Breast feeding

[nat206ttc3]

I didn't breast feed my boys but I'm thinking I may give it a bash this time.

What's your experiences? Is it hard when out and about or hard to breast feed in front of family etc?

I know it's a natural way to feed and an amazing thing but not sure how confident id feel!? X

 

[Mayflower85]

I tried with my daughter but just couldn't get to grips with it, we were in hospital for 5 nights and I was always asking the staff for help. I didn't feel confident that she was getting anything from me at all. I combi fed until she was 9 weeks old and then she was just bottle & formula fed. I did feel a bit shy and took myself away to feed her.

I'm going to try again this time.

 

[lisey]

I didn't want to breastfeed this time as it didn't work with my son, I was going to give the feeds in hospital for colostrum and then move on to bottle. Almost 11 weeks later and still breastfeeding, I really do enjoy it and find it easier than the steralising and mixing of bottles. It is quite demanding at first and baby can cluster feed ALOT which is time consuming but it gets easier.
I am quite a shy person and was so worried about feeding when out and about or infront of people but I got an arpon thing from amazon which totally covers us and feel ok about it now. Have put a link on of the cover xx

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HB-HOMEBOA...00463815&sr=1-12&keywords=breastfeeding+cover

 

[candymycandy]

I struggled but purely because I didn't have the best start as my lb was in the nicu for the first few days of his life so I was having to express which wasn't really working, I never got much milk and I think that was why. I was fine in front of some people but slowly gained confidence in public. And like Lisey has suggested there's covers available. I think it's a case of giving it a go and see how your get on, in the mean time there's plenty of feeding areas/rooms in a lot of places so fx you can start there. Planning on having another bash this time! x

 

[Emily0505]

I unfortunately suffer from chronic low supply issues so have had to supplement heavily with formula for both my babies.

My daughter is 10 weeks old on Saturday and I'm still doing combination feeding of breast and bottle. It's hard work and can be time consuming but it works for me. I do express milk each day to (by hand as my body doesn't respond to a pump) as I'm so worried about losing my supply if I don't, so that's what makes it more difficult.

I don't care at all about feeding in public and never bothered with a cover. I just got tops that button down the front or wear a vest underneath which I pull down so my mum tum doesn't run riot! At home I just flop it all out like a good un!! Lol!!

In the early days bf is hard work as baby will want to feed a lot and when I say a lot I mean a lot. Don't expect to be doing much else except feeding - get some good box sets lined up on the telly, plenty of drinks and snacks in easy reach and just snuggle and feed your bubba. Deffo get some Lansinoh nipple cream to help lessen sore nipples and get your latch checked to make sure bubs is on properly as a bad latch will cause all manner of problems.

If you can get the hang of it, bf is much easier than bottle feeding IMO as it's all ready to go all the time. That being said, the down side is that unless bubs will take a bottle of expressed milk, you need to be available all the time to feed. I can't express so if we weren't giving formula too then I couldn't ever be away from baby for any length of time.

Feeding isn't all or nothing though and you don't have to do just one or the other. See how you get on and what works for you and don't worry if it doesn't quite go as planned, be flexible and remember that fed is best.

XX

 

[mrsmnk101]

I breastfed both my boys till about 18 months. By that time they hardly had it and weaned themself off it. It is hard in the beginning because the baby can cluster feed like one lady above said. If its exclusivley breasts theres also no one else to help out if your tired and need a rest. Also sometimes baby just cries for the breast even when theyr not hungry. I was feeding mine in the beggining around every hour. Which felt like i constantly had them to the breast. It does get easier and more spaced out. Feeding infront of others i rarely did. I always would go into a different room as im not a very confident person. And if i were out i would feed baby inside my car. This time im not sure if i will breastfeed or not, my boys are now 6 & 9 yrs and Im not quite sure if i would like to lob my breasts out infront of them. I might try pump instead although i heard this can be hard.

 

[Karenb]

Hi,
I breastfed my daughter for a year and will definitely be trying again this time. I think the first six weeks are so so hard but after that, it's just great. No sterilising or spending money on formula, great to know you can just feed whenever they want it. I used to wear a thin scarf when feeding and it covered baby fine but after a while I didn't really care. My father in law wasn't comfortable around it so in his house I'd go to another room but in my own home I was quite stubborn and fed in the lounge where I was most comfy. It wasn't really a big issue though. Babies breastfeed for so much more than food so after injections etc it calmed her down instantly. Good luck and don't beat yourself up if it's not for you as it is difficult to start with. The best advice I got was 'don't quit on a bad day'. X

 

[nat206ttc3]

Thanks ladies. I'm quite excited to try it x

 

[Tinkey1104]

As everyone else has said really - I've fed all three of mine until 7/8 months as I've gone back to work.

Breastfeeding can be really hard work in the early days but I know if I can get to 4 weeks, everything will then start getting easier and I keep telling myself that 4 weeks is a really short amount of time in the scale of things.... it's worked for me so far! And then the ease of always having milk ready at the right temperature wins over sterilising / making up formula - I'm just lazy!!

You will gain confidence about feeding in public, work out what works for you whether it's a cover up or I do a tshirt up, vest down combo so I'm mostly always covered. In the early days, you can always stay close to shops etc that have baby rooms to get some practice if it helps xx

 

[nat206ttc3]

Thanks again for your replies. X

 

[claireyt]

Some really good information, thanks! I want to give breastfeeding a go but also know my husband would like to be involved as much as possible so the plan will involve some expressing so he can feed baby.

As a first time mum what equipment do I need to buy? Any recommendations would be appreciated!

 

[Karenb]

Some really good information, thanks! I want to give breastfeeding a go but also know my husband would like to be involved as much as possible so the plan will involve some expressing so he can feed baby.

As a first time mum what equipment do I need to buy? Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Definitely lansinoh cream in case you get sore nipples! I personally hated expressing and my husband never ever felt uninvolved, bath time was always their special time. From 6 months he could be as involved as he wanted with feeding when we tackled solids!

 

[CARNAT22]

I am still breastfeeding my 2.6yo!!!

It's weird as I was an unsuccessful breastfeeder with my first (managed days, expressed for 8 weeks then formula fed)

My advice is don't put too much pressure on yourself but it is worth doing some research. My NHS trust actually run a day long breastfeeding class / seminar and it's the only antenatal class I'd personally say is worth attending.

There is lots of support out there, some hospitals have lactation consultants? There are local support groups, HV can help and also websites like Kellys Mom and Le Leche League.

Best of luck.

 

[louisa2008sash]

I breastfed all 3 of mine for about 10 weeks each then swapped onto formula. I would like to do it for longer this time as the other 3 will be at school so I am hoping I'll be less busy during the day, but they are busy after school so I will see how it goes