Breast feeding with BIG boobs

[jojo21]

i really want to breastfeed and at the moment i am a week overdue! at size 38f im scared about breastfeeding and i have just read an article about a woman who was given her baby to feed after birth and as she was so tired she ended up smothering the baby and im not confident i'll be able to do it right as my breasts are really heavy. this has put real doubt in my mind! is there anyway i can still breastfeed?

Hi Jojo, congrats on baby ! It's really unusual to hear this kind of complaint we usually hear 'my breasts are too small, willl I be able to breastfeed' ! Seriously though, I would doubt very much that there would be a problem breastfeeding your child and I would think that there are feeding positions you could use that would reduce the amount of weight on your baby. I'm sure that the smothering incident was nothing more than a tragic accident and that the chances of this happening are very slim.

Thats my 'laymans view', as a 34f mum who bf DD(at time of bf, now back to a 32E). I'm sure that mears, our resident midwife and general expert, will be able to give you good advice

Best of luck

Hi jojo21! ditto everything wsm said! I'm a 34J ( I can still remember being a D cup pre pg but alas no more!) and still breastfeeding my 10 month old ds.

I was terrified too when I was handed my "tiny" (8lbs8oz) ds and tried to feed him. For a while my boobs did end up blocking his nose so i had to "hold" myself away from his face while feeding him until he was a little bigger (2/3 weeks maybe?).

However, newborns are not daft and if their nose gets blocked while they're having a chomp, they'll pull themselves off sharpish (ouch!). Bigger boobs make you snuglier and warmer - perfect for ickle bubbas - now I'm all broody again.

just make sure you're comfy, your back's well supported and you've got loads of cushions to hand and enjoy! And if you think your breasts are heavy now, just wait till their full of boobie juice

doh - I mean wait till they're full of boobie juice.

I'm a 34F and honestly, it's OK. main problem is baby's head doesn't conceal public display of boobs!

Jojo21, as a fellow big boober (am 34f now and whilst bf dd was a 34G) can honestly say that one of the worst problems was motherinferio's comment.

I was a 38F by the end of the pregnancy (they didn't get any bigger by the way once my milk came in!)and it didn't make any difference to bfeeding. At first I had to kind of squash a bit of boob to make space for ds's nose but that was it. I remember reading a similar article and really worrying - I think really it was just a terrible and tragic accident. It made me paranoid enough to be really careful not to fall asleep while b feeding though

jojo21 good luck with the birth - anytime now, eh?

I am still bf my 15m baby boy, have massive boobs and have managed not to suffocate him so far

I bought 38J and 38K nursing bras from Bravissimo, and wondered whether I should have got the L cup! Still fed up to four months, my problem was flat nipples, I think instinctively you and the bebe will come to some sort of arrangement regarding your massive mammaries - at nighttime I fed stitting up in a chair though as I had fears similar to yours re: smothering.

Good luck and HTH

I still feed dd who is now nearly 1. Pre-preganacy I was a HH, I now wear a J cup feeding bra. How I resolved the fear of suffocating her was to hold my boob away from her nose whislt she was feeding. I found the feeding lying down easies as it was easier nor to block her nose.
I hope it al goes well for you and you enjoy the special bond that breastfeeding gives you.

jojo21, just to echo everyone else. I was a 34G when DS2 was born and we are still feeding 13 months later and I am getting smaller (hurrah!!!, 34F bras are now a bit big). You will work it out, I found we wouldn't feed lying down as the weight of my boob tended to pull the nipple out of DS2's mouth.

All the best when your wee one arrives!

jojo21 you'll be fine. I was a 32FF pre baby, a 36M (yes they go that big) in nursing bras and have now gone down to a 32F. I did have to hold my breast at the start (sort of squeezed 2 inches either side of the nipple to make it a a bit pointier), but found once we had bf established it was fine. Big, pendulous boobs mean you can get into some very strange looking but comfy positions once bf is properly established. I could feed lying down in bed with dd beside me (although I was careful not to fal asleep in case I rolled over and suffocated her.) But I think that was just paranoia

I helped a mum breastfeed who had very large breasts, and she got into a position which was just fine for her and the baby - she rested one ankle (leg 1) on the opposite leg's thigh (leg2) (she was wearing trousers!) and the baby laid lengthways along the thigh of leg 1, just at the right height and place for the breast. No it wasn't very discreet, I suppose, but she wore a big shirt and this covered a lot at the sides.

I agree with all the comments already. My boobs are 36j and am managing to breast feed. Found it easiest to lay ds across the top of my thighs to feed. It didn't work for me to put an arm under him as it made him too high. Also i found i needed to support my boob whilst feeding.
Good luck, with a bit of trying different positions i'm sure you'll be fine.

Bet you could lean over the edge of the cot and feed your little one to sleep without disturbing them at the end too

(I know this is possible since mine were not huge and I did manage this once - I was desperate!)

Just browsing here.....have to say Bloody Nora Prufrock......36M!!! Wow I am impressed!!!

Just browsing here.....have to say Bloody Nora Prufrock......36M!!! Wow I am impressed!!!

Just browsing here.....have to say Bloody Nora Prufrock......36M!!! Wow I am impressed!!!

Just browsing here.....have to say Bloody Nora Prufrock......36M!!! Wow I am impressed!!!

OMG what just happened!!!! I wasn't that Impressed!!

I'm a 40F and still b/f ds2 (20 mths.) The main problem is having to support the boob throughout a feed - so it's difficult to do anything else at the same time. (I did read a tip whereby you can stick a rolled up sock under your boob to support it instead, but never got round to trying it!)

It does look abit as if they won't be able to breathe at first, but newborns nostrils are quite flared, so they can be quite close into your boob and be fine. Try not to worry about your boobs being the wrong shape and size. It's easy for things to knock your confidence when b/f - but although it's often tricky (and painful) at first, there's no reason why big boobs should stop you b/f.

And if in doubt, don't hesitate to call a b/f counsellor for advice and support. (NCT b/f helpline: 0870 444 8708)

I have to say I am very jealous! My mother asked me if my boobs would hold enough milk for my baby - she was serious!

Thankyou so much for all your help! i was worried but now i've got Khara's tip i'll be sure to use it! i was supposed to be induced on saturday but they're gonna do it on tuesday instead now! i cant wait i've packed my boobie-sox and im gonna enjoy every second! cheers ladies

jojo21, I really hope you enjoy breastfeeding - it is a lovely experience. I just wanted to say because a friend like you was concerned that too little of her breast and areola was getting into the baby's mouth, don't worry about that. The tiny baby doesn't get much breast in its mouth and gets tired sucking, but quickly gets bigger. It doesn't matter what fraction of your breast is in the mouth, as long as the latch is OK. It will all work out OK because nature has designed it in a wonderful way, whatever your breasts are like and whatever your baby's mouth is like.