A question about milk coming in? EDT_ BF course discussion

[Morganuk]

After reading about some girls milk not coming in it got me thinking.
I did not leak any milk with Jaeda but was that because I did not BF?
I remember my boobs being hard for one day then it dissapered and that was on about day 5-7 I think.
Was that normal?
I had no problems with Ben but hope everything will be ok for next time as I promised myself I would give it my best shot next time.

Sorry for the weird question.

 

[purple13]

your boobs being hard is a sure sign that your milk was coming in - having the baby on your boob would have stimulated your let down.

 

[Hazel]

My milk never came in . I tried for 7 days to breastfeed but there was just nothing there. They never got hard or any bigger. MW was so good trying to help me breastfeed but she said I needed to give her a bottle feeds and that I had tried as hard as I could have.

 

[Morganuk]

Thanks hun

 

[lisa&alex]

some women dont leak. but having hard 'full' breasts means your milk has come in. some women really have to force the milk to come in. having lots of happy hormones help. its vital to put the baby to the breast in the 1st hour after birth due to the release of hormones from the placenta detatching.

 

[Morganuk]

I just remembered really leaking with Ben but then I did try to BF, wish id of stuck at it longer but cant go back.

Thanks Lisa

 

[lisa&alex]

I just remembered really leaking with Ben but then I did try to BF, wish id of stuck at it longer but cant go back.

Thanks Lisa

exactly, you cant go back..so dont u go feeling bad. if you have any more then maybe give it another shot eh?

 

[Morganuk]

Why is it sometimes so hard to get them to latch on.
I have inverted nipples, could that have been the problem?

 

[lisa&alex]

i also have flat/ inverted nipples. it can be harder to latch in the early days i think in my case a lot of it was in my mind thinking im not gonna be able to do it iykwim, my breastfeeding co-ordinator said it is a terrible myth that inverted/flat nipples stop mums from feeding because the baby latches onto the areola and not the nipple and while sucking draws out the nipple to the palette i have now got almost normalish looking nips after feeding for 5 months..

 

[Morganuk]

i also have flat/ inverted nipples. it can be harder to latch in the early days i think in my case a lot of it was in my mind thinking im not gonna be able to do it iykwim, my breastfeeding co-ordinator said it is a terrible myth that inverted/flat nipples stop mums from feeding because the baby latches onto the areola and not the nipple and while sucking draws out the nipple to the palette i have now got almost normalish looking nips after feeding for 5 months..

I no what you mean, I got really upset and had it in my head it wasnt going to work.

Actually one of the main reasons babies have issues latching on is current medical practices. Where the baby is whipped away from the mother at birth. It interupts a vital process that allows the baby to root out a nipple. Charlie has posted the babies first meal on here that shows that in order to encourage a baby to latch on and the rooting reflex, then they need to search for the nipple.
But there are obviously other reasons sheer exhaustion much latching depends on the type of labour you also had if you needed any drugs.


As for inverted nipples many people successfully bf'd with inverted nipples they just need to encourage the nipples out using nipplette devices before birth. But you know I know ladies who successfully feeding now 4 years on who had inverted nips and although the beggining was harder to establish there nipples are no longer inverted.

Edit to add it took me over 24 hours to latch the seed.

I had a c-section with Ben so he was whipped away.
Another good reason then to demand your baby is giving strait to you.
I hate my inverted nipples lol. Ugly looking things

 

[lisa&alex]

i bought and used the nipplette and breasts shields to draw my nips out.. i used them from 20 weeks and tbh they did nothing. i used them every day several times a day theres absolutly nothing better to draw out your niples than a baby. and with hindsight i realise that it doesnt matter what your nipples are like because the baby doesnt suck on the nipple it sucks on the areola.

i think that if you suspect you might have problems feeding before you have your baby then seek help when your pregnant, attend the support groups and ask loooaaddss of questions, make friends and get your support network established because the early days are the toughest. know the areas bf co-ordinator and research latch, videos pictures etc..and i think most importantly as i said earlier get that baby to your breast within an hour of birth, lots of skin to skin for as long as possible, even after the birth get your top off strip the baby and put a blanket over you both, i still did this up till we stopped feeding.. skin to skin is amazing.

 

[daftscotslass]

Actually one of the main reasons babies have issues latching on is current medical practices. Where the baby is whipped away from the mother at birth. It interupts a vital process that allows the baby to root out a nipple.

I think that was what did it for us. I was whipped away to theatre to have a GA less than an hour after she was born and got none of the skin-to-skin I'd asked for straight after she was born. I had to ask repeatedly to hold her when I got back as I wasn't allowed to get up and got no help trying to latch her though a helpful auxilliary tried with us during the night.

I like to think she got something in that time and although it didn't work for us this time I'm hopeful it will next time so all the best Morgan and the ladies here are just fantastic in supporting everyone

 

[Jade&Evie]

Milk coming in is the 'easy' bit- for me I needed more support after day 5 when it was killing me. This forum (Midna esp!) were fab... but I was still a wimp and gave in to the bottle for 'a break'....

 

[Morganuk]

i bought and used the nipplette and breasts shields to draw my nips out.. i used them from 20 weeks and tbh they did nothing. i used them every day several times a day theres absolutly nothing better to draw out your niples than a baby. and with hindsight i realise that it doesnt matter what your nipples are like because the baby doesnt suck on the nipple it sucks on the areola.

i think that if you suspect you might have problems feeding before you have your baby then seek help when your pregnant, attend the support groups and ask loooaaddss of questions, make friends and get your support network established because the early days are the toughest. know the areas bf co-ordinator and research latch, videos pictures etc..and i think most importantly as i said earlier get that baby to your breast within an hour of birth, lots of skin to skin for as long as possible, even after the birth get your top off strip the baby and put a blanket over you both, i still did this up till we stopped feeding.. skin to skin is amazing.

Yes I wish id had more help.
With Ben the mw was not helpful at all and snapped at me because I wasnt doing it right
He was screaming cause he was so hungry so my mum asked them to give me a bottle as I was distraught to which they were funny with.
I felt like I couldnt win and it was a horrible experience.
Had I known somewhere like this forum back then I reckon I would have succeded as theres so much help and support here.
Its such a shame that one bad experience can cause so much anxiousness.
Thats why I say I commend the ladies who stick at it as I no it can be hard.
My regret is g iving in because of it all.
Next time I will succeed ill make sure of it and that because of this forum as ive read so many success stories.

 

[lisa&alex]

funny that.. coz charlotte is also 6.. and the support was absolutly aweful...

 

[beanie]

I never really had leaks - only after a few weeks when I got engorged but with Cally my boobs never got hard, nor leaked - asnd with Seren my boobs felt slightly fuller after 6 days but again never leaked.

 

[Morganuk]

I believe it was a big factor for me getting PND.
I got it so bad that my life spiralled out of control
I just felt like a let down and the damage inturn was immense.
I feel so lucky that this time I am coping much better.

Its such a shame mothers have to complain, arent these mw supposed to be more then happy to help as much as they can
Its a bloody shame it really is

 

[happy-chick]

We had problems with latching due to the drugs in labour (made her really sleepy) and the fact that she swallowed lots of fluid during the birth, I felt like a failure like it was me but once she had cleared the mucus & the drugs had cleared out of her system she managed to latch fine. Our problem was that Ellie wasnt hungry as her lil tum was full of mucus from birth, we got there in the end though but it wasnt until day 5 that we actually managed to do a full feed without problems My milk came in on day 4/5 x

 

[lisa&alex]

midwives get trained in breastfeeding typically either not at all.. or for 2 day course. which is disgusting considering everyone wants to know why more mums dont bf.. its pretty much because the 1st people to help you feed either arnt trained.. some haven't had kids at all.. some have but may not have bf'd and the lucky ones have had 2 days training and the even luckier ones have trained and fed themselves. i think for many reasons including this one is why im training now, my area needs an outlet to give mums more help and to let the midwives deliver babies.. and have feeding experts to guide with feeding.

 

[kelsey]

midwives get trained in breastfeeding typically either not at all.. or for 2 day course. which is disgusting considering everyone wants to know why more mums dont bf.. its pretty much because the 1st people to help you feed either arnt trained.. some haven't had kids at all.. some have but may not have bf'd and the lucky ones have had 2 days training and the even luckier ones have trained and fed themselves. i think for many reasons including this one is why im training now, my area needs an outlet to give mums more help and to let the midwives deliver babies.. and have feeding experts to guide with feeding.

Nowadays trainee midwives are doing a lot of work regarding bf'ing, and also a lot of hospitals are doing the BFI (baby friendly initiative). Its unfortunate that it hasn't been like this in the past but hopefully we're going in the right direction. The big problem is the amount it costs for hospitals to apply for BFI. I do think that midwives need the training in bf'ing because they're the ones we encounter throughout pregnancy, childbirth and for the first 10 days after.

I think that midwives, bfc's and health visitors should be able to work alongside each other to help mums.