(Pregnant Girl Wants To Know!) Suggestions to make BFing as easy as possible

[codegirl]

...Also, I would start looking now for a good lactation consultant in your area (if possible) that way, if you have any problems at all you have someone to contact right away......

You know that if you have any questions, I'm here for you!!

I'm so proud of you for wanting this so badly and doing your homework. You go girl!!!

I love you Terri!!! I actually talked to my sister yesterday, and she's a Registered Dietician, and she is friends the lady who is the leader of the La Leche league in Saskatoon! So she is going to ask her if there's anything I can do before hand, that will get me 'what I want' in the hospital. I'm so glad I have you girls to encourage me to do my research!


..... It sounds like BF clinics/La Leche League are lifesavers.

Once again, ladies, you have blown me away! I hope other girls are reading this thread and gaining all your wonderful advice and stories! It's great to know that even if it doesn't all start out 'ideally', breastfeeding can still be successful!!!!

LLL (La Leche League) has been great too... I can't believe I forgot to mention them You might even want to see if you can go to a meeting or two before your LO is born.

In my experience, you can't have too much support to bf. Perhaps in societies where bf is more the "norm" and out in public where we grow up seeing it happen we wouldn't need all this extra support but here, well, knowledge is power

In the morning (when I can turn a light on in the nursery) I'll get you the name of the bf book I read before Edward came along. It was very helpful the only thing it didn't really help with was knowing that having antibiotics during delivery increased my chances of a yeast infection and the yeast infection was my biggest problem. It talks about a good latch and how everything works. Good resource. It talks about how for the first 40 days, formula feeding is easier than bf but that after the 40 days it switches. While I was trying to get everything "mastered", my DH kept a countdown on the days (only 30 more days till it's easier, only 20 more days till it's easier). It kept me focused and helped me see that the difficulty was really short term.

 

[Twist]

Just remebered this and wanted to add. Sometimes I got (and still get from time to time) really hard lums in my breasts that get REALLY painfull. As far as i was told it wasn't/isn't mastitis but blocked milk ducts (I guess if they didn't un-clog then it could have become mastitis). Anyhoo, if you get anything like that KEEP FEEDING!!!! Or pump that breast if you can pump, the trickk is to empty it out, I read somewhere that if you position your baby with her nose pointing towards the bloked area then she will work at draining that side???? Also, I found the best pain meds for this to be Ibuprophin (they told me to take this in the hospital after the birth so I know it is safe), and last but not least, put warm compresses on before you feed (to help with the let down) and put on cold compresses after you feed to help bring down any swellings. Also, if it is really bad I found it helpful to stand in the shower, put the warm/hot water on the affected breast and use some oil and massage the breast, I used olive oil, but any would do I guess. (not using oil causes too much friction and hurts too much).

 

[soliloquise]

Hi girls! YOU are the pros so I came here for advice!!

I really want to breastfeed. I have heard lots of horror stories about how hard it is and latching on can be a big problem...but I also know all the positives too.

Anyway, I'm wondering if there's anything I can do right at the start to make sure it goes good right from the beginning.

I am planning on being a royal BIT*H in the hospital, and demanding that my baby be plunked onto me, IMMEDIATELY, if not SOONER, after the birth! None of this cleaning, bathing, weighing, garbage first. My greasy, bloody, slimy, baby will be on my chest right after it comes out of me! I believe that the rooting instinct will kick in right away (am I wrong in this? Do babies want to eat right away?) and that will give my baby the best chance possible.

Good plan? Will it work?

it did for me.. my little girl latched straight away and we specified a non interventionalist post birth so were left alone we have had no probs since...

How do things usually go? This is my first so I don't really know the order of how doctors do it. But I do know they usually clean the baby off and stuff before the mom gets to hold it.

you can request that they leave you be in your birth plan. you do not " have " to do anything

How long can the umbilical cord stay attached? Is that why they clean the baby right away, cause the UC has to come off asap?

i left it til it had long stopped pulsing and then i clamped and cut it myself. it is in my freezer with the placenta at the mo lol. again this is your choice

I'm just used to cows...the UC just gets ripped off when the calf falls onto the ground (if she's standing) or when she gets up to lick the calf (if she gave birth laying down).

Any more ideas? What did you do to make BFing go as smoothly as possible?

Thanks ladies!

i would suggest that you relax, enjoy your first moments and trust your body

and good luck for a beautiful birth !