Breastfeeding

[MrsFbn]

Hi Everyone, Currently pregnant with my 3rd and really want to try breastfeeding this time round. Im really unsure where to start with things like breast pumps etc?! It’s a bit of a mine field for a first time breast feeder I feel. Anybody have any recommendations or any where I can get advice? Thanks

You can find your local La Leche League or look on Facebook for your area + breastfeeding as done places have cafes and support groups. Also ask your mw if they know of anything.

There are so many breastpumps it's hard to know where to start, but I have a Tommee Tippee hand pump, purely because I didn't want to be connected to a machine! Best thing to do is ask around, see if you can look at some and done hospitals even have them for hire.

Good luck! I've loved (mostly) every moment of my breastfeeding journey - apart from the biting!

Some practical advice: 1. You don't need an expensive pump I had a £35 Bella baby and used it everyday for a year.

1. Pumping works best when baby is on the boob or just after a feed when they've got your milk going, so I never did use both parts of my double pump.
2. If you have a local sure start centre they do breastfeeding clinics and the staff are breastfed trained and SOOO much better than HVs.
3. Look into nipple shields as they can help with latch, different midwives give you different advice so I would read up and maybe get one in just in case.
4. Health visitors don't know everything!
5. EBF newborns tend to drop more weight and be naturally slimmer than FF
6. Read up on cosleeping. Some midwives/hvs are really knowledgeable about this and help you make an informed choice, some aren't
7. They tell you they feed every 2hrs for 15-30mins - it's bollocks they are almost permanently on boob for the first 3 months
8. At 12 weeks it's like a magic switch gets flipped and they suddenly 'get it' (best advice I was ever given and seems to be true of many EBF babies) and breastfeeding gets easier and more enjoyable and you can enjoy not have to prep bottles when you go out

10. Breastfeeding may be natural but it is a learned skill (for mum and baby) it took my LO 4months to be able to feed without a shield but we got there in the end

And that is everything I know about breastfeeding!

I bought a breast pump for when I had DD but we never really used it. I tried expressing a few times but she couldn't figure out how to drink from a bottle. I breastfed her for 10 months and then gradually replaced with formula over a month or so.

So you might not need to get one, at least not at first.

So sorry im on my phone and the paragraphs were taken out my post!

im following this thread with interest, im 7 1/2 months pregnant and plan to breastfeed. I agree, it's a complete minefield with a lot of conflicting advice. Question though, with the pumps, does the milk get expressed into a bottle that you then use to feed the baby with?

I agree with @Maltay on breast shields. I was told I needed them immediately after my first was born. Was great with them and after one month I was able to latch him without.
With my daughter I tried without and ended up bleeding and hurting so badly after one day only. The breastfeeding support lady at the hospital was insisting I need to get her to latch without, but was just a pain. And don't believe the myth that breast shields can reduce your supply; I had a great supply. You just need to learn to position them well and you're good. Tommee Tippee ones were better than Lasinoh.

You might find Lasinoh or similar nipple cream a saver, for me was even second time around.

You might not need a breast pump, and if you need you can find one at a 24hrs big supermarket so you can buy as needed. Second time around I mastered to hand express, at the point that I was much faster than the pump to hand express.

Have bottles of water to drink, drink, drink. I found fennel tea was good and it's believed it helped with milk supply.

Try to get comfortable to start with, once you get past the first weeks it is easing slowly. But bear in mind breastfeed baby's need feeding on demand, not on a clock.

Good luck!

letsallscream usually, or sometimes a freezer baggie.

Ignore any midwives who tell you that if you are doing it right, it doesn't hurt. Newborns have better suction than a dyson, and if you are not used to vacuuming your boobs on a daily basis, they are going to take time to adjust.

For me: first week was OK. Second week was uncomfortable. Third week was agony. Fourth week was OK. Week five and on it was a lovely bonding experience.

Sorry for jumping in on this post but I've got a 12 day old and really struggling with breastfeeding. We're mainly formula feeding with maybe one boob session a day and one bottle made up of breastmilk a day. I pump every two-three hours with an electric medela pump but only manage to express about 50-70ml a day. We really struggle with latch and sucking so most of the time I relent and give him formula when he gets upset/hangry. Is my breastfeeding journey doomed :(

My DD is still breastfed and shes just turned 1. My midwife advised I waited 2 weeks after I had DD before starting to breastfeed, and she told me not to bother wasting loads of money on a pump, so I just got a tommee tippee hand pump whilst it was on sale for £15. It's best to express whilst your baby is feeding aswell, but some babies don't really know how to 'feed from a bottle' once they have already started breastfeeding. My dd used to always refused a bottle, so I didn't really end up needing the pump anyway. Its useful to have though just incase your little one does take to bottles. I could never express using an electronic breast pump either, could only use the hand pumps.

You'll need loads of breast pads and some nipple cream too. Personally I love breastfeeding. And I was lucky enough to never experience any pain or discomfort or have any problems. I hope it goes well for you, because when it does, it can be amazing. Tiring, but worth it for the close bond you have with your child.

The NHS advice on nipple shields changed. The lactation nurse after I have birth was fab and found one hidden in a cupboard for me and it worked perfectly. My daughter was constantly rooting and it was like my nipple wasn't big enough to register in her mouth. After the nurse left her shift the other nurses got quite arsey about me using a shield -i actually ended up discharging myself over it. The negatives of shields are: it's supposed to reduce supply (it didn't for me), they're sterile so the baby doesn't get the 'good bacteria' from your nipple (but they don't from a bottle either) and they take longer to feed (no idea if that's true but she was latched on a LOT so maybe this is true).
I was very commited to breastfeeding mainly I think because I'm a vet so I had a bit of medical knowledge. I feel like of I wasn't that pig headed and stubborn I'd have ended up being persuaded into giving her formula and in the first few weeks mixed feeding seems to eventually become bottle feeding.
I'm actually getting angry writing this post remembering how I was badgered on the ward.
I really didn't research BF I stupidly thought 'cant be that hard, animals do it all the time' so I think the fact you are doing research now bodes well!
I found MN very useful and also a website called KellyMom and Lalache

@aliensprig I found these shields the best. www.amazon.co.uk/MAM-Nipple-Shield-Including-Travel/dp/B000R9PFPE/ref=asc_df_B000R9PFPE/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310891214347&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1007197971983902369&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006876&hvtargid=pla-451820226130&psc=1&th=1&psc=1
Size 2 fits most women, size 1 is for teeny tiny nipples. Don't despair! The amount you pump is not the amount in your breast. I had loads of milk and unless DD was latched on to the other boob I could only express 10-20ml, with her latched I could fill a bottle in 5mins. Your body just knows the difference between baby and a machine.
Things get so much easier when they get to 2-3 mo old and they're that bit bigger and stronger x

Agree breastfeeding can hurt at first! It took easily a few weeks to get the hang of it - my nipples were sore and misshapen until we both got the hang of it!

@aliensprig - stick with it! If the latch continues to be a problem you could explore tongue-tie, which could be causing issues and has a simple procedure to rectify. However, there's nothing wrong with using formula or combo feeding, as looking as your baby is getting milk somehow

aliensprig no it’s not doomed but you need to get specialist support from either LLL volunteer or a private lactation consultant. You need to get your baby assessed for tongue tie, work in your latch (watch YouTube video of flipple technique) and ideally get your baby on the boob as much as possible. When DD2 was ting and hangry I would give her a tiny bit of formula, less than 1/2 an oz and then get her to latch.

Expressing can work but to exhausting and a baby with no physical problems will always be more efficient than a pump.

I breastfe(e)d and have never bothered using a pump.
Technically, all you need for breastfeeding is your breast and the baby. And maybe some breastpads to avoid soaking through your bra/top, and nipple cream (Lansinoh is good) as you're quite likely to have sore nipples at some point or the other!

But if you run into difficulties or want to be away from baby for more than an hour or so, accessories like pump/nipple shields are great.

Can really recommend local breastfeeding support group to go for face-to-face advice (and check the latch) as well as Facebook breastfeeding groups, they're really supportive. I went to an NHS infant feeding session before birth, which was kind of helpful but not really - it's very different holding a doll to holding a baby!

@aliensprig It's all about supply and demand, so the more baby feeds on you (or you pump - but pumping can be less effective), the more you'll produce. I'd just recommend getting the latch right, best with help. I went to a local breastfeeding support group when my baby was 9 days old because feeding hurt so much (the latch / positioning was wrong) and it was hard to get out of the house and drive 15 mins but SO worth it!