No breastfeeding support

[FtmNov22]

I'm a first time mum,due in 4 weeks, really want breastfeeding to work so I have done a lot of research into it. I'm not completely against formula as believe fed is best but I don't want to fail at breastfeeding at the first hurdle and want to give it all I can for it to work.

At my 36 week appointment this week I asked my midwife what support is available for breastfeeding, like is there a number to call or a place to go for help after I've been discharged if I come across any problems. Her response was none is open due to coronavirus, make sure you don't get discharged until you are confident and speak up at the checks you get after birth as that will be the only opportunity.

The appointment altogether I felt was very rushed, like when I asked about colostrum harvesting she handed me an envelope with syringes and leaflets and said to have a look at it, no other comment. My breasts have been feeling sore and tingly and hard at times but no sign of any colostrum 😔

The appointment ended with her telling me she has a week holiday so my 38 week appointment will be in 3 weeks time at 39 weeks. I feel like I don't get much suport from her.

I really don't want to fail at the first hurdle but I feel like there is very little support available to me. Has anyone got any advice?

Would it be worth contacting my health visitor?

Hopefully you’ll get lots of support on the postnatal ward. You could give your health visitor a call as they may have some numbers for some support groups that may be still operating via video call or something.

Loss and loss of skin to skin and let the baby just feed when they want, I spent the first two weeks pretty much topless, in the sofa watching box sets. There were some really rough moments as you’re exhausted and cluster feeding can be brutal but it’s all so normal. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on normal behaviours for a breastfed baby and you’ll be fine, ask for the baby to be checked for tongue tie too😊

Lots and lots*

Don't worry about not being able to get colostrum out now. It comes easier for the baby. If you have a reason you need to have the colostrum ready then try calling La Leche League or looking at the Kelly Mom website. I agree don't be discharge untill you can latch the baby without help. I needed the midwives the first few times. Telephone support would be good for a lot of issues so if you get a national helpline number ready that would be good. Agree with the above just feed on demand with lots of skin to skin, expect frequent feeds and cluster feeding. Do you know anyone who's breastfed their children who you could talk to?

At the hospital nurses on the ward would help me after I had my baby, and if they don't then ask. If you google "nose to nipple latch" that can be handy for position, and keep baby upright afterwards and burp more than you think you need to! I'm sure there'll be a nurse or two who will be more than happy to help you on the ward, but ask if not. I think if you have such a positive approach and such determination you will make the best go at it! Good luck

Don't worry about harvesting colostrum unless you have GD or are expecting to have baby pre-term.

I've breastfed all 3 of my boys (DS3 is only 6 weeks) and I've never leaked or had any colostrum before any of them were born; it's no indication of how breastfeeding will go so don't worry.

I agree with your midwife that you should ask for as much help as possible when you're in hospital. Get baby to try and feed ASAP after birth then ring your buzzer for help every time you try and get baby to latch on.

It's totally normal to not have any milk until 4/5 days after you give birth and you might never see a drop of colostrum but trust your body and persevere.

I'd recommend lansinoh for your nipples in the first week or two.

Good luck OP, it can be tricky at first but it's worth it.

Hey,

I tried harvesting and had no luck at all. My DD is 8 weeks old and EBF. Honestly the first couple of days of breastfeeding were the hardest, but once we cracked that, we have been absolutely fine. I was in hospital for 4 nights with DD and although I didn't need much support with breastfeeding, it was there on the postnatal ward for anyone who needed it. The midwifes would help and in my local hospital they also have breastfeeding support on hand if it's needed. Most services for support are closed due to Covid-19, so I'd definitely echo what pp have said and if you're not confident, then tell the midwives and doctors you do not want to be discharged.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine.

Hi OP, as previous posters have said, please ask the midwives at the hospital to help you make sure the baby is latching on properly.

Also, have you looked to see if there is a Baby Cafe near you? I know my local one is currently being run online but there’s always a breastfeeding specialist there along with peer supporters who are trained to help.

Le Leche League are an amazing source of information. There’s various Facebook groups of theirs so I’d recommend having a look.

I never expressed colostrum beforehand. It took me about 6 weeks to be able to feed my DD easily as she had a tongue tie but once that was sorted it all clicked in to place.

I learnt pretty much everything from the la leche league and their book 'the womanly art of breastfeeding' can highly recommend x

You will have on the front cover of the red book the phone number for the breastfeeding helpline. You can call them 7 days a week. Sometimes there's no one to take your call, but you can leave a message and they'll ring you back, or you just try 5 minutes later until someone picks up. They're very helpful and supportive
www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/

I've also getting lots of support through my health visitor, and I can request breastfeeding home visits through her.

I find that they really encourage breastfeeding and will try their best to support you if you reach out to them. There's also support groups on Facebook

As others have said don't worry about harvesting colostrum - it's only really important for babies who are likely to be in nicu. I only had some prior to birth with DC1.

I asked for help on the postnatal ward and in my experience they were great and took time to sit with me and make sure all was okay. Even with DC3 they checked latched and made sure I was happy before they discharged. There's a lot of flaws with postnatal care but in my experience if you show any interest in breastfeeding they put time in to helping you as the rates are so low.

Also agree with getting lansinoh and doing a bit of research into cluster feeding - some women worry it's a sign of not enough milk.

There are quite a few breastfeeding support groups on Facebook which I found invaluable. I joined UK Breastfeeding Support whilst I was still pregnant and saw some of the issues that could arise. There's so much help and advice on there and it was definitely instrumental in me breastfeeding my two children, along with the two midwives who visited me at home after the birth of my first (not sure of they're still doing this). Good luck!

There's a national breastfeeding helpline you can call- give it a Google. I'd also check on Facebook for breastfeeding support groups close to you; my local one is amazing. Support is 24/7 via Facebook chat and daily via zoom.

I had my baby girl just over 2 weeks ago - I had no idea what I was doing, the midwives on the postnatal ward were incredible they really helped me until I got it right and was confident when I was ready to go home the weed coordinator encouraged me to stay one more night so they could keep supporting me and she could see I wasn’t going to give up - I did and I’m so glad - and she breastfeeds like a pro now.

In my area (Bristol) there is a great local breastfeeding Facebook group, where people post for advice every day. There are also local breastfeeding counsellors and peer supporters who post advice and offer support via zoom. Maybe look for something similar on Facebook.

Find a breastfeeding su

Sorry fat fingers hit post.
Find a breastfeeding support group now, a breastfeeding counselor or lactation consultant. As pp said the womanly art of breastfeeding is a good book to read. But nothing beats hands on support.
If you end up having a section your milk may not come in the average 3 days.

It has been said already it is very hard at the start when your milk comes in and you're building supply. You need to understand that breastfeeding is demand and supply for the first couple of weeks. Baby constantly wants to feed and this helps your supply going until it is established. Get nipple shields just in case, lansinoh nipple cream, reusable breast pads. I didn't harvest colostrum either.

Take it one day at a time and don't pressure yourself. I remember with my first thinking we'll breastfeed for one day, then we made it to one week, one month, 6 weeks, one year, and on. Enjoy every day you feed. All the best.

Thank you for all the support and advice! If theres anything anyone recommends to buy to be ready please do tell me! Theres so many different things out there and knowing what is needed and what is worth it is difficult! I've got a few boxes of breast pads so far and a hakka and a box of milk bags

The leaflets with the colostrum harvesting pack are really helpful, I think if it's like mine they have one of those scan code things as well that takes you to the website with all the relevant info

I had my first DD a couple of years ago and there wasn't really any face to face breastfeeding support anyway after the hospital but there are helplines. Your local NCT etc might have peer supporters to speak to that can help. I personally found Facebook groups and online info more helpful than I probably would have trying to get it together actually in front of someone but it's so different for everyone. The hospital should have a lactation consultant who can help while you are there

@FtmNov22

Thank you for all the support and advice! If theres anything anyone recommends to buy to be ready please do tell me! Theres so many different things out there and knowing what is needed and what is worth it is difficult! I've got a few boxes of breast pads so far and a hakka and a box of milk bags

Don't forget nipple cream and nipple shield (in case your nipples get too sore) and a good nursing bra. Snacks to keep you going as you will he needing a lot of food. Definitely get in touch with the NCT or a breastfeeding counselor before the baby is born. If you can do an online breastfeeding class, then you have contact with your instructor after baby is born should there be any issues.

I’m doing a la Leche class in a couple of weeks

Do you know any lactation consultant in your area ? Think that’s the only thing that has saved my journey. An expert person when things were going wrong.

Take it easy

You will get a lot of support after birth in the hospital. I felt my last few antenatal clinics were rushed too even before Covid. It's hard work at the beginning and I felt as if I made a mistake but it was all worth it once I settled into it. I took extra formula with me even though I was determined to bf but had it ready just in case and still did use the formula after feeding the baby with colostrum as my milk didn't come until the 3rd day.

Kelly Mom website, La Leche League book "the womanly art of breastfeeding" and follow the Milk Meg on Instagram. She does remote consults and is fantastic.

I wouldn't have coped without the Maternity Support Worker who visited me three days after birth. She was more helpful than anyone else. Thanks to her we're still going.

Is there a particular reason why you need to harvest colostrum? It isn’t usually necessary unless baby is expected to be premature, or you have a planned CS. I have fed two babies into toddlerhood with no supply problems but never had any colostrum before the birth, so please don’t worry.

I had a half hearted go at collecting collosterum in advance. I didn't have a reason to but I was curious. Whilst I never collected more than 0.1ml of collestrum I found the experience helpful when my milk came in and needed to hand express to reduce discomfort from engorgement and now when I'm trying to express the odd bottle of milk.
I wouldn't worry whether you can harvest any but even just reading/watching videos of the process helped me understand what was going on when I wasn't as sleep deprived and didn't have a crying baby!

I have found the midwives and health visitor to helpful for bf advice and the hv was able to refer us to an infant feeding team for further advice too. As well as the online suggestions given by pp