Breastfeeding

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It's nice to read a practical thread on BF :)
I desperately tried with DS but had such problems getting a good latch (DS was tongue tied too) that I pumped for as three weeks and then ended up FF due to utter exhaustion! I realise now I should have campaigned for more help... MW signed me off after first home visit, no Heath visitor till 8 weeks and the BF support group started at 9.00am (ha! Never made it there). I'd never heard of La Leche but wish I had. I'm going to try again with no. 2 and hope for a more positive experience. We left London last year and the support seems a bit better here. I'm finding it hard to approach BF with the same enthusiasm I had before DS, I think the feeling of failure must have hit me pretty hard. Top tips for staying relaxed and perseving are much appreciated. As are tips on how/when to introduce a bottle and dummy whilst still maintaining BF. I've still got a great Medela double breast pump which worked great last time, here's hoping!! X
 
It's nice to read a practical thread on BF :)
I desperately tried with DS but had such problems getting a good latch (DS was tongue tied too) that I pumped for as three weeks and then ended up FF due to utter exhaustion! I realise now I should have campaigned for more help... MW signed me off after first home visit, no Heath visitor till 8 weeks and the BF support group started at 9.00am (ha! Never made it there). I'd never heard of La Leche but wish I had. I'm going to try again with no. 2 and hope for a more positive experience. We left London last year and the support seems a bit better here. I'm finding it hard to approach BF with the same enthusiasm I had before DS, I think the feeling of failure must have hit me pretty hard. Top tips for staying relaxed and perseving are much appreciated. As are tips on how/when to introduce a bottle and dummy whilst still maintaining BF. I've still got a great Medela double breast pump which worked great last time, here's hoping!! X

First of all, good for you for pumping for 3 weeks! :thumbup: I know that can be hard work and I'm so sorry your last experience was so difficult. The good news is your last experience has no correlation on whether or not you will be able to successfully breastfeed this time. Try to stay positive and relax. You can do it! :thumbup:
 
It has been scientifically proven that breastfeeding reduces post partum depression, amongst many other benefits. Therefore i definitely will be breastfeeding. There was some debate recently about exclusive breast feeding for 6 months, thus delaying introducing solids exposed children to anaemia, and food allergies. What are your views on this bluetea/ others? and when do you plan on introducing solids?

Topics such as these are really beneficial and educative and I hope it wont be hijacked.

Delaying solids can actually reduce the intensity of allergies in babies who have a predisposition toward them. Here's an article on delaying solids- https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

Two specific points-

•Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.
It is well documented that prolonged exclusive breastfeeding results in a lower incidence of food allergies (see Allergy References and Risks of Artificial Feeding). From birth until somewhere between four and six months of age, babies possess what is often referred to as an "open gut." This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breastmilk to pass more directly into baby's bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass right through, too. During baby's first 4-6 months, while the gut is still "open," antibodies (sIgA) from breastmilk coat baby's digestive tract and provide passive immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness and allergic reactions before gut closure occurs. Baby starts producing these antibodies on his own at around 6 months, and gut closure should have occurred by this time also. See How Breast Milk Protects Newborns and The Case for the Virgin Gut for more on this subject.


•Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia.
The introduction of iron supplements and iron-fortified foods, particularly during the first six months, reduces the efficiency of baby's iron absorption. Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one study (Pisacane, 1995), the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia. See Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary? for more information.



Anemia is actually uncommon in healthy full term breastfed babies. Here's an article about iron- https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

Can you tell I love kellymom.com. LOL

My son was about 6 months when he showed an interest in solids. But he didn't really consume them more than 3-5 times a week until he was about a year old. Breast milk really should be the primary nutrition for the first year. During the second six months, solids are more about experimenting and playing with textures and learning how to eat.

I was a bit baffled with the "new research" on introducing solids earlier since we have been told for decades that a babies needs were met by exclusive breastfeeding. There must be a decrease in sales of baby foods hence backtrack i thought. On the subject of baby food there are increasingly more women making their own and not buying from stores as they are bit concerned of the content of these foods. Is this something you have tried?

By the way, I am loving kellymom.com!! Thanks for the link:thumbup:
 
It has been scientifically proven that breastfeeding reduces post partum depression, amongst many other benefits. Therefore i definitely will be breastfeeding. There was some debate recently about exclusive breast feeding for 6 months, thus delaying introducing solids exposed children to anaemia, and food allergies. What are your views on this bluetea/ others? and when do you plan on introducing solids?

Topics such as these are really beneficial and educative and I hope it wont be hijacked.

Delaying solids can actually reduce the intensity of allergies in babies who have a predisposition toward them. Here's an article on delaying solids- https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

Two specific points-

•Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.
It is well documented that prolonged exclusive breastfeeding results in a lower incidence of food allergies (see Allergy References and Risks of Artificial Feeding). From birth until somewhere between four and six months of age, babies possess what is often referred to as an "open gut." This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breastmilk to pass more directly into baby's bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass right through, too. During baby's first 4-6 months, while the gut is still "open," antibodies (sIgA) from breastmilk coat baby's digestive tract and provide passive immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness and allergic reactions before gut closure occurs. Baby starts producing these antibodies on his own at around 6 months, and gut closure should have occurred by this time also. See How Breast Milk Protects Newborns and The Case for the Virgin Gut for more on this subject.


•Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia.
The introduction of iron supplements and iron-fortified foods, particularly during the first six months, reduces the efficiency of baby's iron absorption. Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one study (Pisacane, 1995), the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia. See Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary? for more information.



Anemia is actually uncommon in healthy full term breastfed babies. Here's an article about iron- https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

Can you tell I love kellymom.com. LOL

My son was about 6 months when he showed an interest in solids. But he didn't really consume them more than 3-5 times a week until he was about a year old. Breast milk really should be the primary nutrition for the first year. During the second six months, solids are more about experimenting and playing with textures and learning how to eat.

I was a bit baffled with the "new research" on introducing solids earlier since we have been told for decades that a babies needs were met by exclusive breastfeeding. There must be a decrease in sales of baby foods hence backtrack i thought. On the subject of baby food there are increasingly more women making their own and not buying from stores as they are bit concerned of the content of these foods. Is this something you have tried?

By the way, I am loving kellymom.com!! Thanks for the link:thumbup:

Yes, I did make most of our own baby food. Mostly because I am a stay at home mom and I really enjoyed preparing it. We also did a lot of baby led eating(weaning) because our son enjoyed gnawing on pieces of food from my plate but his digestive track wasn't really ready for large amounts of solids.
 
I just wanted to say that I am super impressed by all the postive responses and questions this thread has sparked. Way to go ladies! :thumbup:
 
I wondered if you can help - I have a child who is now 3 years and 4 months old. Baby should be here in another 2 weeks time. I breastfed my first for 26 months and she has not forgotten and says that she wants to breastfeed with the baby. Is this likely to cause trouble? I am not terribly keen on getting that started again with her as she is over 3 now - if she does try it is she likely to want to carry on - should I totally prevent her from trying at all or should I allow her to try once if she asks and hope she thinks it doesn't taste nice?
 
https://www.babyandbump.com/baby-cl...u-choose-bf-esp-if-you-found-tough-first.html

hope you don't mind me posting? It's from baby club, gives real stories and reasoning behind wanting to BF. It's also a very civil thread! :thumbup:
 
Hope yo don't mind me sharing something I found a few days ago. I saw homemade baby food mentioned and thought this might be of interest https://www.mybabybullet.com/index.php

I plan to get one before we start to introduce solids, which I had planned to be around 6 months but after the post about delaying, I'm thinking it will be closer to 7 months. My husband and I have a Bella Cucina Rocket blender, a knock off of the Magic bullet, and it works amazingly, so we expect the Baby Bullet to be equally awesome.

I am wondering if for some reason I find it too difficult to continue breastfeeding after introducing solids, or if the baby wants to wean before I want her to, is it ok to mix breastmilk in with the baby food to be sure she still gets the benefits of it if she doesn't want to drink it anymore?
 
Hope yo don't mind me sharing something I found a few days ago. I saw homemade baby food mentioned and thought this might be of interest https://www.mybabybullet.com/index.php

I plan to get one before we start to introduce solids, which I had planned to be around 6 months but after the post about delaying, I'm thinking it will be closer to 7 months. My husband and I have a Bella Cucina Rocket blender, a knock off of the Magic bullet, and it works amazingly, so we expect the Baby Bullet to be equally awesome.

I am wondering if for some reason I find it too difficult to continue breastfeeding after introducing solids, or if the baby wants to wean before I want her to, is it ok to mix breastmilk in with the baby food to be sure she still gets the benefits of it if she doesn't want to drink it anymore?

you can add breastmilk/formula/and eventually cows milk to any foods. Although I found breastmilk too watery to use with baby rice so used warm water instead. Just read that back and it sounds completely Irish, but breastmilk almost kinda seperated it. Had no problems adding it to other foods though x
 
I had issues with breastfeeding last time and I am determined to breastfeed this time around. Last time I had a post-partum haemorrhage, although I was feeding my son pretty much constantly on the 2nd day he was just screaming all night long, no matter how many times I tried to feed him. In the end he was given a cup of formula and the midwife tried to get me to hand express, and I didn't get anything out. By the time he was a few weeks old I was getting about 1oz out using an electric pump for an hour, but I felt like a complete failure and gave up.

I am determined not to give up this time, but there is a chance I will have another PPH. Is there a link between PPH and low milk supply? And is there anything I can do to make sure I do produce enough milk this time round?x
 
is there anything you should or shoudn't eat while BF?

is there a diet to follow while breast feeding?

It's wise to eat a decent diet while breastfeeding but there are no specific diets or foods you should or shouldn't eat. The main thing is to watch your baby for allergic reaction. For example: some moms find that eating dairy or drinking coffee causes their babies to have intestinal upset so avoiding these food for these moms while breastfeeding is a good idea.

This artilce explains more-

https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html

How does a mother's diet affect her milk?
By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC

•Do I need to maintain a perfect diet while breastfeeding?
•What IS needed for maintaining an ample supply of milk?
•How does mom's nutrient intake affect breastfeeding?
•Are there any foods that nursing mothers should avoid?
•Additional information

Do I need to maintain a perfect diet while breastfeeding?
The short answer to this question is NO – you do not need to maintain a perfect diet in order to provide quality milk for your baby. In fact, research tells us that the quality of a mother’s diet has little influence on her milk. Nature is very forgiving – mother’s milk is designed to provide for and protect baby even in times of hardship and famine. A poor diet is more likely to affect the mother than her breastfed baby.

It's common to hear women say that they want to wean (or not breastfeed at all) because they miss drinking coffee, or want to have an occasional glass of wine, or don't like worrying constantly about everything they eat. Guess what? You can drink caffeinated beverages (in moderation), have an occasional drink, eat what you want and still provide your baby with the absolute best nutrition and immunological protection - mother's own milk.

According to Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D., breastfeeding researcher and anthropologist, women throughout the world make ample amounts of quality milk while eating diets composed almost entirely of rice (or millet or sorghum) with a tiny amount of vegetables and occasional meat.

Are healthy eating habits recommended for mom? Absolutely! You will be healthier and feel better if you eat well. It is best for anyone to eat a variety of foods, in close to their naturally-occurring state, but this is not necessary for providing quality milk or for maintaining milk supply. Although it is certainly not recommended, a breastfeeding mother could live on a diet of junk food – mom would not thrive on that diet, but her milk would still meet her baby's needs.


What IS needed for maintaining an ample supply of milk?
The main thing needed to maintain an ample milk supply is simple --
The more often and effectively your baby nurses, the more milk you will have.

Occasionally, a mother's calorie or fluid intake can affect milk production:

•Calories: In general, you should simply listen to your body and eat to appetite - this is usually all you need to do to get the calories you need. Counting calories is rarely necessary unless you are having problems maintaining a healthy weight. Excessive dieting can reduce milk supply, but sensible dieting is generally not a problem.
•Liquids: It is not necessary to force fluids; drinking to satisfy thirst is sufficient for most mothers. Unless you are severely dehydrated, drinking extra fluids is not beneficial, may cause discomfort, and does not increase milk supply. It is not necessary to drink only water - our bodies can utilize the water from any fluid.
•The main message on calories and fluids -- Eat when hungry & drink when thirsty.
See Do nursing mothers need extra calories or fluids? and How does milk production work? for more information.


How does my nutrient intake affect breastfeeding?
•Vitamin/mineral supplements (prenatal or otherwise) are not considered necessary if you eat a reasonably well balanced diet. See Vitamins (& other supplements) for Nursing Moms for more information.
•Your fat intake does not affect the amount of fat in your milk, but can affect the kinds of fats (balance of "good" vs. "bad" fats) in your milk to some extent. See What affects the amount of fat or calories in mom's milk? for more information.

Are there any foods that I should avoid while I’m breastfeeding?
•There are NO foods that you should avoid simply because you are breastfeeding. It is generally recommended that a nursing mother eat whatever she likes, whenever she likes, in the amounts that she likes and continue to do this unless baby has an obvious reaction to a particular food.
•It's suggested that everyone, particularly pregnant and nursing mothers, avoid eating certain types of fish that are typically high in mercury.
•It is a good idea to restrict caffeine and alcohol to a certain extent, but it is rarely necessary to eliminate them.
•Some food proteins (such as cow's milk protein or peanut protein) do pass into mother's milk. If there is a history of food allergies in your family, you may wish to limit or eliminate the allergens common in your family.
•Any baby might react to a particular food (although this is not very common). If baby has an obvious reaction every time you eat a certain food, it may be helpful to eliminate that food from your diet. For more information, see Dairy and other Food Sensitivities in Breastfed Babies.

Making women think that they must maintain ‘perfect’ diets in order to have thriving breastfed babies is an unnecessary obstacle to breastfeeding.

THANK YOU! EVEN BETTER THEN I THOUGHT :winkwink:
 
I wondered if you can help - I have a child who is now 3 years and 4 months old. Baby should be here in another 2 weeks time. I breastfed my first for 26 months and she has not forgotten and says that she wants to breastfeed with the baby. Is this likely to cause trouble? I am not terribly keen on getting that started again with her as she is over 3 now - if she does try it is she likely to want to carry on - should I totally prevent her from trying at all or should I allow her to try once if she asks and hope she thinks it doesn't taste nice?

The first thing you need to decide is if you do or if you don't want her to breastfeed again. If you are willing and she is interested I would say go for it! But, if you're hesitant to let her breastfeed again that may cause you to resent her if she does start up again. I can tell you that from speaking with other mothers who tandem nurse that it really helped the toddler bond with the newborn and it cuts down on sibling rivalry. My son will be three when our new baby is born and I suspect he will continue to breastfeeding for a while longer, at least another year. It is completely normal and natural to breastfeed a toddler if that is what is holding you back. It's entirely up to you, though...
 
Hope yo don't mind me sharing something I found a few days ago. I saw homemade baby food mentioned and thought this might be of interest https://www.mybabybullet.com/index.php

I plan to get one before we start to introduce solids, which I had planned to be around 6 months but after the post about delaying, I'm thinking it will be closer to 7 months. My husband and I have a Bella Cucina Rocket blender, a knock off of the Magic bullet, and it works amazingly, so we expect the Baby Bullet to be equally awesome.

I am wondering if for some reason I find it too difficult to continue breastfeeding after introducing solids, or if the baby wants to wean before I want her to, is it ok to mix breastmilk in with the baby food to be sure she still gets the benefits of it if she doesn't want to drink it anymore?

Yes, mixing breastmilk with solids is a wonderful idea. :thumbup:
 
I had issues with breastfeeding last time and I am determined to breastfeed this time around. Last time I had a post-partum haemorrhage, although I was feeding my son pretty much constantly on the 2nd day he was just screaming all night long, no matter how many times I tried to feed him. In the end he was given a cup of formula and the midwife tried to get me to hand express, and I didn't get anything out. By the time he was a few weeks old I was getting about 1oz out using an electric pump for an hour, but I felt like a complete failure and gave up.

I am determined not to give up this time, but there is a chance I will have another PPH. Is there a link between PPH and low milk supply? And is there anything I can do to make sure I do produce enough milk this time round?x

Birth experience can impact the breastfeeding relationship but sometimes it doesn't effect it at all. I'm concerned you may have been misinformed last time, though. For the first 3-5 days you produce colostrum and your mature milk comes in around day 4-5. Colostrum is a sticky, thick liquid that contains antibodies and all the nutrition a baby needs for the first few days. My son also cried and screamed for the first few days because he was impatient to get the colostrum out and due to it's consistency he was getting frustrated. Next time, try to power through it, if you can and if your baby is healthy. Pumping is a good option but it is not as effective as breastfeeding. I have spoken to many moms who breastfeed just fine but barely get any milk out with a pump. It may have been a vicious cycle for you--the pump did not empty your breasts and encourage more milk production so it slowly started to dwindle. Thankfully, your past breastfeeding experience has no correlation on whether or not you can successfully breastfeed this time. Try to relax and just breastfeed on demand. You can do it! :thumbup:
 
I had issues with breastfeeding last time and I am determined to breastfeed this time around. Last time I had a post-partum haemorrhage, although I was feeding my son pretty much constantly on the 2nd day he was just screaming all night long, no matter how many times I tried to feed him. In the end he was given a cup of formula and the midwife tried to get me to hand express, and I didn't get anything out. By the time he was a few weeks old I was getting about 1oz out using an electric pump for an hour, but I felt like a complete failure and gave up.

I am determined not to give up this time, but there is a chance I will have another PPH. Is there a link between PPH and low milk supply? And is there anything I can do to make sure I do produce enough milk this time round?x

There are supplements and herbs you can take to increase your milk supply. They didn't help my best friend, but she also didn't know much about BF back then and had almost no support so I think that contributed to it. I don't know if PPH can be linked to low milk supply, so hopefully someone else will. Remember, too, that each pregnancy is different, and you might produce lots this time without any assistance, so try not to worry too much. There's just no way to predict what will happen.
 
Thanks ladies, to be honest the midwives I saw weren't that helpful, one told me I would need to pump every 2 hours and said "you won't have time for that with a new baby" and the other one said "your baby will be fine on formula" so I didn't really have anyone to give me real advice. Also, no one told me that it's normal for baby to get frustrated for the first few days, I thought the poor boy was starving! Thanks again x
 
Thanks ladies, to be honest the midwives I saw weren't that helpful, one told me I would need to pump every 2 hours and said "you won't have time for that with a new baby" and the other one said "your baby will be fine on formula" so I didn't really have anyone to give me real advice. Also, no one told me that it's normal for baby to get frustrated for the first few days, I thought the poor boy was starving! Thanks again x

I'm so sorry you didn't get the support you needed. That's so frustrating!

I encourage you to attend your area La Leche League meetings now because you will fnd like minded moms who will be able to offer you the local advice and support you will need if times get tough. There is a link on my sig to find your area LLL meeting.
 
This is a great thread. I have only been breastfeeding for just over 3 weeks now. I consider myself pretty lucky as my son had no problems latching from birth. And so far have not had any problems yet, the first few days were hard I admit. My nipples got a little sore, and when my milk came in on day three, engorgement was a bit painful. But I stuck through it and I find breastfeeding such a joy. I deffinately plan to breastfeed for awhile, not only is it good for him, it's alot cheaper and easier and I love our bonding time we have. I don't really know what else to say, I am no expert about breastfeeding. But I have enjoyed it so far! Good luck to all the other mothers who are or about to breastfeed soon.
 
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