Positive breastfeeding stories and advice?

[Marghe87]

I keep hearing and reading negative breastfeeding stories pretty much everywhere. Did any of you have a positive experience with bfeeding?
What tips can you share with a soon to be mum who is eager to make it work?
Thank you!

I EBF both my DC and it was extremely positive! The only problems I had was a mild case of mastitis with dc1 and slightly sore nipples but that was it. I never had any rude comments when bf in public and my family were supportive.

I’d recommend not putting pressure on yourself to bf in public, I kinda built up to it but did feel sometimes there was an expectation that I shouldn’t feel self conscious.

I was totally led by my dc, fed on demand and on the days it seemed like I never had more than an hour without a baby attached I just accepted it was what they needed.

The positive attitudes of my HV and GP at health checks were really reaffirming that I was doing something good and my babies were benefiting from it.

I suppose the biggest tip is to remember that a baby needs to be fed and if you struggle with bf it’s not a defeat to give a bottle

I BF my son, my sister did hers and my mum breastfed 3 children.

I would say.... Accept it will be hard at the beginning. At my prenatal class they said there shouldn't be pain... Well my mum, sister and I all had pain at some point... Cracked nipples or mastitis. It happens but get help if it continues.

Be prepared to sit feeding at the beginning a lot!! Try to just enjoy it and watch a good light hearted series. You don't need to be doing anything else. It can wait.

Talk to other bf mums... Like la leche league as you will no doubt have questions.

Good luck!

I breastfed both of mine and it was very positive!

I would advise seeing a specialist at first to help you get a good latch; but then it was all plain sailing for me! Much easier to be able to feed baby as and when they needed it rather than carting bottles and formula everywhere.

It went from being hard in the first few days to being the easiest most convenient part of life. Have faith that it will get better and that it will work.

I EBF two kids up to age 2 and 3. I agree with the above - it is worth getting support with technique and latch. It’s harder now with funding cuts and pandemic but get resources together now before you need them on source of support - locally or online. A call to LLL in the early days helped me, as did their book.

It will be painful at first, but there is a difference between chafing and a problematic position or latch.

At the time transitioning from being a non parent I felt so stressed and resented the constant feeding. Now, with two older kids I wonder why I didn’t just enjoy the sit down and accept it - it’s not forever.

It is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done and it was, in the end, a lot less faff. I feel lucky the kids both had a good latch, and I had lots of support.

Oh and lansinoh helps with chafing.

Thank you ladies! I keep being told to ask for help when needed but I don’t fully understand who I should speak to? My MW said they are there to help for the first 2-3 weeks but what happens after I get dismissed by the MW? Should I just call the breastfeeding helpline number I find online or write to LLL? What is the best way to go about it?

I had my only child at 42 and luckily was able to breastfeed her which I was happy about as she was only 6 pounds at birth. I loved seeing her grow and put weight on knowing that was down to me.
On the other hand I had mastitis and sore cracked nipples which wasn't fun. I felt as if I was constantly feeding her and some days was welded to the sofa! I also hated pumping.
When she was 5 months old I had to go into hospital for an emergency operation which meant I had to stop BF and I was gutted. When I was back home 10 days later I tried to re start the bf but couldn't.
I will always be grateful that I could give her that start though and she's now z thriving extra tall 11 year old 😀

EBF 2 DCs and agree with all previous posters. Some babies can struggle with their latch so it’s important to get help if you need it. The first 3-4 days were awful for me- huge oversupply and engorgement issues coupled with baby blues hormones- just have faith that it will pass and you’ll get through it. After a few weeks it will get so much easier and feel so natural. Yes it will hurt to begin with- I found the common advice that ‘a good latch will never hurt’ quite misleading to be honest and caused me a lot of undue stress. If you can get someone to check the latch plenty of times at the hospital (keep asking!) and at home visits you’ll gain more confidence that it’s going well.
Those first few days of hell were totally worth it for the closeness with my baby and the convenience of not dealing with bottles. But if it’s not working out for any reason just know you tried your best and never feel guilty for using bottles.
I weaned my DD at 17 months will probably do the same for DS. Towards the end it was just a comfort for baby (rather than nutritional) but such a lovely way to bond particularly after a day apart when I was at work.
It’s also bloody fantastic for weight loss- was the skinniest I’ve ever been after about 8 months of feeding- just be careful when you wean to eat less biscuits or exercise more

Times have probably changed but my health visitor helped a lot. Also a volunteer in the hospital. Services vary a lot by location but google for breastfeeding support services / drop ins local to you. Some lay now be online.

If nothing is around lactation consultants are an option too. Or national helplines (like La Leche League). But search them out now so you don’t have to do it when the baby arrives.

I breastfed my daughter until she was 17 months - it was brilliant!!!! So so easy and natural. You never have to worry about bottles, sterilising stuff, carrying it around nothing. Plus if they're ill or you're on a plane nothing soothes them like the breast. You can do it anywhere and it's always the right temperature etc!

That said, the first 10 days can be hard going but it's totally totally worth it!! I'm a massive bf advocate

Best advice is wait till they open their mouth really wide and get as deep a latch as possible- I'd watched quite a lot if you tube videos first to help me get the right idea

Definitely join your local La Leche League group on fb. It has been a great support to me. I haven't found breastfeeding easy but I have persisted and had support and it enabled me to keep going. My son had a tongue tie and I nearly gave up in the early days. Good luck xx

I found it a really positive experience. Also loved the fact I could leave the house without taking bottles etc. With me.
First week was tough, but my DM had actually prepared me for that, so I persevered. I BFed until 15 months and DC self weaned (I was a little sad 😂)

I BF my little girl and I really enjoy it - she's only 3 weeks so I'm not an expert.

It was difficult to start with but I found the health visitor supportive. If you need help with latch there are videos on YouTube that I found useful - my daughter's latch wasn't right and it was very painful but small changes made a huge difference.

If you need to give formula sometimes don't feel bad about it! I had to top up with formula because my milk took a few days to come in and my baby was getting frustrated. I still give her formula sometimes when it's not convenient to breastfeed such as when she's crying in her car sea while we're driving.

Make sure you have snacks and a big drink while you feed.

Cluster feeding can be tough on your nipples so use nipple cream or get the Lansinoh hot/cold breast therapy pads. I also give my daughter a dummy when she wants to comfort suck as that can get really sore after a while.

I also express and my husband does some night feeds with expressed milk which really helps with the tiredness. Tiredness makes breastfeeding that much harder. Experiment with different positions and holds. At first I spent a few days just laying in bed with her practising which sounds ridiculous but now I can feed her while carrying her in one arm and doing other things.

You will probably fall asleep feeding your baby no matter how much you try not to. Read safe co-sleep guidelines (UNICEF are good) and have your bed as safe as you can. It's much safer to fall asleep feeding in a bed than in a chair or on a sofa.

The main thing is that if you can't do it it's not a reflection on you. My mum had 3 babies and I always thought she breastfed all of us for roughly the same amount of time. She recently told me that I was combination fed, she didn't manage it at all with my brother and my sister didn't want to stop and never had a drop of formula. It's not just you, it depends on the baby as well. Don't be too hard on yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help.

My journey was so easy! He latched perfectly from day 1, obvs a little sore but my nipples were never sucked that much. It only ever took like 10-20 minutes max. He only lost 2% in weight. It was magical. I can't wait to have number 2 and breastfeed again.

Yes very positive, fed my 1st DD for 2.5 years and 2nd DD for 5 years.

Did get a bit of mastitis with 1st DD about 2 months in but I think I was producing too much milk than what was needed.

2nd DD feeding was a breeze. No problems at all. I feel like I'm a professional after 7 years.

Nothing than feeling positive about it and fond memories

@Marghe87

Thank you ladies! I keep being told to ask for help when needed but I don’t fully understand who I should speak to? My MW said they are there to help for the first 2-3 weeks but what happens after I get dismissed by the MW? Should I just call the breastfeeding helpline number I find online or write to LLL? What is the best way to go about it?

You will have a health visitor and a line you can call to speak to them.

Depending when you have your baby (covid) there are drop in centres at health centres where you get hands on help from professionals (again HV will know)

You can call La Leche League and speak to their team.

If you have money there are also private lactation specialists

I'd also join Facebook groups and connect with other mums who can support and help

Very positive here and to be honest it’s lovely to be able to pass on my positive experience to someone.
In RL I don’t speak of it to anyone in case it’s insensitive or judgy or smug.
I’m none of those.
I bf both my kids, dc1 for 9 months, dc2 until their 3rd birthday.

I’m lucky it came quite easily, not many problems. Slight mastitis at one point and dc 2 was a biter.. oooh!

Both of mine were 5lb at birth so had lots of catching up to do which meant hourly feeding day and night for about 8 weeks.

It was the bone drenching utter utter exhaustion that proved the worst not the feeding itself. And there was only me that could feed as I was not able to express at all.

I absolutely loved it, I’m not at all maternal so for me it was a closeness that I was easily able to give my children without effort or worry.
It worked for me.

After an extremely difficult and challenging start with my DS I ended up breastfeeding him until he was 4.

Currently feeding Dd who is 9 months.

I love it because it is so easy (after the initial slog) and convenient. I'm pretty lazy and would not cope with all the cleaning/sterilising/measuring etc.

I love that it is our special way to reconnect during busy days. It fixes all evils; teething? Boob. Tired? Boob. Hurt yourself? Boob. Sometimes night feeds are a little exhausting but better than faffing with bottles! I quite enjoy the quiet sleepy feeds at night that are just for us.

So much easier for going out and about too. Never have to worry about being stuck out anywhere or how long to be out for etc.

DS1 born by EMCS. Latched skin to skin in theatre, latched on in recovery. Fed like a dream from that point on. Went through a rough patch when my milk came in on day 3, until about 2 weeks in as I was SUPER engorged and it was sore So used nipple sheilds, but we pulled through. BF exclusively for 6 months, and kept going until he self-weaned at 18 months.

I fed my first baby until she was 2 and a half.
I didnt read much into it and was of the opinion that I wasnt too worried either way about breastfeeding but once she arrived I really wanted to make it work.
I was lucky that I had a good milk supply from the beginning and after a few days if cluster feeding she was on a roll. I attended a breastfeeding peer support group each week which I would really recommend if you can find one (or do one online).
Things I would recommend:

• Look up cluster feeding so you're not surprised by it. Its brutal but only short lived.
• know that "not making enough milk" is a very unusual problem. A baby being at the breast a lot is not a sign that they're not getting enough, nor is business or brief feeding or frequent feeding. The signs they arent getting enough are poor weight gain or low nappy output. Even then the cause could be a tongue tie, reflux or intolerance rather than low milk supply. Try to avoid the "top up trap" if you can.
• do lots of skin to skin in the early days and try not to do too much too soon, just focus on getting feeding established
• dont start expressing too early or you could get engorged and uncomfortable

The poster above has given great advice!

Definitely look up Cluster Feeding, be prepared for that. Remember that it can take up to six weeks for your supply to be fully established, so don't stress about not having enough milk! Just enjoy it, I spent the first few weeks lazing and snoozing with baby, on and off feeding, skin to skin, lots of Netflix and snacking. Looking back it was a really lovely time and I miss it already! I still breastfeed my DS at 14 months, just twice a day now.

The most important thing is to have an open mind and don't put pressure on yourself. There was a time where I never thought I'd breastfeed, that turned into "I'll give it a go", then "I'll aim for 3/6/9 months" and here I am still feeding at 14 months. I have a lovely bond with my son, I feel really proud that I've managed to get this far and would 100% do it all again.

I highly recommend reading a book called The Positive Breastfeeding Book... It made me feel so prepared and also diminishes what I now deem to be stupid beliefs that you can't enjoy a glass of wine without pumping and dumping!

I moved to a different town when I was pregnant. One evening, I was at a community event where I knew nobody, when I realised that the elderly couple in the row in front were talking about me. Suddenly, the man turned around and spoke to me,
"Excuse me, I want to talk to you about breastfeeding."
"Oh, right," I thought to myself,"Here goes."
"If you ever want to breastfeed, wherever you are, you go right ahead and do it," he said. "Don't let anyone put you off or make you feel uncomfortable."

Still breastfeeding my little girl who just turned 1. Not a great deal any more but we still have a cuddle and a feed first thing in the morning Here are the positives for me:

1. The cuddles - just the most amazing feeling holding her and seeing her look up at me when feeding
2. being able to do safe co-sleeping to actually get some sleep in the early days
3. The convenience. I brought her on a plane to see my family in UK when she was nearly 3 months (I live in Ireland) and just being able to feed on the go was so handy.
4. the chance to meet other mums and share stories/get support through breastfeeding groups (realise this probably won't be possible at the moment sadly)
5. the cost! Formula costs a bloody fortune
6. the feeding of peace and contentment I get when doing it (think this is one of the main reasons I still am!)

Not to say there aren't also downsides and what I wish someone had warned me about is just how constant it is in the early days! But definitely for me the benefits outweighed the positives.

Good luck OP!

Number six should have been feeling not feeding...