How to/what do i need for breastfeeding??

[daisycupcake]

Hi, im pregnant with dd2, I really would like to breastfeed this time around as I never got the chance with dd1 due to complications. My question is, what do I need to breastfeed? what products do people recommend to have to make the process easier? Noone in my family has ever breastfed and neither have any of my friends so really don't know where to start and my midwife isn't all that great either- appointments are generally in and out and I usually have dd1 with me whos crying and in a rush to get home. Any advice would be greatly received :D

Breast pads and nursing bras.

Pair of boobs.
Tube of lansinoh nipple cream ( MW often have sample sachets to give away)
Couple of BF bras - get measured at 36-38 weeks.
Contact details for local BF counsellor or group to get advice/ help if needed. If possible go along pre -baby to say hello and get some pointers.
Kate Evans' book The Food Of Love is v helpful ( and funny)
Brass neck to ask for help a lot post birth, make sure latch is good from the off and don't let them ignore you as a second timer.

This time I have bought a second hand glider chair to treat myself. Just sat on the bed to feed ds (who I ended up feeding for 2 years unexpectedly!) so I want to have something more comfortable from the start for nightfeeds.

I got a cheap hand held pump for ds that worked fine. You can get a more expensive one if you plan to express a lot.

Apart from that I will get a tube of that lansinoh cream and that is all. One of the reasons I bf is to save money.

I had a breast feeding pillow which made a huge difference.

Agree with all above. Would also add a small, soft, absorbent towel to soak up any that leaks out (and helps avoid damp patches on trousers/top if feeding without a support/pillow!

Also I suggest you sort out your clothing (put away non-bf friendly tops) and invest in some nice new tops that make bf easier.

I dislike all the tops marketed 'for breastfeeding' as they tend to be frumpy. So once you have established breastfeeding and have worked out how to feed in public, go out and find some nice tops that suit you :)

Also I forgot you might need some of those breast pads for leaking. I used disposable for the first couple of weeks and then reusable for the next couple of months. Stopped needing them around 3 months.

Ebook for the night feeds. And day feeds.

Lansinoh
Boobs

Optional:
bravado body silk nursing bra (fits a variety of sizes to allow for grow/shrink while you settle, then assuming you stick at it get measured after a couple/few weeks for a proper bra)
Muslins, lots - catch leakage, baby milk dribble/posset etc
Feeding cushion and or loads of handy pillows/cushions (with covers that wash or you don't really care about) - use to prop the baby and save your arms going so dead
Boob accessible tops - button up PJs are actually great, but if you feel the need to get dressed then cheap strappy vest ( eg peacocks) plus any old loose ish top over it; lift the top one and pull the cheap vest below your boob to feed
Box sets/ sky on demand for the cluster feeds throughout the evenings
Food you can eat with one hand/ DP willing and available to cook and then cut your dinner up for you every night

Get through the first couple if weeks and it gets so much easier - so worth persevering

Breasts.

The rest is all optional extras.

Congratulations! I hope BF goes really well for you. Once my supply was well established but steady, I found Lilypadz really useful to prevent leaks! much better than breast pads.

Poundland comfort bra rather than nursing bra for the first couple of weeks if trying to save money, and knowing where you can access support locally if you need it. Lansinoh, and breast pads, oh and try to get to some baby groups so you can see other mums feeding to get tips on how to do it in public.

Good luck, I mostly ff first time, breastfeeding this time and although it's harder at the beginning, it's soooo much easier once you've got it established (DD now 9 weeks and it's so simple) :)

Just breasts.

The very best thing you could do is go along to a local bf group antenatally. You will be welcomed, your questions will be answered and you'll be confident about what you're going to when you go there with your baby.

Congratulations and best of luck.

If none of your friend or family have breastfed them what you need most is to find a local breastfeeding group and a breastfeeding counsellor. For the first few months breastfeeding can be very intense and demanding and if you are surrounded by people who are not used to normal breastfed babies they are likely to give some really bad advice. Surrounding yourself with people who are in a similar situation and who have experienced problems and worked through them is probably the best thing you can do.

I have never used the tube of Lansinoh I bought, except as lip balm for me/emergency bum cream for DD.

Boobs.
Nursing bras (bought from ebay).
Reusable breast pads (from Amazon).
A selection of vest tops for underneath normal tops for the famous 'MN public BFing method' -- pull normal top up and vest top down. Avoids getting your squish out.

That is all. I don't own a breast pump, bottles or a steriliser. DD is 17 weeks old.

Breastfeeding groups are great for advice and support. Good luck!

Lots of support (LLL phone numbers, times and dates of BFing support groups)
Breasts
Lots of support (a DP who knows not to say 'if it hurts you should stop' but 'I'll phone someone to get you some help, if it's working right it shouldn't hurt')
Patience
Lots of support (family and friends who knows this is important to you and so they need to praise you for every day of Bfing)
The knowledge that it might hurt way more than giving birth but once it's sorted it will be the best thing you've ever done for yourself (babies do fine on formula but BFing for as long as you want is great for the self esteem)
Lots of support (i know someone who had a thread on another parenting board and the support she got there helped her BF her second child for over a year)

I had a BreastStart appointment this week (I am due in three weeks) the lady came to my house and talked me through the process/ common problems / methods etc. It was really helpful - particularly the advice on latching on and the support available post-birth. Despite what I've heard, it wasn't at all militant - she was very keen to remind me that formula isn't poison, that babies will grow brilliantly even of BF doesn't work out. She also pointed me in the direction of local BF support groups and mother / baby groups, all held at BF friendly locations. This site lists places where mums can BF (you can BF anywhere, but these are BF friendly, offer somewhere quiet and usually give you a drink too): www.amazingbreastmilk.nhs.uk/google-maps/
Hope that helps!

Lots of really helpful advice, thank you!

I suppose I was most confused about whether I needed to buy back up equipment for bottle feeding (formula, steriliser, bottles) just in case it didn't work out, or whether I should just wait with all that and see how it goes...? I'll hang on for things like breast pumps, and might do as suggested and get a little formula and a couple of bottles just in case, but what about a steriliser? Would this be useful anyway in case I end up doing some topping up with the bottle/pumping?

How do you feel about FF, obviously you've done it before and know it's not the devil's drink or anything daft like that, but if you really want to make a go of BFing this time then I'd be tempted not buy any FF stuff until you make the decision to mix feed/FF. Unless you live in the back of beyond you are always going to be able to get to a supermarket within a few hours of making the decision to start FFing (worst case scenario, hideously painful middle of the night feed, able to get bottles and formula at 8am. But maybe things would look better in the morning after a couple of hours sleep?). Making it a tiny little bit harder to introduce FF might make it easier to stick with BFing when it's hard. That's up to you of course, it would work for some but not for others.

They do (expensive) ready to go bottles of formula.

I plan to buy 2 or 3 of these and no equipment. Peace of mind if as another poster has mentioned there's a problem at 3am, but I'm not buying all the gear if there isn't. If all is OK, I'll just give the bottles to someone who ffs at a baby group.

My NCT group does sessions on BFing and reading material, that's my main spend on feeding!

FWIW an experienced bfing mum I know advised the above as the best way to be prepared for success but less anxious. I cannot take credit for this plan!

Get hold of one of those rubber bracelets and swap it from wrist to wrist so you always know which side you last fed from.

(a hair band or large elastic band work just as well BTW).

Lansinoh, v cushion, nursing bras, breast pads, vests ( either nursing or ones with adjustable straps)

I found the breast 'shells' you can get helpful in the early days/weeks whilst establishing feeding. They allow your nipples to 'breathe' in-between feeds & I think helps reduce cracked/sore nipples. Not absolutely essential but might come in handy to start with. Good luck!