- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Advice from those of you who breastfed
I wasnt able to breastfeed with DD due to no maternity leave and had to be back at work VERY soon. But with this DD I am going to try to breastfeed. But I had some questions. If you would be so kind to give input.
1.I know your nipples will hurt the first few weeks as you get used to it..besides cream is there anything else you used or did to make the pain go away?
2. Engorged (sp) breast. I know when i didnt breasfeed I had the WORSET pain from engorged breast before they dried up. I may not have a pump...so any tips?
3.I know people can go years with breasfeeding. But for some reason I feel as though I will not be able to produce for very long. I am so skinny and small chested to begin with. Does this have anything to do with production?
4....and any other advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. TIA!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Advice from those of you who breastfed
First, I'd like to say good for you for deciding to BF the second time around! Good luck to you!
1. Lansinoh lanolin is the best nipple cream out there. Also, let your nips have as much air time as you can tolerate. Being able to dry (and also UV rays from natural sunlight) is the best thing to avoid thrush and other maladies.
2. You probably will have issues with engorgement and leaking until your supply regulates. A supportive bra, nursing pads, and if you're sore using a cold pack helps a lot. (You might even want to go and get fitted about 2-3 weeks post partum for a new nursing bra.)
3. Size has nothing to do with supply. Making sure you're eating enough and drinking enough water does. If you're really concerned about it, you can stock up on Mother's Milk tea to help you boost yours supply in the beginning. Also, MamaJan's Breastfeeding Breakfast Bars rock for when you've got a new born and you need to eat on the go.
4. Try going to a La Leche League meeting before you have the baby and get to know one of the leaders. My Bradley class teacher is also one of the local LLL leaders and when I was having major BFing issues in the beginning, we called her a lot and she was more than happy to help us out.
I ate very well and drank a lot of water to keep a great supply for the 14 months that i nursed. I almost gave up in the beginning but dd's pediatric nurse really helped support me. The support is important
1. For me, the pain lasted until nearly 6 weeks postpartum. One of the things that really, really helped was getting a few sets of little gel pads (I got them through the LC at my hospital) that go directly on your nipples. When you're ready to start a feeding, pop them in the fridge (I would put them on a little saucer) and by the time you're done, they're nice and cool and SO soothing. They're disposable and don't last forever, so you need a few sets.
2. Engorgement: take a hot shower and hand-express enough to take the edge off. And try to get LO to feed! Better to have an overabundant supply than not enough, IMO, and it regulates after the first couple of months.
3. Don't worry about breast size. I was a barely-A cup (BFing and pregnancy put me up to a B permanently, and I'm probably close to a C now that I'm pregnant again.) I BF'd for 15 months with absolutely no supply issues, and it totally peeled off my pregnancy weight and then some; I haven't been that skinny in a long time, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.
4. Once my milk came in, I was ravenous. Get plenty of fluids, stay on a prenatal, and remember that you still need some extra calories if you're BFing. My pedi recommended pumping (if possible) after every feeding until my supply was well-established (my milk was slow to come in). It was a pain for that short time, but I never had supply issues. See a LC or try LLL if you need support!
I hope it's very easy for you -- but I personally really struggled for the first six weeks and cried through a lot of painful feedings. It's not easy to keep putting yourself through that every few hours for weeks on end. I saw a LC twice and that helped, with the emotional part if nothing else -- there really wasn't anything wrong with DD's latch. But I'm so, so glad I stuck it out and it was incredibly worth it! GL!
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
1) letting your nipples air dry and be exposed to the air helps tremendously. You feel like a porn start walking around with your breasts hanging out, but it definitely does help.
2) I did not have this issue as I did not have much of an excess supply.
3) Your size shouldn't impact your milk production that much if you are eating adequately and drinking a ton of water.
ditto the PP's! also, kellymom.com is a great resource for everything related to breastfeeding.
and if you can, i would at the very least invest in a manual pump (i have the medela one, which i love). eventually, you will want/need to be away from DC for a feeding and this will allow you to do that. plus you can use it to relieve engorgement and/or stimulate supply if need be.
GL!
1. I had heard a lot about the pain of breast feeding. I know a lot of people experience some serious problems, but just know that not everyone does. I did have some nipple soreness in the early days. I used Lanisoh (sp?) cream (given to me at the hospital). I also tried to let my nipples nautrally air dry after each feeding, and I avoided using soap on that area in the shower to prevent them from drying out.
2. A lactation nurse once told me your body adjusts to your baby's feeding schedule within about 48-72 hours. You are of course fairly engorged in the early days, but after that your body will adjust. As long as you nurse on a regular schedule, I don't think you'll feel much engorgement. If you do, just know that it'll go away in a day or two. And you can always hand express if you want to relieve some pressure.
3. I am an A cup, and I am a (now former) Ironman athlete who's never had a lot of extra body fat, and I nursed for 10.5 months. So no, being thin or having a small chest do not negatively impact your production of milk.
4. Enjoy it! And good luck!
GOOD FOR YOU on your decision to BRF!!!!
I agree with all of the above and will only add that for sore/cracked nipples, the BEST thing to do is put the colostrum on your nipples and let them air dry. I also used creams, but found that using actual breastmilk on my nipples worked the best (there are lots of healing properties in colostrum which is the first milk. You continue to produce colostrum on top of the breastmilk). Use all of the tricks stated above with this and ensure that you have a correct latch to minimize any discomfort you might have. Go to LLL meetings (you can even go while pregnant) or hire a lactation consultant just in case! Good luck!
1) I never had sore nipples at all because I used a nipple shield the first 8 weeks before she could properly latch. It made it so that they never hurt even with her horrible latch before we got it right. Other than that, Lansinoh cream.
2) You need to feed as frequently as possible and from both sides. This will help establish your supply and relieve the pressure. I'd consider even buying a hand pump in order to relieve some pressure if you need to. Then you can put that milk in the freezer.
3) Eating properly and drinking enough water are the biggest parts of maintaining a supply I think. Being skinny shouldn't limit your supply unless you are really restricting your calories.
4) Just do your best. I am still nursing after 18 months and it has been totally worth it. Read all you can at www.kellymom.com. Try not to get discouraged and just give it your best.
congrats on your decision! I hope breastfeeding works out for you, it was about my favorite thing to do with k.
1. lansinoh lanolin is really, really great. also dr. jack newman's webpage has a recipe for nipple cream that you can take a look at. i hear it's miracle stuff and includes an analgesic.
2. nurse your baby frequently. you will probably still be engorged a little in the beginning, and if you don't have a pump hand expressing is just as good. in fact, hand expressing can be better since when your breasts get so swollen the nipples practically retract the pump shields don't fit properly anyway.
3. i am skinny with a barely B cup while not pregnant and i had major oversupply for literally 5 months, and no supply issues the entire time i nursed. so no, size has nothing to do with it. i think nursing on demand, eating well and drinking lots of fluid (i drank 150-200 oz of water a day the first few weeks- i was SO THIRSTY!) is the big thing. i also think the first 8-10 weeks of nursing has a lot to do with your milk supply the entire time you nurse, so i really do think all sucking should be done at the breast- no pacifiers, no bottles in that time period.
best of luck to you!
PPs have given you lots of great advice- just wanted to add a few things-
1) I took a BF'ing class @ our hospital, it was very helpful and I got a book on how bf'ing works, handouts and the contact info for a lactaction consultant, a bf'ing helpline, etc. It was $30 and well worth it.
2) I bought the medela manual pump @ Target- it was on clearance and I didn't open it until DD was born and my milk came in. There was a tube of medela lanolin (Pure Lan 100) included w/ the pump, so if you buy a pump check and see if there is some lanolin included- you don't need a lot.
3) I believe that the chillable breast pads that someone mentioned are called Soothies and a lot of ppl love them.
4) Lastly- I found it helpful to start out by setting a short term goal- like I am going to BF for 6 wks, then @ 5 wks when I knew I was going to make it I said, OK, I am going to BF until 3 months, etc. By the time DD was 2 months old I knew we would not be buying formula because we had it down.
Good luck and congrats!
1. Making sure DD was latched properly was the # 1 thing from keeping my nipples from feeling like they were falling off. Even with that, it was painful at first. But, with time, we got through it.
2. Make sure the breast from which you're feeding empties completely. If you need to, pick yourself up a cheap manual pump to relieve the engorgement.
3. Size has nothing to do with it! I'm short, skinny and barely an A, but BF'd DD for 17 months until she self-weaned. Stay hydrated and make sure you eat enough calories.
GL to you!
1. Ice, hot shower. I think it's called a breast shield not to be confused with nipple shield. It's a ring with a dome that connect to keep bra/shirt off of sore nipples. I likes these and actually used them before I had DD to encourage my flat nipples to perk up a bit. The downfall is that they slide around if you use lanolin as well and they show through pretty easily as they are bulky. The nipple shields are hotly debated. I used one and felt like I become 'emotionally' attached to it but I'm not sure how much it actually helped pain wise.
2. Engorement shouldn't be as big of an issue if you are successful in breastfeeding due to the ability to aliviate some of the pressure when nursing. I never personally had to deal with this but have heard through several resources that cold cabbage leaves are great.
3. I believe breastfeeding is a huge commitment and you need to stay positive. Like people said your size has nothing to do with it. Make sure you stay hydrated, low stress, take it easy and feed on demand not by a schedule. Breast milk is a supply demand system so more baby eats the more you make, this system remains fairly stable after 12 weeks.
4. I suggest you read and talk to as many people as you can. Some great books are The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and So That's What They're There For. I would also suggest a class. Good luck!