Breastfeeding classes

JustA93 · 2018-12-14T15:25:21+00:00

28weeks with first baby, hope to breastfeed. Do you start breastfeeding classes before baby arrives or once baby is here? If planning on exclusive breastfeeding. Do you recommend buying in bottles etc just incase? What equipment?

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seeingdots · 14/12/2018 16:06

I'm not sure about breastfeeding classes, I've not heard of anything like that in my area. There was some coverage of breastfeeding in the NHS antenatal classes we attended and then after the birth it was support from midwives initially then health visitor. We also had a lactation specialist who I could phone up with any worries and a breastfeeding peer support group locally that met weekly. To be honest I'm not sure how useful classes would be - IMO it's really more a case of getting some idea in advance of how to get baby latched on and what a good latch looks and feels like, then a bit of support to get used to latching on in the first few hours, then troubleshooting as and when along the way.

I would recommend getting some bottles in - you'll likely need a couple eventually anyway and it's useful to know they're there should you need them earlier. I'd recommend Mam anti-colic bottles but all babies seem to be different in terms of what bottles/teats they'll accept (if any!).

thethirdbiscuiteer · 14/12/2018 16:32

Your hospital should be running antenatal classes, which should cover breastfeeding. You might ask your midwife and see what they recommend. If not your hospital, then your local children's centre should be a good resource.

I would suggest buying a bottle beforehand, as even if you end up breastfeeding exclusively, you'll need a bottle for (feeding expressed milk) when you're not there. Pack a mini bottle of readymade formula (can be bought for £1 or something) in your hospital bag, just in case you can't establish breastfeeding immediately.

I wouldn't bother with sterilising kit. We just used boiling water and microwave.

Good luck!

feedthetrees · 14/12/2018 16:38

I guess it's more breastfeeding support groups rather than classes. I see there is one in my area I could attend once baby here if needed.

Booked in for antenatal classes in Feb but was just curious if there were anything extra focused on breastfeeding.

Thank you for the advice re bottles!

Her0utdoors · 14/12/2018 16:47

No needs for bottles, it's not likely you'll need them in such a hurry, and tiny babies can be fed hand expressed milk in a sterilised egg cup (boiled for 10 mins in a saucepan). In my area the Le Leche Leauge groups are very welcoming of pregnant women looking for advice.

feedthetrees · 14/12/2018 17:43

@Her0utdoors i'll look into it, thanks for your input.

holidaylady · 14/12/2018 17:58

Definitely before!
No don't buy bottles

thethirdbiscuiteer · 14/12/2018 18:03

I don't understand the downside of buying one bottle. You'll need one eventually for when you're away, like I said.

You don't want to be stuck in hospital in the event you can't establish feeding immediately. At my hospital the policy is to not release the baby until the midwife confirms successful feeding, be that by breast or bottle.

SockQueen · 14/12/2018 18:19

If you can find a local La Leche group or breastfeeding cafe, they are usually very welcoming to pregnant mums wanting to learn about breastfeeding. Some IBCLCs also offer preparation classes though these can be more expensive. The NHS antenatal class briefly touched on the very basics of breastfeeding but not in any level of detail whatsoever, and NCT did a little more but still left huge gaps in my knowledge (but I did the short course; the longer "Signature" one has more dedicated bf-time, I think).

I bought a pump which came with a free bottle, but no formula beforehand - differing accounts on whether it's a good idea to have it available or not.

TheSubtleKnifeAndFork · 14/12/2018 19:14

If you aren't doing any kind of antenatal classes (which should cover the basics of breastfeeding) then I would do some research online (Kellymom website is a goldmine) to learn about how breastfeeding works / dispell the many myths out there about it. To be honest I'd recommend doing so even if you are doing antenatal classes TBH.

Additionally I would seek out some videos of babies latching onto feed, positions to hold baby, how to tell if a latch is good etc. as this is quite useful to give you an idea of how the mechanics of it work.

I would also make sure to find out where you can get face-to-face support locally once baby is here. Feeding specialist midwife, lactation consultant, breastfeeding clinics, peer support groups, etc. and have the information handy so you can access that support ASAP if needed. Knowing where to access support is so, so important.

Good luck!

holidaylady · 14/12/2018 19:17

Yep I totally understand not wanting to be caught without being able to feed your baby.

However, if you are planning to bf, then it helps your confidence levels if you don't have the formula calling to you from your bag.

With 24 hr Tesco's and Amazon prime etc you can get formula nearly 24/7, if the hospital won't give you any. Which they should do if they can't help you achieve successful bf.

At the end of the day, do whatever you feel comfortable with.

And definitely go to your local la leche league group when pregnant

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 14/12/2018 19:20

The NHS provided one breastfeeding class as well as an antenatal class before the baby came- really useful class- although absolute crap that they feed every 3 hours- try every 3mins!

TheSubtleKnifeAndFork · 14/12/2018 22:33

You don't want to be stuck in hospital in the event you can't establish feeding immediately. At my hospital the policy is to not release the baby until the midwife confirms successful feeding, be that by breast or bottle.

Breastfeeding is not established "immediately" in most cases, it takes time for mum and baby to learn. If mum and baby are struggling to establish feeding then hospital is often the best place to be. It obviously depends on the individual circumstances. Turning to formula immediately simply to get out of hospital ASAP seems totally at odds with wanting to establish successful feeding.

I say this as someone who struggled a great deal with feeding and didn't really want to be in hospital any longer than necessary, but sometimes needs must!

hammeringinmyhead · 14/12/2018 23:58

I transferred to a birthing unit for an extra 24 hours after birth specifically for breastfeeding support. Agree hospital is the best place if you are struggling initially rather than at home having given formula just to escape.

I didn't use a bottle for about 3 weeks, when I expressed one. Some electric pumps come with a microwave steriliser and a bottle.

Since2016 · 15/12/2018 00:11

I deliberately did not bring formula into hospital so I wouldn’t hve the option. In the end DD never took a bottle, ever. 15 months! So I wouldn’t bother beforehand tbh and concentrate on getting feeding established as pp have said. I found our nct bf class v helpful. Good luck!

Hermano · 15/12/2018 00:20

There is no need at all to get bottles for when you want to go out.

Many people don't go out for any length of time until baby can drink from a cup, around 4-6 months
Many babies refuse bottles if they're breastfeed

Good luck OP, if you can establish bf it'll be so easy for you. If you can't / choose not to then it's easy enough to get bottles etc when they're needed.

MilkyCuppa · 15/12/2018 00:32

It depends where you live. In my area all bf classes have been cancelled due to budget cuts. The NHS spends a fortune convincing women to bf, and when they say Yes! Show me how! the NHS is like: Aah we can’t afford that...

I attended a bf group after I gave birth and it was worse than useless. Basically a group of women who happened to bf, sat around drinking coffee and chatting about telly and stuff. No discussion of bf, no advice. They didn’t even speak to me because I was a stranger and they obviously knew each other. I sat there awkwardly and was ignored for half an hour before I gave up and went home. I’d have had to make friends with them first and be accepted into their clique before I could ask any bf related questions, which could have taken months. Help and support was not easily accessible.

Aspenn17 · 15/12/2018 04:13

Ask your midwife. My hospital offered a free breastfeeding class once you were 34 weeks. It was 2 hours long and explained the benefits, the latch, how it all works and answered any questions, it was for partners too which I think was really helpful as prior to the class I think my DH thought it was as simple as just shoving a nipple in the babies mouth! There was also a bf support group at my local children’s centre run by midwives and I joined a support group on fb which I’ve found useful. I bought a tommee tippie steriliser which came with a bottle because I wanted to introduce a bottle too so I had the option of pumping (I use the Madela one) she took both bottle or boob from 4 weeks x

icclemunchy · 15/12/2018 04:29

La leche league run beginning breastfeeding classes, and even if your local group dont pregnant mums are always welcome at meetings. Some children's centres run something too.

My best peice of advice is know where to get skilled support. LLL, the ABM both have well trained councillors and LLL also have a gelpline/local leaders who may be able to do home visits or help in hospital plus peer to peer support a groups.

You won't need a bottle just in case. If baby really does need formula in hospital then they will provide it and unless you live very rurally there's always somewhere to get one once home

voxnihili · 15/12/2018 07:56

I intended to breastfeed but unfortunately wasn't able to. My baby didn't feed at all and my hospital didn't offer formula. I'd packed a box of the pre-made sterilised bottles of formula and was so glad I did. I know I could have got someone to get them for me but having them meant that at the point I decided that enough was enough and my baby needed to be fed, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission (indirectly by asking them to get some formula) to do so.

Once we got home, I continued to use the premade bottles for a couple of days, then moved on to ready made formula in normal bottles and then a few days later started making formula myself. I found that really useful as trying to work out how to use the steriliser and make formula was all a bit overwhelming.

I'd personally just get a box of the premade bottles just in case. If you need bottles, you can get them when you're home (I'd recommend the tommee tippee complete feeding kit). There was nowhere to sterilise when I was in hospital anyway so had to use the pre-sterilised ones.

mortifiedmama · 15/12/2018 08:15

Get absolutely all the information you can pre-birth.

what colostrum is, how big a newborns tummy is, how long you'll have colostrum for before your milk comes in, that slightly more weightloss is normal for breastfed babies than is seen in bottle fed babies (up to 9.9% is acceptable in bottle fed, it's 10.9% in breastfed).
frequency of feeding
feeding on demand
watch YouTube videos of latching techniques
look at 'normal' breastfed baby behaviour such as thrashing at the breast, latching and unlatching and throwing themselves about. This one's a biggy as most people see this as a sign that they don't have enough milk, which is wrong, it's how baby increases your milk supply.
look at different ways to hold him to feed
research cluster feeding
research common breastfeeding difficulties and how to solve them.
attend your local breastfeeding support group before and after birth and get numbers for your local support.

The biggest thing is to learn what is normal because if you are surrounded by bottle feeders you may think breastfeeding isn't working when it is.

DS hated bottles and would never take one which was frustrating. He was a huge comfort feeder too.

I hated breastfeeding, which I wasn't prepared for! Probably not helped by a bottle refusing comfort feeder though!

feedthetrees · 15/12/2018 10:36

Thank you all, very helpful.

Somersetlady · 15/12/2018 10:40

Go before you give birth.

We have a breastfeeding group it’s great to see how to do it (I thought it would be the easiest most natural thing in the world. For me it’s not) and how the correct latch angle is.

You can not get the same thing from an antenatal class picture or video.

Best of luck to you with your new arrival

CountessVonBoobs · 15/12/2018 10:41

Pack a mini bottle of readymade formula (can be bought for £1 or something) in your hospital bag, just in case you can't establish breastfeeding immediately.

There is definitely no need to have formula in your bag if what you want is to breastfeed. If baby is struggling to latch you will be shown how to hand express colostrum and feed by syringe or spoon. If there is a genuine need to get milk into baby on top of this the hospital will give you formula and a bottle. Packing formula just to get you out of hospital is a serious own goal if you want to breastfeed.

It's definitely worth checking out local bf support groups before the birth, they welcome pregnant women and it's much easier to go back when you're struggling with a newborn if you've already been.

DrWhy · 15/12/2018 10:53

Breastfeeding groups here are variable, the NCT one is in a private venue and totally set up with bf peer supporters to help you with any feeding problems. One of the others is in a coffee shop in the centre of a shopping centre (one of those totally exposed ones under the escalator) and yes a clique of women who know each other chatting - I was totally ignored and frankly wouldn’t have wanted to be getting my whole boob out and trying different techniques anyway! My NCT class had one session on breastfeeding but the best support I’ve had has been from the midwives post birth - the community midwives once I was home, the breastfeeding peer supporters via NCT and a FB local breastfeeding support page.
I bought a pack of 4 ready made bottles first time round and binned them unopened at 6 months. This time I have another pack, currently unopened at 5 weeks. I don’t think they were a ‘temptation’ at all, they were a reassuring back up. They mean if I really can’t cope then I can give one but they are there so I don’t have to make the decision that OK I’m sending DH to get formula then once we’ve gone to that effort I’m definitely going to use it.
I am planning up introduce a bottle this week though with this one as DS totally rejected a bottle of expressed milk, which made life difficult.

Teakind · 15/12/2018 14:02

Are you doing NCT classes? They have a session dedicated to breastfeeding. Also, look for what support there is in your area. My local hospital offered breastfeeding support daily and there was also a Baby Cafe in my town once a week. I found this support invaluable.

There's Le Leche League support groups on facebook too where you can ask any questions you have.

Incidentally, my DD has never taken a bottle and is now mostly weaned at 18 months.