Due in 7 weeks and a few questions!

[musicjunkiee]

I'm planning to have a go at breastfeeding when my baby is born mid april.

i wanted to know, so that my partner can be involved too, is it ok that i express? he hasnt said anything about it but hes so excited and i think hed like to feed too.

also, i know your periods arent meant to come back for a while if you breastfeed, but is it safe to go back on the pill just in case??

 

[lynnikins]

I'm planning to have a go at breastfeeding when my baby is born mid april.

i wanted to know, so that my partner can be involved too, is it ok that i express? he hasnt said anything about it but hes so excited and i think hed like to feed too.

also, i know your periods arent meant to come back for a while if you breastfeed, but is it safe to go back on the pill just in case??

Your doctor will talk to you about contraception at your 6wk post natal check,
its not advisable to express or feed with a bottle before 6wks to help prevent it causing issues with nursing. There are lots of jobs a new father can do to help out like make sure you are always topped up with a ready supply of tea and toast/coffee and bagels/smoothies and sandwiches etc...

Saying that with all my children I ran an oversupply from day one and instead of forcing it to settle to just what they demanded I choose to express when i was uncomfortable and they werent wanting feeding and store the milk for later. mine all got their first bottle around 1 month old and with 2/3/4 I continued BF long term with my eldest we started swapping to Formula at that point as I needed to get back to work and wasnt able to carry on BF and working.

to make sure you get a decent shot at breastfeeding I would feed exclusively from the breast for the first 6wks if you can it will allow your supply time to get properly established so you can get through the growth spurts

 

[musicjunkiee]

i see, thanks a lot!! this does make more sense i suppose, assuming i can actually breastfeed. i plan to do it for around 6 months if possible. x

 

[staralfur]

I wouldn't express for the first few weeks if you can avoid it, it can mess with your supply. Also skipping a feed so your OH can do one isn't advisable until your supply has settled as you'd be risking blocked ducts/mastitis. As the PP said, there are plenty of things your OH can do to stay involved.

The pill generally isn't recommended while breastfeeding since it can interfere with hormones/milk production, but that's something to discuss with your doctor at your post-partum checkup.

 

[Michellelove]

So glads you asked i was wndering the same thing

 

[musicjunkiee]

i suppose ill just have to try to breastfeed for a while then before i express. x

 

[Mrs Bee]

I'm on the mini pill and breastfeeding, that's safe to do as for expressing...like the other ladies said, wait until you have breastfeeding established I did express. Few times but it didn't really help me much, seemed like more of an effort and hubby felt somewhat rejected when my daughter prefered me over the bottle. All the best with breastfeeding, the first few weeks are hard but is such an amazing bonding experience

 

[BabyD331]

You can get the Depo shot but I would recommend trying the mini pill first. It is basically the pill version of the shot and if you dont like it, you can just stop taking it. If you don't like the shot, it takes 3 months to get out of your system.

 

[Maxy1]

Not saying it will happen with you, but as a cautionary tale I went back on depo and it totally ruined my supply. It takes three months to get out of your system so it sucked for three months not making enough milk. I then went on the mini pill and no problems.

 

[Wugz22]

My Lactation consultant said I could start expressing at 2 weeks and then introduce the bottle at 3 weeks. Worked perfectly for us, my husband has been giving him a bottle every night before bed since then!

 

[musicjunkiee]

thats great. i have a feeding class next week so will aks questions then.

i want him to have my milk and not only do my partner can feed but id also rather have a bottle in some places, like in front of certain people or if were out x