I talked to many moms about bf and it's not just a personal choice but up to your body to decide whether it will cooperate for bf! Some try and try and baby won't latch no matter what. I knew a mom who pumped exclusively for over a year bc her baby won't latch. Another mom had horrific blocked ducts that caused infections and required medical attention. I just hope it works out for me again this time! My boobs worked hard for DS working girls lol
Me: 30 DH: 32 BFP#1: 9/9/2014 DS born 4/7/15 BFP#2: 6/16/2016 MC/D&C: 7/29/2016 BFP#3: 10/14/2016 (fingers crossed for a sticky bean)
I cannot recommend enough having a nipple shield at the beginning just in case. If my hospital hadn't given me one I'm sure we wouldn't have been successful breastfeeding. I weaned him right before his second birthday.
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I heart theSkimm I heart YNAB --------- “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore
@jessafishy that makes me feel better, the last time I went to the doctor they were like you should have gained 4-5 pounds by now....I lost 2.
@bluejeanbabi05 I'm right there with you, everyone I've talked to basically has told me horror stories about how bad it hurts and your nipples split open and crack.. and I'm like thanks y'all, appreciate it. Not saying that those things don't happen because I know they do but I feel like there's a better way than saying "you literally want to cut your boobs off because it hurts so bad"
@jessafishy i probably should post this question on another thread but while you bring it up, can we use nipple shield as a way of avoiding cracked nipples or should it only be used if baby has a hard time getting milk,(pardon my ignorance if im wrong about the 2nd cause)
@tyannej I also didn't gain weight until after 20 weeks. I think part of it can be diet changes too (I stopped drinking alcohol which I'm sure made me lose weight so the weight gain was just evening out )
I usually google the craziest stuff because whenever I wonder anything I just google it. It's going to get really embarrassing if I ever disappear and the FBI searches my computer. But I just went to check my recent searches on my phone and it's a snoozefest.
I did not gain weight until after 20 weeks with DD. I was super sick and I agree with @TallMomma29 not drinking probably attributed to weight loss and no gain for quite sometime. My OB and I laughed because I had lost weight at my last two visits and all I said was "I quit the booze when I found out I was KU" she replied "Oh well then now we don't have to go through why you've lost weight"
@bluejeanbabi05 not all BFing experiences are painful. The only time BFing hurt me was when I got ductal thrush... that sucked. Or when DS was latched and wanted to turn his head to look at something and would take my nipple woth him (the distracted nursing is a battle)
TTC x 1.5 years.
Acupuncture, Femera x3 cyles, and HSG. BFP in September 2014, DS born June 2015. TTC x2 months. BFP January 2017.
@yasandson a nipple shield definitely doesn't protect you from toe-curling pain when breastfeeding. It's mostly meant for people who have flat nipples to give baby a better surface for latching. I did have flat nipples and DS also had a lip tie that we got corrected at 5 months. We stopped using the shield at 4 months and probably should have stopped sooner but I still think the shield had more pros than cons.
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I heart theSkimm I heart YNAB --------- “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore
Forgive me, I don't remember who all to tag. One of the potential issues with a nipple shield is that sometimes the baby doesn't get as much milk because there's less pressure on the nipple. It's not something to worry too much about, just something to watch out for. If the baby isn't gaining well or taking a super long time to get full, that's how you'D know. I was so glad when K didn't need it anymore because it was stressful for me to keep track of a little clear silicone thing all the time or else the baby wouldn't eat.
I had a lot of breastfeeding challenges with K early on so I'm also willing to help anyone with breastfeeding stuff or even general feeding stuff when the time comes too. We literally did every type of feeding out there (breastfeeding, pumping, formula, pumped breastmilk with fortifiers, nipple shield and probably some others) The only things I haven't done are a supplemental nurser (tube you tape to your breast that feeds the baby extra while they're sucking) and actual tube feeding...although we were close to needing that at one point.
@yasandson Nipple shields really helped me when I had cracked and bleeding nipples. However, I do not recommend using a nipple shield for long. The direct contact of baby's mouth and saliva to the nipple promotes milk production. After 1.5 months of nipple shields and DS not gaining a whole lot, we got off it and I felt my breasts producing more and he started to put on more weight.
@bluejeanbabi05 Your nipples change a lot. They most likely don't go back to their dainty little nubs.
I'll have you know, this conversation just prompted me to check out the condition of my nipples.
I think I lucked out. After the initial week or two breastfeeding was not painful for me...until teeth came into the picture. Everyone has a different experience. I would just be mindful of that and try not to have expectations either way.
@yasandson I think it's good to have a nipple shield on hand in case you need it due to latch issues, but if everything is good there then I wouldn't use it. Last time I used one just to deal with the pain, and it did help with that, but then I had a hard time switching DD off of the shield later on. Like @buttercream_frosting said, it can affect supply.
October 2017 June Siggy Challenge -- "You Had One Job!"
Like @ForwardnBackward said, not all BFing experiences are bad. With DD1 it wasn't painful in the beginning just frustrating because she would always curl her bottom lip under and I had to flip it out to get the proper latch. It did get painful when she started teething. But a quick light flick on the cheek stopped her from nibbling/biting. DD2 was never painful unless she like @ForwardnBackward said again, got distracted and took me with her. Everyone is different.
Also my nips never full stayed different. They always went back to a lighter pink ( in relation to the dark burgandy color they can sometimes become) and also got smaller than the saucer size areola that will inevitably happen too. They don't go back to 100% pre pregnancy cuteness but they aren't freak shows either.
@buttercream_frosting Hmmm, I wish I could work up the nerve to do that....I'm so darn squeamish. So I guess the uterus is just so big at that point that it has pushed everything out of the way already?
@KSweet It is a confronting type of video to watch. I like watching medical things though as long as it's not teeth or on children, I'm okay. Basically they cut through skin, fat, and then the uterus and pull out the baby. Some doctors did it a lot rougher and that upset me. Some babies came out really calm and it was sweet to watch. I also found comfort that the women was well and truly covered. In my panicky state, i felt very cold and naked and I kept thinking that everyone could see my vagina and bare legs and my entire torso. So seeing that everything is covered except a small margin of the belly helped me.
Re: BSC Google Searches
BFP#1: 9/9/2014 DS born 4/7/15
BFP#2: 6/16/2016 MC/D&C: 7/29/2016
BFP#3: 10/14/2016 (fingers crossed for a sticky bean)
I heart YNAB
---------
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times,
if one only remembers to turn on the light."
- Albus Dumbledore
@bluejeanbabi05 I'm right there with you, everyone I've talked to basically has told me horror stories about how bad it hurts and your nipples split open and crack.. and I'm like thanks y'all, appreciate it. Not saying that those things don't happen because I know they do but I feel like there's a better way than saying "you literally want to cut your boobs off because it hurts so bad"
Are they actually ruined? Do they go back to normal? Ahh
My OB and I laughed because I had lost weight at my last two visits and all I said was "I quit the booze when I found out I was KU" she replied "Oh well then now we don't have to go through why you've lost weight"
BFP in September 2014, DS born June 2015.
TTC x2 months.
BFP January 2017.
I heart YNAB
---------
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times,
if one only remembers to turn on the light."
- Albus Dumbledore
I had a lot of breastfeeding challenges with K early on so I'm also willing to help anyone with breastfeeding stuff or even general feeding stuff when the time comes too. We literally did every type of feeding out there (breastfeeding, pumping, formula, pumped breastmilk with fortifiers, nipple shield and probably some others) The only things I haven't done are a supplemental nurser (tube you tape to your breast that feeds the baby extra while they're sucking) and actual tube feeding...although we were close to needing that at one point.
@yasandson Nipple shields really helped me when I had cracked and bleeding nipples. However, I do not recommend using a nipple shield for long. The direct contact of baby's mouth and saliva to the nipple promotes milk production. After 1.5 months of nipple shields and DS not gaining a whole lot, we got off it and I felt my breasts producing more and he started to put on more weight.
@bluejeanbabi05 Your nipples change a lot. They most likely don't go back to their dainty little nubs.
**June Siggy Challenge: You Had ONE Job!**
LO#2 EDD October 18th
I think I lucked out. After the initial week or two breastfeeding was not painful for me...until teeth came into the picture. Everyone has a different experience. I would just be mindful of that and try not to have expectations either way.
*O17 June Siggy Challenge - You had 1 job!*
BSC & gross. My boobs seem to have a faint odor of milk when i take my bra off at the end of the day. Oy I'm embarrassed to even say it...
Also my nips never full stayed different. They always went back to a lighter pink ( in relation to the dark burgandy color they can sometimes become) and also got smaller than the saucer size areola that will inevitably happen too. They don't go back to 100% pre pregnancy cuteness but they aren't freak shows either.
Oct. '17 June S.C. "You Had 1 Job"
**June Siggy Challenge: You Had ONE Job!**
LO#2 EDD October 18th