Breastfeeding for first timer

[thunderonlyhappenswhenits]

I had my ds 8 years ago and I tried to breast feed but he wouldn't latch on and it was just so stressful I gave up! I would like to try again, even if it's just for a few weeks as I don't plan on doing it long term just while baby is tiny to get those important nutrients into them.

But I don't know where/how to start ! I know the first couple of weeks will be baby cluster feeding to build up supply.

If anyone can give me tips on how to get baby to latch and how often I'm supposed to be feeding etc id really appreciate it 🙂

Get a midwife to help you with the latch if you're not sure, and prepare for feeding to be super frequent. Both of mine fed every 40min 24/7 for the first six months. Read up on safe bed-sharing and work on perfecting feeding lying down, it will save your life.

I had this issue, with the latch, as it turned out my nipples were too flat, so there was nothing for her to latch onto.

So my midwife recommended nipple shields and they were a life changer, she was able to latch and stopped using them herself aged 4 months and we carried on feeding until over 3 years🥰

No specific advice on latching, you’re probably best looking for some videos online.

Just to say:

-all babies are different- my first was an absolute nightmare establishing a latch, second was a dream.
-exclusively pumping is an option if you have a difficult start
-TBH the first few weeks of feeding is not much fun. If you get through the difficult bit you may as well carry on, it is a joy once you’ve cracked it.

Before OP freaks out, I don’t think every 40mins for 6 months is typical!!

It might be worth signing up to an antenatal breastfeeding class locally? Or online? La Leche League does one and I'm sure there are others. Pregnant mums are also usually welcome at breastfeeding support groups if you have one nearby.

Oh god no, both of mine were demon babies sent to punish me for being an unbearable baby myself. My mum was very sympathetic but did tell DH she thought it might be karma.

I thought my baby fed a lot but it definitely wasn't that much...definitely not typical.

If you can go to a local breastfeeding support group that should be really useful. Have a look at biological nurturing positions initially as these can be done from birth and when recovering from birth eg this one www.biologicalnurturing.com/video/bn3clip.html kellymom.com is also a great resource for info on breastfeeding. If on Facebook you can also access breastfeeding support groups if you search for breastfeeding support.

And in terms of frequency, in the early days offer frequently and if they haven't had milk for a couple of hours offer again. Over time you will learn hunger cues such as chewing on hands and latch them on before they get really hungry/upset.

Breastfeeding pillow and nipple shields saved me.
be patient, spend lots of time cuddling with baby (skin to skin), have cosy areas to sit and feed. Drink lots of water and eat well and healthy. And yes it’s hard but you can do it. Had mastitis twice with DC2 😭

You need to go online and watch a blossom antenatal course
They are free

Make use of the midwives in hospital, buzz for help feeding, buzz to check the latch looks good, ask for suggestions on different holds etc. Same goes for once home, ask what help is available and make the most of it.

Ditto what PPs have said.

Also...
Buy a Haaka pump- use it on your spare boob when feeding and it'll catch your letdown. Buy some storage bags to freeze it.

Introduce bottles of expressed milk within the first few weeks so ensure baby gets used to boob and bottle. I recommend Mam bottles (and dummies),

Get some good books or series..cluster feeding can be tiring!

Always have a big bottle of water with you. I get really thirsty,

Remember that if does get easier once you've got past the first month or so. Once the baby is older they latch themselves on whilst you sit back and relax not worrying about washing up a load of bottles!

If it's not working for you and baby at any point though don't be afraid to swap to formula.

Good luck!

Good on you for wanting to try again. The most important thing I would say is safeguarding your supply. Get baby on within an hour of birth. If baby can’t or won’t latch, ask for 1ml syringes and express colostrum to feed him/her. Stimulate your breasts regularly with feeding/expressing; this tells your body to make milk. You’ll be exhausted but grit your teeth and feed feed feed - once your supply is there you can relax and be guided by baby. Feed when they’re hungry. Get help with positioning and attachment from infant feeding team/LLL/Bf network. Follow Lucy Ruddle/Amy Brown/Oxfordshire Maternity Voices Partnership for their FB lives with the John Radcliffe infant feeding team so you can ask Qs. Be proactive. You can do it! Best of luck x

Thank you everyone some great advice ! I didn't have this before so it's nice to know I can reach out on here.

They did get me to collect in a syringe in hospital last time but there was hardly anything there, 4 days later my milk came in but it was so hard to get ds to latch I just kept on getting upset, I don't think hormones helped !

I did want to get a haaka pump - can it only be used when baby is feeding on the other boob ? Also what is let down? Sorry I don't know any of the breastfeeding terms.
What is hind milk and foremilk? Sorry if I've got them wrong.

Regarding what may be collected with the pump, does it always have to be frozen after? What if I can only collect a small amount? Would I carry on expressing after the baby is finished to top it up and make a decent amount to keep?
Also how long can milk be kept after defrosting ? And how would I defrost just normally in the fridge or in some warm water ?
Sorry for all the questions

Put nipple to baby’s nose and let them find it that way they open their mouth wide for better latch, there’s loads of videos on YouTube that will show correct latch, it takes a little while to get the hang of it but once you do it’s so much more convenient than bottles 🙂 if your not planning on breastfeeding long I’d suggest introducing bottles from the beginning because baby might not take to it, I learnt that the hard way!

Mine first didn’t latch either initially, it took 9 days and a tongue tie snip.
Obviously the tongue tie didn’t help - so if it’s a problem again I would get it checked out ASAP. But another problem was that DS was pretty much asleep for the first 24 hours or so, and not interested in feeding at all. Looking back, we missed that initial half hour window where he should have latched on. No one said anything at the time, I was a FTM and exhausted and a bit out of it tbh so obviously I didn’t think of it.
I’m pregnant now - feed ASAP is going on by birth plan.

Milk can be kept in the fridge for a few days (Google search will tell for how long and how to defrost and such, I can’t remember) I never pumped colostrum so not sure about that it’s such a small amount. Once milk comes in you’ll have an oversupply so I wouldn’t worry about not pumping enough at the beginning. Let down is when milk starts to come out, what I used to do was breastfeed on one side and pump the other because i leaked a lot from the other side while baby was feeding. Foremilk is more watery and hind milk is more nutrient dense . fore milk comes out first so you really want baby to stay latched on for at least 20 minutes to get more nutrients. hope this helps

When I breastfeed my midwife said my nipples didn't stick out far enough for a latch so I got some nipple shields that may help too.
I love the bond of breastfeeding ❤️ good luck

My top tips:

Nipple to nose and chin to skin.

Hold your boob horizontally like a sandwich and try to get as much in the baby’s mouth as possible - the nipple needs to go right to the back of their mouth.

If the baby has difficulty, wait till he/she is asleep and rub your boob on his/her face - the latching reflex can be stronger when they’re asleep.

Lansinoh nipple cream - keep a tube in every room you’ll be feeding it. Dry your nipples and apply after every feed for the first few weeks.

I have ordered some mam bottles already - how do I introduce a bottle when breastfeeding ? Would I just do the odd feed with the letdown milk I've collected ?

Is it true that breastfeeding overnight is most important aswell for supply ?

I remember the little bit of breastfeeding I did do my other boob would leak like crazy ! And yes I got very thirsty !

I will also get some nipples shields just incase 👍🏻

I think the advice now is to not worry about hind mink etc and to alternate breasts often. Sometimes when my baby got fussy and wouldn't latch I would take her off, give her a second and try her on the other boob. It also means you don't have to worry about getting sore or leaking as often.

The Haaka is great for catching the letdown, which is the first bit of milk that comes out at a faster speed. It basically makes your body think that you're feeding twins so stimulates your breast. I didn't worry what expressed milk was in her bottle, but I believe milk from the middle of the night is thicker/full of more nutrients?! Keep your Haaka in the fridge for the day stood up in a cup so it doesn't spill and when you have enough pop it in a bottle or freeze it.

Guard and protect your skin to skin time after birth like a demon if you have to (obviously as long as medically safe to do so).

They tried to take my dd off me straight after they'd yanked her out with forceps as they wanted to weigh etc but that skin to skin in my opinion was so key in us getting that bond and the initial latch.

Don't rush it! Remember it takes lots of practice for baby and you, and is not necessarily always easy at the start as both need to learn what works best

For me and dd, quiet peaceful skin to skin with no other interruptions was key at the start.

Be prepared to be in for the long haul... get a good Netflix series, line up the snacks and fluids and get comfy!

Good luck op xx

So I can add to the haaka with each feed ? How long will the milk last before I have to either feeeze or get rid?

The guidance really varies online, I read somewhere up to 4 days in the fridge but then the NHS site says 8 days in a sterilised container or bag. If you freeze it use within a year. Pop freshly expressed milk in the fridge after 4 hours- so you can express of a nighttime and just chill it in the morning.