Breastfeeding/Bottle Feeding Advice

[Furmummy]

Hellooo I am 20 weeks pregnant and feel totally clueless!! I plan on breastfeeding and hope to pump occasionally for hubby to be able to help. Did you buy those things before baby was born? Or did you wait? Also what happens if can’t do I need bottles just incase? And what about the steriliser sets? Just been looking online and feel totally clueless!

I would wait and see how you get on. I bought bottles with my first and they went to waste. I didn't with my second. Your milk can take a week to come in so no need to have bottles straight away. You can get some premade later if needed.

You can get little pre made bottles with teats all ready to go so I would have a box of those ready. Then once you know if you need/want them get bottles/steriliser etc

I would have at least a newborn starter pack just in case. What if baby has tongue tie and can’t latch? Luckily I had bottles for my first as she couldn’t latch. I had planned on breastfeeding but we couldn’t.

Wait and see. You have so much time to look for and order stuff when feeding a baby.
Some people can’t freeze their milk so it’s good to test that early on.
I borrowed a pump and bought new plastic parts for it. Didn’t use it more than a few times (and ebf to 2 and to 3). It was was easier than I anticipated to work around.
A handpump is useful to have for bf strikes for your comfort.

I'm 33 weeks so just decided to buy some things now for a similar plan to you - hopefully breast feeding but also hoping to pump a bit too.
I decided to just start out with a hand pump, 3 bottles from different brands as apparently babies can be picky & some pre made formula bottles in case my milk doesn't come in (my mum never produced any). I didn't want to overbuy in case it doesn't end up useful & figured we can buy for next day delivery quite easily once we work out what our situation is!
My understanding was that bottles used for breast milk don't need sterilising in the same way that they do if formula is used so again I've decided not to buy sterilisers unless I end up using formula.

I would, and did, just wait. Providing you have shops nearby you can get anything you need if you actually need it.

I would look at the breastfeeding support services near you more than prepping for if it doesn't work out. Find your local La Leche League and follow them on Facebook and you'll see people commenting with the same stumbling blocks that most people bump in to and see the advice before you potentially need it. You can message the leaders for help with latch, positioning anything really and they are like witches who magically seem to fix things!
I would look for both your public health breastfeeding support, for example can you go in to the maternity unit for breastfeeding help once the baby is here (I could and it was really helpful for the 3 day post partum baby blues, I'm starving my baby worry stage, I wasn't BTW!). I would also look at your local private services too as some can snip tongue ties and the wait is a lot shorter than NHS, it costs about £175 where I am. You shouldn't have to pay but the NHS wait list takes the piss, 6 weeks where I am!

Breastfeeding/bottle feeding, either is fine and you're baby will be happy and healthy either way. Breastfeeding support is often underfunded and underresourced though so if it is something that you want to do I think getting the support network ready before birth can help.

Ultimately most women can breastfeed, there are a very minute percentage who have genuine low supply. The rest of the women who can't have just been thoroughly let down by the services not providing enough information and support.

Buy some lansinoh and put it on your nipples twice a day for two weeks baby is due and find the details of your local bf support group so you’ve got someone to ask at all hours if there’s a facebook group if you’ve a question.
I had some mam bottles which sterilise in the microwave and you can get microwave sterilising bags which are great.

Nipple shields aren’t bad to have on hand either. My midwife told me to only use lanisoh if it hurts as you actually need the nipples to toughen up rather than get softer. It’s great as a salve for baby fingers (I never used it on me).

Don't get anything, the shops are always open if you need anything ,(unless you live in the middle of nowhere).

Regarding the 1bottle partner feed... It's best to leave that until your supply is established to reduce the risks of mastitis, supply issues ect so you've got about 6 weeks to sort that out after birth.

Good luck!

That’s interesting about the lansinoh I put it on for just over two weeks before my first and didn’t get any nipple pain. My second arrived early and I hadn’t yet started using it. I had agonising cracked nipples. I think because they weren’t supple and the skin was dry.

Thank you for all your replies, all really informative and helpful. Totally eased some anxiety by having a better understanding xxx

I would personally wait and see how you get on. Before having DS I planned to breastfeed with DH doing expressed bottles also. We had a hideous start and many challenges so I would definitely recommend what a PP said about knowing where to find quality breastfeeding support in your area. I also found that expressing for DH to feed sounded good on paper but was actually a lot of extra work that neither of us needed and we abandoned the plan pretty early on. If I'd spent loads on a breast pump in advance, it would have been a waste.

You can always rent one. A hospital grade pump by Medela cost £47 per month but the cheaper version Medela pumps are good too. I bought mine from Boots, look out for offers.