I'm clueless about feeding please help!!

[MillyStar]

Morning!

Sorry got some probably very stupid questions but i'm buying my babies feeding stuff at the weekend and i'm clueless, i've looked on the internet but i think you lot can help me better!!

Ok i want to breastfeed so hopefully that will go to plan!

Please tell me what i need to buy!

From what i can gather it's;

Breast pads
Plastic nipple guard things - got those
A breast pump
Bottles - how many?????
A steriliser

Is there anything else? Can you recommend a make aswell please, does everything have to match or will any bottle fit any steriliser?

Also do i need to take all of the above to the hospital with me when i'm in labour!! And do i need to take some formula incase it all goes wrong and i can't breast feed or will they have some?

Sorry i told you i was clueless lol

You don't need bottles or a pump or a steriliser

If it comes to it and you do have to express you can hand express until you get hold of a pump. Bottles are easy to get in almost any shop. And you can sterilise in boiling water.

If you intend to BF then you dont need to take formula to hospital either. In an emergency they will be able to give you some.

Just take your boobs and some breastpads!
Nipple shields can cause problems and I wouldn't recommend them unless you are under a bf counsellor. They will have formula if you need it in hosp, bottles can be picked up easily if you need them, so don't worry. Have you read up on position and attachment? This is a great position :) Good luck!

you only need your boobs and a nursing bra really! and maybe some lansinoh and breast pads.

most towns with a hospital will also have large supermarkets, so if you do need anything in a hurry, it will be readily available. Only if you live in an incredibly difficult to access rural area would I recommend getting some basics in jsut in case!

and re: the breast pump - don't bother unless you really need it. I had a tommee tippee manual one though which came with a bottle (maybe 2?), teat, and microwave steriliser, and it kept me going through 5 months of daily expressing when I went back to work. But I didn't get it until I needed it.

Good luck :)

I wouldn't bother buying a pump/bottles/steriliser at this stage, just see how it goes with breastfeeding. You don't need to take any of that stuff into hospital, as you need to get breastfeeding established before you even think about expressing. I think hospitals vary in whether they supply formula, but I'm sure they'd have some for emergencies if breastfeeding really wasn't working out. The only thing you definitely need to take into hospital is breast pads. Good luck

You just need boobs, some breastpads in case you are leaky (I was with first dd but am not so far with 2nd) and muslins to cover shoulder/mop up dribbled milk! Good luck

My advice is to watch as many videos as you can about getting a good latch, do loads of reading too. Put it in your birth plan that you want skin to skin and that you intend to breastfeed. Also find numbers for breastfeeding help/groups now so that if you need help you can get it quickly.

Do any of your friends breastfeed, can you talk to them. It helped me loads to be really informed about it before I started :)

Breasts and pads. And you might not need the pads.

If you're planning on expressing then you probably won't be doing that until feeding's established at 6 weeks +. And there's little point shelling out on a pump now in case you are one of the women who isn't able to express. If you need to express in hospital for any reason, they'll provide a super duper pump I would hope.

I'd get the bfing helpline numbers jotted down and make sure you know where the local bfing cafe is.

I have bf two babies (one for 3.4yrs and ds is 24 weeks and still exclusively bf). I bought pads for leaking milk and when older breastmilk storage bags and a couple of bottles, though neither baby has been remotely interested in bottles but would take a cup feed if necessary.

You don't need to sterilise. If you have a dishwasher you can bung bottles in there, otherwise you can use hot soapy water. Your nipples aren't sterile after all.

You probably won't even need breastpads whilst you're in hospital as your milk won't come in until day 3/4.

Your colostrum is such amazing stuff that your baby only needs teaspoons of it to survive in the first few days. You may feel a bit fluey when your milk comes in.

Get the numbers of the helplines. Although you may think the NHS supports breastfeeding, as soon as baby arrives, most health care professionals seem to do their damndest to sabotage breastfeeding.

Before birth try and find some breastfeeding support groups and go along and have a chat. All of the mums there will have their own stories and tips to share with you.

Bookmark the website kellymom. It has up to date peer reviewed information about breastmilk and breastfeeding and will let you know when your midwife and health visitor are talking crap venturing into areas where they need further training.

Good luck - remember the first few weeks, your only job should be to feed your baby. Get someone else to do everything else and bring you a glass of wine and chocolate cake to get you through those down moments when you wonder whether you'll ever be anything but a milk machine.

Thank you so much you've all saved me about £100 lol

I feel like such a plonker for asking lol

Something you may find useful is something like these

sleepbra

I lived in mine for the couple of weeks when my boob size was changing minute by minute and I wasn't leaving the house. I also slept in them with breastpads until DS was about 5/6 months as I tended to be a bit leaky at night.

I think the most important thing is to have clothes that you can feed easily & comfortably in - I had a couple of these: www.maternityandnursingbras.co.uk/bravado-nursing-bra-tank-top-1097-p.asp and they were amazing - like little vest tops with nursing bras inside, dead comfy, easy access :)

Good luck!