Breastfeeding novice

[junglejane56]

When I had my dc 10 years ago i never got the chance to breastfeed due to a traumatic delivery/recovery for us both plus not a lot of encouragement or information on my side either. I was very young and a bottle seemed like the easiest option.

I'm pregnant again and thinking that this time I would like to try to breastfeed but I really don't know anything about it or what to expect. Does baby have to latch on within a certain time for it to be possible? Do you get help at the hospital? Could anyone give me some sort of idea of what to expect if this is what I choose?

The best way to succeed is breastfeed on demand. So, put the baby to the breast as frequently as possible. This will trigger your milk to come in (usually around day 2/3 but sometimes it takes longer- the first time mine came in at day 5). Have a read on the kellymom website about what to expect with newborn feeding- newborns are often fussy, regularly hungry and generally want to be clamped to you at all times. This doesn't mean you aren't making enough milk - it's normal behaviour but often it's mistaken for issues with supply and people turn to formula. The only reliable way to gauge how it's going is by nappy output and weight gain. If those are fine, then have confidence in yourself!

As for the first feed - there's a lot of stuff about needing to feed in the first hour, immediate skin to skin and so on. Yes, these are all ideal scenarios but it's totally possible to bf if those things don't happen. My first I was in theatre for 7 hours after he was born under GA and lost 3.5 litres of blood - I was still able to breastfeed and, while his first feed was formula because I was out of action, I went on to exclusively breastfeed until he was weaned and then continued to bf til he was 18mo. Don't worry if things aren't perfect at the start. Once you can after delivery, just start putting baby to the breast and keep going!

I second the Kellymom website - it's fab.
When baby is born, ask for as much help as you can from the midwives in hospital to help get baby to latch. It may feel never ending initially as the more they suckle, the more they send messages to your body to bring the milk in!
Look up local breastfeeding clinics to go to in the early weeks if you're struggling... but basically, there is lots of help out there and don't be afraid to ask for it!

Some other great evidence based resources are:

Breastfeeding.support website
La Leache League (LLL) website
Following International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) on Facebook such as: Lucy Ruddle, the milk meg, analytical armadillo, Louise Barnett, Hannah Croft etc

Find out about what support your local area has for breastfeeding. You may have breastfeeding peer support groups in your local area, often in children's centres / family hubs and you can visit during pregnancy.

You might have a local LLL group, their leaders are breastfeeding counsellors, and a great source of help.

You can also look up your local breastfeeding specialists, IBCLC, via their website.

Just knowing where you can find support locally can be really helpful in the early days.

Buy yourself this book:

It's taken me 8 weeks to get baby to latch due to tongue tie/thrush/prem baby small mouth. Don't be disheartened if it takes time. You can do what I did which was pump breast milk and cup feed to teach baby how to lap ready for breastfeeding, whereas a bottle teaches sucking (a different movement).

It's brilliant now. There were obviously loads of times when I could have just given up and switched to a bottle but I joined a breastfeeding support group online and they've been amazing.

I didn’t bf in the first hour either time and went on to bf.

Read about cluster feeding, with my first I spent so many nights crying as she fed for hours and hours and I didn’t understand how she could still be hungry and assumed she wasn’t getting enough.
For me I found the first 8- 10 weeks hardest and then it clicked in to place.
Once I got the hang of breast feeding I really enjoyed it and ended up bf my DD until 2yrs and my DS is nearly 2 yrs and is not ready to stop.
Make sure you have nipple cream and put it on after every feed.

See if you can follow some lactation consultants on social media, you'll absorb so many tips and useful info.

I'd recommend
Lucy Ruddle
LMJ Feeding Support
Professor Amy Brown
The Analytical Armadillo

Just as a starting point, I'm sure there are more good ones.

Definitely try to find Bf groups / support whilst still pregnant. A bumps and babies type group via your local NCT perhaps??

I would join the UK Breastfeeding Support Facebook page. That really helped me with learning how to breastfeed mine.

I had bleeding and cracked and blistered nipples for the first few weeks. There were tears and I lived on paracetamol and nipple cream. I persevered because I’m a lazy bugger and didn’t want to have to prepare formula. No one told me how painful it could be. I’m glad I pushed through but I really think there should be fair warning. Giving birth was a breeze compared to breastfeeding.

I didn’t put DS to my breast for hours after he was born due to haemorrhage. He didn’t latch for the first 12+ hours. And then his latch was poor. I was reminded that we were both learning. I hand expressed for the first few days.

To give myself a break in the early days I pumped and gave expressed milk by the bottle and also gave formula, not daily, but when the cluster feeding became too much.

Definitely read on cluster feeding. That's usually where it breaks down - baby acts ravenous and as though you are starving them with an insufficient milk supply. You aren't. Even those of us who feed a baby and pump to exclusively feed a second baby get the cluster feeding! They scream at you, thrash about, won't latch, scratch and bang your boobs. For hours sometimes. It's normal and necessary.