Re: If your thinking about breastfeeding...

[dannii87]

I'm so glad you posted this!!

I was a bit naiive to be honest and thought they fed for 5-10 mins and then were fine and dandy until a few hours later for their next lot... Very naiive!

That's a great help for what to expect - although that little nipper on the boob was a bit scary!! I don't know if my nips could handle that!! Big ol' boobs too! Even more reason to BF

Cheers for that Midna, it's definitely helped me open my eyes to it!

Oh... and I'm still planning on BFing xx

 

[Squiglet]

omg the fussing...



Just thought I'd say... that the first 6 weeks are the hardest but once you get over that hump its gets easier and actually easier than bottle feeding. Its a marker... If you can get beyond those first 6 weeks you have a really good chance of continuing.

But I remember the last 6 weeks of pregnancy and labour being far harder in terms of pain and energy and tiredness than the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding. At least you get a few minutes rest in between feeds where they whole pregnancy thing is constant..

Good luck to all those that choose to breastfeed... I have never enjoyed anything so much in my life... but remember you do run the risk of ending up an emotional wreak when your LO's get big enough to wean..

And Midna is the Guru..

 

[bunnymom1980]

I wish I'd read something like this 10 years ago, I might have managed to breastfeed more than 3 days!!

Thankyou for writing this, I'll hopefully be more prepared this time and persevere!!

 

[SarahH]

Can I add another aspect to breast feeding...

Arianna wouldnt feed direct off me, after the HV/MW and breast feeding counsellors sat with me for literally hours, I was told by them to give up and bottle feed.... I said NO and exclusively expressed fed her for 17-18wks.

It is hard, but I was determained to give her breast milk for as long as I could.

Just another option for you.... you can PM me if you want help or info

Best of luck with your feeding tho... hopefully it will go smoother than mine did

 

[Steelgoddess]

Bit embarassing but my nipples are not the biggest, does this matter?

Thanks for posting I don't have a clue but really want to booby feed...

 

[dannii87]

Bit embarassing but my nipples are not the biggest, does this matter?

Mine are HUGE... Horrible big. TOO big. They're disgusting I sometimes wonder if I can breastfeed because unless she has a huge gob, there's no way she'll get her mouth around them x

 

[dannii87]

Nipple size isnt important as they latch on to the areola (sp) bit around the nips. xx ..my nips are tiny

That's the bit that's HUGE on me!! x

 

[purple13]

my nips are small too... we struggled A LOT with feeding in the early days, until i went against advice and started using nipple shields. i wouldn't be so keen to recommend them if its just for sore/cracked nipples but they were our lifeline - i've now been feeding with them for 5.5 months. connor really struggled to latch and each feed was a battle with me in tears and him screaming; i was very close to giving up and moving on to formula. but i got shields as a last resort and he latched on to them straight away; we've never looked back

 

[DebbieM]

I agree that the first 6 weeks are a nightmare. Don't be fooled into thinking it is easy, it's not, as Midna said. Breastfeeding is the hardest thing I have EVER had to do in my entire life and now I see it as my biggest achievement! i loathed the idea of it for ages and never thought I would do it. Before I got pg I swore I wouldn't and then when I found out what a nightmare it was I was going to give up but my own pig-headedness kept me going, as did the girls on this forum.

It's hard, it hurts and it is tiring but it is the BEST thing in the world once you get over the 100 hurdles you have to jump

 

[keli]

I love breast feeding, it's so easy just to pop your boob out and feed your LO, yes it does hurt in them first few wks but it's sooooooo worth it i know i'll be gutted when i have to stop.. but hopefully i've got at least another 10 mths to go! lol. xx

 

[happy-chick]

I really struggled with BF at first & nearly gave up quite a few times but im soooo glad I didnt. The first 6-8 weeks are defo the hardest, ill be honest... BF is one of the hardest things ive done but its also one of the most rewarding & a huge achievement. I planned to breastfeed for 6weeks but told myself i'd just do my best as I honestly didnt think i'd be able to do it for any longer, now 29 weeks on & we're still going strong

Good luck girls, if you decide to breastfeed the best advice I can give is to stick at it & it does get so much easier. Its a bond that I cannot explain but its something so special & im so glad that ive experienced it im sure you'll feel the same too x

 

[laracomps]

Well done Mids good job

Can I also add that it is quite normal for newborns to lose some weight in the first few days.

Phoebe lost almost 10% of her birth weight in the first 5 days. She didn't stay awake enough to feed, so wasn't taking enough milk to have energy to feed. It was a vicious cycle.

It seems that different approaches are taken to this in different areas. Some ladies are given the opportunity to see Lactation Consultants... There is nothing like this in my area, so I was advised to give top ups. PLEASE PLEASE please if you are advised to do this by your midwife get in contact with a proper breast feeding counsellor if you wish to continue breast feeding. I was encouraged to give her 60ml top ups, then 120ml top ups. That isn't a top up, thats a full bloody feed. Once we got to this stage I was beyond the point of returning to 100% breast feeding.

I did however continue to mixed feed for 12 weeks. This is not always an ideal situation, and is not recommended but it can be done.

This is also another useful link. The NCT also have a help line that you can phone.

http://www.nct.org.uk/info-centre/a-to-z/view/20

Hmm, also don't expect that you'll be able to express loads. Some women just can't - it isn't an indication of how much milk you have. I could only ever express 1oz at a time. I found an electric pump better.

Oh yeah, I also found some great articles and videos (e.g. latching and breast compression) on this website.

http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html

Um, think thats it for now. If I think of anything else that would have helped, I'll be back. Sorry if I've repeated anything

 

[claireyfairey]

Thanks for this thread Midna I really REALLY want to breastfeed, so it's fab to have all this advice and tips!

Oh, and Squiglet and Midna, thanks for sharing your videos! They made me all melty and excited to meet my LO


C xxx

 

[dannii87]

Oh, and Squiglet and Midna, thanks for sharing your videos! They made me all melty and excited to meet my LO

Are they your babies?! I thought they were just clips you'd found on YouTube or something!!

If so, you both have a cracking pair of boobs!! Blimey... If that's what milky boobs do to you, even more reason to BF!! xx

 

[Misslarue]

Great thread Midna
I love your vid too when Seed starting sucking on your hand!!

 

[Steelgoddess]

Oh, and Squiglet and Midna, thanks for sharing your videos! They made me all melty and excited to meet my LO

Are they your babies?! I thought they were just clips you'd found on YouTube or something!!

If so, you both have a cracking pair of boobs!! Blimey... If that's what milky boobs do to you, even more reason to BF!! xx

I agree fab boobies girls... Not that im perving or anything ahem...

I just thought of another question...

When i com1e out the bath etc i normally mosturise my skin, is there something i can use which won't give bubba a nasty taste (I would assume scented creams would be a deff nono).

Danni I've seen ur boobies their fantastic lol!!

 

[Squiglet]

thats a naughty 5 month old lil miss video.. Don't worry newbs are usually well behaved... They just want boob all the time rather than want boob but also everything else around them I was an A cup when I went through puberty... I'm now a D cup mwhahahahaha.. breastfeeding... Mother natures boob implants.. Also makes DH very VERY happy

Don't worry sharne... I used to put loads of lanoish on my boobies to help prevent cracking in the early weeks with lil miss...and out of curiosity I tried some as she never seemed bothered.. it was vile I just think they are more interested in booby... Besides in the first few weeks your nipples are really sensitive so scented creams might sting... get some lanoish and just rub it in often and have a good play/be rough with your nipples now... Plus it apparently gets things moving from a labour point of view

You might find though that they act iffy if you put to much perfume on or you change your perfume... LO's can't see so well so they go a lot on scent....and booby milk has quite a strong specific scent.

 

[Mrs_Jay]

thanks for posting this, i seem to be posting alot of entries on breastfeeding atm . Anyone got other small children? Did that make it harder to have a newborn permantly attached to your boob?

 

[EllieBelle]

Im weeks/months off being able to breastfeed my little one, and have always been a little unsure, that was until reading your absolutely fantastic posts and watching the clips, well Im now determined I want to breastfeed (no make that VERY determined)!!

Thanks ladies for giving such great reassurance.........whilst also hi-lighting the difficulties that might occur!

When you read stuff on the internet, it makes it all sound so easy - like putting baby to the breast as soon as they are born, and the babies in the photos seem to feed away beautifully at only a few mins old!!!

Im glad to have read an honest and uplifting account of what to really expect!

Thanks a million

 

[flowergirl]

I found the second night after Kathryn was born the hardest of all. I was exhausted having spent so much of the previous night meeting my tiny newborn and then watching her every breath as she slept, that by night 2 when she was awake more and wanted feeding ALL night, I was almost hallucinating! The midwives were great and tried to give me a break but I could still hear Kathryn wailing so stayed awake anyhow! My advice - stick at it is is amazing to see your LO grow and thrive on just booby milk and the hardest times make the easier times even easier to appreciate! The first time Kathryn dropped to just 1 wake up between 12 midnight and 6am I was extatic. I love breast feeding my baby and have found ths forum the best source of advice and support. Any problem I have has been experienced by someone else (usually Midna!) and there is reassurance and guidance on hand to help me through.

Good luck!