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Infant feeding

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

Preparing to bf - any tips?

29 replies

Teabagtits · 17/05/2017 22:36

I'm giving birth in 5 weeks and I'm desperately hoping to breastfeed.

With dd 7 years ago I didn't produce any milk or colostrum and felt severe guilt at what I then perceived as failing her. I have produced more colostrum in the past day by having a wee squeeze than I ever have before and am hoping this is a positive sign.

All I seem to see online are horror stories about feeding so I was wondering if anyone would mind sharing their tips on as pain free and as simple anbexperience as possible.

There's no LLL or NCT nearby for help / support so I'm relying on internet strangers

OP posts:
ProfPlumInTheLibrary · 22/05/2017 14:19

I'm probably going to repeat some of what's been said by pp's but here is all the advice I can think of (sorry if it's long):

Read up beforehand so you know what to expect. Things like cluster feeding, stuff that could affect the frequency of their feeding like growth spurts and teething. The best resources I found were Kellymom, Analytical Armadillo and MN. For most issues, like if your supply is low or whatever, the solution is to feed, feed and feed some more!

I was latching incorrectly at first - I was holding the baby's head too far away because I was scared of her not being able to breathe! Luckily a midwife spotted this and told me not to be afraid to hold her really close to my breast. I'd have saved myself a lot of pain and blood if I'd done this from the start and I'm very glad she noticed at the check up!

Hopefully, everyone around you will be supportive but in my case my dp's family were totally against breastfeeding. So I would say just be prepared that you could get some negative comments. I found either reciting the WHO guidelines or smiling, nodding and ignoring whatever they said, worked best for me. But aside from them I got no negativity and I hope you don't either.

It can take you and the baby a while to get used to latching correctly etc. I also lacked confidence to feed outside the house to start with. To help, I used one of those cover things at first. Once we'd both got the hang of it and I'd breastfed outdoors with the cover a few times I soon felt confident enough to stop using it and started feeding her without. A lot of cafes will happily give you a quiet corner if they have one and you ask, if you feel you need one that is. But most people really don't even notice.

Breastfeeding made me incredibly thirsty to start with so I got in the habit of carrying a water bottle everywhere I went, at home and out. One with a sports cap is good as it's less likely to spill. And snacks you can eat with one hand, like cereal bars are handy to have too.

And very importantly, don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't work out for you. I'm sorry you felt guilty for not being able to breastfeed your first child. Do your best, if it happens it happens, if it doesn't, that's what formula is for.

Teabagtits · 22/05/2017 22:41

I had a wee leak just there and got quite excited at the prospects of my boobs actually working this time! Thank you all so much for these tips! I'd never have thought about snacking but it seems that's mentioned a lot. Sadly my oh doesn't have much time off when baby is born as he's on a training placement for his degree so he won't be at my beckon call as much as I'd like.

The guilt I experienced at not producing any milk at all last time is something I took years to come to terms with. There was a medical reason (or ten) for this and they should be sorted now. I don't want to pin too much hope or have too many expectations after my first failure but these anecdotes and tips are invaluable to me. Thank you.

OP posts:
ChanandlerBongsNeighbour · 22/05/2017 23:17

It will hurt. Even a perfect latch will hurt. And then it won't. For me with both my babies it hurt (like fuck) for exactly fourteen days. I mean proper grit my teeth and get through it fucking pain. Latch was checked and re-checked by all sorts of experts and told to be great. It was simply the soft nipple tissue getting accustomed to its new role. Hang on in and if you can get through the settling in period you'll be away. I BF mine for 1.4 yrs and 2.5 years respectively.

lorisparkle · 23/05/2017 21:08

One midwife suggested setting up your 'breastfeeding area' comfortable chair with good support, access to food and drink, mobile phone, landline phone close to hand, remote control close to hand, and if you have other children maybe a box of toys they like or stories they like to keep them occupied. When I had ds2 we watched a lot of monsters inc, when I had ds3, ds1 and ds2 used to make huge train tracks together. As previously said it might be hard to begin with but you are both learning a new skill. It takes time.

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