Help with plans to breastfeed

[PurpleCloud]

Hi ladies. 😊 I plan to breastfeed when my little one arrives but I wanted to hear from ladies that have. I know it can be tough but can I have your honest opinions on how you found breastfeeding? Also what do I need? I would like to express milk so my OH can feed our little one too. Any recommendations for bottles or breast pumps or general things I'll need? Any help, advice, opinions or tips would be very much appreciated. Xx

 

[Maud]

Breastfeeding can be incredibly tough in the early weeks. It can (although isn't for everyone) be difficult, painful, relentless and make you doubt yourself, so the most important thing you will need is support. A very supportive OH who will help you emotionally (by encouraging you to continue when things are bad) and practically (by bringing you things during long feeds/leaving you a prepared meal and snacks when he goes to work etc) makes a real difference. As does having other people who can help you gain confidence with feeding. A good midwife and HV helps, but see if you can find out about breastfeeding clinics, cafes or counsellors in your area in advance so you are prepared if there is trouble. The NCT tends to have bf counsellors available at baby groups and some hospitals run feeding support groups.

I don't want you to read this and be put off breastfeeding as it is the most wonderful and natural thing. I nearly gave up at 4 weeks as we had a lot of problems and I wouldn't have got through it without a very supportive OH, some great midwives and HV and access to a breastfeeding drop-in clinic. And I can definitely tell you that for me it was worth the struggle getting through those tough early weeks.

Other than that, there's not a lot that you need to breastfeed. Breast pads are necessary for dealing with leaks (although some women are lucky not to have issues with this), Lansinoh nipple cream is wonderful stuff for sore nipples, nursing bras obviously, and loose fitting vest tops for layering under your clothes so you don't have to expose your tummy when you feed.

I've never got on with expressing, but you are advised not to express and bottle feed for the first few weeks anyway as it can make establishing breastfeeding harder (although I know lots of people do manage without a problem.We used tommy tippee and they seemed fine, but I'm sure there are people with better experience to recommend pumps and bottles.

 

[El1en]

I've been breast feeding for 4 weeks now and there are tough times. You have to be strong and need support from your oh. At times you feel like all you do it feed all say, it's so draining. It gets easier every day ( practically although you might get a set back every now and then). I thought about giving up twice and I'm so glad I didn't

I agree with maud, lasinoh cream is fab and you will probably need plenty of pads.

In the first couple of weeks oh would hold her at 6am ish when she woke while I got everything I might need that morning on the sofa ready (water, snacks, nipple cream, remote control, nursing pillow, iPad) and then I would sitting practically all morning until oh brought me some lunch

I've just started using a medela swing to express and although lo is currently refusing to take a bottle I am managing to express 2-3oz a day

 

[PurpleCloud]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me ladies. I want to be prepared so I appreciate your honesty. Xx

 

[OMGbabyno3]

It's only now, 14.5 weeks in that I'm "at peace" with breast feeding. And that I trust that I'm doing it ok

LO is small but, so was her combi fed sister at this age!

I tried to express with medela mini electric and wasn't great so bought a swing and results are the same! So, I don't bother.

Very occasionally I'll give a bottle of formula...if going out or something.

I can second the nipple cream...fantastic!

Good luck, and use this forum! It's a great help xx

 

[Rooster30]

I'm 5 weeks in and just taking it day by day. To be honest, I still have no idea what I am doing and continue to face battles with it - no idea how much longer i'll do it for, but I am very grateful for this forum, my HV and my sister who breastfed so I can ask lots of questions.

I tried my baby on expressed breastmilk, pumped and bottle fed with Tommee Tippee stuff and thankfully she took it.

 

[firsttimemum29]

I've been breastfeeding for 3 months now & was worried I would have problems. I know you hear a lot about people who have problems with breastfeeding but I was one of the 'lucky' ones with no issues, it does happen! Painful for the first week or two but then fine. Support groups are great too. Expressing is something I've only been able to do more recently, in the first few weeks it was hard to express at all as baby had what was there. I just used a manual pump & got on fine with it. Shop around for special offers on bottles, pumps, sterilisers etc, theres always one on somewhere!

 

[mylullaby]

I'm going to add some words of wisdom from a friend of mine who's breastfeeding her 4 month old dd. She told me not to assume that dh will be able to help with feeds as hers won't take a bottle AT ALL, so if you assume it'll be you doing feeds you're not going to face any is disappointment on that front. Not that you can't try expressing of course - but it can be weeks/months before you're ready to contemplate pumps/bottles etc. Best to focus on establishing the feeding and being happy with it than try to do too much too soon. That's just the advice I was given and it seems sensible/realistic to me xx

 

[OMGbabyno3]

Yeah, today was the first time my DH fed baby. Not cos she won't take a bottle, but co she just doesn't! I do like doing it though, and nappies!

 

[Rooster30]

I refer feeding her myself but for practicalities I'm grateful that she will bottle feed if required. She was left for the first time for five hours and thankfully she guzzled down my expressed milk.

 

[PurpleCloud]

Thanks for your input ladies. I've found it really helpful. I just don't want to spend money on things I may not need but I want to be prepared. Time will tell. 😊 Xx

 

[TTT]

I found getting a good latch tricky. It seemed so easy at first but we had ups and downs. I was hiving him a bottle every now and again of formula (not mastered expressing yet) so that contributed and also gave him wind more.

Other than the general difficulties of establishing bf I haven't faced any problems. I felt like a cow for a few weeks, felt chained to my nursing chair and so tired but that passes. I did give myself a foremilk hind milk balance at one point but was easily remedied.

My lo has a suspected cows milk allergy so can't have formula now so I'm so pleased I bf cos the prescription formula is foul!

Call me silly but I didn't realise until recently that milk us their main source f nutrients for a year, I thought that once you weaned that was it lol so was a bit disappointed and overwhelmed but I'm coming around

 

[sorpresa_bea]

TTT, how did you resolve the foremilk/hind milk imbalance?

 

[TTT]

I block fed, four hours per breast then reduced it to one breast per feed, no swapping at all. I was also causing an oversupply because at the time I wasn't adjusting with him so as he started to go longer between feeds I was getting anxious he wasn't feeding enough and trying to get him to feed (or force feeding lol) and was stimulating more supply. My husband gently intervened bless him and I began to offer without trying to out him on the breast and if he turned away or didn't open his mouth I left him alone for a bit before offering again.

I believe I am beginning to have the same problem again as he is reaching the end of the fourth leap/4month sleep regression and is very fussy at the breast and distract able and is feeding for no more than five mins at a time. He is slowly dropping percentiles for weight and is presenting the same symptoms as cows milk allergy and the docs suspect an allergy, all triggered since his rotavirus vaccine, and I believe its oversupply again. I have ordered an electric pump in hope that this will get rid of my oversupply once and for all and may switch to only bf at night and giving him expressed milk in the day, well see

 

[sorpresa_bea]

Thanks for that TTT.

Mine has been fussy on the breast on and off now for over 2 weeks, I blame on the 4th leap, which we are riding out at the moment, including some very poor night sleeping and a lot of whining during the day. Like you, TTT, I've learnt to offer but not to force, and indeed, he will feed when he is proper hungry. He was on a very clear 3-hour schedule before, but that doesn't work anymore. It can be anything from 2.5 to 4 hours in between feeds now. I've reverted to on-demand feeding.

I've also been tempted to pump and feed by bottle during the day, because breastfeeding has been so frustrating lately and he has also gone down a couple of percentiles... But a friend of mine was in the same situation at 4 months, and started to pump and only bottle feed during the day. She ended up hating it, and the baby wasn't eating that much better anyway. She was still distractible, but with the bottle instead of the breast. My friend ended up stopping breastfeeding at 6 months because she was tired of pumping.., (and cleaning bottles, pump, feed by bottle, too time consuming). I'm just trying to be patient and only feed when baby wants and when he's hungry. Sometimes he nurses for less than 5 minutes, sometimes more. A La Leche League lactation consultant reassures me that this is normal and that, as long as the baby is feeding at night (which he is, 3 times a night, urgh!!) all is fine... I keep telling myself it's just a passing phase.

My milk supply did suffer because of the short and less regular feeds. So I'm pumping once a day, after the morning feed, to maintain supply up... Always being careful not to pump more than 5 mins per breast, or I'll get oversupply and overactive let down again!! I freeze what I pump "for a rainy day".

Sorry for high-jacking the threat. Hopefully it's still useful!