Sucessful breast feeders...

[Hellokitty]

To those who have breastfeed sucessfully a couple of questions...

Did you find it painful? If so, did you try to find out why and how long did it take before it became painfree?

When did you start using a breast pump? Do you use any top-up formula feeds?

Thank you!

 

[mummykay]

i personally found it very painful and hated it in the begining cos of my caesarean scar made it uncomfortable for Jamie to latch on properly!
my nipples were so tender as he was feeding so often and it was always every hour or so that he wanted boob in the first couple of weeks!
he did have top ups with formula durin the night sometimes, dependin on how empty i was and OH could then help while i got some sleep!
now he is down to about 4feeds a day which is much better, for about half an hour each time?
it does get better if u choose to breastfeed, also it gets the weight off u quicker!

 

[Emmylou]

I've only just started bf'ing - so far so good, y'day was the worst day for us, but we were in hosp all afternoon so the surroundings weren't exactly making me feel relaxed combined with it being the day my milk came in so my boobs were very full and uncomfortable.

It is uncomfortable for the initial latch on now my milk is here as my boobs are so full, but once she's on its comfy.

 

[Melanie]

It was painful once my milk came in on about day 3 i think. My nipples did get sore and cracked but after a few days of using Lanishol on them they started to heal up and after a couple of weeks i didn't have any pain at all.
Those first few weeks while you are getting a routine started are a nightmare, you feel like you never stop feeding but its worth it i promise! I love feeding Thea its once of the best decisions i ever made and im so glad i stuck it out through the initial hard part.

 

[Icecream]

I think my cracked nipples lasted for a couple of weeks while bubbly was feeding a lot, but Lasinoh, although expensive really did work. It does cost £10 for a small tube, but I haven't needed it for a long timenow. My nipples stopped cracking after a short while.

Sometimes they still get tender after a very long feed, and because she has a favourite breast at the moment, but i am still able to feed because it doesn't hurt too much. Sometimes the favourite one has an initial pain when Katie sucks it into her mouth, but that goes after she starts feeding.

The general rule is that if their is pain, baby isn't latched on properly, or if you have cracked nipples, use Lasinoh till it clears up, and for long feeds just bear it. Get a midwife or HV to check baby is latched on properly, and if so you'll just have to bear it till it stops, but don't worry it will do. If you really can't bear it, or you have anything different to what I've mentioned then there may be something else wrong ad you'll have to talk to the MW or someone..

 

[Icecream]

The MW told me not to use a breastpump until 1 month because the baby will get confused. I ended up having to use it a couple of times to help Katie latch on at first.

I bought the pump because I have band rehearsals once a wk (twice a wk for her first month), but when she was small I fed and changed before, then she slept while I was out, soi didn't need to express until one month anyway. Now I do a bit just in case.

Baby gets everything it needs from the breast. There is no need for formula. The best way to make milk is to get the baby on the breast. Breastfeeding also helps you lose the weight, builds up your health/immunity etc, has antiseptic healing properties, and also helps to kit your womb back together properly.

 

[Tasha20]

Breastfeeding was very stressfull, upsetting and tiering, my nipples were sore and to be honest I hated it, I felt guilty about putting her on formula so I just got through it.

Using lasinoh and keeping her at the breast as much as possible really paid in the end, it took about 2 months to get used to it and in established feeding routine, now at nearly 4 months I couldnt be happier, yeah she has her moments and she doesnt sleep well but its just a small sacrifice for my little girl

There are times, even recently when she was having a growth spurt I just had enough, but when you get through the bad times you will always have good and the good times are the best especialy when I get a let down and I here her gulp with delight such a powerfull feeling

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

With my first baby I only managed it for a couple of days as I had mastitus, but she got the colustrum (the stuff with all the antibodies etc in they need when newborn) before I swtiched to bottle. I was gutted, I didnt get much support to breastfeed and just thought well ok then I cant do it, I felt like a bit of a failure.

I managed for longer with my 2nd, up to 5 months, but it was just too stressful and I had PND aswell, mastitus came back with a vengeance and I had to give it up.

This time im not going to let anything get in my way!

There is so much more support and products out there now for women who choose to breastfeed, im determined to make the most of it!

 

[Hellokitty]

Thats all great, thanks so much.

I am determined to give it my best shot because everyone seems to think its worth the effort if you can get past the initial problems.

Has anyone used an NCT breastfeeding counsellor?

 

[Minxy]

With my first baby I only managed it for a couple of days as I had mastitus, but she got the colustrum (the stuff with all the antibodies etc in they need when newborn) before I swtiched to bottle. I was gutted, I didnt get much support to breastfeed and just thought well ok then I cant do it, I felt like a bit of a failure.
quote]

That sounds like me! I'm determined to do it next time.

As someone who UNSUCCESSFULLY breastfed my advice would be BE PREPARED! I relied on the fact I would receive support in the hospital when in fact the opposite was true. Birth really knocked me about and when I started to struggle BF I couldn't handle what I saw as being crap at something else (like you can be BAD at birthing, where was my head at? ) and dropped it. Hormones have a lot to answer for!

It sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing. Read the books, ask the questions and make sure those close to you are on side and ready to support you. Good Luck xxxxx

 

[Nicky_Jones]

I had quite a bit of trouble getting started. I have flat nipples and LO didn't have anything to latch onto. The MW that came to do the checkup the next day (I had a home birth), recommended the breastfeeding support clinic at the Royal Berkshire hospital. It was too late to go that day (due to their opening times) and so we went the following day. In the meantime we used a breast pump to get some colostrum off and gave it to her in a bottle. Because this drew out my nipple I could then get her to latch on after that sometimes. They were fantastic at the clinic. Showed me how to draw out the nipple, how to position her. How to feed her lying down, which was a life saver when you have had stitches and strained your arms during delivery. Then a day or so after that my milk came in and LO couldn't latch on again because they were so hard. We went back and they again helped out. Most of the time it didn't hurt but a bit later I got one very painful nipple which I think was caused by bad positioning, but because how often she was feeding even with nipple cream it wasn't settling down and was getting worse and worse. So I stopped feeding her of that breast for a few days and expressed off the milk and gave it to her each time I needed to use that breast. That let it heal. After that by 3 weeks we were feeding confidently with no pain.

I would recommend getting:

Nipple Cream
Breast pads (they will leak!)
Breast pump and a few bottles (the Tomme Tippee closer to nature ones are good for mixing with breast feeding)
Find out the location and times of the local breast feeding support clinics and don't be afraid to go along straight away.

NB I am still breast feeding now, even though I have returned to work.

 

[snowbunny]

"Breast pump and a few bottles (the Tomme Tippee closer to nature ones are good for mixing with breast feeding)" but the avent breast pump is soooo much beter than the tomme tippee one.

x x x

 

[Rosebay]

With my first baby I only managed it for a couple of days as I had mastitus, but she got the colustrum (the stuff with all the antibodies etc in they need when newborn) before I swtiched to bottle. I was gutted, I didnt get much support to breastfeed and just thought well ok then I cant do it, I felt like a bit of a failure.
quote]

That sounds like me! I'm determined to do it next time.

As someone who UNSUCCESSFULLY breastfed my advice would be BE PREPARED! I relied on the fact I would receive support in the hospital when in fact the opposite was true. Birth really knocked me about and when I started to struggle BF I couldn't handle what I saw as being crap at something else (like you can be BAD at birthing, where was my head at? ) and dropped it. Hormones have a lot to answer for!

It sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing. Read the books, ask the questions and make sure those close to you are on side and ready to support you. Good Luck xxxxx

Yes me too, I still feel gutted about not being able to carry it on. Looking back on it there were things we could have tried but no one suggested them and I was so tired and stressed in the hospital where different nurses kept telling me different things that when I got mastitus at the end of the first week I gave up.

Next time I will get myself out of that hospital as soon as possible and enlist a midwife and a friend of mine who is still breastfeeding at 18 months and loving it to give me proper advice and encouragement! If you can't get it to work don't beat yourself up though- it was a massive blow to me, I felt like such a failure and I felt that I'd let Elliott down, it wasn't until I started seeing other mums post-natally that I realised that lots of people had had similar experiences and were also very upset about it. It's a hard thing to do and I take my hat off to all the mums who make it work.

+++

 

[Lyndsey]

I still have pain when Logan latches on as he has never latched on right ( something about my nipples being very stretchy and making him gag if he does latch on "properley" But I have persevered and use Kamillosan.... His feeds have gotten shorter and less frequent now ( He was feeding constantly for the first 6 weeks - hourly for 40 minutes!) so now I see it as a minor inconvinience for me but such a great benefit for him.

 

[Nicky_Jones]

"Breast pump and a few bottles (the Tomme Tippee closer to nature ones are good for mixing with breast feeding)" but the avent breast pump is soooo much beter than the tomme tippee one.

x x x

Could you elaborate? I have the Tommee Tippee one and it is OK, but I have nothing to compare it to. Thanks.

 

[Hellokitty]

Thanks, especially Nicky_Jones.

I have fairly flat nipples (hopefully not too stretchy Lyndsey!) I will ask my midwife on Monday about support clinics etc. So far I feel like I barely know my midwifes name (actually I don'tknow her surname! )

I thought I would hold off buying a pump until I knew if I was going to see it through or not.

I do hope that with the right advice and support it will be possible for me to breastfeed, after all midwives are so keen to push breastfeeding you would think there would be much more emphasis on teaching, support etc.

 

[budge]

To those who have breastfeed sucessfully a couple of questions...

Did you find it painful? If so, did you try to find out why and how long did it take before it became painfree?

When did you start using a breast pump? Do you use any top-up formula feeds?

Thank you!

hello kitty

i think breast feding can be quite uncomfortable to start with but once you and the baby have got it right either naturally or with the help of midwives heathvisitors or family it becomes a lot easier. The key is to get the attachment right. Ask for help in the hospital and don't rush to leave until you have it right.
i have never been able to use a breast pump but i did hire an electric one (it was massive) from la leche which i used for a few weeks with my first baby.
i have never used formula on my babies.
its best to either breast or bottle feed in my opinion. At least in the first 4 months.

hope thats helped.

Good luck and please feel free to ask any more questions.

 

[clairescunny55]

for me it was only painful during the first month and then it got better and better, i loved it. I did it for 10 months, tried using various breast pumps which i just couldn't get on with so gave up tryin to express lol

 

[Urchin]

With Mason I had a lot of pain for about the first 3 weeks, I would dread him wanting a feed. With Brody it hurt a little at first but I think my nipples were tougher LOL.

I found didn't pump for ages, and I didn't use formula as a top up.

 

[skatty]

Before I had Leorah I read a book called "What to expect when you're breastfeeding...and what if you can't" by Clare Byam-Cook. It explains exactly how breastfeeding works and trouble shoots everything. I latched Leorah on correctly straight away, never had painful nipples and didn't need any help. I know I am lucky but I am sure it was also because I knew what to do and how it all works. Saying that I have had thrush twice and mastitis once but if you can breastfeed it is a good choice if you are lazy like me!! The book also gives lots of tips on winding and how to settle your newborn, I definitely recommend it