I want to breastfeed - what do I need to know ?

[FoghornLeghorn]

Have 2DD's, both of which were bottle-fed. I didn't even want to try breast feeding with either of them, something about it made me feel uncomfortable.

Now I am pregnant with DC3 and I at least want to try this time.

So .... what do I need to know ?

Great idea for you to try.
I would say prepare yourself for lots of 1-1 time with baby. You will have to let go of feeling you need to know the quantity of milk a baby has had. you won't know you will have to follow the baby - breastfed babies tend to put on weight slower than formula fed babies so try not to compare growth rates with your other children, more gentle growth isn't a bad thing.

have a look at this and keep going for as long as you can.

Good luck!!

JinglyJen, not true about bf babies growing more slowly than ff babies At least....it's only true after about 6 mths.

Fog, I agree with JJ about letting go of the feeling of needing to know the quantity of milk - you don't need to know The baby sets the pace, and he can be trusted to take what he needs.

Bf babies do tend to feed more often than ff babies.

That is something I have heard friends who have breastfed say "I can't tell if they are getting enough milk".

IME you can tell they've had enough milk by the condition of their nappy! If it's lovely and heavy (wet) and frequently soiled (in a newborn esp) you know they're "getting enough"

And the obvious one, if they're gaining weight (even if only a little bit each week, eg)

If we were meant to know how much milk babies were getting, we'd have transparent breasts with calibrations on them

Even if you did know, it would not help you - babies take different amounts at different times .

pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/117/3/e387 is a recent study that shows how variable the intake of a healthy breastfed baby is -

"Healthy, exclusively breastfed 1- to 6-month-old infants consume 0 to 240 g of milk between 6 and 18 times during 24 hours, with 64% of infants breastfeeding 1 to 3 times at night."

So at any one feed, a baby might take between zero and 240g (about 9 ounces] and it doesn't matter

Both my babies fed 'little and often', right from the start. I don't think I ever fed for longer than 15-20 mins ever, and for shorter times still post-newborn stage. Both thrived and were 'big' (according to chart) babies.

Others I know used to feed for much longer, offered both breasts each feed etc.

From what I can gather, both examples entirely normal, as the baby 'leads' in the feeding (I think).

(This is my own experience only, am in know way an expert on BF!)

Yes, do be prepared for lots of night feeding, esp during newborn phase when the baby is getting your supply up.

i bf'd both mine, and am a naturally routine-less, make-it-up-as-you-go-along kind of person. i think that's why it worked out for me. friends who bottle-fed were much more organised, always knew the time, worried about amounts etc. it helps to be relaxed about all that (although you can be organised and bf too)! i was also very comfortable being the main carer - i didn't expect dh to do much for the first year other than look after me, that is!

it's very lovely having no stuff to organise. good luck!

The biggest shock I had was that it wasn't very comfortable to start with but after a few days it gets so much better. I was very nearly put of by that but glad I persisted. It also means you get to have your baby back when relavtives are visting, you just say 'they need a feed' and take them away into another room for a bit of peace and quiet.
I was also suprised how little anyone cared when I fed outside i was always desperate for someone to chalenge me but no-one even looked twice.
There is also the fact it is always there, no need to worry about steralising bottles and buying formula you really notice the difference if you stop breast feeding and start with bottles.

Fio - so true!

Often running off to nursery with still-in-pjs baby screaming for a feed!

Luckily I think with 2nd or subsequent babies you tend to be a bit more laid-back about these things, i.e you know that waiting another 10 mins before you can whip out the boob won't be the end of the world!

With my first I was that woman lying around on the sofa all day, feeding as soon as dd demanded it!

DD2 had to learn to wait a bit... maybe that's why she's VERY LOUD

absolutely agree - my dd can raise the roof when she wants something!

Another thing to know is that your breasts do not ever run out of milk. If the baby feeds, milk will come. This is even true if you can't get anything out with a breast pump or squeeze some out manually.
For your older children, depending on how old they are, have a "breastfeeding box" of toys that come out when the new baby is having a feed. They are less likely to get bored and resent feeding times.
Get a cordless phone if you don't have one.
Get to love daytime TV!

Ah see Fio, I will have DD1 who will be 4 - baby will be 3 weeks when DD1 starts full time reception in September - and DD2 who will be 21 months.
I am going to have to be organised for that !

Thanks everyone

Oh, yes, sometimes your breasts feel like footballs but they do calm down!
Also bf babies don't tend to take in as much wind so don't expect huge burps when winding. Ds3 never burped and one day, when he had had EBM from a bottle he gave a huge burp! I was at the difference!

hey foggie don't worry I will be the same as you, BFing one with 2 LOs running around. DD1 is still at nursery next year (we don't have reception up here just Primary 1 at age 5). I have BF both of mine so am an old hand although I'm sure this one will still throw up things I will be unprepared for. Both of my DDs fed completely differently as well.

Don't worry honey I (and the rest of MN) will hold your hand.

It can take a while to get into your stride and for the supply and demand chain to even out (boobs like footballs are not uncommon - I had to get up one night just to express before I exploded!).

Be prepared to sit in the same chair for what feels like a LIFETIME.

The first few weeks are the hardest - persevere because it does get better!

It's fab at 2a.m. when you don't even have the energy to open your eyes. Talk about feed to sleep...that just the mums!

It's worth the grief!

Buy some lansinoh nipple cream and breast pads. The best. The cream will become your best friend.

I think one of the most important things to remember is that you will not know what you're doing at first. It can be hard to get baby to latch on and you may look at baby and your breast and think 'Ok, we're here now what do we do!'.

If you're lucky someone will help you, someone experienced that does know what theyre talking about, if you're not then you could be told a load of bollocks, so be prepared to pick up the phone and call a BF counsellor if at any point you think it's not going right.

It might be worth popping along to the Babycafe before baby comes to speak to some people that are doing it and can help (the one in Northampton is by the side of M&S, and open fridays I think)

Also I think there is an MNer in your area who is a peer-to-peer counsellor so you may be lucky!!

The most useful thing I was told: The first few weeks might be tough - make sure you have numbers of breastfeeding consultants and advice lines taped to your phones and use them if necessary. Also if you can get to a breastfeeding support group with an experienced breastfeeding consultant to advise. And come on Mumsnet for advice. The baby will feed a lot, you are both on a learning curve, you might have some pain to deal with as you get the latch sorted out etc. But it is SO worth persevering and sticking it out: once you get through that (and some people have no trouble at all) it is BY FAR the easy option!

I found it so freeing never to have to worry about amounts of milk, to know that as long as I fed him on demand ds would be getting all the nutrition he needed, he was in charge (after all he knew if he was hungry better than I did), and always to have a guaranteed way of comforting him. Especially when he was ill, when it really came into its own, every time I fed him I knew I was helping him fight off the infection and giving him perfectly balanced food.

Not to mention no sterilising or bottles to worry about (till I started giving expressed milk at 4 1/2 months). Believe me I didn't need any MORE household chores to deal with!

your baby will love it and you will too once you get over the initial bit

Be aware of how hard the first couple of days are when all you have is the tiny amounts of colostrum - on the second night, I was up with DD3 almost every hour and the emergency pack of Aptamil looked SOOO tempting - but then the milk came in and she settled to every couple of hours, we have even had a couple of 3 hour stretches at night when she's had a good feed (I try to tickle her hands or feet to keep ehr going to take plenty!) She's 2 weeks old now and, touch wood, things are going better than before (DD1 tube fed in incubator then bottle fed, DD2 breastfed but we gave her the odd bottle cos I caved in)

If your 21mth old naps still, and the new one goes to sleep, grab the chance for a few minutes yourself! I read somewhere (not specifically about babies) that 20mins is the optimum "power nap" - less isn't enough, more and you can wake up groggy.

Don't plan to do too much in the first weeks - I have a "to do" list (I'm anal like that) but now I just mark 3 things that I have to do - anything else can be forgotten! Today it was change the bedding, charge the camera batteries, do the bill payments online - they've been done, so if I get anything else done on the list that's great, but even if I don't I can feel proud that I've achieved my targets!

Drink plenty of water and make sure you eat regular meals plus snacks. If you have to make packed lunches, do one for yourself as it's Sod's law that when you get the bread out to make your sandwich the baby will wake up and you'll reach for the nearest crisps/biscuits instead.

Think of the effect on your figure! BF is great for losing baby weight initially!

Read all you can and look at pics about proper latching on - it is the crucial difference - I thought i had it right last time but I hadn't as I was quite sore - I looked at magazine articles/NCT leaflets this time and had it fully in my mind as to what to look for.

If you can, put the baby to your breast as soon as poss after the birth. With DD3, after the cord had stopped pulsating and been cut, the midwife gave her a quick rub down and gave her to me - I put her to my breast and she started to feed after a few minutes (ooh, I'm getting all emotional now! It was lovely, MW dimmed the lights as soon as the placenta was delivered and checked and she left us to it while she made tea and toast!)

Another thread had a link to this website with good videos (apologies if someone else has already said this and I've missed it): Dr Newman video clips of feeding

Both of my DD's have suffered with jaundice which midwives led me to believe was from the sleeping too much and not waking for food often enough. Will this be the case with breastfeeding too ?