Investing in breastfeeding

knithappens

the best thin gthat worked for me was the wealth of advice int he breastfeeding group on birthcenter, and kellymom.com, ev ery problem i had were solved here, plus reading up before i started got me prepared, and less stressed when bubba was havign difficulty latching etc. I would not waiste the money , espeicllay if you dont know if you will have problems, i have only had minor problems this time, and the knowede i received inthese 2 places was more than enough.

Edited to say sorry for typing errors, little lady unwell today and has been permanently attached to me

gratefulforhelp_2

Great advice here, and pigpen eeeewwww but how true!

Struggled to b/f with first but cracked it with second. bought lansinoh and breast pads, end of!!

eta got offline because the chimney sweep arrived, sorry a bit blunt!

Really I wouldn't buy a lot, your best investment would probably be in decent food, and not to worry too much about not eating or drinking this that or the other because I'm not convinced that having a curry, say, has too much impact on the babe.

When I b/f this time around, I'm planning to make sure I eat something at 5 ish, to help to manage the evening cluster feeding.

SkintGypsy

A good pump was essential for me because my wussy boy was scared of a full b00b and fast flowing milk! I tried to go all MSE with the nipple cream and bought a cheaper variety. Result? Immense pain and suffering. Bit the bullet and got the lansinoh and never had a problem with soreness since. Also use washable breast pads. £5 for six from Boots and Babies r us. Well worth being prepared before the event.

Slinky_Malinky

You have already had great advice, the only thing I can think of that might be a wise investment is a good sling - not one of the mickey mouse Tomy ones that hangs the baby off the front of you but a proper sling. Once you have cracked your b/f technique and baby`s latch the sling will allow babba to feed and sleep while you can get on with other stuff, could free up some valuable time to spend with your older littel one. Also helps discreet b/f out and about. Even if you end up not b/f the sling will be very useful.

Slinky

thatgirlsam

breast feeding is rarely easy at the beginning when you're doing it for the first time

many babes wnat to feed like mad at the beginning, they are on a mission to get your milk to come down, they know the more they feed the quicker this is likely to happen, very clever little things

skin to skin contact is brillaint, i would also be careful what you wash your b00bs with, you don't want to mask the smell of mummy that encourages them to root for the breast

i would also ask someone at the hospital to show you how to hand espress.. if baby won't latch on in the very early days you will be able to get them a take-away

sometimes hand expressing a bit of colstrum or breastmilk and feeding to baby (you can ask at the hospital for a little feeding cup to take home) sort if reminds them what they want to do

best of luck to you :-)

gratefulforhelp_2

What a great thread, and how lovely that there is so much expertise and kindness here.

Neeny82

This is all very interesting stuff. Lots of my friends have struggled with breastfeeding their first babies and as a reault have given up quickly and felt like failures.

I'm newly pregnant again after 2 recent MMC's and am hoping (if this is a sticky bean) that I can Breastfeed. After reading your comments I will be sure to persevere when things are tough in the first few weeks in the hope that it will become easier as you say.

I suppose even nicer is the fact that even if there is no local support available - there is a wealth of support and advice on forums like these.

pigpen

Day 5 of bf..

I have 12 years previous experience of breastfeeding, trained as a breastfeeding counsellor and have fed 7 children until weaning.. unless unwell.. I had 2 with reflux and one with lactose intolerance. I have nipples of leather.. This morning I lathered on the lansinoh.. fed the baby.. spent the first couple of minutes with my eyes shut tight, my toes scrunched into each other and using the breathing techniques taught for labour pain.. THEN she choked on the fast flowing milk and fell off... so I picked off the scabs which had formed since the last feed.. and latched her back on..

It is normal for some level of soreness.. but it shouldn't continue right through the full feed.. if it does something is wrong.

I think the very worst thing I have EVER experienced while bf.. and I have had mastitis several times.. has to be thrush on the nipples (they get very pink, very shiny and excruciatingly painful!!!!) That was the one time I actually considered giving up.. it was agonising.. like no other pain I have ever experienced!

daska

LANSINOH is available on prescription (making it very MSE) and the midwives often have sample sachets so it might be worth asking for some just in case.

gratefulforhelp_2

Really? Thats fab news. How long does anyone reckon it lasts?? Still have the tube from DD2 and she's 3...