Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

breastfeeding few Q's

59 replies

jazz412 · 01/03/2011 17:30

Few questions: firstly, I realise that some women are unable to breast feed and thank goodness there's formula there for that! But (I've never breastfed, but am pregnant and planning to)I've had several people quite suprised that I'm planning on breastfeeding and don't want to breastfeed their own, I'm wondering why this is?

I'm in no way saying you SHOULD breastfeed but just asking why you would choose not to as it's free and surely easier (no making up bottles) when you get into the swing of it?

Some of my friends even seemed disgusted by the thought of breastfeeding?! Is anyone else - and if so, why?

Second question: I know it's suggested to feed up to 6 months if you can but many people obviously do more - what's the normal amount of time to carry on for?

Thanks and really not trying to offend or become a breastfeeding brigadier or whatever their called...LOL

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

RitaMorgan · 01/03/2011 20:51

Yes, WHO is 2 years and beyond for as long as the mother and child want to continue.

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 21:01

My brother-in-law's wife, of whom I don't engage with, thinks that breast feeding is perverted .

I bf and thought it was wonderful (no messing about with sterilising and measuring and cooling). My breasts didn't leak (I used breast pads when I was out and about just incase). You don't really get "leaky" breasts once you have established a regular feeding patter.

I have 32G breasts and they are in perfect condition after bf was 6 months.

Well done on deciding to give it a go, I hope it goes well for you :)

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 21:02

for not was

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 21:03

pattern

What is wrong with me today?

DuelingFanjo · 01/03/2011 21:16

I have to say, as a first time breastfeeder (DS is 10 weeks) I have never felt sticky and wet. I use breast pads and the only annoying thing is the way they bunch up in my bra.

I always wanted to breastfeed, maybe because I was breastfed myself and all my closest friends have breastfed their babies. no one has ever been surprised by mt choice.

I have one workmate who when pregnant and asked by another workmate if she was going to breastfeed, scrunched up her face and said 'I don't think so'. She tried in hospital but is now FF.

Annpan88 · 01/03/2011 21:29

Before I was pregnant I had no idea about the different 'camps' and about how strongly people felt. While I am a bit sqeemish I just didn't consider not bfing at any point but can see why people wouldn't. I also had no idea (naïvely I know) that it was difficult until recently!

PlasticLentilWeaver · 01/03/2011 21:30

With DS1, I only smelled of milk because he was sick all the time. Formula puke is far stinkier (IMO) than BF puke! With DS2, I never really leaked, and he wasn't a puker, so I have never smelled of it.

I BF DS1 for 8 months, with some formula from 5 months ish. DS2 has not had formula yet and he is 10 months old. 'Normal' is as long as you want it to be. I have lots of RL friends who have BF for a year or more, so it isn't just a MN thing. Yes, it can be hard for some, but it isn't always. I am one of the lucky ones who has been able to BF without major problems. I wish it could be that way for everyone (who wants to BF).

lilly13 · 01/03/2011 21:39

There is a good book called Food of Love available at Amazon. You should read it.

DuelingFanjo · 01/03/2011 21:41

I was one of the lucky ones too, in that I was terrified it was going to be painful and difficult but when it came to it I found it easy. Perhaps it is only hard if people try to do it without researching it and getting lots of advice and help?

I don't smell of milk either, but I do know that milky vomity smell

DuelingFanjo · 01/03/2011 21:42

although obviously things like tongue tie can make it hard and painful, I'm not suggesting it will always be easy.

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 21:58

My ds wasn't sick once! But I've heard that ff babies has smellier nappies...?

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 22:11

My ds wasn't sick once! But I've heard that ff babies has smellier nappies...?

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 22:11

have*

LadyOfTheManor · 01/03/2011 22:12

Don't know why that posted some minutes before I originally wrote it

grubbalo · 02/03/2011 08:34

Hi jazz, I know where you're coming from - I don't get why people wouldn't try breastfeeding, in the same way I wouldn't get it if someone said to me that they didn't want to try eating curry because they've never fancied it - why wouldn't you at least try?

I have bf both my DCs, (infact have only just stopped feeding my youngest) and have really enjoyed it, however I know loads of other mums and the most important thing is that you and your baby are happy - you should breastfeed for as long as you are both enjoying it. If after 1 month you have had enough, or it is making you miserable, then it is really, really important to remember that you are not a failure as a parent and also that your baby will be 100% fine if he/she is ff. It really upsets me that I have friends who feel rubbish because they "only" bf for 6 weeks or something - so long as you are totally happy with your decision then that is the only thing that matters.

Having said all that, as I said I loved breastfeeding and found it damn convenient - at the end of the day I am soooo lazy and the thought of having to go downstairs at 2 in the morning to make bottles just sounds so much worse than feeding them there and then in bed! It took me a while to get the hang of it, the same way any new skill does, but I never really found it painful and I never, ever leaked (despite buying about 1000 pads in anticipation!). It definitely helps if your DP is 100% behind your decision though, as that way if there are any hiccups (i.e. baby losing a bit of weight, you being sore etc) then they are there to encourage you, keep you going etc. Like I said there is nothing wrong with stopping breastfeeding if that is your decision, but it would be a shame if later on you felt like you were pressured into it.

One last thing, having been through it twice, one who I introduced to bottles and one who I didn't, I found it miles, miles easier with the bottle savvy one! He was still 100% breastfed till I started weaning, and kept going till after he was 1, but I expressed and it meant e.g. I could go out and DH could feed him. With my youngest I didn't do that, and particularly later on I found it incredibly restrictive in that he really needed me around. Saying all that I have other friends whose babies accepted formula from a cup very early on so it can obviously be done with a bit more motivation.

Good luck, I really hope you enjoy it as much as I have

spongefingerssavedmylife · 02/03/2011 08:51

I think it must depend where you live or something. Most people I know have bf for over a year (generally just a pre-bedtime feed after 1), general reason for not stopping is lazieness / just loving it so much. My 13 month old had a day in hospital a week ago and I was so glad I could bf her there! It is very convinient once you get the hang of it. I also know a few people who haven't bf at all,a few who found it hard and had no support / poor advice and one or two who just didn't want too.

Why not see if there are some baby cafe's / bf drop in's around and then you might meet some other bf mums.

Original poster

jazz412 · 02/03/2011 10:50

I have plenty of friends who have/do breastfeed and both DP and I were breastfed ourselves until around about 2 years I think but that seems like quite a long time! I'm since learning that you're not breastfeeding all the time with older ones just for night time etc. I'm concious of it becoming a bit weird though like "bitty" from Little Britain you know?! Anyway that's a long way off!

I'm planning on also expressing milk (if I can) for DP to feed also - is there a difficulty with getting them to accept this, should we get bottles that have nipple like teet? (Sp?)

Don't worry, I had no idea that it hurt everyone before I became pregnant! what kind of pain is it? sore nipples or does the suck hurt as well. I also didn't realise it was so difficult to breastfeed for most people, I kind of naively assumed that as it's a natural bodily function for both mother and child it would just flow and the baby would just latch like a dream...

I hope I can do it, I really want that bond and closeness (not that FF babies aren't close to their mums) but it just seems quite important for me to be able to do it.

Thanks for all of the opinions, they make an interesting read! ladyofthemannor why does she think it's perverted?!?! (does she drink cows milk? surely it's weirder to drink milk made for another species baby??)

OP posts:

Zimbah · 02/03/2011 14:06

I think there are some people who don't find bf'ing painful at first but not many! But in my case it certainly wasn't agonising pain and was bearable - sore nipples worse when baby first latches and starts sucking then eases as the milk lets down. My nips were sore probably for the first 6 weeks or so, as in they were very tender all the time, but I just kept putting on the lansinoh before and after every feed and it got better over time (I did also have latch checked by a proper bf counsellor which is important, as many midwives and health visitors give very poor advice on latch and breastfeeding). I continued to find let-down slightly painful until DD was about 6 months as I have a very strong letdown reflex but it's only for a minute or less at the beginning of a feed.

I did occasionally think of 'bitty' as DD approached 2, by then she was only feeding a couple of times a day and only in mine or friends houses ie not out in public, not that I think people shouldn't feed publically at that age but I wouldn't have been comfortable. I started going to La Leche League meetings when DD was approaching 1 as I didn't know anyone else bf'ing by that point. When I first started the group I thought it was a bit weird to see people feeding 2 and 3 year olds (and occasionally older). But I found that when I was feeding my own DD at 2 it felt totally natural and not weird at all, and now I'm used to seeing older children feeding it seems normal.

Oh and on the smelling of milk - I think I smelt of milk for at least 6 months but that's because I had massive oversupply and leaked an awful lot, getting through huge amounts of breastpads every day and often leaking right through them if I didn't change them in time. But that's not an issue for a lot of people. Once DD started going onto solids as well my supply calmed down.

RitaMorgan · 02/03/2011 14:38

I don't think most people find it painful and difficult actually - it's just you're more likely to post on mumsnet about it if you have a problem. Threads titled "I found breastfeeding came naturally and was trouble-free" wouldn't go down well!

I found it took a bit of practice the first week or so to get the hang of it, and my nipples were a little sore for the first week, but that was it. Certainly not painful.

NotSoPukeyMummy · 02/03/2011 15:32

OP, I would advise having a tube of Lansinoh cream and some Medela nipple shields to hand (buy them before the birth) just in case it does get sore. But you do get used to it.

In my case, I realised belatedly that one of my nipples was very sore due to being slightly inverted. Only realised when a friend told me she'd had issues. No wonder!

Didn't stop me though.

Before the birth I watched a DVD by Clare Byam Cook, a well-known bf guru. It was a bit dated, but great preparation for what lay ahead.

RitaMorgan · 02/03/2011 15:42

Isn't Clare Byam Cook a bit nutty though? Says you should wean babies at 12 weeks etc.

NotSoPukeyMummy · 02/03/2011 15:49

I don't remember there being any of that guff on the DVD - it was just case studies of new mums who had issues with bf.

It must have been filmed in the 80's or something - hilarious specs and pearl earrings all round.

RitaMorgan · 02/03/2011 15:56

I just remember her being on tv recently claiming to be a breastfeeding counsellor - she's very old school isn't she?

NotSoPukeyMummy · 02/03/2011 16:13

Yes, she probably is but I saw her in Prima Mother & Baby mag recently, so presumably still somewhat relevant? It's only been 2.7 years since I had DD, and I found her DVD (borrowed from a friend) useful then.

VivClicquot · 02/03/2011 16:21

Can I slightly hijack this thread to ask what equipment I need to buy (if any) if I want to breastfeed?

DC1 is due in 9 weeks time and I really want to breastfeed - whilst also recognising that it can be a difficult and some find it more of a struggle than others.

However, I've had various advice from friends and relatives who tell me that we still need to buy bottles, a steraliser etc ("just in case"), whilst others have said we don't need anything other than, well, me!

So - aside from lansinoh and breast pads - what else are the absolute must-haves? I'm guessing a breast pump, and bottles to express into - but is that about it? Do we really still need a steriliser?

Flip

1 2 3