Breastfeeding advise please ladies

[xkikix]

Hi Girls,

I'm hoping to breastfeed baby-bump however I have a few questions.

I've heard they literally live on the breast for the first 6 weeks, i'm going to have a 14 month old as well who i'm sure will be pretty demanding, so any advice on this? I presume a sling will be best but do you literally have boob out all day???

Also I have tiny, flat nipples. I WILL need nipple sheilds, can anyone reccommend any? Any are they just sterilised like bottles are? Would anyone with experience of this get one of those devices that pull the nipple out? Is it called nipplette by avent or something.

I'm planning on taking it a feed at a time, then a day at a time... but if I can just give baby-bump one BF then i'll be happy

Please be as honest as you can I need to know what to expect

 

[chelsea]

i was going to ask about flat nipples too and whether its best to get a sling for around the house/out and about! so i look forward to any helpful replies


*sorry to hijack *

 

[xkikix]

i was going to ask about flat nipples too and whether its best to get a sling for around the house/out and about! so i look forward to any helpful replies


*sorry to hijack *

I showed mine to the middy and she told me to get sheilds in my hospital bag! Hi-jack away hun x

 

[LisaJ1986]

First off i have an unopened pack of nipple shields here if you want them. Think they're just Boots ones but you are more than welcome to take them off my hands.

I found the sling a life saver when i got it at 12 weeks. I was stood in the kitchen peeling potatoes while she was feeding.
Can't help with having a toddler too but you have my number if you ever need anything.

I was quite lucky that i didn't have Angel on ALL day. I'd say she gave me a 2 hour break in between each feed, except the growth spurt days where she was on every hour.

 

[cez8457]

I was lucky with Kyla, she would feed for 20-30mins to start off with and then would go about 3 hours without wanting a feed. When she was about 4 months she would only feed for 5 mins lol and then go 3+ hours before wanting another feed, HV said she was getting enough and that the first 5 mins is 90% of their feed away, and she was putting weight on great.

I tried the advent nipple sheilds, i didnt get on with them very well tho and stopped using them.

Slings werent that big when i first had kyla so i didnt know about them, i did one when she was about a year old so that i could carry her places and not take the buggy, but never tried to feed her in one, so cant help there sorry.

All babies i guess will be different i was told to prepare to have her at the boob all the time and i was lucky as she would go every 3 hours without wanting a feed, i know other people however than say they cant put their babies down coz they want to be fed all the time.

As you said hun take it one day at a time and we here to help if you find it hard or have any questions.

 

[lisa282]

It really depends on your baby tbh as to how much they feed hun. My first baby was a big boy and constantly hungry so was feeding from me every 2 hours but would take about an hour over a feed so Id literally have an hour off in between. Im not gonna lie to you, it was really tough Luckily though he did start sleeping through at 5 weeks old so I got a break at night I still gave up with the bf after about 3 months though as it finally took its toll on me, I found it really draining with him feeding so often and just never got anything done or even moved off the sofa some days

Second time around, I have found the feeding much easier, and Eden is much more content with her feeding than Tyler was, and only feeds every four hours or so - except at the moment with the dreaded 4 month growth spurt! Im lucky in that Tyler is usually at nursery during the day as he is almost 4 now, so dont have to contend with 2 kids at once, but on the days he is at home with us then yes, I do sling Eden quite a bit for feeding and getting her to sleep. Its so much easier for me, as I can still play and interract with Tyler but also give Eden her much loved booby juice, without neglecting either of them. Means you can get stuff done too, I quite often wear her when Im cleaning up, cos if I dont I have to move her from room to room as I clean so she can see me! She has been so much easier to feed than Tyler, we had no problems with latching/painful nipples or constant feeding in the early days so Ive been really lucky with her. It just totally depends on the baby and you wont know how often or how much they are gonna want feeding until they are here

I dont have any advice on the nipple shields as Ive never used them, but I will say that I always had pretty small nipples before becoming pregnant, but since having the kids they are now totally different. Ive never had trouble feeding from them, even in the early days when they were still small, and I also had an inverted nipple but the babies sorted that out. It is still possible to feed with small/flat or inverted nipples as baby should be stimulating the whole of your areola not just the nipple. I wouldnt take just one midwife's word for it that you will need shields, wait for baby and see how things go, you might be surprised

Generally speaking, yes it will be tough, and it is extremely draining in the first few weeks, but once you get over the initial hurdles, it is a real pleasure. I love feeding my daughter now, we have such a special bond together, and also practically speaking it is so much eaiser than formula. No washing/sterilising/making up feeds, you just whip the boob out and off you go! That said, not everyone gets along with it, and you shouldnt beat yourself up if its not what you expected. It sounds like you are already on the right tracks and thinking ahead by saying you will take it one feed at a time. That is really the best bit of advice you can give yourself, it does take time and you may have some battles to endure along the way if you are to be successful at it, but take it slowly and try not to stress about it. If you relax into it and let baby take the lead, you will be fine. I hope it all works out for you, but if not then dont be disheartened. Its not the be all and end all of everything! Good luck! x

 

[Snuggle]

Some great advice here, I too have been concerned about my nipples as they are small and flat too. I have bought some nipple shields just incase. I tried the Nipplette hun and it didnt work for me. You have to wear them practically all day and they fall off really easily and you cant disguise them under your clothes

 

[BabyMagic]

I breastfed LO in a sling quite a lot. I have a kari-me and it was pretty easy to BF in a cuddly position (you can also do so in tummy-to-tummy later on). It's a bit trickier to burb them though so I ended up bending myself sideways whilst holding LO's back. It was far better than her puking in a sling though, which I believe happened if I didn't burb her

 

[kalia]

You would be best with small nipple shields. I didn't know these existed until a breastfeeding supporter at the hospital when DD was 5 weeks old saw the ones I was using and said they weren't much use for me and went and got me a small one. It was by medela. i don't know if other places do small ones too http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... tId=121186

 

[charlotte_]

i have flat nipples, and i use nipple shields. some avent ones, they work fine.
it's a pain having to sterilise them all the time and when zach's being a fusspot he bats them off my boob!

 

[kiwiswife]

I breastfeed ds for 14 months and I am still bf dd at 18 months. You most certainly do not need your boob out all the time! Remember newborns sleep a heap too! Be prapared for possibly 3 hourly during the day, and whenever the baby wakes at night unless you want to express in the day and get a helper to give that at night. I have always demand fed.
Flat nipples- I had one, the other one was perty! No kidding I was always soo self concious. I found I needed to take more care postioning the baby's mouth and making sure they get the areola inside their lips not just the poor nip, for the first few weeks, after thet well the nipple was kinda pulled out. I tried nipple shields, I didn't find they helped myself, even with a tiny prem mouth, that said I have a friend who raved about hers the first few months.
Reading to the toddler while you feed the baby helps the toddler I think who may otherwise feel a titch left out! A fab (US) website with a bazillion bf answers is KellyMom.com Co-sleeping makes night bfeeding a breeze. And slings are great I still(!) use my wrap for DD that I used when she was a tinsey 35 weeks.

HTH
moira

 

[purple13]

hi hon

try a ring sling and/or a stretchy wrap sling for feeding on the move

i still use nipple shields now as i have tiny nipples that my LO could never latch on to properly. the mam ones are definitely the best IMO - and i don't sterilise mine (its not even necessary to sterilise bottles as long as you wash them properly)

good luck