Breastfeeding - Question for new mums

[AndreaJayne]

Hi Ladies,

I am planning on breastfeeding but have heard from a lot of friends that they gave up early due to problems/difficulties.

Just wondering how all you new mums have found it and whether you have any product recommendations which helped and also any tips from experience?? xxx

 

[Hemera]

Breastfeeding is really really hard the first week or so. baby will just want to suckle constantly to bring your milk in faster and getting the latch can be tricky. But I found once my milk was in and we both learnt how to get the latch right its the easiest thing in the world. lots less faffing than with bottles as its on hand at the perfect temperature, all sterilised and with you all the time It is really hard going however, I was lucky as Drake was a good latcher, but I know some mums who spend hours trying to get baby on the boob correctly, whilst baby is screaming and can completely understand why some people turn to formula instead.

 

[Mrs. KM]

It was very very hard... For me it was that I didn't realize how often she would feed in the first few days.... Literally 8 hours straight with an hour break! But they are just getting your milk to come in. My lo lost too much weight before my milk came in so docs told me to top her up... Wish i had given it a day or two more beforemtopping her up because it completely messed with my milk supply and was a lot of work ( pumping and fenugreek) to get it back up. Worth it though! So much easier than formula! Good luck!

 

[Maria1977]

Some mums and babies take to it naturally, but the nurses on post-natal when I BF my son told me it's rare!

It's hard work, it takes alot of determination and commitment, you have to give yourself over to it completely and always trust your body never doubt your body can nourish your baby, it's what it's designed to do. Newborns might not feed alot at first, but eventually they all want to be latched permanently! It's normal, but loads of women start to doubt their bodies at this point, that they aren't producing enough milk etc, but babies need to do this.

It takes a good while to get BFing established.

I know I don't sound like I'm selling it too much lol but honestly, it's so worth all the hard work. Once you and LO get into it, it's so easy, so much more convenient and is so beneficial to you and baby.

xxxx

 

[AndreaJayne]

I really want to breastfeed and I am prepared for it being hard work and I am going to try not to give in too soon. Is there anything that can be done prior to giving birth to bring your milk in or help so that when baby is born there is milk ready and waiting xxx
Did you all just educate yourselves with videos etc on latching on correctly. I know a lot of people have complained of sore nipples which is usually due to the baby not latched on correctly xxxx

 

[winnie89]

when ur baby is born u have colostrum which Ur body has been producing since about 26 weeks, Ur milk will properly come in at around 3-4 days (u'll feel Ur boobs become heavier and more full) i watched all the videos on you tube about breastfeeding and it didn't prepare me for just how hard it was harry is 2 weeks old and still needs feeding every 2 hrs on a night and the lack of sleep really gets to you but it's completely worth it i nearly gave up on it when he was about 5 days old because i was tired. sore and harry was screaming because he was hungry, but i persevered and now he is a little fatty (he'd put 9oz on since his weigh in last Tuesday) make sure u have tonnes of nipple cream (lanisoh lanolin- it's amazing) and nipple pads for when ur milk comes in (i go through at least 5 a day), when they start to cluster feed (when they suck to bring in ur milk) make sure ur comfortable and have plenty of fluid with you ( i drink at least 9 pints of water a day) u need to drink plenty of fluid and eat lots

hope this helps xx

 

[AndreaJayne]

Just watching some youtube videos now on breastfeeding. I have medela nipple cream which you don't need to remove before feeding. What kind of clothes is it best to wear when breastfeeding?
Also I have heard a lot that the baby latches on well at first but then when ppl get home they have difficulty xxx

 

[pinkyprincess]

I hate people saying breastfeeding is 'hard' I see it more as a commitment. The first few weeks as the others have said you are stuck to the sofa! Having said that my MW said she thought it was natures way of making you rest after birth. Tbh i'm really stubborn and once I started I wasn't going to stop! Yes it can be sore and I've had blocked ducts and thrush to deal with but I look at my thriving boy giving me 'the eyes' as he feeds and it's all worth while!

Good luck with whatever choice you make

 

[Rachel1509]

I've kind of been up and down with it really. When Noah was first born, I told midwife I wanted to formula feed him but give him breast for his very first feed. I tried to breastfeed him for his first feed but had latching problems (midwife said this would be due to been premature). He also had feeding problems in hospital and had a tube inserted, so went straight onto formula.

Got home 8 days later and found the formula giving him constipation. I felt guilty and in the heat of the moment said to OH "What if I just put him to my breast", so I tried it and it worked immediately! Done it ever since and at first it's difficult to establish. It's exhausting at times and can be quite sore, but I ended up enjoying it and loved spending that quality time together.

I'm currently stopping breastfeeding though as I had mastitis a few weeks ago and stopped feeding (which u should never do!), and it lowered my supply so I've been combination feeding since. Decided yesterday it's time I decide to do just one or the other, so gone with formula.

 

[x_larlybelle_x]

Get some lanosoh(?) nipple cream. That stuff is a godsend. Ur own breastmilk is also good for cracked and sore nipples. Day 5 is usually the worst as this is when u r sore, cracked and possibly bleeding. It takes all ur might not to give up. Make u're u have dummies, they r the only thing that saved me days 5-7 cos Henry was using me for comfort and it was painful enough feeding him. The dummies calmed him and allowed my nipples to have a rest!!

It is very hard work but so worth it when ur lo looks u in the eyes when u r feeding. It's a real bonding experience and I'm so glad it stuck with it

 

[ISH]

I had one very sore, bleeding nipple, Lansinoh didn't do anything for me, neither did nipple shields; but the electric breast pump was a lifesaver. Gave me enough time to heal and boosted milk supply, also OH could feed the baby to give me some rest.

 

[BevG]

1st week is hell lol. its deffo a commitment thing. ive been topping up due to my lo getting low energy and dehydrated which meant she was too sleepy to feed enough and became a viscious circle. deffo get lanisoh and an electric pump, they are godsends. always squeeze a bit of milk out onto your nipple after a feed. it will hurt at times and you will feel like giving up but it DOES get better. ive had thrush too and its just clearing up now. ive had to pump on one side to give my cracked n sore nipple a break but im like pinky and i started this so im determined to see it thru. im trying to phase out the formula now and have her on me a lot at the min so no routine but im keeping at it. shes also colicky right now so crying and comfort sucking which will help my supply a bit and im taking fenugreek to boost my supply too. if your committed its the most wonderful thing ever but its not a simple underataking lol

 

[Mrs. KM]

This link as great tips and info on bf! http://bayareabreastfeeding.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/10-tips-for-new-breastfeeding-moms/. Seriously do what no. 10 says and build a nest before your baby comes

 

[pixie17]

i went into birth with an open mind. i thought i would give breastfeeding a go but if it didnt work it didnt work and i would give him formula instead (i am not against breastfeeding but i am against the amount of pressure there is on women to do it). I put in my birth plan that i would like to try and breastfeed him straight after birth...it was the most amazing experience ever. He latched on straight away and instantly calmed and settled on me. That made my mind up that breastfeeding was what i wanted to do. I fed on demand for the first three days but by the third day i was in agony. I was still in hospital as i had a c section so i asked to see the lactation nurse. We tried everything from different feeding positions to nipple shields (his latch was fine apparently). I also had infrared treatment on my nipples and was slathering them Lansinoh. Nothing worked. I had very sore bleeding nipples as well as a deep pulling pain deep in my breast. It got so bad I was dreading feeding my son as it was sheer agony for me and it upset him because he was getting distressed at my distress. It was really spoiling it all. I went home the next day and I put him on formula. I then expressed some milk so i was effectivley combination feeding but through bottles. This continued until he was about 5 weeks. He was a happy healthy baby, however i was missing the closeness that breastfeeding allows you to have with your baby. So i tried him back on my breast. Again he latched on fine straight away but the same pain and discomfort soon returned. My son was also having big feeds by this point and just wasnt being satisfied by my milk alone. I spoke to a breastfeeding specialist and my HV and to cut a long story short it turned out that the latch wasnt right at all and therefore made my nipples sore but i aslo had all the signs of thrush - ihad no idea you could get thrush in your breasts. Neither problems were picked up on in hospital but in their defence my LO showed no signs that i had thrush such as a white mouth. Despite receiveing treatment i felt that too much time had passed for full breastfeeding to be reestablished. I had to go back to feeding on demand (every hour) and this just made the pain even worse because he needed so much. My LO had settled into a pattern of 3 hour feeds and stopping formula just threw him completley, he likes his food! It also disturbed his night feed pattern. It was just upsetting him. I felt the best thing to do was go back to combination feeding but i do offer him my breast from time to time as a 'starter' which he happily takes and satisfies my need for closeness.

From my experience I would advise anyone wanting to breastfeed to educate themselves on it as much as possible beforehand, above and beyond the information offered during parent classes. I would also recommend that if you want to, at least give breastfeeding a go, even if it is just for the bonding experience. That said, I really do not think there is anything wrong with giveing a baby formula. In my experience combination feeding gives the best of both worlds and i also get the closeness when i offer him a 'starter' course I do wish though that i knew more about breastfeeding before i gave birth.

 

[TORino]

I don't want to jinx myself but I've not found the feeding too bad.

I had a few nights where she didn't settle from 1-6am but I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the breastfeeding. It could have been linked with the milk coming in now I think about it.

I haven't had any problems with latching, I watched so many vids and read so many things about how to do it before hand I think that helped.

My nips have been a bit sore but I take that as them toughening up. They haven't cracked or anything like that. The lansinoh is good to help them recover between feeds if you need it.

When your boobs are engorged make sure you learn how to massage and squeeze out some milk before your feed as the baby will struggle to latch and will start headbutting you and getting angry. This is my best tip I think.

My LO has actually gained an oz over the first 7 days which I am told is pretty good so I guess we are doing something right.

I do think my little Tilly seems to know what to do though, shes effective at sucking etc it's not all on my part.

 

[BabyBrain]

One hint I will give you is if you feel like you aren't given the support or help at the hospital then tell them so. I was just left to it with a surprise baby badly latched onto my right breast as soon as I came out of theatre and I was smacked out of my head on pain killers. He chewed me to bits and we just couldn't get on with it after that.

I am expressing now though so he still gets the good stuff but it's bottle fed. I am angry about it because I wanted to have the bonding of breast feeding but tbh when I could hardly keep my eyes open last night let alone feed and my OH took over it was a God send. Now all we need is for evolution to catch up and for moobs to produce milk

 

[wannabmummy]

I've found breastfeedinh pretty easy too! (touch wood!) baby latches on really well though so its not all me!! I think the main advice I would give is to be confident when you feed them. If you're nervous or too gentle they can pick up on it and get agitated. It's difficult when they are feeding all the time to bring in your milk supply but since then Theo has been feeding every 3-4 hours and sleeping the rest!! Breastfeeding is so rewarding, I love it! Xx

 

[Monkey]

To be honest, the hardest part I found was getting the right position. I couldn't support her the usual across the chest way so I had to lay down for the first couple of days before a mw actually talked me through the rugby hold and after a while I got the hang of it. Now she will feed however I place her.

I did have some cracking and bleeding for the first couple of days but Lanisol (sp) eased it. All I can say really is perseverance is the key, unless medical or health reasons stop you from trying.

 

[Cazzlou]

Go into it with an open mind and relax the worst you can do is get stressed over it. Happy mummy = happy baby.

I b/fed dd until she was 9mth and donated to scbu

Theo is 10 weeks and b/fed since birth too.

I had a research midwife show me how to feed dd but with theo they staff never offered any help just looked as they walked by and said I didn't need any help.

It will be hard in the beginning but it does get better.

 

[mum2b410]

Lansinoh nipple cream is a must have imo! I tried others but none worked as well!
First few days before milk came in were by far the hardest but if u can stick it out it gets easier when ur milk comes in! I think if u can stick at it for a few weeks and get well established its much easier to carry on with. Once u get to around 4-6 weeks, if ur happy to try and give a bottle of expressed breastmilk, it will take the pressure of u being the sole feeder if u can and should help LO b used to a bottle for when/if u go to formula......As for clothes I've mostly worn little cami tops under normal tops so I lift outer layer up and inner layer down- that way u can keep ur tummy covered if it self conscious. I did buy some feeding tops too. U work out what ur comfortable in! .....I know some ladies simply can't bf and I think its wrong for those that don't to b judged because it is challenging, very challenging and an on going committment! But if u r lucky and can persist past the early stages it should get easier! Good luck! Xx