breastfeeding

[barbben]

anyone did any preparation for it? i really want to breastfeed after my birth and i'm not sure if i need to do anything from now...
thanks

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I know lanisoh cream works for many people as do bfing pillows but please don't feel you need to buy either to successfully bf. I've bf 2 without either. I'm in the get it when you need it camp

[barbben]

thank you so much. so much useful info.

[DaveMccave]

I highly recommend watching some videos on YouTube on how to latch baby on. It didn't occur to me with my first that you didn't just hold them to your breast willy nilly, and I wish I'd known. I ended up with very cracked bleeding nipples in the early weeks, and even though I went on to feed for over a year I've still been watching videos this time just to remind myself.

It would also be helpful to get a list of resources you canrefer to, eg phone numbers for breast feeding peer supporters or breast feeding councilmen, note the times and addresses for breast feeding drop in groups, and websites such as kellymom.com.

Do some reading on kellymom.com now, or get a book out the library too. There's so much to learn about Breastfeeding and unfortunately a lot learn too late simple things like your milk can take a week to come in (but baby won't need supplementing, they have colostrum) that giving expressed bottles can cause them to refuse the breast, that feeds can take forever, cluster feeding, growth spurt times etc. kellymom is great for all this.

[MrsJLS85]

I would have given up breastfeeding my newborn if it weren't for 2 things: 1) Excellent support from Mw's and HV's, and 2) Lansinoh lanolin cream.
So I would find out now what kind of support you'll be getting after the birth ie will you be getting regular visits from the midwives or health visitors who can watch your latch and answer all your questions? And get yourself a bottle of that nipple cream, it will save you when you start getting dry cracked nipples.

[MarianaTrench]

Bravado Body Silk bras are fabulously comfy in my experience. Far better than Hot Milk.

It really hurt me for about 4 weeks as my DD had a small mouth. I persevered with the help of Lansinoh (nothing else worked so I thought it worth the cash) and after that it was easy and I did it for a year.

[SuffolkNYoni]

Oh you can you use any kind of baby petroleum jelly or aqueous cream instead of the vastly over priced nipple creams. The main thing is keeping the nipple area soft, supple and, if damaged, moist to aid healing.

[MrsHoarder]

That's a bf bra. I meant avoid the likes of hot milk and get the very stretchy one.

[MrsHoarder]

Get large comfy bf bread and lanoish. Then just be prepared for the early days top be hard and I found it hurt when ds first latched on for about 3-4 Weeks. Then suddenly it was easy. Cluster feeding isn't too bad if you know what's going on. I saved post-birth chocolates for the evenings and just stuck the TV on.

One if the great-nanas told me about when she was little living in a catholic working class area all the mothers used to sit on the step at the front of the house bfing on nice evenings whilst the kids played in the street. I found the realisation that mothers had done it throughout history comforting.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Me again sorry, if you get in touch with your local lll they sometimes have a library where you can borrow most of the books mentioned on here

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

And don't forget the dad too

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Wish I'd had nobles advice before having dc1. He had tongue tie and upper lip tie, it was tough but I still managed to bf him . Agree too on getting information on things like latch and position. The dr jack newman videos on youtube are good as it the lll website.

Agree with kellymom too. There are two useful starting points Breastfeeding your newborn: what to expect and preparing to bf.

Can I suggest a book to go along with the others ? It's called the babymoon experience. If you are buying books, please check out the kellymom list of books to avoid.

The only other things you can do in pg are put the bfing helpline numbers in your phone (and don't be afraid to use them when Lo arrives ), find out where your local bfing support groups are (and go while you are still pg, no need to wait until Lo arrives) and later on get yourself a couple of nursing bras and a pack of breastpads (I liked the lanisoh ones). Oh and don't forget to find out about courses. Where I live the NHS do antenatal courses and bfing courses and you can go to both, where I used to live it was the nct or nothing. Most of the nct courses do have one class on bfing taken by a BFC so might be worth looking into .

[TheYoniOfYawn]

Everyone else had said it already - lots of information on what is normal and where to get help. Remember that problems at the start are common but can virtually always be solved if you get the right help. And be aware that your midwife, health visitor and gp might not have had much training in breastfeeding, so it's good to know where to find specialist support of you need it. Find out where you can get hold of a qualified breastfeeding counsellor and Ibclc qualified lactation consultant and use them if you have problems

The food of love is very good.

[ScariestFairyByFar]

There's a new book out called baby led breast feeding it looks good.

[DaffyDuck88]

I would suggest seeking out a breastfeeding workshop pre birth just to be prepared. I didnt, assumed all would be fine only to struggle until after 6weeks of heartbreaking struggle to have dd diagnosed as having a posterior tongue tie. By which point my milk production was way down & baby totally frustrated & just not having anything to do with breast. Thereafter weeks of effort with consultant to increase milk production & trying to get baby to breastfeed even if only through nipple shields in order to get the tongue tie procedure done to help her breastfeed. Ultimately a fail. Several months of expressing but baby still not breastfeeding so no procedure. Vicious catch22 that I wouldn't wish on anyone. So realistically I would suggest:

1. Breastfeeding workshop pre birth
   
2. Don't leave hospital until you have had baby checked for tongue tie! Earlier its detected better chance of getting it resolved minus a lot of stress!
   
3. Make sure baby cafe you go to has midwives in regular attendance, mine didn't, only HV and seriously I wasted valuable weeks listening to them when I should have gone straight to the feeding consultant.
   
4. If in any doubt or struggling at all, don't wait - contact a feeding consultant, you'll be glad you did.
   

I wish you all the best for your birth, feeding & beyond! It's all worth it in the end.
X

[ChocolateCremeEggBag]

And make use of the midwives, they are trained to actively promote bf and should help you in hospital and on the home visits, but you may have to ask.

[ChocolateCremeEggBag]

I got thrush in my nipples and if I hadn't mentioned it to my friend, I would have probably stopped bf as it felt like razors through my nips. But she recognised the feeling and got me off to the GP to get some cream & the fluconazole tablet

My advice is - if it hurts, speak to someone quickly as it shouldn't, could be your latch, thrush, mastitis or a blocked duct and they at all quickly treatable

[ButteryJam]

My local hospital had a free breast feeding class that I called up and booked myself into (not via the midwife). This two hour session was great, we were given a NHS booklet/magazine, shown videos and got to practice briefly with a doll! It was fascinating!

I'm doing lots of prep as I'm really keen on breast feeding but for a couple of reasons lacking a lot of confidence. I've ordered loads of books from the library, and ordered one from Amazon called 'the food of love' which was highly recommended on here.

I also plan to visit the breast feeding clinic before birth and hope to watch someone breastfeed. Apparently that can really help to actually see someone doing it in real life.

I hope it all goes well for you

[rrreow]

Stuff you do beforehand can't actually physically help you with breastfeeding, but you can read about what to expect and I would recommend doing some research about what is available in terms of help in your area. Some mums & babies take to it no problem, but the vast majority needs a bit of help (just because it's natural doesn't mean it's easy or automatic!). So have a look to see what type of breastfeeding groups there are near you, whether there are any breastfeeding counselors who can come to your house in the early days (a real amazing lifesaver they are, like 1 day after the birth when you just want to feed the baby but couldn't possibly go out and see someone for help!) etc.

Oh actually, one thing you can do beforehand: get some Lansinoh nipple cream! It really helps if you have sore nipples and it's great because unlike some other nipple creams you don't have to take it off before you feed the baby.

[Awakeagain]

Google baby cafe and see if there is one in your area
I've been going to one since ds was 2 weeks old and it was an absolute life saver for breast feeding, there is a breast feeding consultant and a support worker at mine and lots of mums trained as peer supporters

My hv was also really helpful when I was getting stressed out about not getting it quite right

It takes time and perseverance but is so worth it, once 6 weeks passed I was like a pro!!

[Fairlygrounded]

I went to a workshop run by a charity called Little Angels - they were amazing because they told it warts and all, like how all the bottle fed babies and Mums will be asleep on the ward and you will feed constantly, particularly on the third night - it really psyched me up and kept me going as I knew it was normal. Also be prepared for sore nipples - I liken it to wearing your flip flops for the first time in the summer when your feet kill and are ripped to shreds but they soon toughen up - well that's what happens to your nipples!
If you can find a good group go along and good luck!

[DuelingFanjo]

I read an awful lot about it, here and in books and I watched videos online. I didn't stock up any formula and I put the Nct pamphlets on breastfeeding into my hospital bag. I also started a thread on here about how scared I was tat I woud find it hard and got lots of reassuring replies.

[MooseBeTimeForCoffee]

There's an amazing Dr here in Canada called Jack Newman. There are lots of helpful videos online about latch, expressing etc. :)

[SuffolkNYoni]

Find local BfN groups/clinics in your area and familiarise yourself with helpline numbers

[racheld33]

I did our local NHS breast feeding course 2 days before I gave birth, it really was fresh in my mind, and made it quite easy to start things off. It wasn't easy, went to a local BFN group when he was 4 weeks for some help, and then did it till DS was 12 months. Ask for help when you need it!

[MyNameIsAnAnagram]

The only prep I did was read the feeding section on here beforehand so I was well prepared for common issues like clusterfeeding and things. It is probably a good idea to get the numbers for the various helplines (nct, lll, abm etc) written down in case you need them and are too tired/stressed to look them up. They tend to be a better place to start than mws or hvs as they have specialist bfing training that mws and hvs often don't have.

Also check out if there are any support groups, baby cafes etc in your area, you can go along before you give birth to get some tips etc as well.

Check out whether the hospital / mlu you are giving birth in has baby friendly status too, support for bfing varies wildly from place to place. I am a volunteer peer supporter for an organisation contracted by the pct to go into hospitals, do home visits and run a 24 hr helpline for bfing support, which is fantastic, but sadly rare.