Worries about Breastfeeding!!!

[Christine33]

i am with you kerry...

i am really going to try breastfeeding but do have worries (but will still try). i have worries over the pain, nobody being able to help out with feeds, will beanie get enough milk etc. I too can see the benefits in bottle feeding but then i think breastfeeding is best for the baby so i know i will have to give it my best shot...

i guess we won't know till we have our babies and try. My friends had her baby three months ago and exclusively breastfeeds. she says it is ace and expresses milk so hubby can help out. she has also lost the 2.5stones that she put on in weight! she said it was hard at the start but sooo glad she stuck at it.

I am sure you will make the correct decision for both of you.

Christine
XXX

 

[leedsforever]

thanks guys....

yeh there is no doubt about it I want to breastfeed and will be very very upset if i couldnt!!! I just think my baby will be getting the majority of her milk from bottles by me expressing!!!

Especially as I know I will want to go out... so i will store my breast milk for her until alcohol is out of my system!!!

Does anyone know how long it takes for it to get out of your system!!??!!

 

[WaitingForYou]

It takes approx. 1 hour per unit. Id say 24 hours at max.

 

[leedsforever]

so how much expressed milk can you store at one time?? How long does it last in the fridge or whatever!!! I know I have 12 weeks left but Im so curious of how this expressing milk works!!

 

[WaitingForYou]

Hope this helps. Not sure about storing I assume as much as you can express.

It is best to put breast milk in plastic feeding bottles with secure tops to seal in freshness. You can also use plastic bags made especially for storing milk, or disposable baby bottle liners. Remember to write the date on the bottle or bag before putting it in the refrigerator or freezer so you'll know how fresh it is.

Use fresh, refrigerated milk within three to five days, and keep it at the back of the fridge, away from the door, at a temperature of 4 degrees Centigrade or lower. Frozen milk lasts at week in the ice box of a fridge, and three to six months if kept in a freezer set no higher minus 18 degrees Centigrade (and then up to 12 hours, refrigerated, after thawing). The process of freezing destroys some of the antibodies in milk, so don't freeze any that you plan to use within the time limits. But frozen breastmilk is still much healthier and offers more protection from disease than formula milk does.

To thaw frozen milk, place the bottle or bag in a bowl of warm water, run it under warm tap water, or defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. Don't use the microwave for defrosting or warming - it kills the nutrients in breast milk. And don't ever save partially drunk portions for later use - health professionals recommend throwing out any milk that's left in the baby's bottle.

 

[Ann-Marie]

I'm copying and pasting this from an earlier thread I replied to....


.........worrying about breastfeeding in public... I felt just the same when I had my first.... but you can be discreet, you don't have to show anything. I used to use a blanket as a sheild at first, but then I got quite the pro at doing it without having to show anything at all ( vest and shirt.... vest up... shirt open to the middle). You will get some looks.... the funniest are the ones when you go out to cafes, and the men look ad then go red and stare at the ceiling, the walls, their feet.. sooo obviously avoiding looking anywhere in your vicinity... then there're the old ladies, who come up and coo, and pull the shirt to one side so they can see babe feeding (slightly embarrasing, but rather sweet), it's perfectly normal to them... and then you get the all too common disapproving looks.....
Sod them !!! You'll find that the most important thing to you, is responding to your babies hungry cry, (and getting rid of that over-full feeling thats threatening to soak through your top with each wail!! ). There are facilities all over the place now to accomodate breastfeeding Mummys, and remember, the law is on your side !! You cannot be asked to leave anywhere for breast-feeding your child, so please don't feel pressured.
Added to all of that, it is the most amazing feeling of achievement to see the contentedness of your baby, and seeing them grow and thrive, knowing that you did that, no-one else.

 

[Ann-Marie]

As for the whole drinking alcohol thing...... you can do it, it just needs to be planned.

Pump & Dump:

You need to allow one hour per unit for the alcohol to leave your body. If you drink 12 units of alcohol... you are supposed to wait 12 hours after your last drink, and then express fully from both breasts, and throw it away. Then you are ok to feed again, obviously once your supply has built back up again. You can pump between your last drink and the 12 hours of course... otherwise you'll get uncomfortable, but throw all milk away in the pump & dump time.
To do this, it's best to plan in advance. I used to save milk for a few days to feed this whilst ridding my breasts of the alcohol. All sounds very confusing, but it's not really... just takes military precision !!!

 

[Emmea12uk]

i have bought these fab nursing tops in H&M, £14.99 for two. They cross over with what looks like a vest underneath, but the vest stops under your boobs and doesnt cover your nipples. Hope that makes sense - your boob pops out very easily without showing anything but a nipple! you are covered on top by the vest and underneath by the cross over bit. Super comfy too! I am wearing mine already!

 

[carries]

There are loads of ways to feed discretely...just make sure you arent wearing a poloneck!. My friend breast fed and with a carefully placed muslin you couldnt see anything...honest!

 

[keelykat]

I recently posted about breastfeeding on a different site-as many people seem to have a problem with breastfeeding in public (i mean seeing a lady breastfeeding).

I plan on breastfeeding if possible, but ive also had my worries. Ive told myself that if i really do struggle and it hurts too much etc-not to get too upset/worked up over it. There's always a bottle if needed. I think the more pressure i have put on me-the more likely i am to stress out and not be able to do it.

I think the idea of practising infront of a mirror is a good idea (other mums have suggested this). I think i'll carry a muslim cloth or shawl with me, to put over my shoulder if needed.

I doubt ill ever feel confident to feed infront of male relatives ie my dad-but thats just the way ive been brought up. I always used to cover up at home, so ill try to be as descreet as possible.

keely.

 

[clairebear]

i have brought i loverly shawl to drape over my shoudler whilst BF in public and like the loverly post ann marie posted no one can stop u from feeding ur baby in the most natural way possible x

 

[armychicmkm]

Hi Ladies

Here are some other benefits of breastfeeding according to the Breastfeeding for Dummies book:

Shrinks uterus quicker.
Burns and average of 200-500 calories per day. (Woohoo!)
Decreased risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers.
Increased bone density - lowered risk for osteoporosis.
The chance to sit down and rest.

https://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Du...Health-Benefits-of-Breastfeeding.id-2486.html

 

[WaitingForYou]

^ Interesting. Sound's good to me. I can think of so many good reason's to do it. So that's what I will try first of all.

Doesn't it start hurting sometimes though, like baby can suck too hard or bite. My sister had to stop after about 4 weeks, as the pressure of baby sucking was killing her boobs.
Then again my mum breastfeed till 2 years old for 5 of us kids. Thats 10 years of her life breastfeeding. Ha that sounds weird.

 

[armychicmkm]

I cannot imagine breastfeeding for 10 years! I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to manage to do it for 6 months.

 

[anita665]

Since my son is only 2 weeks old, I have not had to do a public feed, but I don't feel I will have any problems with it. The first time may be ackward, but after that. Plus when I was in hospital, I think just about everyone saw my boobs, nurses, doctors, my parents, my friends, even my mother's friend who popped by for a visit. Since coming home, my neighbor, my girlfriend, and even my cleaning ladies have seen my boobs. Since I am feeding my child, I don't realy care, my boobs are not sexual right now, if that makes any sense. Plus, when I look down, at my tiny son going to town sucking, it is just such an amazing feeling. Especially when he is really hungry, and he makes the funniest little noise when latching on, he just chomps!

I love the way my LO shakes his head really fast as he goes to latch on. It's so cute.

I think because the government wants more women to breast feed they only tell you the good things and then women are suprised by the bad things because they weren't told so they aren't prepared.

Honestly I found it quite painful for the first week to 10 days with sore nipples and just the feeling of him feeding. Also it's hard work as it's so frequent and nobody else can help but it gets better. At about the 10 day mark it no longer hurt for me and you get used to the routine.

Also if you plan to only express and use a bottle then you can do that from the start. I've found the Avent airflex bottles really good to help with avoiding nipple confusion too because they let the air back in on there own without baby having to release. I tried my LO on a different bottle yesterday and he couldn't figure it out. He was sucking and sucking but getting nowhere because he wasn't letting the air back.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do.

 

[leedsforever]

so I can express from day 1 then?? How will the midwifes react with that decision?? !!!

 

[Ann-Marie]

When I was in with Ethan, they told me to hand express and catch it in a syringe to feed him ??? Which I found really odd...

 

[tinytoes]

You might want to consider getting a Hooter Hider https://shop.bebeaulait.com/shop/simple_organic?gclid=CMma_Oj24JMCFSQdagodclJeWw
We went out for the first time yesterday to lunch and I was able to nurse her no problem. !

i agree - i got a hooter hider! it was off ebay, made by a very nice lady in the US. (MUch cheaper than the bebeaulait ones)


Cant wait to get using it.

Boobs might not be sexual while feeding but I'm not worried about reserving them for sexual purposes - this is what they're designed for. I'm sure DB and I will get back into teh swing of things with them at some point!

I heard you should wait for a while for the milk to be flowing well to express. I may be wrong though, I've never been down thsi road before, it's all new.
And I bet a lot of flat nipples behave themselves and play along when there's a baby there nuzzling for dinner time.

Personally I'll be devestated if I cant breastfeed - I am expecting it to be a real bonding thing.
And It seems so much more convenient to me!

No steralizing, no heating milk, no shopping for formula, no packing bottles when going out etc etc!...