Breast feeding, pros and cons

carol9uk

thanks for all your support, i am still breast feeding m/w says he is going through a growth phase and eating more, he is waking up every hour only at night for a feed, apart from when he sleeps on me on the chair, which i cant do anymore as he needs to get used to sleeping in his cot, buts it so hard not to. some of the time him only want to use me as a soother. OH has talked about bottle feeding, i ve told him i want to feed him as long as i can, i will start expressing as soon as i can.

thanks again

neverdespairgirl

carol9uk wrote: »

thanks for all your support, i am still breast feeding m/w says he is going through a growth phase and eating more,

growth spurts are tough - the baby just wants to feed all the time! But they do pass, honestly, so well done you for keeping going. Make sure you are eating a good diet, and drinking a lot, and you'll be fine.:T

janehma

Hi, I have breast fed 6 babies and am now a breastfeeding support counsellor, Although b/feeding is natural, it isn't always easy. My advice initially is plenty of skin to skin immediately after birth, a supportive partner is ace as this is one area where women struggle. Pros - free (apart from bras & pads), right temp, perfect food even for a prem baby, as the milk is consistent with baby's needs. available anywhere, anytime. Great for offering immunity, lovely for close cuddling. Forces mum to sit still several times a day!
Cons- can take some getting used to, some women feel shy about possibly exposing their breasts (always have a shawl) some consider it a tie? I'm struggling here as most worries can be overcome, but really the mum has to want to breast feed.....good luck

nerdycatlover

Just to put my spoke in here (what a long thread!!) Not wishing to re start any flame wars, but this has been my experience;
Bf two children, the first for 6 months and second for 18 months.I was determined that I would because my husband`s first wife made a complete hash of it and I was determined to do better.( I was convinced that my stepson`s eating disorder had been caused by early feeding problems.)
The first week was rough, but then I got some good advice from a nurse.If the baby won`t latch on, you have to squeeze your nipple flat, so that the baby can get hold of you.It helps to be shown, though.
On getting home with newborn I was asked by the neighbour to demonstrate BF to her 9yr old daughter, who was most impressed, and I made my mind up not to be embarrassed Ever Again. I lost a couple of So Called friends who we used to visit, because they insisted that I went upstairs to feed my son (the same room with my back to everyone was not acceptable....She bottlefed her 2kids.) I thought my son`s welfare came first, so it caused ill-feeling.
All in all, I enjoyed the whole feeding thing. Boobs never suffered then or since and I I`m well past my prime these days.
Heard horror stories about cracked nipples, which I believe are caused by not having the nipple far enough into baby`s mouth, as the correct action is pressing on the tissue behind the nipple, not chomping down on the nipple itself.
I did have problems with leaking, but someone told me the best remedy was to put pressure on the breast, by folding your arm over it (or both) quite firmly.(Never seen that in a book but it works.)Both babies got so big and beautiful that I was accused by Clinic nurses of giving cereals.They positively glowed, and yes, I was very proud I`d done my best for them. No apologies.
All I can say, is give it a go and see how you get on. Listen to your body and try the natural thing first.It`s what you, as a woman was designed for.Some things are worth persevering for.
However, If You Can`t and you`ve given it your best shot, there`s no point beating yourself up about it.

Hell_Dans_Un_Handcart

carol9uk wrote: »

thanks for all your support, i am still breast feeding m/w says he is going through a growth phase and eating more, he is waking up every hour only at night for a feed, apart from when he sleeps on me on the chair, which i cant do anymore as he needs to get used to sleeping in his cot, buts it so hard not to. some of the time him only want to use me as a soother. OH has talked about bottle feeding, i ve told him i want to feed him as long as i can, i will start expressing as soon as i can.

thanks again

I found co-sleeping a lifesaver in the early days - have a look at these guidelines for safety: http://babyparenting.about.com/od/sleeping/a/cosleep.htm

I worried at first that my daughter would never leave our bed, but at 13months she spends most of the night in her cot; it's just been a natural progression, I never tried to make her sleep anywhere. In the daytime, I'd sling her when she was awake so I could get on with things, then get comfy on the sofa with the remote, the laptop and a snack etc for her naps (go to the loo first!). As she got older, she'd sleep in the buggy after a walk too. It was frustrating at times but was well worth it - we have no sleep issues at all (yet, lol).

If you don't fancy co-sleeping, how about a bedside cot? It attaches to your bed and is basically a cot with three sides. Feed baby to sleep lying down, roll over, voila - baby in cot!

Loopy_Lobes

You could try a dummy if you think yor baby is using you as one - sorry if you already are using one or have tried - I've tried to read the whole thread but I'm finding it hard keeping my eyes open this time of night! My little one had a dummy for about 4 months before finding her thumb. She still BF like a mad thing but at least she could comfort herself. If I didn't think she really needed a feed but she wanted comfort I'd offer the dummy instead - sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't!

Would also recommending co-sleeping - I found it the most natural thing. Dd just latched on and off at will and I got a proper sleep. Of course you need to be careful with bedding etc. The bedside cots are a great idea.

I'm still feeding her now at 18 months and DREADING her stopping as I love it so much. I'm trying to appreciate every feed she has as she's our third and last child. BF is just the best thing and I'm so grateful that I managed it with our three children.

Loopy x

zippybungle

Hi,

Haven't had the chance to read all 300+ replies, lol.....but thought I'd tell your about my experience anyway...

I have 3 Children.

I breastfed the first for approx 3 months, then bottlefed........don't really know why I stopped after 3 months, I think it was just because I was a young first time Mum and I didn't really have much of a clue! lol

2nd time round I breastfed for 16 months, and my son never once drank from a bottle or had formula (never had a dummy either).

3rd time round, I am breastfeeding again (baby is 7 months old) and I plan to feed her for at least 12 months.

I would say that breastfeeding is a skill that both Mum and Baby need to learn, for some women the early weeks (or months!) can be difficult, but it really does get so much easier (it's so much easier being able to just bring baby into our bed for a night feed, rather than having to get up to bottlefeed).

I think a lot of Women are put off with the idea of breastfeeding, because they are worried about feeding in public....this can be done discreetly though....today for example I took my 7 month old Daughter to the hairdressers with me and she needed feeding whilst I was there. I wore a black vest top, but had also worn a black boob tube top underneath, so that when I pulled my vest top up, you couldn't see any flesh and babies head covered up the tiny bit of skin that was exposed. Most of the time people don't even notice.

You can even buy special 'breast feeding' tops, but these are quite expensive imo (well, compaired to my £1.50 Primark Vest top and £1.50 Boob Tube ). Baby Slings are quite good too, as you can feed baby whilst he/she is the Sling, and nobody would be any the wiser. In cooler weather, you can just wrap a shawl/blanket around you.

Zippy x

carol9uk

thanks again. to answer some question, am planning on getting a dummy when he is a month old, he is only 2 weeks, i am getting the one that helps prevents cot death. got very sore nipples at the start, they were bleeding, had nightmare at hospital as tested son to check it wasnt him, he was put through torture when they told his blood from around his body, anyway it was me. have cleared up now. would like the cot bed idea but dont have the space. will look into getting a sling, will have to ask m/w when i can use it as i had a c section.

well better get to sleep.

thanks again

daphne_descends

Carol you are doing so well, please come back if you need to talk or get more advice, you're doing a fantastic thing for your baby

I have got a Hotslings pouch in a size 4 you are welcome to if you want - PM me if so but there are loads to choose from

Hope you got some sleep x

nadnad

carol, my wee man used me as a dummy at the start but each time he started i took him off and it didnt take long for him to learn not to. i didnt want to give him a dummy despite the research regarding cot death, although i have heard that that research was either carried out by or sponsered by a dummy manufacturer. he started to suck his thumb to get him over to sleep which suits me fine!

i had a section too and found it difficult at the start even getting out of bed to lift him when he needed fed, but it all gets easier, i would say for me after the first two weeks it started to click into place. good luck!