I want to breadt feed....help please

[PloddingAlongHere]

Im due in about five weeks, breast feeding didnt work out with my first. I really want to bf this one, I know everyone says its hard so I dont want to wast loads of money on things for another failed attempt. What advice do you have and what should I have bought in preperation? Things like breat pumps I'm feeling it's best to leave untill established?? Help a girl out!

Definitely don't bother with a breast pump yet, there are so many better ways to prepare

My top tips are:

Find out where your local BFing Support groups are and start going now, don't wait until there's a problem.

Put the BFing Helpline numbers in your phone and don't be afraid to call them, however small your query. The BFCs who answer the calls have all BF for a minimum of 6 months and are all fully trained.

Have a good look around the Kellymom Website. It's all evidence based information.

Have a read of this on Tongue Tie. It's a common problem that can often get missed.

You'll probably need some breast pads and a couple of nursing bras too.

Abs good luck

*and

Research & prepare!

Google breastfeeding courses (the baby academy do a free one?)

follow breastfeeding support accounts and lactation consultants on Instagram (I learned so much this way!!)

look up the flipple (it’s a thing!)

watch videos on YouTube on how to get a good latch.

join breastfeeding support uk on Facebook and another group called breastfeeding yummy mummies - both invaluable and full of help!

best of luck, I have loved breastfeeding and we’re 10 months in ❤️

Agree with @Perpop that the thing that helped me most was watching lots of YouTube videos about getting the perfect latch

My advice would be to not stress too much about how much they are feeding, when they are feeding, how much weight you think they're putting on etc (although obviously watch for weight loss at weigh ins) and feeding for comfort. I enjoyed breast feeding because of the convenience and the way it instantly put my two to sleep but never recorded how much they were having or when. Try and get support from a local group in the early days - the first week or so is by far the hardest and by far the most painful, once it's established it's quite straightforward and pain free. Good luck!

Get as much support as you can. It's hit and miss but NCT may run a local support group to you. Ask for help in the hospital and when you are discharged with the community midwives. Again I know it can be a bit of a postcode lottery as to the level/ quality of support available.
Have a look at reputable breastfeeding advise such as from the nhs and nct.
The early days / weeks are intense. The baby will often cluster feed to get your supply up and especially over night. It's especially difficult if you have an older one who's demanding your attention as well. It doesn't last though and once you are past that period then it gets easier. My second especially seemed to be constantly stuck to me but as I said it did get easier over time.
Just try and reach out for support especially if you are not sure on positioning or attachment as this can affect your supply and comfort.

As all pp have said, you don't need to buy anything but it will help you massively if you can arm yourself with as much information now as you can and have support set up in case you need it. All resources linked to are brilliant. You can also see if you have a branch of Leche League near you. They run great support groups and have peer supporters.

A breast pump (and bottles for feeding and storage) can be useful if you have feeding problems in the early days (due to tongue tie or other reasons) and need to maintain your supply until baby can feed better. I would at least research what you would buy so you can order quickly on Amazon if need be. Knowing who to contact for support if needed is really important too - can be different to find good in person support at short notice if you are really having problems.

A breast pump (and bottles for feeding and storage) can be useful if you have feeding problems in the early days (due to tongue tie or other reasons) and need to maintain your supply until baby can feed better

Just wanted to say that research shows that those who have formula and bottles in the house are much more likely to give up BFing.

My best advice is expect it to be hard and to want to give up most days for the first six weeks! I wasn't able to bf until closer to 10 because of undiagnosed tongue tie so pumped and gave formula top ups. But I had amazing support and a lactation consultant accredited with the IBCLC. Join a baby latte group and follow Kathryn Stagg on Instagram are also my tips! I'm still feeding a year on.

I wasn’t saying to have everything for pumping and bottle feeding in the house, just to research what you would need so you can buy it quickly as required. Mine had undiagnosed tongue tie too and we had to top up with formula from the beginning as she wouldn’t latch. Lost several days due to not having a pump at home just as my milk was coming in. It was also hard to work everything out after 4 nights of no sleep in the maternity ward.

I only had a single pack of ready to drink bottles at home but they proved super useful for the first night as we arrived home after supermarket closing time on Sunday. I had just assumed I would be able to breastfeed immediately and hadn’t brought anything else for bottle feeding but it wasn’t the case for us.

Aw thank you so much everyone, my DD is in nursery once a week during school holiday so i'll dedicate that day to swoting up 😊 feeling much better now aftwr reaching out!

Without silicon nipple shields I couldn’t have continued. That’s my top tip, to take them in to hospital with you.

Also don’t leave your newborn on the nipple when they are not strongly drawing milk. A midwife helped me get my daughter latched then went off, and was horrified when she was passing some time later that my daughter was still on the breast. She said I’d have sore nipples and she wasn’t wrong but I didn’t know, she was still doing occasional soft sucks.

I used Kamillosan cream on my nipples.

I agree - find your local bf support group. You're likely to meet many other mums who've had similar experiences, thoughts, feelings etc

Many will also have a Facebook page/group where you can see updates on groups and information on bf.

I agree with @LightDrizzle nipple shields saved my nips in those early days, drew one nipple out which is still not really optimum breast feeding shape and gave a barrier between baby and skin when my nipples were very cracked and sore.

And on that note, expect cracking/cut/sore nipples. I wish someone had told me this, I was pretty shocked to be honest at the start.

Count back from 30 upon initial latch if you find it very sore. Get a glass of water (distracts from the pain) Sore doesn't always = bad latch. It can just be that your nipples are adjusting to a new little sucking leech in those very early days.

And persevere!!! It gets SO much easier over time. And then it really is so beautiful and handy and incredible and feels amazing and releases endorphins and free!!!!

Dont be scared off pumping and giving baby the odd bottle of expressed from early on (like 3 weeks?) it gets baby used to switching between boob and bottle and then you're not completely tied and your partner can help!

I EBF my son and gave him a big bottle of expressed every night that I'd saved up. He slept very long periods from very early on (7/8 hours from about a month old!!) And it was utter bliss!! Granted it might not work for every baby but it's worth a try!!

I loved breastfeeding despite all the trials. And now I miss it dearly 🥺🥺🥺

Oh and silver cups...they're like magic or something!! Healing, cooling, stops chaffing....

Massive thank you everyone, just finished week three of breast feeding and hopefully many more to go!! What a wonderful bunch you are