Breastfeeding help!!

[Jewel07]

Ladies can u help me im totally overwhelmed!!
I really really wanna breast feed, and worrying I won't be able to? Some people just don't get on with it well do they? What sorta things can restrict me or are chances pretty good ill be ok??

Also what the hell do I need?? I'm gonna get an expressed but pump or electric? Do I need bottles? How many? What about a steriliser?!

Please help! X

 

[vixy]

Hi Hun, it's not always as easy for everyone but I truely believe most ladies can breastfeeding they stick at it. I breastfed last time after an emergency c-section and definitely will be dong so again.
I used a manual breast pump, less daunting and less expensive, I had around 6-8 bottles I think to start with.
Try to stay relaxed, make it a nice pleasant relaxing experience. Xxx

 

[luvymom]

The thing that will restric you the most is to stress over it. It will be hard at first. Ask for a lactation specialist at the hospital/clinic where you deliver. They are amazing and will help the baby to latch on correctly. Try not to get frustrated, you may even hate it at first, but just give it time, it will get better. Don't give up too soon, but also don't feel guilty if you are unable to do it.

As far as needs, breast pads, lanolin, nursing bras. If you have the money I would get both a manual and electric breast pump. The electric are great, but there are times a manual is just the right size/time if you only need to express a little.

Hope this helps. I'll be honest and say I hated it with my first, but stuck it out and enjoyed it later on. Now on my fourth, the though of not breastfeeding makes me sad. Thankfully, he nurses like a champ and it's going very well.

 

[Twister]

Get a good book about breastfeeding and make sure you're informed with what's normal and what's not and how to deal with any problems that may arise. There are a lot of myths surrounding breastfeeding and many women stop because they think there's a problem when there isn't.

I'd also recommend checking out the breastfeeding section of bnb as well, there are many ladies there who know what they're on about and give great advice.

 

[Jewel07]

Oh thanks ladies!!

My mum breastfed me and she has said it's hard at first but to really stick at it too as some ppl give up?

I didn't realise there was a breastfeeding section on here ill deffo check that out thanks so much! Xx

 

[Lulu1982]

Definitely research where yo can find support before you have your baby. It probably will be hard at firs. By the end of the first week or two it will be a lot easier and you'll both know what you're doing.

As PP said, relax. Remember to breathe! Remember sitting holding my breath trying t get baby to latch with m shoulders somewhere up around my ears and a stressed baby who was wondering why mum was freaking out.

Statistically less than 5% of women actually can't breast feed for medical reasons. Most problems are caused by stress, poor diet etc.

Breast feeding support groups are brilliant and you might meet some good friends at them.

A the end of the day hauppy mum means happy baby so if you really struggle with support and are miserable, jus do what's best for yo both and don't give yourself a hard time over it!

I used an electric pump as had a day a week that i needed to leave baby. You can sterilise in a pan or with cold water rather than buying an electric one if you prefer.x

 

[MumToEva]

Hey Hun. Try to go into breastfeeding with a positive attitude, but don't set yourself up for a fall either if it doesn't work out. For me, breastfeeding worked fine from my end, but Eva was early and tiny so she didn't get on well with it, and by the time she got the hang of things unfortunately my supply had dwindled to nothing, as the electric pump I used just didn't give the same stimulation as a baby does. But then Eva was a bit different from most babies, but just warning you not to let it become the be-all-and-end-all the way I did, as it can really affect you mentally if it doesn't work out. I'd say do lots of reading about technique, look into local support groups so you know who to contact, and talk to others who have breastfed sucessfully, but buy some back up supplies just Incase - you can just keep them in the box and get them refunded if not needed. That's my plan this time anyway!

 

[2ndtimeluckyX]

I breastfed after a csection and was fine.
I bought an electric pump and a couple of bottles and a microwave steriliser. I didn't use any of it tho until medication forced me to stop breast feeding at 4 weeks

 

[Kaileymonster]

Hi Hun, it's not always as easy for everyone but I truely believe most ladies can breastfeeding they stick at it. I breastfed last time after an emergency c-section and definitely will be dong so again.
I used a manual breast pump, less daunting and less expensive, I had around 6-8 bottles I think to start with.
Try to stay relaxed, make it a nice pleasant relaxing experience. Xxx

You just said it all for me!!!!

 

[Kaileymonster]

I wanted to breast feed completely but LO got too hungry so I had to combi-feed (breast and formula) I expressed with a manual pump on the boobie that LO wasn't attatched to.... and in all honesty, after labour and birth (normal or C-sec) you don't even think about it, you just wack them on it and let them do their thing!

One thing that I WISH I'd been told before I started having problems was that babies normally feed for 10 minutes to get the fore milk which is like a drink of water to them and then they go back on the SAME BOOB for the thicker milk, Which is the food and nutrients... took 5 weeks for anyone to notice I was doing that bit wrong and that's why he was so underfed and his blood sugar was always so low :doh:

 

[Athena]

I totally second what the others have said. I think the main piece of advice I can give is don't give up, in all honesty it is hard in the beginning but it will be so worth it. I have had a few friends stop after a few days because they felt like their milk didn't come in, but it won't feel like it's properly 'come in' until after a few days of consistent feeding anyway. Also don't forget babies go through phases of cluster feeding, this pattern will even out and the time between feeds space out eventually, try and persevere and most of all relax and enjoy it! Good luck xx

 

[summer rain]

I think it's really important to educate yourself on what is normal and what is not because there is a great deal of misinformation out there. A very high percentage of women who give up do so because they are ill informed about the basic mechanisms of how BF works and normal newborn behaviour, intakes, number of expected wet nappies etc and it doesn't help that most medical professionals have little to no training in breastfeeding.

For example a newborn's stomach capacity is only 5ml and is the size of a small marble therefore the colostrum is plenty in the vast majority of cases. It takes 3-5 days on average for your milk to come in and in most cases supplementing with formula during that time is not only not needed but it can hinder BF success, sadly though many midwives and other nursing staff believe it is needed. Then even when your milk comes in it doesn't always turn milky white and in copious quantities right away for a lot of women it's more gradual and their milk is yellowish for quite a while-this doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's also normal for a BF newborn to lose up to 10% of their birthweight in the first 3 days and to take up to two weeks to regain this. Another thing that is normal is jaundice, it is very very common and it is rare that jaundice is caused by poor milk intake, more often than not it is caused by a normal physical process in a newborn or other factors. Topping up with formula is not proven to help get rid of the jaundice more quickly and in the case of mild jaundice it is being recognised by the medical research community that this may serve a useful biological function with protective antioxidant effects so there is no benefit in getting rid of it in normal cases.

Breastfeeding works on a supply and demand basis and it is normal for BF newborns to want to feed little and often and for long periods at once, this is a sign they are healthy and alert and it would be worse if they were lethargic and uninterested in feeding as that could well indicate a problem. a lot of health professionals do not understand the supply and demand mechanism of breastmilk production. From things that have been said to me and others that I know it appears many of them believe that the amount of milk produced in a 24 hour period cannot be increased (wrong), that the breasts need to be left to refill/replenish between feeds for a set amount of time (also wrong) and if your baby is feeding regularly then they cannot be getting enough and will need formula top ups. the breasts are never empty and the more often a baby is fed the more milk is made more quickly and the fattier and more filling that milk is, your supply will increase if you feed more often and spacing feeds to allow breasts to refill actually diminishes supply as it gives the body a signal to produce less milk, not more xx

 

[Jewel07]

Thank you so much all. It's good to hear from mums who have been there! It's deffo something I'm gonna research on get myself prepared on what to expect x

 

[Mrs Bee]

Get a good book about breastfeeding and make sure you're informed with what's normal and what's not and how to deal with any problems that may arise. There are a lot of myths surrounding breastfeeding and many women stop because they think there's a problem when there isn't.

I'd also recommend checking out the breastfeeding section of bnb as well, there are many ladies there who know what they're on about and give great advice.

WSS^^^

This is exactly what I did, made me a lot more relaxed knowing I'd studied up... The best thing for me tho has been just practice... Our visiting midwife was a LC so she helped perfect our latch

I really hope I continue to do well... It's been a week now just taking each day as it comes as its all new for the both of us

I've got an electric pump which I'm going to try after 4 weeks 'just for fun' so hubby can give her a feed... We got a microwave steriliser and a startup kit of bottles... Other than that buy lots of nursing bras, tops u can nurse in, breast pads and by far the best invention lansinoh that stuff is amazing!

Good luck xxx

 

[missmayhem]

can i just add make sure your MW is supportive, mine just slammed DD onto my boob over nad over even thou she was screaming and getting stressed, long story short DD refused to latch from that day to this....

face planting a baby to your boob is not standard practise, if it happens demand to see someone else

 

[dollyemi]

Thank you so much all. It's good to hear from mums who have been there! It's deffo something I'm gonna research on get myself prepared on what to expect x

Are you in the uk? See if there is a breast feeding consultant at your local children's centre. I had a 2 hour session when I was pregnant, then saw a lactation consultant in hospital and when I was worrying about doing it right, I saw another lactation consultant at the children's centre.

Top tips
Buy lansinoh nipple cream (I find their breast pads the best too!) and apply after every feed, don't wait for them to feel sore.

My midwife said to stay in hospital overnight even if they say you can go home, I was told I could go home but glad I stayed in, I saw a lovely lady the next day who got me and baby breast feeding and comfortable.

 

[Piper84]

The BFing section on here is great!

It's a small minority of women who are physically unable to BF. Try not to listen to any negative advice and do let the baby latch as often as possible, though not for long periods of time, at the very beginning. Apply nipple cream or St John's Wort oil after each feed and don't wait for them to get sore, dry and cracked.

Remember to burp LO as I didn't do this enough at the beginning and was wondering why he was so fussy, pulling away a lot, and thought I had no milk, which wasn't the case.

Just try and find a good support network and source of information and don't be afraid to ask loads of questions! Good luck hun

 

[Mummy_to_be87]

I always wanted to breast feed my DD and after I had her I had no idea what I was doing, I said to my midwife and she said I just needed to keep putting her to the breast and try different positions and see what works best for me and the baby! She said that I am learning something new and it will take some time, but also the baby is learning this new skill as well and once we both get the hang of our parts in the feed we will get on better! It did feel weird at the start and I felt frustrated and my DD seemed frustrated and when I asked the midwife she said that the baby needs to take a big mouthful and not just the nipple and when I heard that advice I was on the up and things took off from there! When my milk came in there was a period that caused total agonising pain for about the first 3 minutes of the feed where I would wince and curl my toes then that left and we done great! I also expressed some milk using a manual pump and had about 4 bottles and a microwave steriliser. I know some people who gave up within a few days because they didnt take to breastfeeding or had complications but my advice would be to keep at it even through the hard period, once that stage is gone the benefits are fabulous and relaxing. I had to give up breastfeeding as my DD weaned herself off my breast once we started weaning at 4 months, it was a sad day but I followed my DDs lead and cannot wait to breastfeed this time