Lots of BFing Qs

haileyq

I didn't nurse at all with DS, but motherhood has made me braver and I'm going to try it with baby 2. I just have no idea where to start and it's making me panicky. I am not super committed so I would love it if everything went perfectly (who wouldn't?).

I'm looking for breast feeding 101 here- books, YouTube videos, and stuff you couldn't live without. Also, any pump recs?

The more I think about it the more nervous I get! I know there is a breast feeding board but... I know you ladies so thought I might start here.

sarenu1

I did a class. It was nice, because it was taught by a lactation consultant. This also let me get to know her and what services she could help with.

Also, ask for assistance in the hospital. Don't expect it to just work. Ask for help every time you go to nurse if you need it.

With my first it was very frustrating, and a lot of breakdowns. Then one day it just worked. My second was a champ right from the start.

haileyq

Doh! A class, of course! That never even crossed my mind, thanks.

BoothBaby

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (book) is a little boring but has lots of good info. Check out kellymom.com as well.

Agree with PP, talk to the LC at the hospital right away, and as many times as you need to. Don't be afraid to ask for help!! Expect that it might not go well at first and might be painful, but it will pass. Focus on getting through those first few weeks, and it gets SO much better.

Highly recommend the Medela Pump in Style. And the boppy pillow! Also, I would say invest in a good comfortable chair for the nursery...you will spend a lot of time in it!

freezorburn

Find BF support groups in your area. If you feel like something isn't right, don't be shy about asking for help. I have a high threshold for pain and it always seemed like someone else in the groups warranted more attention, so it wasn't until I hired a private LC at 13 weeks that we got a tongue tie diagnosis. Once we took care of that, everything got a lot better.

freezorburn

And don't be afraid to talk to different LCs if you feel like you are not getting the results you want. A friend of mine went through a few before finding one who could resolve their latch issues.

Brandiewine11

Definitely see if your hospital has a class. It was pretty helpful. Talk to any IRL friends who have BF'd. Have one or 2 of them on speed dial for questions when you can't talk to an LC.

I may be hard at first, but does get soooo much easier. I had to have the LC in the hospital come in every time we tried to nurse for almost 4 days because R would not latch. I ended up pumping and cup feeding him in the hospital for several days, but in the end, it worked and we're doing great now. Ask for help, even if you don't think you need it.

For us, the My Breast Friend pillow was a lifesaver. Even though we don't need it, I still use it at home because its comfortable for us.

I have the Medela Pump In Style Advanced from insurance, and it works very well. It's much better than many of the other pumps insurance provides. But I also have an Avent Comfort pump that I got free (used to work for them) and its SOOOO much more comfortable for me to use and parts are way easier to clean. But most insurance won't pay for that one. Make sure you get a good manual pump too.

Learn to nurse side-lying at night.

Loriimagination

Everyone else had pretty much said what I would. I agree that a class is incredibly helpful. We had one as part of our 3 week birth class and it definitely reaffirmed my decision to BF. I also think it was great for my husband to hear all the benefits. A informed support person is key.

I also attended (and still do actually) a BFing support group hosted by the same LC that did our class. Peer support is always great too! Kellymom will answer any and all questions you have once baby is here. I also liked the This Milk Matters FB group. Like others said, ask for help in the hospital. We didn't get a good latch for 36 hours. At that time a nurse pretty much held my boob and shoved F's head on it. I was being way too gentle. I wish that I would've watched videos of latching a newborn while pregnant.

It's definitely exhausting and hard at first but so amazing later!

km_md

Breastfeeding was the one thing that I had no experience with before I had DD so I was nervous too. My nurses were great and I was able to see a LC while still in the hospital so if you are able to do that I definitely would.

It took some practice to get good at it and she refused one breast right away until the nurse suggested trying a football hold on that side and it did the trick.

I just went for it and solved any problems as they came. We were lucky and didn't have any major struggles but there were times that I could have given up. So you can do this mama!!

I also second using kellymom. I looked up a lot of different things on that site over the past year.

Oh and I'm not sure if you would have something like this where you live but our telehealth line now has LCs on staff so you can call 24 hours a day to ask BFing questions. So it might be worth it to check and see if something like this is available to you as well.

sarenu1

I forgot to mention this, but if you do take a class, take it as close to birth as you are comfortable with.  I took mine later on, and I was really glad because I would not have retained a lot of information if I had taken it early in my pregnancy.

And as frustrating as it sounds, the best advise is to relax and make sure you are comfortable when nursing.  Good back support, foot support (so that your lap is level), and having your baby positioned so that you are hunched over.

And I second the pictures of different positions.  You can also ask your nurse to show you different holds while in the hospital so that you can get confortable with each type.

bumpuser10179393

I had a long labor and my daughter had a major cone head. The first night she cried the entire night and we finally got her to nurse in the side lying position. The next morning I had a pediatric chiropractor adjust her and she fell asleep and latched perfect from that day forward. If you can find a good one, chiropractors can be a great resource to have in your corner.

freezorburn

linewifekat said:

I had a long labor and my daughter had a major cone head. The first night she cried the entire night and we finally got her to nurse in the side lying position. The next morning I had a pediatric chiropractor adjust her and she fell asleep and latched perfect from that day forward. If you can find a good one, chiropractors can be a great resource to have in your corner.

This reminds me, torticollis can also be a hindrance to getting a good latch, so if your baby has this, look around in your area for someone who specialises in treating infants with torticollis. There are a number of different types of specialists who can do this, so you may need to ask around and do some research. Could be a chiro, or a PT, etc. In our case it turned out that an osteopath that had previously treated me for back injury was THE guy in our area for treating infants with torticollis, so I took DS to him. For us it was a no-brainer since I already had first hand experience with this O.D.

flummadiddle85

Everyone else has it covered. Just wanted to add that I've used earth mama angel baby nipple butter over lanolin.

Nikkipal82

I def agree with PP. If you can go to a class, try to bring your partner. It's good to be on the same page and they give suggestions on how to support a nursing mother. Also, lots of skin to skin contact helps your milk come in. Good luck!

Into+the+Kitty

flummadiddle85 said:

Everyone else has it covered. Just wanted to add that I've used earth mama angel baby nipple butter over lanolin.

I was going to say the same thing,

freezorburn

Oh, and wherever you plan to park yourself while nursing, you might want to keep some water and healthy snacks in arm's reach.

SuperTinkerham

best advice we received was from a guy. He told Mister "whenever she sits down to nurse, bring her water. Always have water within her reach"

flummadiddle85

Oh, and with a toddler already, I found it easiest to sit on the floor with my Boppy in #1's room while nursing #2. It is childproofed, plenty for him to do, and I could typically have 1 hand free to read or play with him still. With an older kid already, I think having some sort of plan, stuff to do, or anything is important whether you're BFing or not.

unaveragejane

Flumma brings up a good point about nursing with a toddler around. It can be tricky at first b/c in those early days of nursing, the sessions can last a while. I don't nurse "on the move" well, so I learned to get DS1 settled with a snack and stuff to do before I sat down with DS2 so I wouldn't have to get up too often. When the older one needs more cuddle time, we can put the foot of the recliner up, and he lays on it with his head against the boppy while I feed the baby.

sasq09

My number one suggestion would be to go to la leche league meetings. I wish I had gone sooner. They are awesome women who are super supportive and know what you're going through.

Second, don't give up if it seems hard at first! If you can make it through the first month it gets so much easier and I think it makes things way easier than bottle feeding later on.

Finally, reach out to other nursing moms and have a support system. Breast feeding can feel very isolating and lonely at first, and I found even reading other moms experiences to be super encouraging. I nursed from day one and she turns one today and I love our breastfeeding relationship and think its the best thing ever!! I'm not looking to wean anytime soon and I'm so glad I stuck with it in the early days.

Oh yeah, drink all the water and have lots of high protein snacks always available. I've never been as ravenously hungry as the first few weeks of breastfeeding. I mean round the clock stuffing my face and still starving!!!

CLLDLL

I skimmed the advice above, and as usual the CD board came through. I'll just give a few things that were most helpful to me.

1.) Attending a BF'ing support group twice a month. It was free. It was led by an IBCLC. It was nice to talk with moms just starting all the way through 18 months PP.

2.) The class we took beforehand was not super helpful for me. It was however good for DH to help him learn what to expect and how to support me.

3.) I liked the book"So That's What They're For" to read before baby and "The Womanly Art of BF'ing" after birth. The second is full of awesome info, but it's a bit heavy before you're in the thick of BF'ing.

4.) Kelly Mom and the BF'ing board on TB are both great online resources.

5.) Don't be afraid to try two, three or even four LCs if you are having problems. Your personality might click better with one than others. Or one LC might catch something another missed or just might have some suggestions another doesn't. That doesn't mean the others were bad. Every BF'ing relationship is different and sometimes you just need the right LC to help you out.

6.) Set small short term goals rather than long term at first. So maybe your firat goal is to give colostrum in the hospital. If you make that (and celebrate it!!) Try for making it to two weeks. Then three. Etc. I think the first 6-7 weeks are the hardest. Celebrating the little victories during that time are important!

7.) Be gentle with yourself at first. Just because BF'ing is natural doesn't mean it comes naturally at first. Both you and baby will be learning. Don't stress if it takes a while to get "good" at it. Don't feel bad if you don't love it or even like it at first. The goal is a fed baby and a happy mama. No matter how that happens.

8.) Accept help if it's offer. You don't have to be super mama, especially at first.

9.) Items I liked: EMAB nipple cream, Lansinoh smoothies, nursing tanks, MyBreastFriend nursing pillow, hand pump, Simple wishes hands frwe bra for pumping, Lansinoh or Honey Suckle bags for freezing milk. I tried both Ameda and Medela pumps. Both had things I liked and things I didn't, but they were both good pumps. If I were to buy another one I'd get a Medela ONLY because the replacement parts were a little easier to get last minute. Oh speaking of replacement parts.....follow your instructions on how often to replace, even if you think they're still good. Otherwise you'll find yourself in a bind with a pump that isn't getting out enough milk one day and you'll wonder why!!

freezorburn

I had a mixed experience with La Leche. Had trouble getting them to return my calls in our early months, but luckily where we were living at the time had tons of alternatives available as far as support groups.

I found a group near me where we live now, but I was SO not impressed when the leader insisted we needed no nutritional supplementation. As far north as we live, Vit D is important. There have been reported cases of rickets in areas where there are long winters and short days.

haileyq

Wow what wonderful and thought out responses! Thank you everyone for taking the time to do this. Motherhood really requires so much support and we just don't get enough of it in our culture- Thank You! These are all great ideas and give me a lot of places to get started. I especially love the ideas of how to nurse with a toddler around, as I'm pretty nervous about having the toddler running amok while I figure out this baby; I know it's not going to be all sitting on the couch in my PJs like last time.

SuperTinkerham

Don't forget to bug your health insurance for free breast pump.