Questions on breastfeeding

[lolo78]

I am due my first in April and slowly starting to purchase everything. Just wondering; I am planning on breastfeeding so what will I need? Obviously a breast pump and bottles for expressing... but would you recommend still buying the Tommee Tippee perfect prep machine just in case baby doesn't take to breast? Any recommendations would be much appreciated as I'm a bit lost in the world of milk!

Don’t buy the perfect prep just yet see how you go - in the first few weeks we had some of the tiny premade milk bottles that come with teats incase I needed a lie in after a feedy night - after that when over the birth mainly breast feed but if ever went out with old child we would use ready made formulae so didn’t buy powder or the prep. Buy lots of lovely baby gros, breast and maternity pads x

Definitely a breastfeeding cushion (pack in your hospital bag), plus some comfy breastfeeding bras and vest tops. I also found syringes useful in the first few days to collect colostrum in before milk came in (DS was very sleepy for the first few days so had trouble getting him to stay awake to feed!). You should be able to get some from the hospital before you're discharged (they can be sterilized in boiling water so you can reuse them)

If you’re having a hospital birth make sure you take advantage of all the support you can get while you’re on the postnatal ward. Midwives and Support Workers can teach you different holds and methods, etc. Once you’re discharged it can be difficult to get that immediate hands-on support. Good luck x

I agree with ( almost ) everyone that there is no need to buy things 'just in case'. This goes for a lot of baby paraphernalia. If you decide you want to express in a few weeks when feeding is established you can really easily acquire what you need.
The first few weeks of getting to know your child are hard. They can fidget and moan , posset , vomit, Bob on and off for hours or suckle for hours. It is really easy to worry and think that the feeding is going wrong and the baby isn't getting enough when in fact they are just sorting out the milk supply, enjoying cuddling up to you and learning how to do it efficiently. In the middle of the night after hours of a restless crying baby with a helpless partner I'm sure every new mother feels like turning to some formula. I'm not saying that this is always the wrong solution, far from it , but it isn't necessarily the right one if your goal is to establish breast feeding. Use your money to make yourself comfortable and make decisions about pumping etc in the cold light of day when It is needed would definitely be my advice.

Agree - don't buy stuff :) A few bottles isn't a bad thing to have and you'll probably use them at some point or other, but even those you don't need.

I didn't have a feeding cushion with my first and I don't think you need one, but I did have one with my second and I liked it.

I wouldn't buy a pump - but I would research and decide which one I would like to buy. Then stick it in an amazon list or Pinterest board "Things for baby" and forget about it.

Reason being if you need to pump in the very early days you will often be loaned a hospital pump. If you want to pump later, it will depend how often you plan to pump and how much. If you only pump occasionally, a hand pump is sensible. If you pump a lot, electric would be useful. If you stop breastfeeding within a couple of weeks, decide hand pumping is more efficient, simply don't feel like leaving your baby until they are old enough to be left without needing milk - a pump would be a waste of money, and they can be hard to re-sell.

But if you do need it later, you can go into that amazon list and order it for next day delivery. Same with the tommee tippee machine. In fact, this is an excellent way to go for almost everything baby related that you don't know you'll definitely have to use within the first two weeks. Just wait and see if you need it.

Buy and keep at home - pram, car seat, newborn bed, clothing, nappy changing stuff, place to pop them down during the day, few muslins, couple of blankets. Everything else can go on that list :)

I breastfed both my dc. All the bottles and sterilising stuff I bought was a waste of money. Best buys are lansinoh, breast pads and hobnobs since you'll be glued to the sofa.

Seriously though, go with the flow, forget the housework, get all the help and advice you can get and never be afraid to ask anything no matter how daft you might think it is and enjoy the journey. If it doesn't go to plan you'll be able to look back and know you gave it your best shot.

All the best op

Loads of breast pads, nipple cream, nursing bras, vests are good too for the early days when you're not going out but want to be more covered than a bra, spare pillow or cushion (any will do, doesn't have to be one that's specifically for breastfeeding). If you're worried get a pack of the little aptamil with the sterilised teats, might relax you knowing there's back up. And as a pp said the early days you really do just need to get comfy with drinks, snacks, tv etc and let baby do their thing.

@TwinkleStars15
Interesting comment. What happens if the mother produces no milk? Not so easy then is it...

CFlemingSmith This would be incredibly unusual to the point it is not worth preparing for. If the mother produced no milk obviously they would have to go to the shop and buy some formula.
Why is the concept of going to the shop and buying something you need so strange to you? Do you not do this normally...

There are a carry tiny number of women who don’t produce milk and that’s usually due to separate medical issue entirely

I would get loads of breast pads, cream and some non wired bras

I bought a couple of bottles and formula, was very thankful I did as my baby wasn't putting on wieght and would feed for hours and hours, I had enough one night and luckily I had everything in the house to give him a bottle. Its great if you can breast feed, it's tough and I wish I could have but I was advised by health visitor to give him bottle as I couldn't produce enough milk x

@CFlemingSmith yes of course that would be an issue, however the percentage of women that happens in is extremely low, it is incredibly rare for a women to produce no milk. It is also very unhelpful when mentioned as it scares many women into thinking it may happen to them; or when feeding doesn’t happen easily at first they may think they have no milk, when in fact they do but they may require some support from a lactation consultant. Women (and men) can actually induce lactation without being pregnant, some adoptive mothers do this, it’s is incredible time consuming but it does, and can, happen.

Re bras, l would also add that non-wired isn't compulsory if you don't find them comfortable (I was a 32F even pre-pregnancy so there was no way non-wired bras were going to provide any support!). There are a few brands that do decent wired ones too. Most important is that the bra is the correct size (whether underwired or not) as that helps reduce the risk of mastitis.

@TwinkleStars15
It is very rare, yes. However, I do think it needs to be mentioned, otherwise some women end up having a baby who is rapidly loosing weight and at risk of not getting any nourishment because they have been told “breastfeeding is so natural there is no reason why it won’t happen” etc so they preserve even when baby isn’t benefiting