Those that are planning to BF

[Lolly85x]

I'm planning on trying to BF but I have got bottles, steriliser and some milk in the house. I think Im going to buy a manual pump too... I don't want to stress myself out breast feeding, and know I won't be confident to do it in public or when people are around.

 

[l_maclean]

I had in bottles and steriliser but no milk. So if needed DH could have gone and got milk - but our nearest 24hoir is only 10mins away.

I know their is advice about not introducing bottles too early - but id be wary of not leaving it too late of you want the expressing option. There are a lot of girls in B&T with LOs who won't take bottles.

Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[TORino]

I thought I'd share my experience with you ladies.

I bought some bottles and cartons of formula just in case and I'll be honest I had the scissors out ready to cut the corner on MANY occasions.

Breastfeeding is hard going in the early days and weeks. not just physically but mentally. You will constantly question yourself and your ability to breastfeed. Have faith in your body! It is designed to feed your baby better than anything else. It is rare that you will not be able to breastfeed for physical reasons.

You will wonder if the baby is unsettled is the baby getting enough? the scales are the only thing that answers that question for you.

Get as much support as you can, I think one of the main reasons I carried on was because in the early days I saw someone every few days. Even just a little pep talk and reassurance I was doing it right gave me the motivation to carry on.

Remember, if it hurts for longer than a few sucks the latch is wrong so remove the baby at once and reposition. This will shred your nips and make you want to scream.

As for expressing, I was full of ideas that I would express and hubby would do night feeds so i could have a break but the reality was it never happened. When you replace a feed with a bottle your norks get that massive and full they leak all over the bed or are too uncomfortable to let you sleep anyway. I would end up expressing in the night which defeated the object.

As for the nipple confusion, I was terrified that after giving a teat the baby would refuse the breast and undo all the hard work we had done. I had to give medicine to Tilly and she would spit it out using a syringe so a bottle was the only option, I remember the HV saying she didn't believe nipple confusion was much of a problem and assuring me it wouldn't make a difference (when T was about 3 weeks old) I was very reluctant as it goes against advice etc

It never made a difference at all. She still took to the boob wonderfully. Infact, I think there is a much bigger problem if you don't introduce a bottle early enough and often enough as I have found that the baby will refuse a bottle and hold you hostage!!

Best of luck to you ladies xxx

 

[Hope81]

Thank You Torino, between nipple confusion and no taking a bottle I will go with no taking the boob really as there is no way to risk going at work at 3 months with a baby that Dosent take a bottle.

i already bought a baby scale and I will go by if she is gaining weight or not. Not how long she latches or how unsettle she is.

My greatest fear is that I will not know how to latch her, though I did read about it and I watched some videos of how to do it and hopefully the mw will show me. I am not leaving the hospital if LO Dosent have a perfect latch.
Unfortunately no bf help groups or whatever you have in uk where a live

Fx everything goes as planned but as I want to be realistic bottles and formula in my drawers it is...

 

[Lolly85x]

Aw thanks, that really is good advice...x

 

[Gayle30]

Thanks for the advice. Im honestly going out of my way to be prepared but there's nothing quite like experience and other peoples views who are going through it also. I fully plan on bf and expressing, mainly so daddy can have the bonding too. Xxx

 

[TORino]

I'm sure you'll be fine. Remember to make sure the baby has a wide open mouth before you bring him/her onto the breast and make sure the chin touches the boob first.

You'll find soon enough if the baby isn't on right it hurts like hell.

It will take a little while for your nips to toughen up though so be prepared for that. Though remember, even though they might be a bit sore it really shouldn't hurt to feed your baby after the first few sucks.

The Lansinoh cream really helps so slather it on straight after a feed. I felt that my nips would recover enough between feeds doing this.

 

[Gayle30]

Thanks- is there anything to do before she's here to toughen them up?! Xx

 

[kedi376]

I'm hoping to bf and use the bottle with expressed breast milk. Is that called combination feeding? So will be buying half dozen bottles to start with.

 

[jennilisanne]

I had them just in case with #1 and I'm really glad I did, because some days baby just does need more. I bf for 9 months, pretty much exclusively (except for food after 4 month obviously!!), but having those bottle every now and then were essential.

 

[CARNAT22]

Interesting about the whole bottle thing, I guess that is something I need to re-think as in all honesty I don't want to leave it too late for bub to use both.

I have a friend who is demand feeding and it has made her baby really clingy - he is 6 months old and they also co-sleep so he will not even go in his pram without screaming (my friend wears the baby a lot) I would never make comment on her choices and respect all the hard work she has put it but I do think her little boy is really, really clingy and she is shooting herself in the foot as even now at 6 months she does 99% of everything for the baby as the baby only wants her!

I guess it's all about balance and finding out what works best for you and baby!

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Amyrose]

I think the most important thing is to do what your comfortable with relax try and enjoy it and remember it will take time to establish a routine, dont feel like your doing it all wrong in the first few days and weeks it's bloody hard to get yourself into a routine that works for you. Getting bottles and expressing is something that I will also be doing as I spend alot of time on the run and it won't always be possible to bf. I just want to establish feeding before I do this x

 

[l_maclean]

Interesting about the whole bottle thing, I guess that is something I need to re-think as in all honesty I don't want to leave it too late for bub to use both.


xxxxxxxxxxx

Our midwives said you can express and introduce a bottle once you have breast feeding established -rather than giving a deadline in a number of weeks.

i know thats a bit vague, but i figured it meant once they had stopped the 24/7 feeding to regulate your supply - G did this pretty quickly cos i had loads at first, so i was prob in a reasonable pattern by about 2 weeks, but I know Pinky was basically stuck to the sofa for 6 weeks.

Have also heard its good for them to have the bottle regularly once you start - G generally switches no bother (although we've had 2 strikes that no professional has ever heard off!!) - and I left her with others fairly early, and still do at least once a week.

xxx

 

[TORino]

Regularly is the key with the bottle I am 100% convinced.

We stopped giving it regularly when she had the trip to the children's ward and paid the price.

 

[Happyred]

When I had DD 12 years ago I was told I couldnt give her a bottle at all until she was 16 weeks or she would get confused and stop taking the breast. So I breast fed exclusively for 4 months and then tried her with the occasional bottle. It took her over a month before she would accept one, and that was me trying her with it on a daily basis. A year later my friend gave birth and was told she could combine feed from the start, which she did successfully for 5 months.
My point is the advice seems to change quite regularly, so really I think you are probably best to just try and do whatever suits you and your lo best, and not get bogged down in whats right or wrong, I know thats what I intend to do this time round.

 

[Happyred]

I want to breastfeed, although I am gong to have some bottles / a steriliser and some forumla on hand.

I'll return the sterliliser as fingers crossed I won't need it...

I don't plan to express in the beginning as I don't want to confuse bub (there are some schools of thought that suggest teats can make babies less likely to take the nipple!)

xxxxxxxxxx

Carnat its worth remembering you will need the steriliser from about 4 months onwards to sterilise spoons, bowls,etc .

 

[frankie247]

I wasn't planning on buying any bottles or formula because I figure that the temptation to just use it will be high if I'm struggling, but also because I have loads of 24 hour supermarkets by me that stock bottles and formula that I'll get hubby to go and buy one if desperate. However, the mil has bought us a steriliser and it comes with closer to nature bottles.

 

[charliebear]

I plan to BF.
I also have bottles, steriliser and I will have formula in closer to the time. I will also have formula prepared to take to the hospital (the little bottles you can buy).
Seems strange but I had a traumatic birth with AJ and planned on BF. I was so pleased I had formula and bottles ready as I was unable to BF due to not being able to hold him when he was born, then taking meds.

Now the hospitals arent providing formula, so I need to be prepared in advance and although I've planned a c-section with my Dr you never know what you or baby are going to be like afterwards.

 

[TORino]

I plan to BF.
I also have bottles, steriliser and I will have formula in closer to the time. I will also have formula prepared to take to the hospital (the little bottles you can buy).
Seems strange but I had a traumatic birth with AJ and planned on BF. I was so pleased I had formula and bottles ready as I was unable to BF due to not being able to hold him when he was born, then taking meds.

Now the hospitals arent providing formula, so I need to be prepared in advance and although I've planned a c-section with my Dr you never know what you or baby are going to be like afterwards.

My hospital doesn't provide formula if you intend to formula feed from the off. If you state you are wanting to breastfeed and it doesn't work out for whatever reason they won't let the baby starve. They have little glass bottles of cow and gate I saw that they give to you.

I asked about this at my mw appointment and she told me not to take anything with me to hospital.

 

[Mrsyogibear]

I had bottles & formula in both times i planned to breastfeed.
I ff my first, breastfed my second (for 14months) and didnt think the third time round i would have any probs and didnt think i wouldn't be able to esp as i managed to breastfeed dd2 for so long.

However i only breastfed this time for 4days first 2days were fine, then days 3 & 4 when my milk came in was downhill from there, i had so much milk my boobs were so huge and engorged and when i expressed nothing much came out (even though they were so full) and my son couldnt latch on, we both got really stressed and it was very difficult and stressfull for both of us cos my son couldnt latch on cos my boobs were too full. i tried expressing when he was asleep meaning i wasnt sleeping and even then i couldnt get much. the midwife said it was weird cos she knew i had so much milk but couldnt express, she even tried.

so im glad i did have bottles & formula in for that reason. if you dont have any probs and want to breastfeed and have no probs and no good reason for giving formula you wont use it, so it being there wont make you reach for it unless you need to.

i personally think with my experience this time it is nieve to think im not gona get anything in cos im gona be able to breastfeed. you dont know if you will be able to you dont know if you will have any probs.
i never thought i would have to give up so soon this time after 14months last time but you never know if your gona be able to or wha6t will happen so i always had stuff in. good job i did dont know what i would have done after my son not being able to latch on and screaming with hunger.