Breastfeeding, ok where do i start!!!!!

[Happymammy]

Hi girls

Im really interested in getting to grips with the whole breastfeeding thing!
How? ?when where to get? how much etc etc etc the list is endless and to be honest im really worried about being sooo tired that i would just want to hand the baby to my partner, granny anyone! who always enjoyed feeding my dd and it was a great help to be honest.
So any advice is much appreciated, we went to smyths yesterday and there is so many pumps, bottles and other bits and bobs that i dont know where to start!!

[TracyDonegan]

You all ready have all the bits ‘n bobs ! 😉

Join a breastfeeding group so you can get some support lined up for yourself now – not after babs has arrived. That’ll do wonders for your confidence and you’ll already have a support system in place with women who are bfing too.

Best of luck – just shout if you need help !!

Tracy

[kasia]

and what exactly do you want to know?? i am brestfeeding my ds for the last 18 months, my dd only bfed for 7 monts. if you have any more specific q ask and maybe will be able to give some practical advice:))

[Taylor5]

Happymammy I fed ds for 3 months and as Tracy said all you need is you boobs to get started..

LITTLE TIP, WHEN THE MIDWIFE IS COMING AROUND WITH THE BOTTLES IN THE MORNING, TAKE THEM!!!!!
I took 7 bottles a day and just said "Oh, I dont know if this breast feeding is working" I had about 14 bottles and gave them to dh to bring home. It stopped me panicing about not being able to feed ds at home and him starving.

For Breast feeding in early days
Good feeding bra (M&S do great double packet)
Breast pads
A good nipple cream Lanisil (sp)
2 Good Soothers
Boobies and a baby 😆 😆 😆 😆

I did buy a breastpump and bottles but I only used them from 8 weeks, as they dont recommend give the bottle before then.

I was sooo sorry I stopped feeding ds as bf is so much easier then bottle feeding, just think no bottles to make or worry about having bottles while on the go or worry about heating. No getting out of bed at night feeds, just lash the baby on the boob and away you go, you dont even have to wake up you can almost do it in you sleep 😆 😆 😆 😆 well I did 😳 😳
You can pm me if want

[scole1]

you have the goods all you need is the baby, are you doing antenatel classes they run over this in a class…..also there are midwives there that will help…..however don’t be afraid to ask for bottles, take them first then try the breast feeding, i had said i was breastfeeding only and they didn’t give me bottles even when i cried for them, long story but wasn’t well after baby drugs beingpumped in and antibiotics, laxatives etc, physically couldn’t do it baby starved for 4 days…..he got bits but i wasn’t producing enough…..anyways they will help you it’s a case of your baby latching on correctly…..

but see how you feel after having the baby, everything could go great and you might feel up for it, otherwise you could be soooo tired or whatever afterwards….but do not beat yourself up over it if you cannot breast feed, it killed me as i really wanted to….but couldn’t i was so annoyed and upset i couldn’t but when i look back sure i didn’t know my arse from my elbow so how could i feed a baby myself.. 😆

but try and see how it goes, it’s a wonderful thing if you can, really see how you feel after having baby…and take it from there, ask the next time at your hospital appointment about classes….

[Taylor5]

I think its very important not to beat yourself up if bf doesnt work, there is no point doing something if both mam and baby arent happy, but when it works it the best thing in the world.
Dont know how women think bf is hard, its far easier then bottles and cheaper…. boobie milk is FREE 😆 😆 😆

[Anonymous]

Hi

My advice… ask for help at the hospital to get the correct latch on first time. I didn’t have a clue and the midwife took my dd and opened her mouth (quite wide) and put her on me and stroked her cheek. Once she knew what to do it was great. We did the same for ds and both fed brilliantly.

I have a pump (Avent) and micro sterilser (not sure of make but fits most bottles) that I am no longer using & barely used if you want them. Like Taylor says, it’s good to have them around so you aren’t under pressure.
I’ve also got the cup thingys to catch the excess milk – you put them in your bra (also Avent) if you want those too. I only used them once as I didn’t have as much milk with ds as I did with dd.

And since we are going with info here… I recommend toughening your nipples in the shower 😳 😆 😆 . They’ll get sore and cracked in the beginning (hence the nipple cream) but if you toughen them with a loofah, you get some of the pain out the way early.

There is apparently a great group of breastfeeding moms who meet in Laytown once a month. I never got to itbut I think Jene on here would have the details.

Good luck

[kasia]

and some more tips:)
– v shape pillow, great for having your hands freea and the baby on the right level
– patience; no one should expect that bf is easy(though it might be), because it might disspapoint you greatly, had that with my first, the expectations were great but the reality…but maybe my situation differs – have no family support over here. from the perspective i think i should have gone to some sort of bf advisor, but didn’t know any in the area(we moved to D couple of months before) with the second, i just took one day at the time, and there i am 18 months down the road, and wouldn’t change a thing
– give yourself about 6 to 8 weeks for bf to work, to settle in some sort of routine, to get used to it, to get to know how it works for YOU
-be prepared to hear hm nonsense about bf like "you have no milk", "your milk is not enough"and so on…
– i bf in different public places :aeroplane, bench, car park, waitnig room at the gp, it’s easy, convienient, and really no one can see it; brought him to wedding, to friends hauses – you can have life while bf, some adjustment needed, but life after kids is never the same as before no matter how you feed:)

good luck

[Happymammy]

Thanks for all the great advice girls sure im going to give it a try anyway although the sore nipples is def having an effect on me mentally already im very attached to my nipples! and extra pains after childbirth is not on my to do list, but the pros outway the cons i suppose. Another silly blond question, do you have to burp babs afterwards? 😳 😳 Absolutely Clueless!!

[kasia]

generally yes, but sometimes they don’t show any desire to burp and that’s ok. in that case i used to lay baby on the side for a while or put towel under mattress so she was a little raised, just in case decided to burp later 😀 breastfed babies don’t burp as often as bottle fed if they are latched on propely simplu because they don’t swallow air:)
and as for the sore nipples, hm, that’s something you just have to put up for a while. later your nipples will get used to sucking and stop hurting. proper positioning of the baby is essential to ensure that it won’t last forever:)
and one more thing. sometimes you can read that it’s good to buy a ring to sit on, like baby swimming ring. RUBBISH i don’t know who came up with that ridiculous idea – it’s not comfortable, it hurts on the stiches(hope you won’t get any) the best thing to sit on is ordinary pillow.
if any more q – ask no q is silly 😀

[Taylor5]

I had a section and a really really bad one at that and I never felt a thing while bf, but as kasia said maybe if you had stiches down there that would be different.
If you roll your nipples between finger and thumb or get them out in the fresh air and I dont mean go to dunnes with them out 😆 😆 😆 😆 but around the house ( I know your a blonde)
The latch is very important, if that is correct then you have no pain at all.

[rossylisa]

If you roll your nipples between finger and thumb or get them out in the fresh air and I dont mean go to dunnes with them out 😆 😆 😆 😆 but around the house ( I know your a blonde)
The latch is very important, if that is correct then you have no pain at all.

pmsl@ taylor 😆 😆 😆 😆

[Moonflower]

In the early days I used to feed DS by laying him on the bed and leaning over the top of him while i was on one side and sort of dangle breast into his mouth so he coudl latch on…..it worked perfectly for me as help in the hospital was not available so just had to get on with it……which i suppose is what nature intended really……..this helped me so much, meant i was comfortable feeding him as had no pressure on my stitches and once he was latched on, he would not let go until he had his fill….so coudl then sort of shimmy around a bit to get more comfortable……it may not of been the usual position but it worked!!! 😀

Also had no sore nipples….but then again have sunburnt my nipples many times in my younger days while sunbathing topless so think this may of toughened them up…… 😳

[Happymammy]

Heya Girls
I was on eumom and read this comment from a lady tryn to conceive. She was talking about her friend who was all for breastfeeding and then obviously decided not to do it!
My god the pressure to breastfeed from your own concience is hard enough these days to battle with but from other mums who you should be getting support from is far worse!

”Today I found out that my colleagues wife has stopped breastfeeding after 6 weeks. Before the baby came he was all "she wants to breastfeed for at least a year". My straight away thought was "why are babies wasted on formula feeders?" Now I know that that doesn’t sound great and is likely to bring me some not great comments but **** it, that is how I feel.”

😈 😈 😈

[rossylisa]

oh happy i read that too on someones blog of MM its the same person though … horrible thing to say just because i you dont breastfeed

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