and they gave me some strategies to stop that. It was only minor pain, and totally worth it for the bonding you get from feeding your little one. But once that had stopped it was so much easier to be breastfeeding, didn't have to worry whenever I went out (I bought a cover for feeding and used it the first few times to get confidence but now couldn't care less) and could feed in the night without having to faff about making bottles. Am about to take DS on hol for the first time and it vastly cuts down the amount of stuff I need to take too.

Make sure you get support in hospital, it is available if you ask. I got the midwives/ care assistants to help me position him and check his latch. I even had a lovely lady helping me hand express when he wouldn't latch.

And definitely get the lanisoh breast pads (supermarket own brands ar like sand paper) and lanolin cream.

But yep, was fairly easy for me, and probably as easy as bottle feeding would have been.

Easy here too once I got onto a routine to help with oversupply/ engorgement issues. From about 6 weeks, I fed four-hourly and managed to avoid the permanently-attached-infant-five-wake-ups-a-night scenario, which tbh would have put a stop to it for me.
I found it convenient, cuddly and very straightforward, and am still doing 3 bfs a day now that DS is 10mo.
I'd suggest giving the odd bottle from 6 weeks or so for convenience.

Yes no problems. Never a cracked nipple, infection, none of it. Never used that lanisoh cream people talk about. Also never felt particularly tired with a newborn, bed sharing worked brilliantly for me.

I personally had a hard time the first eight weeks but do know people who took to it like ducks to water and were absolutely fine

4 months of exclusive bf here so far, DS latched easily and it all felt very natural. My nipples were slightly sore to begin with but a bit of Lasinoh cream did the trick (it was good to have some in the hospital bag). For the first few weeks DS fed a lot and I felt a bit pinned to the sofa, but that stage soon passed.

I've really enjoyed breastfeeding and will continue as long as DS wants to. I love the bonding aspect, the ease (no making bottles, no worrying about sterilising etc), it's free and convenient. When DS is hungry I can feed him immediately pretty much anywhere and he doesn't have to wait. One day I had a family emergency and we were out a lot longer than anticipated and there was no worries about how many bottles we had with us. And selfishly, I liked being able to reclaim my newborn from visitors to feed him.

Good luck OP, I hope things go smoothly for you.

I did. Ds latched on straight after he was born. Stayed there for 3 hours. Apart from night 2 where the colostrum wasn't filling him up and waiting for my milk to come in the next day was hard but otherwise it's been great! He's 7mo now and I intend for him to self wean (to an extent - I don't intend to be bfing a walking talking toddler that use the toilet....). It is intensive. Your nipples can hurt. You can feel a bit trapped sometimes. But ultimately, for me, it's been the best thing I've ever done.

Yes, ds was born at 35 weeks and wasn't very well, but once I was allowed to bf he was brilliant.Never had an issue, went back to work when he was 16 weeks, so expressed at work, bf directly the rest of the time. I fed him tillhe was 23 months and loved the bond

Ps I've never had mastitis or blocked ducts or cracked/bleeding nipples. They did blanch occasionally but otherwise all is good. It also really helps get your uterus back to where it should be. I was back into my pre preggo trousers in a week.

Breastfed DS until he was two and have now started with DD. She simply latched on straight after the c - section and we did not look back. However:

-Natural does not always mean effortless. Ask, ask, ask and ask some more from everyone who is there to support you. Get the latch and positioning right and you are 90% of the way there.

• Read up on breastfeeding - la leche, breastfeeding bible, etc. This will help answer questions around cluster feeding, night feeds, weaning, bottles and dummies.
• Consider safe cosleeping. This saved my sanity as I did all the night feeds and it was a lot easier to roll over and stick a nipple in the baby's mouth. However, you do need to set up the bed properly or get a side crib for the baby.
• Look into slings. They give you your hands back and you can actually breastfeed on the run, using them.

Good luck!

It was hard for the first few weeks getting it established (though no infections), but after that it was way easier than ff. I remember reading that if you feel like you want to quit early on then try and get to 6 weeks and see how you feel then, which was good advice for me.

I also know several women whose babies just latched straight off and had no problems.

Mine took to breastfeeding immediately and I never had any pain. My top tip is to get a midwife/maternity nurse to help "attach" your baby the first few times.

I did. I was on bed rest so did a ton of reading & learnt about cluster feeding which is hours upon hours of feeding, that it does hurt your nipples for 2 weeks well until harden.

I was lucky in that DS latched on with no problems & my milk came in on day 3. Also had colustrum from 36 weeks too.

Once latch is sorted that sorted it for me. My HV talked to me about co-sleeping & he dropped feeds himself at 8.5 months & was in his own room then too.
Just gone down to a night feed.

Also skipped bottles & went straight to water in a beaker at 6 months when we started weaning.

It is so much easier.

Yes I did.. ds1 i was unsure if he was latched on so my mum grabbed my boob and sorted it! It was odd getting used to and i had 1 bout of mastitis which was horrid but generally no problem. Then had twins and no problem from day 1 when they were born at 35 weeks. So much easier for night feeds but I always did 1 bottle feed a day with the twins so i could have help if necessary-no problems there either whereas ds1 refused bottles and just graduated to sippy cups.

Was a doddle for SIL who gave birth shortly before me - she said it was a shame it was so easy as she couldn't help me at all, she just stuck her breast in dn's mouth and he sucked. I managed with ds after fighting for every bit of help available, including mastering the Croydon tram system to track down various clinics and finally having thrush treated - then with dd, it was easy from the start and various hospital midwives came in to admire and ask if other mums could watch. (I said fine, none did though)

I kept going to 14 and 24 months just because it was so easy after the beginning.

My impression is it's pretty easy for about a third of women, another third can get the hang of it with a bit of help, and the rest might be able to manage it if they really really had to and had help but given formula and safe water exist might well choose not to.

I recommend Lansinoh ointment and my MW friend's advice: half a bar of milk chocolate with every night feed!

I am almost embarrassed to say it was dead easy for me with my 2 dcs. They latched on like a dream like it said on the tin. I needed them to feed to release the engorgement and they did the honours. I could bf them anywhere, including lying down in bed.

The downside is dd was a bottle refusnik. She bf-ed till 17 months. Ds bf-ed for 3 years! I was not apart from them at night for 2 years and did not travel for work.

My tip is to drink lots of water. I kept a filter jug and glass by sofa and bed so I could drink while I was feeding.

And keep nutritious snacks to hand especially for the first few weeks. Muesli was my good friend for a while.

I agree the first 6-8 weeks is tough until you get feeding established. Take each day as it comes. I bf my first dc for 2 years and I still needed to find the best position and a different approach for bfing dc2. Once established and comfortable with one another, bfing got a lot easier. Be kind to yourself and don't put too much pressure on yourself. Latch is very important, keep attaching/unattaching until you have it correct (it won't hurt during feeding with the correct latch), this will avoid cracked or sore nipples.