breastfeeding

lowlitmemory

unschooler wrote: »

Also, if you have help getting the latch right from the beginning it doesn't hurt at all. I got awful pain for a month or so the first time but by the time the second came along I knew how to avoid it and it was fine.

Sorry but I don't agree with this at all. Sometimes pain is an indicator of a tongue-tie or bad latch, so you should always get this checked, but sometimes your nips simply need 'toughening up'. Mine did. If you ever let baby suck your little finger you'll realise just how STRONG baby's suck can be, of course this may cause pain to begin with if you are unlucky like me. I had been told "breastfeeding should never hurt" so when it did I blamed myself, thought there MUST be a problem when there wasn't one, and this caused me bonding issues, heartache and nearly spelled the end of our BFing journey. Luckily I spoke to other women who told me that pain can be normal to begin with (again I must emphasise to get latch and tongue-tie checked first) and to persevere as their pain went after a few weeks, and I found this to be true for me also and was able to continue which I am now incredibly pleased about (almost 4mths exclusively BFing and still going).

barbiedoll

lowlitmemory wrote: »

Sorry but I don't agree with this at all. Sometimes pain is an indicator of a tongue-tie or bad latch, so you should always get this checked, but sometimes your nips simply need 'toughening up'. Mine did. If you ever let baby suck your little finger you'll realise just how STRONG baby's suck can be, of course this may cause pain to begin with if you are unlucky like me. I had been told "breastfeeding should never hurt" so when it did I blamed myself, thought there MUST be a problem when there wasn't one, and this caused me bonding issues, heartache and nearly spelled the end of our BFing journey. Luckily I spoke to other women who told me that pain can be normal to begin with (again I must emphasise to get latch and tongue-tie checked first) and to persevere as their pain went after a few weeks, and I found this to be true for me also and was able to continue which I am now incredibly pleased about (almost 4mths exclusively BFing and still going).

This is absolutely right, women are always told that "it doesn't hurt if you're doing it properly"
Well, it can hurt, especially during the first few days, even if there is nothing wrong.

Tongue-tie is one of the causes of BF problems and it often gets missed by midwives and health visitors. If you're not sure...ASK every time you see someone. Not every midwife will spot it, don't be embarassed to question everything and everyone if you think that something is not right.

Your "nips" do toughen up, they go quite numb after a while and that's why it's perfectly possible to BF older babies with teeth (not nearly as bad as it sounds!) It's actually easier to BF older babies, they have got the hang of it, they don't need to be held so delicately and they get off when they're finished!

BigThelma

Agree with everything above, even 2nd time round it hurt for 1st few weeks as nipples are sensitive! and babies have very powerful sucks! Lansinoh cream is fantastic, but you can also express milk,rub it onto nipple and leave to air dry, that will help a lot and is free. You can get washable breast pads if you don't want to keep buying disposable ones every few weeks.

debbieme

breastfed 2 and although the first was hard at beginning it was well worth it once I got the latch correct. 2nd child was a no trouble at all and the health benefits FOR BOTH MUM and BABY are great .A recent survey I heard on the radio said that over 12 moths a mum can expect to save at least £1,000 by breastfeeding. 2 important things for me was a great comfortable supportive nursing bra and good quality breast pads I used LANSINSINOH disposable ones and that for my 2nd child I purchased the new nursing bra which is just out on the market a friend told me about XPANDABRA. its different cup sizes in one bra which again saves money and its so comfortable well worth the money. They are doing a 15% OFF WITH FREE POSTAGE AT THE MOMENT code can be redeemed at the checkout and is MAYXPAND13 not sure when it expires I bought my 2nd bra with this code just a few days ago.
BEST OF LUCK

Frith

I had some washable breast pads which lasted well and were more comfortable than the disposable ones. Think they were made by Avent.

And lansinoh!

Aimless

I had one of the Emma Jane bras to try, I found it hopeless! I just kept falling out of it if I remember right. The only ones I've found that don't give me a big squashed single boob are the Royce ones.

optimistic-mummy

Thank You everyone for such brill advice have taken it all on board

barbiedoll wrote: »

I like your list of "positives", you may also know that BF is thought to protect you from some cancers (ovarian, breast, uterine) and that it will help you to lose any excess "baby" weight very fast. (Not that I'm advocating women getting back into their size 10's within a week, I think that most mums lose weight because they don't have time to eat properly!)
yes i heard about this ... another reason to attempt breastfeeding
You'll also be setting a fine example to your son, if he grows up around women who BF, he's more likely to be encouraging towards his partner if she wishes to BF, when he's going to be a dad!
this was one of the first things that crossed my mind ... i want my son to be open minded and with everyone else in the family bottle feeding i didn't want him to think that it was the norm and if he had children and his partner wanted to breastfeed being close minded and pushing her into formula feeding although i wouldn't want him to push her into breastfeeding either .... i just want him to understand that breastfeeding is ok and bring him up to not have the negative view that many (mainly men) seem to have

There's loads of help and support for breastfeeders out there, and it really is becoming the norm rather than the exception, thankfully. I wish you luck with your pregnancy and I hope you'll keep us up to date with your experiences.

Thank you hun, my auntie is a family support worker and one of her specialist areas is breastfeeding shes the only one other than my nan and grandma that i know of that breastfeeds (she's breastfed 4 currently still feeding her 4th) i know she will be a great support and has offered to help and offer support etc there is also a group at my local childrens centre so will have to keep that in mind

pigpen wrote: »

Opto.. the only one I'd argue with is number 4... breast is best... for MANY.. but not everyone.

But yeah.. that list is about right.

i know what you mean obv it depends on the mother and the baby ... i was more aiming at the antibodies it gives the baby that formula doesn't etc

Sid_Wolf wrote: »

I dont have actual nursing bras, I have soft, non-wired ones from primark, 2 for £5, they're not padded so I can just pull them down over my b00b Also primark have vest tops atm which have large arm holes, I wear a stretch vest and then one of these vests on top, the arm holes are large enough that I can pull it to the side over my b00b and pull the stretchy vest and my bra down, then i latch baby on and put the corner of a muslin through the straps of my tops and can cover any bare skin with that
Thanks for that i will have a look when i'm next in town

lambanana

I've been bfing my little girl for a year now and agree with everything that has been said. The first few weeks were hard work, she seemed to feed constantly and it was a bit sore until my nipples toughened up (no tongue tie and good latch, just sensitive from getting so much action they'd not usually had!) but once those first 6-8 weeks had passed and we both knew what we were doing it was a breeze really.

It's great that you have someone in the family who is bfing and can offer support, the best support I had was from friends who had bf and not necessarily the midwives (some were great but others were very outdated in their views and gave me some awful advice, thankfully I didn't take it!) if you have a La Leche League meeting or breastfeeding group locally they are also fantastic for support, it's great having other mums to talk to who are at the same point as you.

I'd agree with lansinoh, it does seem pricey but even putting it on after every feed in the first few months I didn't use up the whole tube, it lasts ages. Just be aware that it's lanolin so watch out for allergies to that, I also got some mam nipple balm which doesn't need washing off pre-feed and doesn't contain lanolin and that's good too. Also breastmilk on the nipples and letting them air if they do get sore and you can get these little cup things that go in your bra to stop fabric rubbing and catch excess milk, they look silly but fine for around the house. I got mine free by joining Boots parenting club, don't know whether or not they still do that.

I used disposable breastpads in the early weeks, lansinoh were probably my favourites for sticking well and feeling comfortable but once my supply had settled a bit I switched to washables. I got mine from little lambs (a cloth nappy company) and they frequently have them on special offer. I also got some from weenotions that are lovely and fluffy but were more expensive.

Best of luck, when breastfeeding works it's fab and so convenient. Breastfeeding may not be best for everyone but it is natural, healthy for mum and baby and free so if you can do it then that's great. Also the more people that do it and also do it publically the more "normal" it becomes and the less people will be weird about it and make stupid comments. I've never had a negative comment for feeding in public, only positive and supportive ones, my only negative comments came from narrow minded family members who were put out that they didn't get to feed the baby but seriously, that's the mum's job, that's why she lactates...everyone else can help with cups of tea for you, nappy changes and then some cuddles once baby is fed so you can get a sleep if that's what you want to do.

bec54

Hello

Sorry I'm a few days late to this.

In repeating what others have said, all you need is some breast pads & lanisoh cream. I found sleep bras the most comfortable, especially for the first few weeks as they're so stretchy & comfy to wear around the clock & they hold the breast pads in really snuggly.

My only other comment is to be assertive in hospital & not be afraid to ask for help after the birth if you need it. When I had my son, I struggled to get him to latch properly & the midwives were so rushed they weren't particularly helpful (e.g. telling me I had to have nipple shields when all I needed was some cream, or worse, forcing my son's head on to me rather than demonstrating & teaching). It would have been very easy to give up at this point & reach for the bottle but I persevered in asking for help. Luckily there was a student midwife there who had the time to sit with me for about an hour & was very keen to put their training into practice. They were really supportive, sitting with me while I got the hang of several different positions & it's thanks to her that I continued to breastfeed my son until he was 12 months.

Another positive for your list is that you get such a buzz out of it. It makes your body produce hormones that make you go all chilled & relaxed to help with the bonding which is an amazing feeling. I've heard recently as well that it's these same hormones that make you adjust your sleep patterns to be the same as the baby's for the first few weeks, making it much much easier than you would think having to get up & do a night feed in the middle of the night. I'm currently 33 weeks pregnant with my second & breastfeeding again is one of the things I'm most looking forward to.

Best of luck with it & if you need any more help or support over the coming few months this is a fantastic board to post your questions on

x

lilymay1

OP, You got your BFP 4 days before me and I can't believe you're thinking about breastfeeding already! I suppose planning ahead can't do any harm xx