help! medical student supposed to be teaching breast feeding but all i have is a knitted breast

[BellaBear]

Hello

My name is Karen and I'm BellaBear's younger sister. I'm a medical student in PLymouth and doing a presentation on some aspects of breast feeding in... um... 7 hours!!

I've done academic research on papers etc (I don't leave EVERYTHING to the last minute) and as an avid knitter I thought it would be useful to knit a breast - to keep the lesson a bit more interesting and lively and help the tactile learners etc.

However, after sewing it up last night, I had the sudden realisation that I don't have a CLUE how to use a knitted breast to help aid teaching breast feeding. My sister suggested someone on this site might be able to help.

Does anyone have any suggestions????

I really appreciate any help.

Cheers
Karen

Might be of no help to you, but if you have specific questions I can give you my experiences.

Also one thing I wish someone would have told me when I BF DD, who is my irst, was that in the evenings the baby will do nothing but feed. DD used to go 30-45mins feeding, 15mins break the 30-45mins feeding again from 5pm untill 2am for about 6-8 weeks.
I really wish someone would have told me that.

Good luck.

you could explain where the milk ducts are - explain expressing and the importance of good latch. you could get a guy in the audience to come up and demonstrate with a doll for comedy effect.

good luck.

she's very grateful for the responses and is off top trawl plymouth charity shops for a doll!
(bellabear here)

*to trawl

Good luck to her bella, I hope it goes well for her

One of the really important things that most HCPs seem to get wrong is the concept of foremilk/hindmilk.

I'd use the knitted breast to show the concept that it is breast feeding, not nipple feeding.

Something that is quite fun for an informal presentation is a quick game of fact/fiction - give out cards with common misconceptions/good advice points on to everyone and then go round and see whether they identify them correctly at the end

The SCBU expressing room that I used when my son was in had lovely mobiles made of knitted breasts.

I'd explain it can be quite painful and hard work for a few weeks, so it isn't surprising so many people give up. Perhaps she could let someone knead it for 20 minutes to get the message across!

Love the knitted breast idea, but what a shame she doesn't have time to cast a concrete one to explain what engorgement feels like!

me too, these are the future doctors she is talking to, hope she influences them

can anyone remind me of goof bfing blogs?

LOVE the idea of kniited breast mobile!

And the concrete breast !

can we have a picture on ravelry please!

Latching on is all important and a skill not some sort of natural instinct as I presumed with DD1 and paid price with nipples falling off. Internet v helpful with video clips of latching on and positioning.

With second child breastfeeding counsellor had stressed the importance of skin to skin. Her advice: Birth situation permitting; baby should be left to recover skin to skin on mother and NOT TAKEN OFF HER until it goes looking for the breast. So I warned my DH I told the midwives to leave off weighing DD2, etc etc and after about 25 mins she started routling around on my chest and I latched her on. It is not always easy to put your foot down just after a birth but it really helped get us off to a calm non stressful start.

Would second Dustytv that breastfeeding can be hard going at the start and that some warning of that would have been hugely helpful along with the knowledge that it does get better over first few weeks and eventually ends up if things go well, less faff than bottles.

Also would stress that the majority of mums have some sort of initial struggle and need support at the start and that the key is to ask for help and ask early.

Try HunkerMunkers blog, I'll see if I can find it, there was anothe rone I used as well I cant remember it.......Give me a minute I will be back.

hunhers blog

LLL

Obviously the other link should read Hunkers blog

you are all lovely! as I'm sure Karen will agree when she is back

goat - she's knister on ravelry,

the baby cafe

There was another site that I used loads when I was BFing DD but for the life of me I cant remember what it was called.

Cathpot, I agree, gawd if I knew then what I know now, things would be so much different and I'd probably still be feeding DD. DD is nearly a year old and I stopped feeding her at 7mo. I had mastitis and thrush, my GP refused to treat it as DD was over 6mo, I was too exhausted and in too much pain to argue.

I hate, hate, hate bottle feeing with a passion, its a faff. If I could go back to BFing I would do so gladly.

IMHO, more healthcare proffesionals should have basic training on the basic point of BFing, dispell the myths that even HV's, MW's GP's ect, still seem to carry WRT BF.

Bella your sister is doing a wondeful thing.

found it, kellymom

This site helped me no end when BFing.

If she is still needing stuff I give a breastfeeding lecture and can send her my stuff...

Going out now though and not back til after lunch - am here for another 15 minutes...

that would be great, can you send to me and I'll forward?

bellathebear @ btopenworld.com

or btinternet.com if the first doesnt' work

many many many thanks

xx

bellathebear @ btinternet . com

sent to both

Hello everyone

The information is fantastic. I'm sitting in a communal computer room on campus with my knitted breast in one hand and newly purchased baby doll in the other trying to get to grips with the very basics.

I really appreciate your help. Waitingtobloom your presentations are AMAZING and thanks as well to everyone for all the pointers about personal experience. I'm trying to incorporate everything - I have two and a half hours left!

Thanks again!
Karen

(via Bella's signin)

Fingers crossed for you - glad stuff helped

Good luck, let us know how you get on