BF Moms: What do you plan to do?

[Blah11]

I want to BF no matter what or how oftem I'm woke up, but OH says it will depend on how labor goes and family says it would be good to try to get rest before taking LO home. I get scared that if he takes a bottle the first time he won't BF, but we'll see. I'm sticking with no matter what until I get to that bridge

I think you should ignore your family and OH if Im being honest its your body, youre the one who is going to be feeding him so idk why anyone else should have a say in it?!

 

[Blah11]

how long do you guys stay in hospital for btw? milk doesnt 'come in' until day 3-5 usually but colostrum is really high in calories and really good for them and enough for them until your milk does come in. Theres no reason to pump to encourage it to come in on day 2 IDGI?

 

[Green Glitter]

how long do you guys stay in hospital for btw? milk doesnt 'come in' until day 3-5 usually but colostrum is really high in calories and really good for them and enough for them until your milk does come in. Theres no reason to pump to encourage it to come in on day 2 IDGI?

In the US, I believe (as it's been 6 years since I last had mine so anyone feel free to correct me if it's changed), but they keep you for two days for a vaginal birth and 3 days for a c-section.

I wasn't encouraged to pump at my hospital, just BF, which I did. My milk came in on its own a few days later.

 

[Ashley8806]

how long do you guys stay in hospital for btw? milk doesnt 'come in' until day 3-5 usually but colostrum is really high in calories and really good for them and enough for them until your milk does come in. Theres no reason to pump to encourage it to come in on day 2 IDGI?

It's 2 days for vaginal and 3 for csection, i was in for 3 bc of csection. They didn't have me pumping to get milk, but because I had one breast that was not working with BF DD1. I was bleeding, ripped open, and I had 4 people in there watching to make sure the latch was okay, etc, and they said my anatomy wasn't matching with her anatomy on that side, so they had me pumping that side and feeding her from the other - which eventually turned into just pumping because by the time I got done with feeding her, pumping, feeding her that bottle, it was time to do it all over again I don't think they tell you to do it for your milk to come in, at least not at my hospital, but some women may prefer to bring their pump with them to do so? I'm not sure

 

[Ashley8806]

Thanks everyone - I agree it is totally worth it, I love the feeling of knowing I am providing the milk for my LO. My first night though, I literally couldn't stay wake, no matter what we did. I wanted to so bad, but literally could not stay awake lol I hope this time I won't need a csection, and won't be quite so knocked out from the pain killers and shock of a csection

 

[HappiestMom]

Im hoping to BF exclusively and keep her in the room as much as possible but will be taking some bottles (tommee tippee) to the hospital just incase something should happen and I would have to express or have her supplemented..better safe than sorry and we are already stocked up on bottles so I want her to use the bottles we have to reduce nipple confusion later on...

 

[Ashley8806]

We have Tommee Tippee too That's a good idea to take them with also, thanks!

 

[waiting4allie]

I plan on hopefully only breastfeeding while at the hospital. I know that tthe chances of everything going as planned are slim though. MY main concern is the baby having some nipple confusion.

 

[JackiePed]

You'll definitely have to be flexible. I know from my experience with DD1, that giving her a bottle at the hospital was asking for trouble when it came to breastfeeding, and we almost weren't successful. I was in TEARS trying to get her to breastfeed, when she'd have much preferred the ease of the bottle.
However... if something happens, and you need to give LO a bottle, you are NOT a bad mom!!
Looking back, I don't know why she 'needed' a bottle... since exclusively breastfed babies don't really have any milk for days. So be sure they really do 'need' it... ifyou'r intent on exclusively bf-ing.
Next...working doesn't mean you can't bf.. it just may mean you won't EXCLUSIVELY bf. I pumped as much as I could, with formula at the caregiver's as back-up. Somedays we had enough milk to get us through, other days she had to have some formula. But when she was with me, she could bf for all of her meals. I made it 9 months with my first, and 6 months with my second-- I don't know why it was so short with him... he just...stopped.

In the hospital, if you need rest, utilize the nursery but ask that they bring LO to you for feedings. Feedings won't take long since it's just colostrum anyways.

 

[Shmead]

In the US they will sometimes encourage you to pump as well as feed on demand if there is any reason to believe you will have trouble getting BF established--PCOS, history of low supply, past breast reduction. It's a "better safe than sorry" thing where they figure maximum stimulation right off the bat might help you get established instead of falling into the trap where low supply means you have to supplement (and if your baby drops over 10% of body weight in the first three days, you really do need to supplement) and then supplementing leading to less stimulation, which leads to even lower supply. If you are "at risk" of low supply, better to just jump start the hell out of it early on. They will have a hospital-grade pump for you to use in that case.

 

[SuperKat]

I always tell them to bring the babies back to my room for feedings so i can breastfeed, and they do- they will wake me up. I usually have the baby with me in the room for 99% of the time. When my daughter was in the NICU I was obviously in my room alone- so if I was sleeping they knew I was exclusively breastfeeding and were excellent about coming to me to feed her if I was sleeping (when I was awake I was with her).

 

[Sherileigh]

how long do you guys stay in hospital for btw? milk doesnt 'come in' until day 3-5 usually but colostrum is really high in calories and really good for them and enough for them until your milk does come in. Theres no reason to pump to encourage it to come in on day 2 IDGI?

I pumped and mine came in day 2.

 

[Ashley8806]

You'll definitely have to be flexible. I know from my experience with DD1, that giving her a bottle at the hospital was asking for trouble when it came to breastfeeding, and we almost weren't successful. I was in TEARS trying to get her to breastfeed, when she'd have much preferred the ease of the bottle.
However... if something happens, and you need to give LO a bottle, you are NOT a bad mom!!
Looking back, I don't know why she 'needed' a bottle... since exclusively breastfed babies don't really have any milk for days. So be sure they really do 'need' it... ifyou'r intent on exclusively bf-ing.
Next...working doesn't mean you can't bf.. it just may mean you won't EXCLUSIVELY bf. I pumped as much as I could, with formula at the caregiver's as back-up. Somedays we had enough milk to get us through, other days she had to have some formula. But when she was with me, she could bf for all of her meals. I made it 9 months with my first, and 6 months with my second-- I don't know why it was so short with him... he just...stopped.

In the hospital, if you need rest, utilize the nursery but ask that they bring LO to you for feedings. Feedings won't take long since it's just colostrum anyways.

Thanks - that is what I meant, with not exclusively BF when I go back to work, hence why I wouldn't be totally opposed to supplementing with formula. It's just the nipple confusion mainly that I'm concerned with.

 

[CatherineK]

Just wanted to say its totally possible to go back to work and not have to supplement. I went back to work when my son was six weeks old and he never had formula. I pumped three times at work, and once at night if he slept a long stretch, and froze extra for slow pumping days. I pumped for over a year. It was not easy, but doable. I know several other moms who do the same thing.

I would really, really recomment the book "So that's what they're for" to all moms breastfeeding or wanting to. Its available on amazon for pretty cheap, and a great read. Helped me alot with my first.

 

[MommyMoore503]

This might sound weird, but the hospital here doesn't have an option to get rest LOL They don't have a nursery so I guess I won't be using it. I live just outside of Portland, OR and have delivered (via C-Section) at St. Vincent twice before. I'm going to really try to BF this time as I haven't been able to in the past. Good luck!

 

[Ashley8806]

I only get 2 15 minute breaks to pump on - and that is all they legally have to do. So if I can get by by pumping, that's great. I'm just not going to be disappointed if I do have to supplement. With DD1, as soon as I went back to work (had 3 months off with her though, compared to 5 or 6 weeks with this one), my supply started going down, and that was with a job that was flexible enough to let me pump more often than this time.

 

[sun]

With my son he was born early so spent 3 nights in hospital due to feeding problems and low blood sugar. He was given 1 bottle of formula on the 2nd day, but after that I pumped and fed him with a tiny tube you attach to your nipple until he worked out the suck/swallow mechanism. Happened fast - it only took a few days! I can say honestly I didn't sleep for the first 3 nights in hospital trying to get feeding established - but he was in the room with me. Once we were home he BF every 2.5h around the clock for over a month. So I am prepared to do it all again if need be!

This time though, we're hoping for a full term baby so we can have a home birth! Then I'll have LO right there with me and hope to get BF right away! FXd! xx

 

[Ashley8806]

This might sound weird, but the hospital here doesn't have an option to get rest LOL They don't have a nursery so I guess I won't be using it. I live just outside of Portland, OR and have delivered (via C-Section) at St. Vincent twice before. I'm going to really try to BF this time as I haven't been able to in the past. Good luck!

Thank you, and good luck to you too!

 

[Ashley8806]

With my son he was born early so spent 3 nights in hospital due to feeding problems and low blood sugar. He was given 1 bottle of formula on the 2nd day, but after that I pumped and fed him with a tiny tube you attach to your nipple until he worked out the suck/swallow mechanism. Happened fast - it only took a few days! I can say honestly I didn't sleep for the first 3 nights in hospital trying to get feeding established - but he was in the room with me. Once we were home he BF every 2.5h around the clock for over a month. So I am prepared to do it all again if need be!

This time though, we're hoping for a full term baby so we can have a home birth! Then I'll have LO right there with me and hope to get BF right away! FXd! xx

Good luck with your homebirth! Hope it and BF goes well for you. I've never really heard of the tubes while bf, might have to look into that!

 

[sun]

With my son he was born early so spent 3 nights in hospital due to feeding problems and low blood sugar. He was given 1 bottle of formula on the 2nd day, but after that I pumped and fed him with a tiny tube you attach to your nipple until he worked out the suck/swallow mechanism. Happened fast - it only took a few days! I can say honestly I didn't sleep for the first 3 nights in hospital trying to get feeding established - but he was in the room with me. Once we were home he BF every 2.5h around the clock for over a month. So I am prepared to do it all again if need be!

This time though, we're hoping for a full term baby so we can have a home birth! Then I'll have LO right there with me and hope to get BF right away! FXd! xx

Good luck with your homebirth! Hope it and BF goes well for you. I've never really heard of the tubes while bf, might have to look into that!

It's just a tiny tube that you tape to your boob that attaches to a syringe of milk or colostrum. It's small enough that they can latch without breaking the seal, but it lets you deliver a little extra to them. It lets babies who can't suck/swallow very well practice doing it, still BF, but still get enough nourishment.
He just had that issue because he was born early!