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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

If you could have had a perfect start to your breastfeeding relationship with your baby

46 replies

hunkermunker · 29/03/2007 16:53

What would it have been?

Am involved with local hospital developing new policy and want to get opinions from maternity service users.

Can be things like knowing what to expect from your healthcare professionals, to having enough pillows on your bed to support you to feed to skin-to-skin after birth - what would have made the difference to you?

Thank you.

OP posts:

Tatties · 29/03/2007 19:44

Dizzy your experience sounds perfect! Where did you give birth? (If you want to say that is, I am wondering if it was the same place as me?)

BizzyDint · 29/03/2007 19:54

it was leeds general. i have to say though, that i went in very pro bf, i had read LOADS about it, had made dh read LOADS too, so we were both prepared. i made a point of noticing the posters IYSWIM, i'm not sure what my experience would have been like if i'd have gone in not bothered one way or the other.

BizzyDint · 29/03/2007 19:56

what i mean is.. i don;t think i needed much support, i knew what i needed to do so i told them. not so easy for a mum who doesn't know what's what, or what the pros are.

2HappyEaster · 29/03/2007 19:56

I wish someone would have done more than just putting in some bf leaflets in with all the other ones (tummy exercises, birth registration etc). I wish they'd actually drawn attention to the fact that there were bf peer supporters locally and a lactation consultant who will visit same day if you have probs...

and i wish the mw on the night shift on the post natal ward supported bfing, rather than just shoving my tit in ds1's gob and expecting me to learn how to latch him from that

and i wish they could provide v-shaped pillows. or even wider beds to allow co-sleeping. or even tell you they're ok with you co-sleeping.

and i wish fewer mw's persisted in telling people "he's a big baby, your milk supply will never keep up"

squeakybub · 29/03/2007 20:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

2HappyEaster · 29/03/2007 20:03

oh and i wish that there was a lot more support offered ante-natally, so that people hoping to bf would know what to expect and not run into so many of the problems people on this thread have had.

burek · 29/03/2007 20:06

just repeating what's already been said by others. A good experience meant I breastfed for most of the first year. Despite CS and not being able to hold DS, he was put on to my chest as soon as he was born, and 'encouraged' to latch on by everyone in the room (!). Also had a fantasticly supportive and attentive BF nurse at the hospital to give me tips, including using a nipple shield to help DS latch on as he was having trouble. And the extended stay in hspital (due to CS) meant that I had someone to ask and get help from at any time - made ALL the difference. Can't imagine what I would have done if sent home after 24 hours.

bunnypeculiar · 29/03/2007 20:12

DS (first)

to have been allowed to b/f him straight away rather than have him whipped off after initial skin-to-skin, to be checked over in SKBU ( he was 4 weeks early) & fed there (although they did at least cup feed him b/cos hubby said we wanted to b/f. In retrospect, I'm not sure why they did this as the paed had checked him & said he was fine. Maybe there was a reason.
Having someone on duty, esp in the night who SUPPORTED b/f - ie did more than grab my tits & shove them into ds' mouth; also for them all to say the same thing instead of 30 different things (ie staff training & consistancy) I was pressurised into ff at 3am on the 2nd night, because I was told essentially that they wouldn't let me & ds home if I couldn't 'prove' he was feding well.
Availability of a dedicated b/f counciller who came round to check on all new b/fs (or all new babies) - a bit hopeful, maybe that one!
Info on the b/f drop in centre that happened AT THAT HOSPITAL to be more readily available, in fact available at all - ideally take-home flyer/leaflet
Lots of info available on post-hospital support - eg b/f lines/local drop ins. I was given a couple of excellent leaflets with lots of pictures on positioning, that I really made use of

With dd - completely diff experience - skin to skin & fed st away - I felt completely in control from day 1. (Clearly, then went on to have a shit time with her, hey ho!!)
There was a special b/f room where you could feed & be sociable during the day - complete with good chairs, lots of b/f posters - great idea, but I only knew about it because I was pacing the ward all night with an awake dd ... didn't see anyone using it when I was in...

bunnypeculiar · 29/03/2007 20:13

And what squeakybub said too - someone to tell me that ds wouldn't die if he didn't b/f for the 'proper' 40 mins every 3 hours...

Tatties · 29/03/2007 20:14

Dizzy, same place as me. I knew I wanted to bf, but wasn't quite so clued up as you. I had no idea about the helplines for example. I was helped, but not enough, and got conflicting advice on the post-natal ward. I can see several points where it could have all gone horribly wrong, had I not been so determined to bf. I imagine that had I expressed an interest in ff, I wouldn't have been challenged. But anyway we got through it and I am still feeding ds at nearly 2yo!

Donk · 29/03/2007 20:19

Decent pillows (the ones I was given appeared to be full of rubble)
Time to put baby to breast at birth without being hurried out of the delivery room! ( I was lucky with this one)
Knowledgeable, sympathetic staff who have time to assist in getting the latch right - this was completely non-existent.
There was a lovely breastfeeding room with a nice rocking chair - which was not used ONCE during the 2 days I was in the maternity ward.
Nursing bean bag to help support arms whilst feeding. I had really sore shoulders when I left hospital!

shonaspurtle · 29/03/2007 21:16

Definitely the opportunity for skin to skin and help with latching on in the delivery room (didn't get this ubtil a couple of hours after birth).

Just more time with someone sympathetic who knows what they're talking about and can explain things like milk coming in etc.

Cazee · 29/03/2007 22:18

Not taking my baby away and giving him a bottle of formula because I had had a tramatic labour, ending in emergency cesarean. No one even asked if I wanted to feed him, they just stated that I was too tired. Very, very sad time. Experience with DD was much better, although for some reason the midwife didn't let me feed her for about half an hour after the birth.

TwinklemEGGan · 29/03/2007 22:59

Consistent advice from the midwives on the post-natal ward. I must have had 4 or 5 different MWs assisting me with breastfeeding and they all contradicted each other, especially over whether it should or shouldn't be hurting.

I would have loved to have had someone sit with me throughout one or two feeds. DS had real trouble latching and once he latched he wouldn't suck. Every time he came off I found it incredibly difficult to latch him on again and I felt really awkward having to buzz for help every time.

I had no problems immediately after the birth. Lots of skin to skin and DS was at the breast for maybe 30 minutes.

sunnysideup · 29/03/2007 23:19

cazee, me too! I woke from a 'crash' CS, shaking violently, to see some woman just turning her back to me, feeding a baby with a bottle.....this must have been about half an hour after he was born! Not the start I had envisaged....

procrastimater · 29/03/2007 23:28

tbh I had a good start to bf'ing with ds as he latched on like a dream instantly despite the fact I was in shock/ semi concious afetr a long drawn out labour and the full array of drugs. Nice midwifes with a good bedside manner and a bit of time could have helped - but really the sooner I was home the better. Had homebirth with dd so that really was ideal we were able to go to own bedroom and relax straight away - lovely. No interference or other women and babies crying etc. so I am afraid no hospital is top of my ideal circumstances list - probl'y not much help - sorry.

JodieG1 · 29/03/2007 23:29

I did learn for myself after dd, I bf ds and am bf ds2 now. I actually find bf very easy and haven't had problems doing it, I'm sure it would have been the same with dd had I bf her

kiskidee · 29/03/2007 23:36

let all the staff know that bf is the best thing for a jaundiced baby not effing formula or uv lights.

put the phone nos. of all the bf charities in the hands of every woman who attempts to bf since the nhs staff by and large have piss poor knowledge of bf.

sohappyicouldcry · 29/03/2007 23:39

My DD was in NICU and I found, after much persuasion fron me, that they were eventually quite helpful with assisting BF. Only problem was that every shift of staff had completely different advice and contradicted what the others had said ! Had to persuade them I could actually try to BF DD after 10 days of expressing and her being fed by bottle (of expressed milk).

Lact8 · 29/03/2007 23:42

I think I've been incredibly lucky that I've had successful and happy starts to breastfeeding with all 3 of my dc.

I was 20 when I had ds1 and full of youthful confidence that I would just be able to do it. And it seemed to work!
I had my now exp and my mum with me so they were the ones who ensured I was comfortable and DS just seemed to know what he was doing.

In hindsight I could definately have used information about support lines and breastfeeding groups as at the baby and toddler group I went to with him I was the youngest mum there, (adn unmarried!) and the only breastfeeder

It would've been nice to talk about the constant feeding and growth spurts with other breastfeeders and know that it is normal.

Good luck with this hunker

BizzyDint · 30/03/2007 09:01

tatties- yes know what you mean. thinking of my parent craft group, most of the mums were full of trepidation about bf, knew all the old wives tales etc etc. i can imagine them easily falling into ff (which the majority have done, certainly after 1st 3 weeks) so as to make life easier for postnatal midwives, give them less work to do. not particularly their fault, but when you're short staffed it's kind of easier to give a woman a bottle of f than show proper latching on etc. i on the other hand went in fully prepared, knew what to ask for and wouldn't have accepted a bottle. dh read his copy of 'bestfeeding' while i floated about in the birthing pool for several hours!

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