I want to breastfeed. Lack of experience/knowledge putting me off.

[FayDanielle]

As the title says - I would like to BF this baby. I didn't with DD.

The only thing holding me back is lack of experience and I don't really know what to expect in regards to how often, what if she doesn't take to it, expressing - when, how often etc, pain, cluster feeds etc etc.

Help?!

(I did buy a tommee tippee electric breast pump - that's a start I guess!)

 

[lau86]

Basically, put her on, the midwife will show you how to latch. Put baby on as often as she wants, which will be a lot at first! If baby is weeing and pooing, gaining weight, everything is good. That's all there is to it. You might not even be sore but if you are there's loads of advice available

 

[LoraLoo]

This forum is great for support and advice, nobody has experience when they first start, you just learn to follow babys lead, she will soon let you know when she's hungry or had enough, and as pp said there are ways to tell she's getting enough x

 

[jessmke]

I knew absolutely nothing about breastfeeding when my daughter was born and she has now been exclusively breastfed for almost 6 months. When you have your baby the nurses/midwives should spend time with you helping to get her to latch. If she is having difficulty you can get help from a lactation consultant. Make sure she is latching and feeding well before you go home. It will be slightly painful/uncomfortable at first but it should get more comfortable after 5-7 days as your nipples get used to all the "use". If she doesn't take to breastfeeding then you can get lots of help from lactation consultants, breastfeeding support groups, or a local La Leche League.

Your baby will let you know how often to nurse her, I never nurse on a schedule it is just on demand. You will quickly learn her hunger cues. When you are holding her she will likely start rooting (pushing her face into your chest) looking for the boob. My LO would start to peck at us like a bird looking for the boob (we called it "woodpeckering"). Or if she gets fussy then just offer her the boob and if she takes it then she is hungry! If you're ever unsure if you should feed, then just offer the boob and see what happens. You cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, they will just stop feeding when full. My DD probably fed every 2 hours during the day for the first month, since then it has been every 3 hours (now she occasionally goes 4-5 hours between feeds). She never really cluster fed, but it is not uncommon for a baby to cluster feed in the evenings so you may find yourself nursing every 30 min or so for several hours which I can imagine would be exhausting, but it is usually pretty short lived.

You don't ever have to pump if you don't want to. I pumped to get a bit of a freezer stash in case I had to leave my daughter, but then she would never take a bottle so it has just been sitting in my freezer. She will now drink milk out of a miracle cup so we just skipped the bottle stage altogether.

 

[noon_child]

If you like learning by reading then there are great books available like "The womanly art of breastfeeding" (I hate the title but the content is great), or you could take a look at Kellymom website. If you prefer the more personal route, breastfeeding support groups often welcome pregnant ladies.

As pp said, no-one has experience the first time. The best thing is to educate yourself on what IS normal and what is a red flag suggesting something is wrong.

 

[allforthegirl]

^^^^ yes that book as well as "Breastfeeding Made Simple" Both books are really great info. Also I would suggest going to LLL meeting(s) as they are great places to talk to other moms that are currently bfing, and you will get to see others doing it too. Great place to go.

Another great resource is Jack Newmans website. It even shows you what active feeding looks like. KellyMom.com is another good site of information.

And know that it takes at least 6 weeks for things to really start meshing between you and baby, unless you get one of those lucky babies that are a pro right off. I am a well seasoned bf-er and I still have issues, as each and every baby was different with different challenges. For me it was never just easy.

 

[Misscalais]

The only thing you absolutely really need to know is a good latch. So make sure you have your midwife/nurse take the time to show you.
My DD is 7 weeks, 4th baby and the only one ive exclusively breast fed my others i introduced formula within the 1st 1-2 weeks!
I feed on demand, so if shes clean, winded and not tired but crying she needs a feed. She generally eats every 2-3 hours during the day. But she already has done 7-8 hour stretches at the night! Which even with formula my others never slept that good during the night. But some breast fed babies wake 2-3 hourly as do some formula fed babies it just depends on your babies needs.
As long as baby is having about 7-8 wet nappies a day once your milk comes through and is generally happy and gaining weight you are on the right track. Its only just stopped being painful for me in the last 2 weeks. My babies latch is perfect but it's just taken some time for them to toughen up.
But just remember at the end of the day all that matters is that bub is fed. So if you end up feeling you don't want to breast feed any more then thats ok! Its also good to remember that pumping is no indication of how much milk you're making. Some women can only pump small amounts, some nothing at all and others have heaps. Baby drains the breast more efficiently and differently to a pump. And around 6 weeks your supply should settle and your breasts will no longer feel as full or engorged as in the beginning. A lot of women think they have lost their supply when that's not the case at all.
Good luck!

 

[kdmalk]

All I knew with this little guy was that I would be giving him the best start in life to exclusively BF for 6 months. Over 5 months in and still going strong.

The very best piece of advice I can offer is to stick with it when it is hard. When baby is up for the 5th time in the night or is nursing constantly during a growth spurt to try to increase your supply, don't quit! Don't feel like baby is starving or not getting enough. Stick with it and you'll come out the other side feeling so pleased with yourself for sticking it out! I wanted to quit SO many times the first couple months. keep reminding yourself why you are doing this and you will make it through. We had multiple visits to the lactation consultant in the early days, but it is so worth it in the end.

Dh has been a major champion for me. When I would have a tough time he would say "you've already made it a month (or however long)! You are doing such a great job! Remember that you are doing this so he will have the best start. You'll make it through this rough patch in just a few days. Keep up the good work!" It was nice to have someone else encouraging me when I was ready to give up. Especially when my nipples were so sore and my nights were spent watching DH snore while I fed baby for the umpteenth time that night. Lol. Get yourself a champion to hear you complain and encourage you when things are rough.

You can do it!!!!

 

[DaisyDreamer]

Agree with PP. Books, meetings, talking to your MW about your BF intentions will all be helpful

But once you get in it, persistence is key. I too felt like giving up and was pressured to introduce formula because LO gained slowly. He had a short frenulum, that was snipped, and his feeding has been a lot better ever since. I felt like giving up so much! But every tough day I get through, I usually find myself curled in bed with LO amazed at how my body is nourishing his. Breastfeeding is challenging, but so worth it. GL!

 

[princess2406]

With my 1st ds I really struggled to bf, I only managed a couple of weeks and then a couple more weeks expressing before I switched to formula. I don't regret this as it was the right decision for me and my ds but Back then I wasn't aware of the support that's out there. This time around I had a meeting with a bf support worker before I gave birth and just felt more relaxed about trying, and thankfully bf is going great and he's 7 week old tomorow. Don't get me wrong it's not easy, it's painful in the beginning, day 3 I was so engorged and I remember thinking if this carries on then there's no way I could continue, and then I had mastitis by week 4 ouch! And cluster feeding you won't get anything done. But it does get easier and I wouldn't change any of it, I'm loving bf this time and have just found it much easier than before.

 

[Amalee]

Does your hospital/birthing center/medical provider/whatever else people may use offer breast feeding classes? I really enjoyed the one that I took. The lactation consultant who ran it was wonderful.

Everyone who nurses is inexperienced when they start - but so if your baby, so you both learn how to do it together. I was really set on nursing when I had my first, and it ended up being the easiest thing in the world for us. I was incredibly lucky to have no supply issues, my son was an expert eater from the get go, and he was really clear to communicate early hunger cues. I know lots of people have road blocks, but there are plenty of people who don't too. There's no reason to stress about something before you have any reason to!