Breast Feeding

[Luckz66]

I’m almost 34 weeks pregnant and already have two sons who I chose not to breast feed... however I’m wanting to breast feed this baby.
It’s all new to me so any advice is really appreciate!
Also, I have my right nipple pierced and not sure how this will affect feeding...

No help on the nipple piercing front really as no experience. You may (probably will?!) need to take it out to feed though. I wouldn't have thought it would cause problems as each nipples has multiple milk ducts.

Advice-wise regarding breastfeeding... expect it to be hard (hopefully it won't be but it most definitely can be), understand that it's a skill both you and the baby have to learn, don't worry about "how much baby is getting" - it's output (nappies and weight gain) not input that count when breastfeeding... recognise that a lot of HCP are woefully uninformed when it comes to breastfeeding so may give truly shit advice. Skin to skin and feeding on demand is so important during the early days when supply is being established, it can feel quite overwhelming but enjoy the snuggles.

Biggest bit of advice would be to identify (before baby comes) where you can go in your area for face-to-face support - find out if there is a feeding specialist / lactation consultant at your local hospital, where/how you can have baby assessed for tongue tie (if needed), where to go for breastfeeding clinic, identify peer support groups/breastfeeding cafes in your area, get the numbers handy for breastfeed helplines... have all the information to hand so you can access support (with the right people) ASAP if/when you need it once baby arrives.

It can be hard work getting established, but once you and baby crack it it's bloody amazing. You always have food for baby on hand, never need to worry about being caught out for longer than you planned. It's wonderful!

Good luck!! xxx

Oh and consider hand expressing colostrum (into syringes) and freezing for when baby arrives, as this can be a godsend if you have issues establishing feeding initially.

Check with your midwife when it's OK to do this from (I think it's from term) and they may be able to give advice on hand expression technique.

Get baby to the breast ASAP after the birth (ideally during initial skin to skin)... this is something that I regret not doing with my first (I let midwife take baby away while I was stitched up).

I’m leaking clear stuff today... is that a good/bad sign?

I had a nipple piercing on my left boob. That's how I found out i was pregnant.. my nipples would get so cold so I took the bar out because I thought maybe that would make them less cold. Turnt out I was 8 weeks pregnant so I was just super sensitive. It didn't really close up because I've had it for 4 years but after giving birth I noticed my baby boy (now four months) doesn't like that side as much as my right.. I think it may be because the breast is smaller and produces less milk so has to work harder. The milk does come out of the sides aswell. I try and start him on that side each feed in hope my boobs may balance out a bit more. You may be completely different though!
With breastfeeding I struggled for the first week where it was so painful I dreaded feeding him. After 7 days the pain was gone so if you can stick at it for a week it will be so worth it but don't beat yourself up if you chose to stop breastfeeding! Formula is great too! My mum helped loads and made sure I was say upright and the baby latched on correctly. You could always pump and feed thought a bottle otherwise!
All the best xxx

I had both pierced for approx 8 years and am still successfully feeding my 3 month old DS. I struggled at first, but I do have large breasts, but one BF advisors did anecdotely say that it can be more painful at first if they are previously pierced and that I should have taken them out and let them heal up before starting feeding. Not sure how true that is though. I did leave mine in really late, I was 6cm dilated before I took them out!

I still have mine in and I really don’t want to lose the piercing so I’m hoping it won’t heal when I take it out!
I’m
Just worries as I’ve never breast fed before...
Silly question....
Does a baby still use a dummy if they are breast fed? Or does them stop from latching correctly?

Hi @Luckz66 -no piercing advise! But your dummy question- yes my eldest had a dummy and was exclusively bf until about 6mnths.
She is 9 now, so was a while ago. But I remember there being something about certain dummies being better than others for bf babies. But she ended up not being fussed at all about the brand, as long as it wasn't one of those flat/wide type!

My DS is 2.5 and has had a dummy since about 2 weeks. I bf him for 15 months.

Mine have closed, I think, but it's definetly too much hassle to be taking jewellery in and out between feeds. I also found BF very painful at first, but once I got past the first 3 weeks it's mostly pain free, only if not latched properly.

I could barely feed without crying, so the thought of the fiddling around putting jewellery back in, only to take it back out again 10 minutes later was just No. Yes, 10 minutes later. When babies clusterfeed it feels never-ending!

Yes you can use dummies at the same time, unfortunately DS doesn't like them, I think he'd get a lot of comfort from a dummy but he constantly spits it out!