Did you find breast feeding a doddle?

[Willow2]

Just thinking aloud here really, but how many of us honestly had that "baby immediately latched on" experience? For those who didn't, were you surprised by how hard it was to establish b/f. Did you manage it?

Several friends have just become mums - they are all having a really hard time with b/f, not helped, IMO, by the fact that they were given the impression that problems are more abnormal than normal.

Your thoughts, ladies?

Reasonably straight forward first time around - took no more than a few days to get the hang of it. I did a breastfeeding workshop thingy when I was pregnant which really took all the mystery out of it for me. Second time I expected it to be a doddle but it wasn't. Took weeks to get him latched on, never really got the position right but persevered for 7 mo. But altogether the second time was a joyless, uncomfortable experience and really marred the early days and months with ds

Real real problems. I think the thing that really messed things up was being told that it would hurt but that I just had to get through it. Not helpful at all - made me put up with all sorts of things and pains that I didn't have to. Cried almost constantly - an hour before, throughout and an hour after each feed because it was so painful. Way more painful than childbirth! I really wish people hadn't told me that it would be painful but would get better (standard advice from all mws/friends who'd been able to was: "let's see how he latches on, oh yes that's fine, well, it just does hurt at first.") Poor thing got through his first 11 days with pink lumpy milk and a mummy who couldn't hold or cuddle him.

This time my attitude is going to be "it's not the end of the world." Cos it really isn't. And that's the advice I needed.

BTW, my Mum's theory is that us lucky well endowed women with magnificent ample bosoms are the ones who have difficulties, whereas those to whom nature has been less kind find it easy. This opinion is based on no evidence whatsoever, except that she is proud of her boobies, even if she was never able to breast feed, and me too, whereas her friend who made our lives hell for not breastfeeding has nothing to speak of!

Not a doddle exactly but thankfully not too much of a nightmare either. His very first feed he latched on perfectly and the midwife said 'Ah, you're going to have no problems there'. Ha! Spent the first post-natal night sobbing with frustration and being manhandled by horrible unsympathetic midwives who wanted to know why I hadn't got the hang of it yet.

Once we got home and I had the time and privacy it was better. No supply problems and ds never even lost an ounce off his birthweight But I vividly remember having a conversation with a childless friend about a week after the birth. She had asked about bf-ing and I said that we were getting there. She was utterly amazed that there was anything like a technique to bf-ing - 'Don't babies just do it naturally?' Er, nope!

a relative taught me a very easy gauge of whether its normal pain or not. Count to 10 slowly as soon as they latch and the pain should be gone by the time you reach 10, over the next few weeks you should be getting to lower and lower numbers (never higher) until you don't have to count at all

Mud, that is brilliant advice, and I will remember it this week (or whenever no.2 makes his appearance!). If I start a desperate thread about breastfeeding, will you come back and repeat that advice to me!

Hmm, I'd agree with Mud about nipple pain, but not let-down pain. Mine only came on after a month or two, and often didn't start until a while after the baby latched. It didn't used to last for longer than a count of 10, though.

I found breast feeding very simple. DS latched very well, but of course had sore nipples for about a week and half. Boobs never got too engorged or anything, even when I stopped at 6 months, only took a few days of expressing to stop the milk.

Message withdrawn

I found it bloody hard work, but I was forwarned that I would and so expected it. I have very fair skin.......I have the colouring of a red-head courtesy of my dad, altho have dark hair......and my midwife said that the fairer the skin the more sensitive the nipples. Held true for me and my best friend...she is a brunette thro n thro, has really dark nipples, and never had a problem! From other friends I asked too, it all seemed to go on colouring.

Having said that tho, like others have said, the initial latch on pain shouldn't last more than a count to ten......but be prepared for the babys mouth to feel like a clamp........never would have thought there could be so much power in a tiny little baby!!!! And all pain was over by the time each was 4wks. It wasn't awful all that time......the first 2wks were the worst.

I have done it 5 times now tho, so obviously not off putting!!

I had no problems, ds latched on straight away, he only fed from one side at a time, for 10 mins every 3hrs. The rest of the time he slept or lay quietly on his rug. I think he must be the perfect baby.

I did have a bit of nipple pain, and a nasty crack on one side but the pain only lasted 2 weeks and the crack was healed completely after 3 weeks. For maybe 4-5 days it was really painful latching ds on and if I had been a bit unsure about bfing, or if bottlefeeding had any advantages for me I might have given in.

Actually I think it would have taken extreme pain, or a very uncooperative baby to put me off, I was so certain I wanted to bfeed

Took 4 weeks to get comfy with dd, about 2 1/2 with ds. I had sore nipples, a real toe curling pain when they latched on but once those first few weeks were over it was OK.

I found it fairly easy with DS1, dead easy with DS2 and really difficult with DS3 - and I didn't realise that his latching technique was so bad until it was pointed out to me by a midwife!

Was really sore for the first weeks. What surprised me most was having bf dd for 15 months, ds1 born when she was 19 months & it hurt all over again.

i agree with fisil about it being harder if you have large breasts. i am particularly well endowed and while breast feeding have to use one hand to support my breast from underneath.I found it horrendously difficult-especially with ds2.he fed straight away in the delivery room and all was fine-then after a day or so the pain kicked in.my nipples were cracked and bleeding, i had mastitis 4 times, a bout of thrush in my breasts.I was so engorged it was unreal and me and the baby seemed out of sync.It's one of the few things in life that i have done that i am proud of-i kept going and it did get better and i ended up feeding him till he was 12 months.
Worst moment for me had to be taking him to be weighed and being told he has lost weight.What had kept me going was thinking i was giving him the best- to find he was losing weight despite my best efforts was horrible.I decided to give it one more week and if he hadn't gained i was putting him on a bottle.He put on a pound that week!! so i kept at it!!!!

I found it very hard at first, and it took until DD was 3.5 months for it to ease. Something small but important was missing from her latch, but we never really found out what it was - her mouth just got bigger and it got easier. It wasn't just the pain that made it so difficult; it was the way b/feeding seemed to tap into the most fragile, emotional part of me in my new role as a mother. When b/feeding came good, a whole lot of other things seemed to find their place as well.

alexsmum i am in same position as you re having to support breast whilst feeding, i am wondering for the next one if a sling would help me and free up my hands

I never breastfed my first two. With ds it was an absolute nightmare very painful, agonising (sp?) mastitis, which resulted in me being violently sick and then lying sobbing and shaking in pain on the bathroom floor for about two hours when he was about three weeks old. I remember thinking that the pain was worse than labour. I gave up after that.
When I had dd3, I was very reluctant to breastfeed after my previous experience but decided to give it a try.....and it worked brilliantly. Absolutely no pain, no problems at all. In fact at nearly 15 months, she's still breast-feeding night and morning.
I didn't do anything differently so I don't know why it worked so well one time and not the other.

Found it much harder with ds1 than a thought.

A mixture of embarrassment, soft nipples and just complete exhaustion.

With ds2 I do find it a doddle but only because of all the support I have had here and my nipples are harder now!!

I was pretty lucky I guess overall... it wasn't a picnic at first but at least no bleeding or mastitis. I only know 2 others out of 10 women with kids my age who made a go of breastfeeding for over a year, everyone else had too many problems.

problems from the start:mastitis twice, engorgement and leaky boobs.I ended up bfing for 5 months, mixed with some formula feeds and I have no intention of going any longer that that with the new one due any day now! I have several friends who found bfing incredibly problematic and I feel angry that certain people made them feel inadequate for going for formula.Each to his own IMO.I didn't really enjoy bfing and I am not going to break my back trying to find a way of loving it this time!

No probs with bf at all with my 3 dds. Just kept in mind bfc advice to get as much of the areola in the baby's mouth as possible - helped me to get a good latch straight away. Fed on demand. Had mastitus with dds 2 & 3 - awful for a few days & then ok. Kept bf when had mastitus so problem cured quicker. Didn't effect my bf experience as I was happy in knowledge that bf isbetter than formula for many reasons. Also co-slept to help get sleep & bf during the night - wonderful experience. Also bf when out & about - so easy and nothing to prepare & take - great

erm...yes found it incredibly easy from the off, and never any probs with it. however, could not express for the life of me, got v depressed with machines etc...tears....don't think i will even try to next time...

Really struggled with ds - not with pain, but just that he was a crap feeder - far too gentle and kept on falling asleep. He didn't gain weight properly but I got fantastic support from the breast feeding consellors at the maternity hospital and evetnually we a) managed to work out a way to "post" my boob into his mouth and b)decided that he was just following his own growth curve, which bore no repsemablnce to the published ones.

Took him 7 or 8 week to regain birth weight and I think 8 months to double birth weight (can't remember now). This was despite drinking gallons (so it felt like!) of EBM, which didn't change his growth curve one bit - still chuntered on up on its own shallow incline.

I'm proud of the fact that I persevered and fully b/f him for 12 months and stopped at 13/14 months.

He's now a happy, healthy, slim 4.5 year old! No idea wehre he is on a growth/weight cahrt!

Hard to get quite right with DD1, and just wearingsomely leaky and revolting with DD2. I really envied women with a 'good reason' for giving up, and moved DD1 onto mixed feeding (partly because I was about to go back to work) at three months with a sigh of relief - I also found, with her, the total responsiblity of it all quite horrifying.

Had sore nipples first and second time around. Agree with Mud about counting to 10 and if still sore, reposition baby. Had mastitis once with DS2 because he was unwell and had not fed for hours.

Other than that, I totaly loved breastfeeding. Sometimes feeds could be hourly or seem to go on forever.

My philosophy was if baby was in a clean nappy and didn't settle with a cuddle, they got fed again. I never clock watched but went with baby. I totally trusted my body to feed my baby and expected never to be in a real routine.