Trying again

[ATC]

Breastfeeding didn't work out for me last time for a whole variety of reasons I won't go into. Am very nervous about trying again but am going to give it a go.

Am only 27 weeks but am trying to get organised. I have a medela swing from last time and am wondering what parts need to be replaced for it to be reused safely? Can anyone help?

Also, last time because my little ones latch was so poor my nipples were bleeding by the time I left hospital. I tried lanolin but (tmi! ) my nipples were so damaged that parts would break off when I was applying it. Any advice on how to prepare them in advance this time would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CandyDay]

Did your LO have tongue tie and that's why you were so sore? I would look that up so you know what it is. You can check yours and your families tongue to see if any of you have it. It generally is a genetic thing. It's simple to get fixed if your LO ends up having one.
I would find a La Leche league or a lactation consultant so that if you do run into issues you know who to call.
Also the book The womanly are of Breastfeeding is a really good book.

https://www.amazon.ca/Womanly-Breastfeeding-Leche-League-International/dp/0345518446

Doctor Jack Newman's website also has some helpful video's that you could watch.

 

[pineapple91]

not sure about replacing parts of your pump i would say just sterilize all parts and you should be good to go. as for getting off to a good start is key but even if you have a rough start ie medical issues you can still be successful at bf. get as much skin to skin as possible in the first few hours and days. relax breath keep hydrated and know that it will take some practice for the 2 of you to get it right sucking is natural latching is learned. seek help early if its painful something is not right. GL its worth it in the end

 

[ATC]

Thanks. No he wasn't tongue tied but his friend lum was very far forward which affected his latch. The major issue that led to me being advised was very severe reflux. I tried to exclusively pump for a while but he would simply projectile vomit the entire feed back up. He dropped a centile and didn't regain and was very unhappy because he wasn't keeping an thing down and was hungry and sore. He cried 24-7 and I was worn out trying to constantly express to feed him because he couldn't keep anything down. My nipples were so badly damaged that I was expressing blood into the pump so I was in agony if I tried to do without the pump. I ended up with infection after infection and wasn't recovering from a very traumatic birth.

Looking back, it was the right decision for us to give up although it was impossible to see it at the time and I still get upset and tearful about it almost 2 years on and ill always feel guilty about it. He ended up needing a lot of medication and for his feeds to be extremely thick to keep it down.

 

[ATC]

Frenulum...stupid autocorrect!

 

[melfy77]

BF'ing didn't go well with my 1st, but fairly easy with my 2nd (I'm still BF'ing her). I didn't do anything different; the baby made all the difference. Don't worry about it yet, every baby is different