Just a little question :)

[lewsmom]

I want to breastfeed my baby when he’s here. This is my third baby, I breastfed the other two right at the start but it didn’t last very long sadly for different reasons.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to educate myself as much as possible and I want to really crack it this time. Unfortunately I don’t have any friends who are currently bf so I figured if I have any questions, it would be nice to try and speak to people on here, seen as the internet never sleeps lol.

One of the questions buzzing around in my mind, was.. when breastfeeding, do you alternate each breast? So for example, feed from the left, then next feed you feed from the right? And how do you know that your breast is empty, like does baby every drink all the milk out of the breast and if that does happen, do you just switch them onto the other breast or continue on the one that’s empty to encourage more milk? Sorry if these questions are dumb, I’m just trying to educate myself.
TIA xxx

 

[MrsMA]

I tend to feed from one side then the other side at the next feed. Although one midwife did suggest starting the feed on one side then when finishing off the feed offer the other side and at the next feed do it the other way around, hope that makes sense! I haven't done this though.

If you're engorged you can feel your breast is softer after a feed but if not I keep feeding until baby detaches or if they like to stay there for comfort until you know they've gone you sleep or stopped drinking so they're not swallowing.

I find the first few weeks of breastfeeding the hardest with all of mine then it gets easier, all you can do is give it your best shot though and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out.

 

[lewsmom]

I tend to feed from one side then the other side at the next feed. Although one midwife did suggest starting the feed on one side then when finishing off the feed offer the other side and at the next feed do it the other way around, hope that makes sense! I haven't done this though.

If you're engorged you can feel your breast is softer after a feed but if not I keep feeding until baby detaches or if they like to stay there for comfort until you know they've gone you sleep or stopped drinking so they're not swallowing.

I find the first few weeks of breastfeeding the hardest with all of mine then it gets easier, all you can do is give it your best shot though and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out.

Thank you so much for the reply.
Yes you do make sense! I just hope the support is better now a days than it was with my other two.. my oldest is 11 and my youngest is almost 5. I just felt abit like a lot of it was just me trying but not with much support, so this time I’m trying to answer any questions I have before hand and hope for the best lol! X

 

[MrsMA]

I'm glad it helped.
There is breastfeeding support in my area and I have their card, I was given their details after I had my baby, it might be with asking your midwife now about support in your area then you can be prepared, x

 

[lewsmom]

I'm glad it helped.
There is breastfeeding support in my area and I have their card, I was given their details after I had my baby, it might be with asking your midwife now about support in your area then you can be prepared, x

Yeah I think I’ll do that, I’m seeing my midwife on Friday anyway so I could mention it then.
Congratulations on your little one by the way

 

[jessmke]

I am a big milk producer so always just fed off one breast per feed. Only problem with this is the other side would get pretty engorged by the time the next feed would roll around, and then it was like the flood gates opened when baby started to feed. I had to express off the first letdown onto a towel because baby just couldn’t keep up. I would always offer the other breast when baby seemed not to be drinking anymore off the first side, but they never wanted it. I think of you have a smaller milk supply then baby might take both breasts per feed. When baby stops drinking/swallowing, unlatches, or starts falling asleep then offer the other breast. Baby will start feeding again if still hungry, or (like by babies) won’t be interested because he got enough on the one side. I guess you know if your breast is empty if baby starts to feed again when switched to the other side. I don’t think my breasts were ever empty, haha! Even now I can squeeze out some milk and my baby hasn’t nurses for two weeks.

 

[lewsmom]

I am a big milk producer so always just fed off one breast per feed. Only problem with this is the other side would get pretty engorged by the time the next feed would roll around, and then it was like the flood gates opened when baby started to feed. I had to express off the first letdown onto a towel because baby just couldn’t keep up. I would always offer the other breast when baby seemed not to be drinking anymore off the first side, but they never wanted it. I think of you have a smaller milk supply then baby might take both breasts per feed. When baby stops drinking/swallowing, unlatches, or starts falling asleep then offer the other breast. Baby will start feeding again if still hungry, or (like by babies) won’t be interested because he got enough on the one side. I guess you know if your breast is empty if baby starts to feed again when switched to the other side. I don’t think my breasts were ever empty, haha! Even now I can squeeze out some milk and my baby hasn’t nurses for two weeks.

Thank you. This has helped. It’s nice hearing other people’s experiences. I hope to be doing this one day, you know getting the breast feeding nailed lol!!

 

[noon_child]

Breasts don't ever really empty as they make milk on demand plus they don't have much space for the milk to be stored once made (so thats why breasts become engorged, sometimes painfully). So think of them as a factory; in between feeds business is slow, the conveyor belts still run and milk still gets made but there's no-one to collect it from the depot so it starts piling up in the loading bays, and maybe leaking out of the doors. The suddenly the delivery trucks arrive (baby) and all the milk that was lying around gets taken away (drunk). At this point the factory foreman notices the trucks are turning up and more milk is needed, so he turns the conveyors and machinery in to overdrive. Milk starts being made at the same speed it is being removed from the factory. After a while fewer trucks arrive (baby slows down feeding) so foreman turns the machinery back in to slow mode.