Breastfeeding

nervous about breastfeeding

hello all,
First time mom here.  I'm a month away from giving birth and I've suddenly become so nervous about breast feeding.   i keep hearing about the pain and the latching and honestly? more than actual breast feeding, I'm scared of the pump!  I was given an Ameda but it was from a family member and they lost the instructions It is also about 5 years old, I don't know if this is outdated equipment..., so I have no idea what I'm doing.  the electric box looks scary.  I'd almost prefer a hand pump!  Just any advice? I'm the first of my friends to get pregnant, so I don't have many people to go to for advice...  
Wedding Countdown Ticker

Re: nervous about breastfeeding

  • I love breastfeeding, it is one of the more special things I have done in my life. Everyone's experience is a bit different, so just take it one day at a time and do what works for you. I was given the book the "womanly art of breast feeding" at my shower. I found it to be a good introduction even if all the advice isn't your style, it covers a lot of bases and helped me through the difficult first weeks.
  • Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but my situation  was out of the "norm". With that being said I love breastfeeding now! It really helps us to bond on more difficult days, it is the quickest way to get him back to sleep in the middle of the night, and I never have to worry about running out of milk when we are on the go.

    I second PP to get "the womanly art of breastfeeding" and also to visit with a LC before you have the baby. If it wasn't for my LC I would have given up! Lanolin for the nips was also very helpful! Good luck! 

    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • Loading the player...
  • CNYBride05CNYBride05 member
    edited April 2014
    Tmgs2013 said:
    Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but my situation  was out of the "norm". With that being said I love breastfeeding now! It really helps us to bond on more difficult days, it is the quickest way to get him back to sleep in the middle of the night, and I never have to worry about running out of milk when we are on the go.

    This completely! It's hard but totally worth it! Surround yourself with supportive, encouraging people. Good luck!!
    Natural m/c Oct. 2005

    Dx: balanced translocation and LPD

    TTC since Oct 2011

    BPF 02/19/12, EDD 10/31/12, natural m/c 02/28/12 (4w6d)

    IVF (BCPs starting 10/30/12, ER 11/18/12, 5dt of 1 beautiful, healthy embryo 11/23/12)
    BFP 12/02/12, u/s @ 6w,5d showed 2 HBs! Identical twins!!
    Bed rest from 21w-35w due to short cervix, hospital bed rest from 23w-32w due to PTL
    Our rainbows were born 07/19/13 (36w, 5d)

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Get a medela that ameda thing is a piece of crap. If latching hurts for more than 30 seconds see and LC. Find out what resources your hospital offers. A class? BFing support group? On call LC hotline? My hospital offers all of them and I am so thankful. When your in the hospital get a nurse in the room every time to help baby get on. Find friends/relatives who have BFed and ask for help/support. Don't worry about pumping until your supply is established, after at least 3 weeks. Check out Qs for BFing moms and threads by @amyg* she really helped N13!!

  • Seriously, take a class ;)

  • I know there is a LC at the hospital and I was considering not going with the one I was given just because it is so old....I was thinking about waiting until the LC comes to my room after birth and I know they have many at the hospital to try so I figured I'd see which works best for me before I spend that kind of money...Its bizarre the things I'm nervous about...The actual labor I have no worries...but Breastfeedings, the needle from an epidural...I'm having ridiculously irrational fears that just are confusing me!  Thanks for your help y'all! 
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Go to a La Leche League meeting now! They always welcome pregnant moms! Go, and get to know the women ahead of time so you feel comfortable reaching out to them for support when you have questions. LLL.org and look up a chapter in your area (meetings are free!)

    BFing is awesome! It was difficult due to DDs tongue tie, but totally worth the effort and 15mo later we are still nursing :)
    TTC Since 3/2010
    Me-36, Unexplained Infertility, DH-35, all clear
    Clomid 50mg 12/2011 = BFN
    Clomid 100mg 1/2012 = BFN, with Cyst
    IVF #1 Lupron/Menopur/Gonal-f/HCG Trigger
    ER 4/19/12 = 11 retrieved, 6 fertilized,
    ET 4/22/12 = 2 transfered (day 3), remaining 3 weren't good enough to freeze
    Beta 5/3 = BFP, 87 Beta #2 5/7 560.9 Beta #3 5/9 1376.5 First u/s One Baby, 125bpm!
    Second u/s, 176bmp! Kicked over to the OB by the RE at 8w. Team Green!! 
    Baby girl J arrived two weeks early! Born into water, med-free. Hooray for Team Pink!

    TTC #2 - back to the RE, treatment started 12/2014. 

    image
  • mcnava said:

    I know there is a LC at the hospital and I was considering not going with the one I was given just because it is so old....I was thinking about waiting until the LC comes to my room after birth and I know they have many at the hospital to try so I figured I'd see which works best for me before I spend that kind of money...Its bizarre the things I'm nervous about...The actual labor I have no worries...but Breastfeedings, the needle from an epidural...I'm having ridiculously irrational fears that just are confusing me!  Thanks for your help y'all! 

    I think in some ways its like a bride getting cold feet before the wedding. Its normal to be nervous about new things. Its helpful to build a support network.

    Talk to your OB about your needle fear. They can help with ease your concerns. Or you can consider going med-free.

    You can probably find the instruction manual only be, even with an older model.
    Lilypie Breastfeeding tickers Lilypie Angel and Memorial tickers
    Parent of Baby Boy M, born December 2013 Angels: Miscarriage @ 9 weeks, May 2015, Chemical Pregnancy November 2015



    Lilypie Maternity tickers
  • I had 3 awesome med-free births because the epidural scared me worse than the pain did! Haha!
  • Big predictors of breastfeeding success are attitude and support. You can do it! Find local support groups at hospitals, or LLL, or BreastfeedingUSA counselors or groups. Explain that you are nursing to people whom you want support from- your partner, your family, etc. 
    If you need to pump, the LC can help you with that too. Don't worry too much about pumping. If breastfeeding is going okay, you will have weeks before pumping to figure it out. 

            image

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Get a medela that ameda thing is a piece of crap. If latching hurts for more than 30 seconds see and LC. Find out what resources your hospital offers. A class? BFing support group? On call LC hotline? My hospital offers all of them and I am so thankful. When your in the hospital get a nurse in the room every time to help baby get on. Find friends/relatives who have BFed and ask for help/support. Don't worry about pumping until your supply is established, after at least 3 weeks. Check out Qs for BFing moms and threads by @amyg* she really helped N13!!

    I have the ameda purely yours, and it works fine for my needs. Yes, I have heard that medelas are the best, but an Ameda is typically ranked second best. It's certainly not a piece if crap.
  • BF'ing was scary for me too. My LO was born a few weeks early and we couldn't get the "suck" just right, so had to pump and give via bottle. We started back to feeding directly from the breast about a week ago and it is so amazing! Yes, it might hurt at first, but there is nothing that compares to looking down and seeing your LO attached to you. She/He will look at your face and eventually interact as well. It's amazing

    image

    image   image

  • I was very nervous as well.  It is hard (and honestly painful) at first but worth it in the end!  Just be patient, LO will get the hang of it and reach out to others for help.  The nurses at the hospital were so helpful for me that by the time the LC visited, she couldn't really help.  I am going on 5 months EBF and looking forward to continuing until LO is a year!  It may be hard at first but so much easier now... no bottles to clean, no milk to warm up, no matter where we are I can feed on demand with the perfect amount :)

    Check with your insurance.... mine covered an electric medela pump in full!

    It is totally normal to be nervous. Not knowing when or how everything was going to go was the worst!  But in the end all that matters is a safe and healthy delivery!  If you do chose an epidural, trust me it goes so fast and you will not care because you just want the drugs!

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • RDK24RDK24 member
    Kate030 said:
    I love breastfeeding, it is one of the more special things I have done in my life. Everyone's experience is a bit different, so just take it one day at a time and do what works for you. I was given the book the "womanly art of breast feeding" at my shower. I found it to be a good introduction even if all the advice isn't your style, it covers a lot of bases and helped me through the difficult first weeks.
    Agree with this! The beginning is tough but it's so rewarding once you get the hang of it. BFing is something that both you and the baby need to learn so take your time, relax (easier said than done) and trust that it only gets easier for most!
  • RDK24RDK24 member
    And if you're having any issues while in the hospital, be sure you see the Lactaction Consultant. The one at my hospital was very busy but I told the nurses I wasn't comfortable going home to BF without some help first and they were great about making sure she saw me. You can always consult one if you need to once you're home. GL!
  • RDK24 said:

    And if you're having any issues while in the hospital, be sure you see the Lactaction Consultant. The one at my hospital was very busy but I told the nurses I wasn't comfortable going home to BF without some help first and they were great about making sure she saw me. You can always consult one if you need to once you're home. GL!

    Agree with this, I had my LO on a busy day in L&D. LC was hard to get a hold of- insist on it! Be your own advocate ! They are a great resource and much easier than going out the first week home and of course cheaper :)
  • Laurenc523Laurenc523 member
    edited April 2014
    All PP have given excellent advice. Support was the biggest thing for me. My midwives were rooting for our success and also referred me to a LC. She diagnosed lo's tongue tie and was such a help. My husband went to our birth center's breastfeeding class with me and it was so helpful that he knew the information as well and coached me through the painful nursing sessions. If it weren't for my midwives, LC and husband I would have for sure given up. But now we are 5 months postpartum, there is no pain whatsoever (although it was painless after about 2 months) and I love breastfeeding- and so does my little guy!
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"