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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

How much did you find out about breastfeeding befrore you gave birth?

64 replies

mears · 01/04/2007 14:55

As an addition to Hunker's thread about breastfeeding support in hospital, I wondered how many of you did any preparation for breastfeeding.

By that I mean further reading, attended workshops etc.

I think a lot of women don't understand how it all works before getting started and just wondered it that was the experience of mums on here.

OP posts:

TooTicky · 01/04/2007 14:57

Virtually none, but I have/am bf all 4 of mine.

beansprout · 01/04/2007 14:57

I couldn't go to the workshop (they changed the date) but did read as much as I could. At that point I didn't know anyone who had b/fed so was very worried about if it was possible or not. Didn't have much help in hospital either. Ds and I were self-taught in the end.

morningpaper · 01/04/2007 14:57

workshops

NHS classes

lots of reading

BUT I didn't know anyone who breastfed, and throughout all the workshops etc. the message I heard was IF IT HURTS THEN YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. I actually would have liked some warning that it might hurt ANYWAY for the first few weeks and you just have to WAIT for things to settle down.

cece · 01/04/2007 14:58

None at all really. At antenatal classes with hospital the only info we got was we don't teach bottle feeding in classes. Which I was at. Don't remember any training in those classes. It was just assumed you would bf but I can't remember being given any instructions prior to giving birth and after that it was a bit hit and miss from the mw who seemed to contrdict each other! It is amazing I actually managed it at all!

hunkermunker · 01/04/2007 15:00

I did lots of reading. My cousin's a BFC and has bfed her four for as long as they've wanted (not that she lives that near, but I still spoke to her and she was a v positive role model for me).

I didn't go to any workshops, but I did have an NHS antenatal session (where she also told us about ffeeding and how to prepare a bottle, even though she wasn't meant to ).

ChocolateSucksWithoutSugar · 01/04/2007 15:01

Attended NCT classes where we (girls only) spent an hour or so watching a video about it and then discussing it and sort of practising with dolls!

Also attended NHS ante natal classes, where we talked about the pros/cons of bf/ff, and then also watched a short video about how to do it.

3easterbunniesandnomore · 01/04/2007 15:08

nothing with my es....I just knew I was gonna bf and that was what I did...however, if I had known more then I couldn't or wouldn't have been so easily bullied into changing to Formula when es was 4 month old, because he was a happy chucker....
with ys, again, beforehand I didn't really find out anymore...however, after I had him I read more and more about it and became interested in extendet bf...with ys I was pretty well read up and kept on informing myself!

NineUnlikelyTales · 01/04/2007 15:10

I had some private antenatal classes where we spent loads of time discussing the benefits of BF but hardly any on how to do it. I read an NCT book and some magazine articles.

It still didn't prepare me for the fact rgar DS was not interested when first born, and would not latch on. I had no idea what to do, and the hospital were worse than useless - getting us onto bottles and formula and testing his blood sugars etc, plus hurting his little head and frightening him whilst ramming his mouth at my breasts. Needless to say, we didn't BF (I express instead).

tassis · 01/04/2007 15:21

I went to a truly excellent workshop at Aberdeen maternity hospital before ds (who I BF for about 14 months) and another at Stirling Royal before having dd 6 months ago.

Reading stuff didn't really help, but the class was very good. Lots about positioning.

I really wonder why these have to be optional classes - I'd like to see both breast and bottle feeding discussed at NCT AN classes. The Breast feeding one was an optional extra and there was never any mention of formula (and to this day I'm clueless about the whole area of sterilising bottles, expressing etc etc).

LandSmum · 01/04/2007 15:22

Nothing at all. Had tried to bf with dd1 with no prior knowledge of BF'ing - had never known anyone that had done it. This was quite a challenge at 19. Gave up after 3 days. This time round with dd2 again none the wiser, did ask community mw about workshop but she forgot to tell me when it was til I was almost due, missed it due to appointment at day care. This made me even more determined to prove to myself and crap cmw that I could and would do it. Hospital were alright - helped me with positioning etc. CMW's at home were excellent. 6 and a half weeks later still at it - more or less self taught and loads of support/info from mumsnet.

No one will prob recognise me - been name changing. Was Leahsmum then exhaustedmum of2 - feeling bit better now so thought best to change names.

Original poster

mears · 01/04/2007 15:31

Nice to see you LandSmum - was wondering how you were getting on

OP posts:

LandSmum · 01/04/2007 15:35

Were doing fine - she is now getting gaviscon infant 4 times a day for reflux and is so much more settled - been very close to giving up bf so many times - only mn has kept me going tbh. Now just really struggling on very little sleep - the joys of babies! lol

nogoes · 01/04/2007 15:40

Antenatal workshop and general baby books not anything specifically about breastfeeding. I think it would have helped if I had been more clued up, I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be.

MuminBrum · 01/04/2007 15:55

None at all. But my mum breastfed all three of us, and both my sisters breastfed their two kids with no problems, so I never envisaged anything other than successful breastfeeding. And guess what? I had no significant problems. Sorry if that sounds smug.

TwinklemEGGan · 01/04/2007 15:58

Totally agree with morningpaper. That was the message I got too. The only person I knew who was breastfeeding found it really easy. In hindsight I was told at the NHS antenatal class that it can be really hard but I was not open to that message at the time. I was much more focussed on the pregnancy and birth than what would happen afterwards. I think I believed it would just happen naturally and I would imagine that most women are the same in that respect.

kama · 01/04/2007 16:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

foxybrown · 01/04/2007 16:05

I did it all, breastfeeding classes, antenatal, spoke to friends, read up about it. I'd like to say it all helped enormously.

But it didn't. Trial and error I'm afraid. Pain, cracked nipples, thrush, blocked ducts, yada yada yada.

At the end of the day, I got on with it, perserved, broke the pain barrier, got over it and didn't look back. There comes a point where suddenly it all just started to work beautifully. Took a few weeks though and was always when I was just about to give up.

MaeWest · 01/04/2007 16:06

Know what you mean Twinkle, remember my mw getting all excited telling about the bf support group at my antenatal appointments and wondering why it was necessary. This is the same woman tho that mentioned formula top-up when he was still losing weight at 5 days old .

In reply to the OP I did NCT antenatal classes and we had one 2 hr session run by the local BFC as part of the course. The information was good but a little too abstract for me, lots of diagrams etc. What really helped on the practical side for me was the fact that my mum had breastfed, also plenty of my friends had fed in front of me, so it felt pretty normal. My mum was also able to reassure me when getting through the first few days and weeks e.g. I remember crying on the phone to her on about day 3 because I was so engorged that I thought I was going to explode! Oh, and was also given all the NHS bumf.

TwinklemEGGan · 01/04/2007 16:07

What I did read was all about the benefits of breastfeeding, as was the antenatal class (mixed up confusing with what you can eat and drink during pregnancy - bit late by then!). They were preaching to the converted in my case. I didn't find most of the more helpful stuff until I was having problems.

TwinklemEGGan · 01/04/2007 16:08

erm, confusingly I mean

McCadburysDreamyegg · 01/04/2007 16:08

I read up on it, a very close friend of mine had a baby 9 months before me which was handy for tips and advice but the best thing I did was attend a breast feeding workshop at my local hospital.

Taylormamaloveslindtbunnies · 01/04/2007 16:12

i didn't find anything out other than i wanted to do it - my ante-natal MWs just asked me if i planned to BF and that was it - at my ante-natal classes it was 1 of a number of topics. I had no real advice or help - i was determined to do it but gave up pretty early due to a lot of factors. I even hired my own lactation consultant who was hugely expensive and not very good ... i would definitely BF my next child but would be more prepared IYSWIM

mamijacacalys · 01/04/2007 16:13

Read the bit in the Miriam Stoppard Pregnancy Book.
When in hospital, read the free leaflet.
Also, as am in Wales, was given a Welsh Assembly Government book about Pregnancy when I saw the mw for the booking appointment. Read that, but it didn't give a lot of info about the mechanics etc, just that bf was themore healthy option.

chirpygirl · 01/04/2007 16:33

I read as much as possilbe as my mum was one of the few people who medically could not BF.
I read nearly all of kellymom and other sites as I could, bought the NCT bfing book to take with me and had long chats with my SIL who is the only woman I knew who had BF.

Couldn't get to any AN meetings or clinics because they were at stupid times so was totally self taught.

I had a bit of cracking from bad latch but fixed it myself once I was home and could sort pillows etc and had no probs after that at all.

foxybrown · 01/04/2007 16:36

Taylormama, do you mind if I ask what a lactation consultant offers over and above what is generally available (although I understand that you've said not much in your case). I had no idea you could hire someone to help you bf.

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