what are your top bf tips?

[lionbeast]

im helping to support my almost neighbour though breast feeding,
shes doing great and her ds in gaining nicely, shes just getting a bit fed up with all the time she spends bf

so far ive encourged her to
get in some good dvds
get comfortable first with a drink and snack
don't think about how often or how long you bf baby, just feed on demand
don't worry about trying to get baby into feeding routine
reassured her how well shes doing
get/borrow a laptop so you can surf and post on mn while bf

anything else you guys can think of to add?

how old is her baby? maybe he'll start going longer between feeds soon?

ban clocks. bf evolved without them. the idea behind it can help you relax.

look at it as an excuse to put your feet up and get other people to do jobs for you because you are 'feeding the baby'.

Get a Sky+ box if she doesn't have one so she can watch all the stuff she'd like to watch but never gets a chance to. She can record films etc that are on late at night, whole series .... fab

I liked company. If dh was around (mostly evenings) he would read me bits out of the paper. Or my dad used to come round and shout out crossword clues.

All your tips are fab btw lionbeast. I am taking notes for dc2

Nintendo DS- brain training

Get a sling so that you can do housework/walk/shop whilst bfing.

Personally I rather enjoyed the excuse to just settle down with a book propped against my leg.

hi baby is 2 months so hopefully its will get easier for her soon
i keep tell her this
it will gt easier , it will get easier

wow what great tips yes ill add
look at it as an excuse to put your feet up and get other people to do jobs for you because you are 'feeding the baby'

ill offer to read her bits out of the paper. Or come round and shout out crossword clues.or tell her to get her dh to read the paper out to her

she already has sky plus, which has come in v useful

Nintendo DS- brain training, yes you can spend hours doing that

oh yes and a sling

im going round there later so ill pass on this on today

reassure it doesnt feel like forever in a while (even though it does at the time)

if she gets tired (esp at nights) - if she has someone who can help - then get them to change/ wind and resettle while she goes straight back to bed.

and enjoy enjoy enjoy. only gave up 2 days ago and i miss it already.

Tell her to resign herself to it. It is so much easier for your sanity if you accept the situation, i.e. this is the way it is going to be for a while, so roll with it.

It took me weeks to do this, but when I did it made it so much easier.

Tummy to tummy, nipple to nose was great advice for me

And I'd say relax, you can do it.

I also encouraged myself by setting silly acheivable goals in the early days. 'Get him back to his birth weight and see how you feel' then 'let's get to 6 weeks' then 'double lowest weight' and 'double birth weight'. By the time I was working towards the last one, I was well established bf-er and I wasn't going to stop. That 'target setting' really helped me to stay determined through the disheartening times

Best of luck with it all

I'll second the skyplus suggestion

read kellymom.com (and of course MN!) for reassurance on growth spurts and cluster feeding. I gave up bfeeding DD1 because I was convinced I didn't have enough milk during those evenings of non-stop sucking and crying.

Don't get your baby weighed every week.

Remember that they do start to speed up pretty soon. Also to check that they are not going to sleep on the job! (baby not mum... although I know I nodded off once).

read. God i went through loads of books! Living tv also good! Enjoy it. They grow so fast

if baby slows or stops try delatching and changing nappy or something else to rouse bubba, then continue

read a good book and do pelvic floor exercises while feeding

I might be controversial here, but I find a glass of wine with dinner in the evening makes me produce bags more milk. I guess I just chill out a bit. I'm sure most health care professionals would frown at the suggestion of drinking every day, but it's worth remembering if she has problems or gets stressed about bfing.

I used to stash chocolate on the upstair landing window ledge and grab a square or two after a night feed. Also learn to feed lying down - you can rest or read a gazillion books during night feeds. Or during day feeds if you are feeling particularly slothful.

I think you have given some fab advice already. I would also add the same as GrouchyOscar Tummy to tummy, nose to nipple - it was just about all the info my brain could hold after weeks of sleepless nights etc but was ggod reminder when things weren't quite right.

I would also add that BF is natures way of making sure that your body gets some rest and recouperation so even though she may be getting irritated sitting the looking at piles of laundry, she is doing something very important for her and her baby - Oh, and it gets a lot easier with time.

totally agree with mrsmar, a glass of red wine with dinner is ESSENTIAL for milk production

sky+ / hard disk freeview box

if she's havi ng trouble getting out of the house, help her check in a mirror, or take a pic of her feeding, so she can see how easy it is to feed in public without anyone noticing

get the baby's bottom arm (ie their right arm if they are on your left nork) round your waist, this made such a difference to me and dd.

Oh yes, agree with the lying down feeding position too, once I got the hang of it, it was a life saver for me when ds woke up too early in the morning. I'd just pop him on and we'd both go back to sleep until a civilised hour!

Oh and if you're big up top like me, rugby hold means you can have a hand free (normal hold means you have to hold gigantic boob with one hand and baby with the other so no hands left to read book/change channel/type emails) just pop baby on v shaped cushion and use one hand to support boob. Baby should stay put on the cushion leaving your other hand free for said activities!

wow, thanks for all the great tips,
these really are great. ive passed on all the ones uptill thu 11am and ill print the rest off.
im sure she will agree with the one about wine
actually the nice lady in the chinese takeaway told me, that the chinese ladies always have a drink tohelp feed babies and its part of their culture.
very nice lady who talks alot of sense.

thanks these tips are really fab

Try having soya leicithin for blocked ducts. It emulsifies the milk and makes it flow easier. Available as capsules or grains to sprinkle on cereal.
Take it one day at a time.
Get the latch right.
Contact a breastfeeding group.
Drink guinness! Or beer - it's well documented to help milk production. Also fenugreek tea for milk production, and fennel tea if babs is colicky.
Do your pelvic floor exercises when bf.
Enjoy. bf is amazing - even though i had lots of mastitis and blocked ducts before I discovered soya leithicin, I really miss the bond. Mt DD self weaned at 9 months and in the early days I nearly threw in the towel every day!