Breastfeeding

[Brenda2011]

Hi Ladies,I’m 28 weeks pregnant & my plan is to breastfeed when the baby arrives.I am really hoping that breastfeeding works for me but I’m wondering should I buy bottles,steriliser etc…. just in case it doesn’t?.

have been looking at the bottles & teats & I’m totally confused as to what ones I should even buy if I do have to,there are just too many choices.

Just want to know what others have done in my situation

[Fabienne]

Breasfeeding is the best thing for you and your baby, but it’s not that easy at first. Not that hard either.
But it takes a little while to get well settle.

If you have bottles and all ready then if breasfeeding isn’t as magical as you hoped you’ll faster switch to bottles.
If you don’t have them, then you’ll feed another time before to get them, and then you’ll realise that each time is getting easier and easier, so you’ll wait another feed to see what it’s like before getting bottles, so by the time you get to get bottles, your breasfeeding is going on so well that you realised you saved money not buying anything you don’t need.
Anyway, if anything they are 24h tesco open everywhere so in case of hurry you can always get your bottles at the last minute.
Plus sterilisong, you can always boil or steam your bottles it’s the same, so no need to buy it before you actually bottle feed.

Breasfeeding is really magical, I enjoyed it a lot, but it took me around 10 days to really enjoy it.

I did not have bottles at home, as it was advised for me not to get it. And I think that if I had them I might not have stick to breasfeeding in the first 10 days. After it’s so easy that you keep thinking that you’re glad not been in the nightmarre of having to clean, sterilise bottles and all and so economical and more, the list of benefits of breastfeeding is endless.

As for bottles, now in some countries some plastic ones have been taken off the market because studies are showing it could be harmfull. Scientist don’t all agree on it, but for sure with breasfeeding there is no chemical coming from the bottle.

I’m sure you’ll succeed in your breasfeeding, if any difficulty get advice your local breasfeeding group will help you and you’ll meet new mums along the way.

Best of luck,
Fabienne

[happymumblemum]

I breastfed and I had all the bottles and sterilisers, just in case..I ended up using steriliser a lot for the breast pump as dd wouldnt latch on for me for a while so i pumped…used the bottles too as dh gave her expressed bm in a bottle..but i dont think they recommend mixing the teat and the nipple to begin with but i did it all back ways and it all worked out in the end.

So I would say have them..do u really need a midnight dash to tesco, if you are determined to suceed then having a bottle there won’t sway you.

I was crying with mastitis and blood filled breast milk but didn’t give in just because a bottle was there…also a box of formula phn made dh go down and buy but I still carried on.

Best of luck and use all the support you can find, the ladies at La leche are great i used to ring one of them whenever I felt low and worried about something to do with bf

[Moonflower]

i plan to breastfeed this little one like i did my Ds & even thou i switched to bottles at about 3mths old i havent got my steriliser or any bottles left..so plan to just hope fingers crossed i can do it again…it’s not easy to start with but best advice i would give wd be to keep asking for help latching baby on, once you get that right then its gets easier..if it hurts then baby is not latched on right…

the position i used to feed my ds was the weirdest imaginable but had such bad damage down below that i couldnt sit for weeks & i used to sort of lower my breast over his mouth, while laying on my side & he would then latch on in early days..it worked & after a few weeks I cd sit with a foot underneath me & feed upright…so also dont be afraid to try different positions that work for you…

also a good support group will help you keep going longer…I didnt have that as the PHN was so rude to me in early days it put me off going but if anything like that happens to you,find another one…i will next time!!

[lyn11]

I am a first time Mum who hopes to breast feed too. I did a breastfeeding course with Clare Boyle from Anu Life and found it great for information. She has a facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/breastfeedingclass

I have bought a couple of bottles but got these ones: http://www.breastflow.co.uk/ to use for expressed milk, they have mixed reviews but I really want to give breastfeeding my best shot and these are just back up for me hopefully !

[Jedt]

I would say prepare for breastfeeding as much as you can before babs arrives so you have the best chance of sticking with it for a while. it is so convenient – you can do it anywhere, anytime and no need to bring formula with you or heat bottles etc when out and about. All you need is your boobs 😀

Babies tend to want to ‘feed’ alot in the first few days but actually, there is only colostrom until around day 3-4 so they are looking for comfort more so than food. On the 3rd or 4th day your milk ‘comes in’ – you’ll know when that happens as your boobs will expand in size quite suddenly!

There is a breastfeeding class you can take before the birth to help prepare you for feeding. This is a great way to learn how to hold baby, how to ‘latch’ baby on for feeds and the other things you need to know for bf. There are a few important things to know, like how to angle your nipple so baby can suck it properly – this will mean he/she is getting enough milk and will prevent you getting very sore nipples.

I would recommend the bf class, here is what one mum-to-be said about it: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=13763 and to find out when the next ones are on near you, go here: http://www.anulife.ie

Also, make sure to find out about bf support groups near you, it is invaluable to be in a room with other bf mums for sharing tips and offering each other support and also, its nice to be with a group of mums all doing the same thing you are, makes you feel more comfortable.

Hope some of that helps, I am bf our new baby at the moment, she is 4 weeks old and I am loving it. The time it gives us to bond is so lovely and even though she is number 4 and I am a busy mammy, when she wants to be fed I have to stop what I’m doing and sit with her to feed her and I am really enjoying that. It gives me ample opportunity to sit and gaze at her!

Soppy I know but for us, it works and I would recommend it. We have not got any bottles etc yet but will get some in a few weeks when we want to give her the odd bottle so I can have a full night sleep or glass of wine.

If you want to have a chat, you can PM me anytime or you can get in touch with Clare at Anulife, she is great. her email is clare@anulife.ie

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