Breast Feeding discussion

full-time-mum

Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby and for choosing to breastfeed.
I breastfed my 2 for 30 months and 36 months respectively. I breastfed my second exclusively for the first 6 months - I had more confidence to stand my ground 2nd time around!!

My advice to you is that you have to do what works best for you.

It is true that giving formula can be a slippery slope to giving up completely. It is also true that giving formula can interrupt production.

I think the key to deciding is to understand the process. Firstly, milk is produced on a supply and demand basis which is why you can successfully breastfeed twins etc. Secondly, if demand is increased then it takes 48hours or so to catch up. Thirdly, if you don't eat, drink and rest properly or are ill, then you will find it affecting your supply.

The second point is the sticky one. During the catch up period, it is easy to feel that baby isn't recieving enough, that you can't cope with hourly feeds/extra disturbed nights and that a formula bottle is the answer. The problem is that giving a bottle = less demand so you will never catch up. If you can persevere during these periods then things do settle down, it can just be a bit tiring and demoralising for you, however, if you can stick it out, eat and drink plenty and manage some rest then you WILL be rewarded and things will improve. Honest, I've been there and got the soaky stained t-shirts to prove it.
If you decide to give a formula bottle and then change your mind, then using the supply and demand rule, you can re-introduce the feed but it will take a few days to catch up. You could try giving a bottle one or two nights but it is only delaying the catch up time but if you get a couple of better nights then you may feel strong enough to deal with it.

If you decide that supplementing is for you, then, proivded you have made a rational and informed decision (if such is possible with a new baby) and you don't think you will regret it later, then there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about - and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Personally, I would have been motified if I had to supplement but, and it is a big but, that was my choice based on what I wanted and also because of our family allergy history etc.

If you decide that you want to bottlefeed before bed or even all the night feeds then your supply will adapt accordingly and you will have milk as demanded during the day and not an awful lot during the night.
This principle works for mothers returning to work, no milk during the day but enough in the evening and night.

Also, it took me a long time (a good six months) to realise that I needed to be a bit selfish sometimes and look after myself. My oldest used to feed for an hour, catnap for ten minutes if I was lucky, then scream until the next feed. If she did sleep I would then rush around trying to do the housework, cook the dinner, do the washing etc. I eventually realised that it was OK to sit down with my feet up for 20 mins. If she slept longer then the jobs got done but if 20 mins was all I got then I had got the rest I needed and deserved and to hell with the jobs!!!

One other thing to remember, if you decide you don't want to breastfeed and are going to opt for complete formula feeding, then you will find it a lot more comfortable on you if you drop breastfeeds and introduce bottles gradually.

There is plenty of advice and support out there if you want it. See
[URL=http://]www.nct.org.uk/breastfeeding/phone.html[/URL]

It can also be helpful to get out and meet other mums who are breastfeeding.

Good luck, I hope you work things out. I know that there is a lot of conflicting advice about which doesn't help so my biggest piece of advice to all new mum's is
"Listen to all advice with a smile, say thank you, store it away, listen to other advice, smile, store etc and then take the bits that work for you, adapt and combine other ideas and reject all the rest!"

I hope this helps and doesn't add to you burden of confusion.


PS: It is not a sign of weakness or failure to accept help. Just make sure that the help is with the housework so you can cuddle the baby rather than the other way around. (Unless, of course, you get a kick out of doing the dishes, ironing....)
The best friends are those that come around with choccy cake and say "shall I make you a cuppa", rather than expect you to make them one. They're even better if they say "would you like me to iron those clothes for you"

full-time-mum

... how things were going.

Laurenbelle

I think you have gotten some great advice here, congratulations on the new baby and also on deciding to bf and persevere. I am a mum of 2, my eldest (3y/o) i didnt have enough experience nor support and ended up pumping for him for 9 months as i couldnt get him latched on, Zachary (22 months) is still breastfeeding BUT i only got him latched on properly at 3 weeks. I dont think i have anything to add but i couldnt agree more on drinking lots of water, eating oats and pumping pumping pumping within the first 3 months whilst still trying to establish a supply, firstly it will help you establish a supply (repeating i know lol) for the months ahead and secondly it will give you a stash in the freezer incase you need to feed from a bottle for one reason or another. Fenugreek as was said is als very popular, in the States where i was at the begining of my breastfeeding relationship there was Mothers Milk Tea but i am unsure if that is sold here - although i am sure there would be a similar drink. I also fed on demand. Le Leche League literally saved my bf relationship! As i said i had only got the latch etc correct when Zach was 3 weeks old and was about to resort to pumping full time so he could get my milk but i went to on of their meetings (which did n't cost me anything) and they helped tremendously. Lastly http://www.kellymom.com/ (i hope i can post websites on here) is a great resource for breastfeeding mama's! Please feel free to post if you need any other support in anyway or send me an email! Best wishes and congratulations again! :T

Gingham_Ribbon

How lovely! Congratulations.

I can't add anything really, just wanted to pick out which ones were most relevent to my experience.

Lots of water.
Remember to eat and have a break.
Feed on demand.
Don't give top up bottles. The more the baby sucks the more you'll produce.
If she wants to suckle for an hour or more, let her. It will improve your supply within a couple of days of her doing this and then you can teach her to suck her hand/your finger or whatever instead if it's just comfort sucking.
Speak to your breastfeeding clinic, health visitor or one of the helplines given above and remember to do what you feel is best. Your instinct will be a better guide than someone who doesn't know how you're doing.

busby1_2

This sounds a bit mean but when the baby is hungry let her cry for a little while, your body reacts to the baby's hungry cry and that starts the milk flowing,

as already mentioned make sure your eating and drinking well, lots of fruit and fiber, and plenty of protein

well done and good luck

roadsidetree

Thanks for all your excellent comments

Before this I had picked up quite a few wrong practice (like trying to clean the house while the baby is asleep) which was taking us nowhere

Any way coming back I picked lots of excellent suggestions and i will try to stick to them for some time and see how it goes

Once again many thanks and cheers :beer:

full-time-mum

Hi roadsidetree

Just seeing your :beer: smile reminds me that Guiness is supposed to be good for milk supply.

Lillypanda

Hi...Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. I breastfed my little girl until she was 1 years old. Very early on it felt like my milk was decreasing so a phoned the NCT. I spoke to when of there experts and she recommended taking Fenugreek which is supplement from Holland and Barratts. It doesnt smell very nice but it worked. Good Luck.

gravitytolls

Oh, congratulations. Plenty of water and rest. Loads of breast feeding too. You're probably making more than you realise, our bods can usually produce enough to nourish our offspring. During a growth spurt, she may want more than you have, but the constant suckling will cause your bod to make more, so by the following day, you'll be overflowing.

Laurenbelle

Oh i certainly was one that had a beer every now and then and it certainly helped my supply! (Maybe 1 or 2 per week!)