Help appreciated!

[Victoriaaa]

Hello, I didn't breastfeed with my first LO but im 16 week pregnant and would LOVE to give it a go this time so any help is much appreciated..just bare with me, I might sound completely stupid and clueless!

With Rio, I had no breast tenderness during pregnancy, no leaking nothing, not even after birth. I was my sisters birththing partner and remember her boobs leaking straight after my neice was born. So kind of thought that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed & just told the midwife I was bottle feeding..and well, that was that!

This time around my breasts have been sore from the off, getting worse if not better and it makes me think maybe I can actually do this! Plus ive read theres next to nothing anyway until a good few days in so maybe I could of last time any way?

Like I say..sorry if I sound stupid but my biggest regret with LO is not giving it a go! And I am determined to this time.

Is it worth getting products to help me along the way, creams, shields etc? Nursing pillow?

..Thank you lovely ladies in advance, i'm planning on attending some classes later on to meet the local breastfeeding rep lady but would like to get abit more clued up first!

 

[kung_pao mama]

Im sure you can do it! Its great that you are thinking ahead.

Breastfeeding classes are a good idea. I wish I would have educated myself a bit before my LO was born. I expected it to come naturally, but it was difficult for us at first...

Maybe have a pump on hand just in case. We had latching problems during the first couple weeks and it really came in handy. The hospital my son was born in, gave us the pumping parts that attached to the electric hospital pump and they worked as a manual pump.

I didn't buy any creams for my nipples, and didn't really need them. Mine were only really sore for a few days. Over time they sort of got used to it. Now it doesnt hurt at all. Some ladies swear that applying a little breastmilk after nursing really soothes the nips. But lanolin may help, I just can't say from experience. As far as nursing pillows go, I have one but I have found that a normal firm bed pillow works better for us. Nipple shields aren't necessary for everyone, id wait til you see if you need them.

Make sure you have clothing that is easy to BF in. Id recommend getting a good nursing bra, but wait to go crazy buying until after your baby is born. You'd be amazed at how much your boobs grow and shrink.

 

[CandyDay]

Lots of women who BF never have leaky boobs. I haven't had it all with my Lo and we are still BFing.

You might want to get the book The motherly art of Breastfeeding
https://www.amazon.ca/Womanly-Breastfeeding-Leche-League-International/dp/0345518446

You could check out Dr. Jack Newmans website and watch videos on woman nursing. If there is a La Leche League near you they are great and very helpful.

Lanisoh is great for sore nipples.

If you can make up a bunch of meals ahead of time and freeze them so that you don't have to worry about that in the first week or two. It can be time consuming at first as they like to feed lots. But it does get better. If someone asks you what they can do to help you have them do your laundry or make meals during your first week or two at home.

Take some time with just your Lo and don't have lots of visitors for the first few days after birth. Bonding and lots of skin to skin in the first couple of days is a big help.

Check your LO for tongue tie when born as that can affect feeding and supply.

And look into getting a ring sling or a wrap so that you can keep your LO close and have free hands to tend to your other child.

 

[J22]

I didn't get leaking boobs until after my milk came in (that was around day 3 after giving birth). You should get some barrier cream but it's really recommended to rub some of your own breast milk on the nipple to help soreness etc. I loved my nursing pillow (I hardly use it now at 5 months) but used it constantly for the first maybe 2 months - I found it really helped with positioning to feed. I also had a pump at hand and needed to use it sometimes. Bf'ing at first will take up a lot of time so you need to relax about things (housework and all the other jobs will have to wait), and like someone else mentioned, it's a good idea to have a stock of meals ready in the freezer so you can dedicate time to feeding on demand. I would recommend you do seek support from a mw with any doubts you have before ever getting to the point of giving up. When you hit a growth spurt you'll feel like you do nothing but feed all day but don't worry because it'll be over with in 2-3 days and feeding will be back to normal again. GL with your pregnancy and I hope your wish to bf goes well x

 

[NurseSooz]

I highly recommend getting lanolin cream, a wee box of breastpads and maybe a manual pump? Don't go mad on an electric at this stage. I've never used an electric so I'd beware buying one too early. I'm sure you can do it - hope it works out for you!

 

[cat_reversing]

hey, sorry you didn't have the right info last time. I didn't leak until my milk came in and even then it wasn't that bad. I wore breast pads all the time for about 2 months or so, they didn't leak after that. I slept in a soft bra top style bra that kept the pad in place.
I used a feeding pillow first few months then started lying down to feed which was more comfortable for me.
I used nipple cream but didn't need it for long.
bf should be on demand, so whenever baby is hungry you feed, sometimes they'll feed more, sometimes less so it can be hard to get into a routine to start with and can make it unpredictable. during growth spurts baby will feed more to increase your supply but as pp said it should only last a few days then settle back into a sort of routine.
babies also comfort suckle and you should allow it, sometimes though it feels like baby has wanted to be on the breast all day but it'll get better with time, it's an important bonding time with baby so enjoy it.
it can be more tiring as you're the one who's awake in the night, unless you pump so someone else can do it.
bm is digested faster than formula so baby may ask for feeds more often than you're used to but it perfectly normal.
This time do try to feed, get baby to breast in the first hour after birth if you can. try it and see how you feel.
good luck with the rest of your 9 months.

 

[Flake-y]

I didn't get leaking boobs either & BF for 16 months. Best advice I can give is get baby to the boob as soon as possible after birth, & make sure you feed as often as possible in the first few days to help your milk come in & help build up a good milk supply. I wouldn't let baby go more than 3 hours without a feed in the early days although they might want fed more than that, every baby acts differently in the first few days. If you have to wake baby to feed, wake them.

You'll produce colostrum at first & there's never any more than a few drops, you might find people will try to tell you you're not producing enough milk but that's virtually impossible so ignore any 'advice' people give!

I second Dr Jack Newman, he's fab. You can follow him on FB. And the Breastfeeding Network are also brilliant, I trained as a BF helper with them & there's so much support available if you need it.

Good luck!

 

[Victoriaaa]

Thank you to everyone that took the time to respond. I've done sooo much research but I guess when it comes down to it its the actual breastfeeding that will be the best help to me, im sure we will learn as we go along and im actually really looking forward to it.

I agree about the visitors too, I didn't want visitors with Rio but gave in and went to my inlaws various times that first week, even on the way home from the hospital as they didn't offer to come through to ours once. I will be putting my foot down this time.. and hiding out in our bedroom for the first few days.. if people want to come round they will be out of luck downstairs.