DEFINATIVE BREASTFEEDING GUIDE

[JARM]

Right, girls, I want to BF DS when he is born in hopefully 5 weeks time.

I have read Breastfeeding for Beginners by the NCT but am still really pretty clueless.

I want all you been-there, done-thats to give me the low down on one thread so I can refer to it as much as i need to!

LETS GO!

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scottishmummy, see here - they are fab

so, do i just turn up and hope someone talks to me?! I really have NO IDEA about these things.

One saving grace is that it is in the library so i can do other things if necessary!

OH MY GOD - Im scared.... what sort of fruitloop attends a BF cafe when pg and not even BFing!

Cant take the kids with me.... would make me stress too much, so looks like i will have to go it alone!!

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definately go to support groups while pregnant and even if things are going ok afterwards, it can help you feel that you could then go if you encounter problems.

have the helpline numbers handy just in case, la leche league, ABM, NCT etc.

a good book to read is "the womanly art of breastfeeding" by la leche league. it was invaluable to me.

also try and relax about supply, baby feeding all the time etc, and dont let peoples negative comments about it get you down, trust your body.

agree about feeding lying down, co sleeping, it definately gives you more sleep

JARM,

Two of my siblings are called R and D!! The other is called Anona so there's your name for number 4!!!

NO MORE!!!

Honestly, this is IT! So much so DH will be off to docs pretty soon about the snip!!

Buy What to Expect if you?re breastfeeding and what if you can?t? And DVD Breastfeeding without Tears both by Clare Byam-Cook. Really clear, useful advice which works. The book also has good tips on many other areas i.e. how to settle a baby.
My baby is now 9 weeks old and breastfeeding exclusively but I had to use formula in the first week as was really struggling with breastfeeding and the baby also had jaundice so it was vital for her to be getting enough food so that her weight wasn?t dropping. My breastfeeding counsellor said for me to use an electric pump to see how my milk flowed ? very slowly in my case which explained why even though my latch on technique was fine the baby could be feeding for an hour and still not be getting enough. I also didn?t seem to be producing enough in my right breast especially as pumped out very little. I therefore pumped and gave top up formula for a couple of weeks which really helped relax me and allowed my cracked nipples to heal so that I could return to breastfeeding. This took the pressure off me and helped me to relax which I?m sure helped with milk production. I also started to have porridge every day ? thought to help to improve milk supply ? and fennel tea. I also tried fenugreek tablets but have stopped taking these as they are quite expensive. Both of these are available at Holland and Barrett. When I returned to breastfeeding she still took a while to settle at the breast and would take quite a while to feed but she?s now more settled and quicker -20-25 mins per breast. Medela swing pump the best though expensive.
Good luck and don?t be afraid to top up with formula ? not everyone always produces enough milk, especially initially and it doesn?t mean you won?t be able to breastfeed as well.

Clare Byam Cook is clueless about bf imo and her book is full of useless advice imo and ime .
I would also really strongly disagree about topping up tbh, there are real benefits to exclusively bf and to top up with formula in the early days is really a bad idea if you want to establish a good supply. I don't think you can learn much from a book in all honesty, I think you need support and advice at the time. and confidence in your own body's ability to produce enough milk and feed your baby. having said which I have got a Sheila Kitzinger book I am happy to send to you to read JARM if you CAT me with your address
just come on here and you will get loads of advice frompeople who know what they're talking about, like tiktok.

The things that helped me were:

1. Feeding as soon as possible after birth. (It works for all the animals on All Creatures Great and Small, so why not me? )
2. Not worrying about how much milk I was producing and just going with what my baby wanted to do. This did mean with DD that she was suckling for about 48 hours after the birth, but if she was happy doing that I just trusted that it was the right thing for her to do. I think it took about 4 days for my milk to 'come in', but as far as I know this is normal.

I would also say that in my experience, a baby can get milk much more efficiently than a pump, so I am not sure how much use it is trying to 'measure' your milk supply. Certainly if DD was only getting milk at the same rate that I could express it, she would be a very cross baby.

Hi there

I had a tough time getting started with breastfeeding but here I am 5 months later still going strong and VERY glad i persevered. So.....

1. Make sure you hold the baby tummy to tummy. Lay baby along the inside of your arm, with his feet tucked in inside of your elbow and back of his head in your palm and move him like this until his tummy is touching your tummy and the top of his lip is at the top of your nipple. Does that make sense? Once I mastered this hold things progressed very quickly.

2. Don't worry if he latches on to one boob easily and not the other at all. I fed from one side for 3 months. As he got stronger he got a better feeder.

3. I found I had to go with the flow and allow breastfeeding to become the biggest feature of my life for the first 6 weeks. He was quite sicky so I used a dummy to space the feeds out after 6 weeks which then allowed me to start thinkng about little routines.

I would also recommend taking some formula and a pipet (sp) to be on the safe side just in case. My sil is a midwife and this is what she did when she had a baby. I had no colustrum for at least 24 hours after he was born and my ds got a bit jaundiced so i gave him bits of formula and I kept putting him on my breast until the good stuff arrived.

Get in a supply of good books for the looooong evening and night feeds.

Note: "good book" on Planet Breastfeeding must fulfil the following criteria:

1. not too challenging cos your brain will be fluff
2. not too grim cos you'll weep uncontrollably if anyone in the book suffers so much as a paper cut ... ok those are for any new mum and you know this already. But specifically for breastfeeding:
3. the book needs to be small and light so you can hold it up with one hand without getting cramp
4. not too much emphasis on food because you WILL be hungry ALL the time and descriptions of lavish meals will have you dribbling unattractively on your DS' defenceless little head.

And everything that spookthief said.

agree with what madameplatypus had to say about feeding asap. Avoid pethidine/codeine as pain relief to help her feed asap. just look here to see what she means.

apologies to those of you who have seen this link before.

Hmmmm, it's interesting that topping up with formula is still advised by health pros. I would try to avoid this route and just have faith in your body JARM. Someone I know just had a jaundiced baby and the MW was really anti formula which pleased me greatly. Frequent bfeeding will usually clear jaundice over the first few days, especially when your milk comes in. It's worth remembering that babies are made to survive on colostrum until your milk comes in and need nothing in addtion.

I agree with the comments about pumping too - this is an odd way of measuring milk supply IMO. I have bfed 2 babies but can only express a paltry amount (4 oz after a full day away when in full flow). Obviously my babies were getting much more than this. Again I would steer clear of pumping until at least 6 weeks. Why add more things to worry about?

So....don't have any formula in the house.
Don't even look at a pump.
Have faith in your boobies - they are fab.

Thank you all so so much. I am starting to feel calmer about the whole thing!

I havent bought a pump - decided there was no point until i felt i needed it, and why spend if im not sure it will work out anyway!

No formula - I refuse. If there is no alternative, its me or me! The boy will have to learn to do it or starve!!! (joke!)

Dont even think I have any little bottles left, and DD2 is still on the big ones til xmas so no bottles either - although for some reason I did buy a steriliser a few months ago in the sale! I guess that can be used for erm..... well nothing i guess because Im refusing to give the boy a dummy either - 2 toddlers still with theirs and attatched too much to it has put me off them for life!

Go JARM!!!

Get that steriliser on freecyle - you don;t need one anyway - free yoursef!

JARM, what happened after you had the girls? Can you take anything from the way you felt after those experiences about what had happened and apply it next time?

For instance, did you come on here and have people say "oh, don't worry" when actually it would have been better for them to say "JARM, you really want to do this, remember?"?

Go JARM! Wow that's determination! I'm just as determined with this one too so we'll be on the post natal threads together if we need support. I remember the first few weeks of dd feeding being hell but got through it. My advice to you would be consider getting some (or at least booking marking the page for) silverette nipple healing cups. Meant to work really well, I've got mine already, pricey but worth it if my last experience with bleeding nips is anything like the same. Here's the page, its fast delivery so maybe wait and see how you get on first, you might not need them www.breastfeedingheaven.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=2

'bookmarking'

Hunker - my experience with the girls goes like this...

DD1 - BF for 4 days... had absolutely no help or support. Had just given birth and MW said "i will leave you to feed" hello.. first timer, no clue! After 4 days I was in agony at every feed, she was attatched pretty much 24/7 and then started screaming and not wanting to be near the breast. I gave in, gave the bottle after a 35min "feed" from me and she still sank 4oz straight off. There was no going back after that, and MW's response when I said I had put her on formula was "well it is easier"

DD2 - born at 12.15am. Tried to feed within 30 mins but she wasnt interested. MW said "dont worry, let her sleep and try again later" Tried to feed twice during the night - no joy, she just wasnt interested. By lunchtime I was frantic she had not fed properly, Mw came to help, but DD2 refused to latch, again told not to worry. By the time I got home at 5pm I just couldnt do it anymore, she had a bottle and sunk it. Looking back, DD2 was born face first, and her face was fairly swollen in the first few hours, and she had a blister on her top lip which makes me wonder if that had a lot to do with refusing to latch.... if it was too sore and a teat from the bottle was easier?!

This time, I really want to do it. I really need to, not just for baby, but for me. I already feel like I have failed the girls and I dont want to put myself through that again. Its not so much guilt, but failure on my part to be able to do what I should be able to do naturally.

Does any of that make sense?! Sorry if I have waffled - but this is such an easy place to do so!

Yes, it makes perfect sense. I'm sorry you didn't have better support with the girls But I would love it if you'd try not to think of it as you failing them - you were let down by those who should have been helping you.

I think you can do it this time. You know how it's made you feel not to do it and you're a strong woman. And you have us to help you.

This is why I am so determined this time Hunker, but I am scared of the whole refusal thing with DD2 happening again. (Although Dh has it in his head DS will take to it like a duck to water because he is a boy and im offering my boobs!!)

I know that I can come on here as soon as I need to and get support and advice, I guess what I really need is someone sat there with me for the girst few feeds to make sure Im getting it right - the hospital I will deliver in now has one of the accreditation whotsits so maybe there will be a bit more support. I always tend to get out of hospital ASAP so maybe that is where I go wrong?! These places are just too hot and noisy for me though, i like my own bed.

Can you believe my new MW (seen her 3 times now) hasnt even mentioned feeding the baby with me and im over 35weeks pg.... I dont see her until 37 weeks now either as see my doctor (who i will not talk about BF with!) on Tuesday for my 36wk ante-natal. It doesnt really give me much hope for support from her! Plus, MW's tend to "leave you to it" when its your 2nd/3rd baby.... cant see her coming in every day for 10 days post birth.

New HV came round today - she seems ok I guess, but was here for the girls rather than me as we have not long moved. Time will tell as to how I relate to her once baby is here.

Thanks for everything all of you.... I just want to be able to refer back to this thread in those early days and know im not alone. So please forgive me if for the next 5 weeks I come on here randomly spouting crap!!!

Don't wait for the midwife to mention it - ask her for help! Tell her you're worried it'll all go wrong again and ask for her support. Then you can check what she does say on here But she won't know what's going on in your head unless you tell her.

JARM, I'm due in 5 weeks too, with my second, wow how exciting! From my experience with dd, I think the best thing for me was straight after dd was born I made the most of having one-to-one attention from the midwife so she could show me exactly how to latch etc. I was absolutely clueless, dd being my first and while I was pregnant not being able to see past the birth and really think about the question of feeding. Don't just let the midwife put the baby to your breast and go, ask her how you do it yourself, what is the correct latch and what isn't etc. When I was back on the ward I was pretty much on my own, I gave birth in the evening and the midwives just turned out the lights, and when i rang the bell for help with breastfeeding, one just came and put dd to my breast and left again!

Good luck, once you establish breastfeeding it's fab. I did it for 6 months and hoping to do so again.