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October 2011 Moms
kateebrooks78
member
Breast Feeding Class Last Night
kateebrooks78
member
Sorta discouraging. The woman was one of the types who only believes in breast feeding and wouldn't hear any questions about formula or bottle feeding. Which is fine- I get it- its a class on breast feeding...what do I expect.
She talked about waking the baby every 1.5 hrs to feed. And to NOT PUMP or use a bottle before 6 weeks.
Which means no one can help you to feed when you are doing it every 1.5hr for those 6 weeks. She also said that to feed 15 mins on each side (so half hour feeding time total).
Which means you feed a half hour. Wait 1.5 hours. Feed. Wait...etc etc etc. I know its going to be difficult but her whole hard core speech made it one of those classes that you walk away from feeling worse than better!
And its a pro breast feeding class! I think I am mostly worried about how I will be acting with no sleep at all for 6 weeks. I almost started crying right in the room!
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Re: Breast Feeding Class Last Night
I'm surprised she didn't tell you WHY she advised against pumping at the beginning. It can be confusing to baby and they might end up preferring bottle to breast. That said, I plan to pump after about 3 weeks, or at least try, because I want DH to help feed her
Lots of women feed baby on one breast and then pump the other.
I don't know about waking your baby to feed, I suspect that they'll handle that on their own!
I think the take-home message about BFing is 1) have a LOT of support 2) know that your routine will take a little time to establish and might change quickly and 3) know that it's so worth it to stick it out, even if you have problems like mastitis. Do you have a lactation consultant? You'll need somebody to call once things get tough, which they might. They might also go awesome, so try not to let her freak you out!
Oh yeah that was the other thing she brought up- yeast infections and mastitis. Ha- she explained that the nipples on the bottle are too easy to suck compared to a breast so the baby would have a hard time going to a breast after getting a bottle. I think it was just one of those nights where the hormones hit at the wrong time!
I posted about similar experiences with our baby classes awhile back and felt discouraged for a few days. Then I decided- what makes this woman an expert? She's just one more opinion in the millions I will surely get as I raise my baby. I decided to take it with a grain of salt and continue trying to learn more on my own, ask trusted friends and family, and most importantly- my OB and new pediatrician. Your doctor needs to have a breastfeeding philosophy that meshes with yours in order to make you feel empowered and successful.
I want to EP and thought I could do that from day 1. Our class instructor was similiar to yours and said not to even try until 6+weeks, if at all. Just yesterday, our new pedi put my fears to rest and said that I should try BF for the first few days to help my milk come in, but I can begin pumping by the time I go home from the hospital if I wanted to- and he would support that. What's most important is the actual BM, not necessarily getting it from the breast.
It seems like everyone always gives different advice at those classes and in different books. We were told to always feed fully from one breast. The milk changes from the beginning of the feed to the middle to the end to satisfy all aspects (thirst, nutrition, etc). Once baby finishes on one side, burn them, maybe change them and then see if they want to take the other breast. Then start with the opposite breast for the next feed. We were specifically told NOT to time the feedings and to allow baby to feed until it is finished.
Same deal with timing how long between feeds. Your baby will let you know when it is hungry. The only reason you might have to "wake them up" or feed them on a time frame would be if they are not gaining weight or something along those lines where there is concern they are not eating enough.
This! Our instructor was wonderful and after the class I felt really great about BF.
To tell you the honest to goodness truth, there were never breastfeeding classes or books 200 years ago, 500 years ago, 800 years ago, etc. So much of it is instinct and just doing it. I never took a single class. I fed my daughter when she was hungry - if that was every 1.5 hours or every 3 hours, I cannot honestly tell you! What the lady in the class told you is mainly based on truth, not totally - as every woman and baby is different, but they are very good guidelines. Nurse your baby on demand, when they show hunger signs (you'll recognize these pretty quickly). I never pumped and I didn't use formula. When DD was two weeks old, though, DH let me get some much-needed sleep while he stayed up with her and gave her some formula samples that came in the mail. She vomited those all up, but I was able to rest. That gave me the energy to get through the next couple of months. I won't use formula at all this time around and I might pump from the other breast, opposite of what DS feeds on, so that I can store up milk for that one night of rest.
Whatever you do, though, don't depend on pumping until your baby is six weeks, because that can lower your supply. I think this is what your LC/teacher meant. If you give a bottle of pumped milk or formula in place of a regular feeding, your breasts say, "Oh, I don't need to make that much, so I'll stop making that much milk." Breasts are supply and demand! Pumps aren't as good as a baby's mouth in emptying a breast. Therefore, if you want to pump from a breast to get rest, pump from the breast that is not being nursed on and save that milk, then make sure your baby nurses on the breast that was just pumped from on the next nursing session. It's kind of risky relying on pumping before six weeks, but for an occasional feed so you can get rest, it shouldn't cause too many issues - especially if you are making sure the recently-pumped breast is nursed on in the next session.
MAINLY, rely on your own intuition and don't be discouraged. I absolutely loved nursing my DD, watching her grow and smile up at me. Her first laugh was while nursing! I loved it and can't wait to nurse my DS. I hate the idea of people missing out on such a miraculous and wonderful time in their lives because they were stressed over a feeding class.
I nursed DD for 2.5 years.
Married since 06/19/2004|Anna born 11/19/2006|Charles born 11/1/11
Double undergrad graduation May 2011| Me: Psychology, DH: Communication| A long journey!
<a href="http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/gussiebutt/?action=view
Bottle nipples are easier, but that won't stop baby from nursing. You have to get to them before their "starving" if you expect them to take the breast however. They do have to work to get milk flowing, and it can take a few moments for you to let down, so in that time baby is having to work. If they are hungry to the point of crying, they wont want to put up with it, and will likely pitch a fit, not latch, head butt you...all in an attempt to get that milk faster! Lol.
You will know what is best for you and baby. The militant "no formula, no pumping" types will not be around to help you quiet a hungry baby at 3 in the morning. Also, unless you have an underweight or preemie baby, you probably wont need to awaken them to nurse past the first few days. Unless your baby is sleeping for longer than 3hrs at a time, I'd say leave em. And about needing to wake them to nurse to get your supply up, that's not as true as they make it out to be either. BF is based on demand, so the more you nurse baby, the more milk you will produce, but if your baby doesn't want to nurse that often, what is the extra milk for?
A little common sense goes a long way, so just relax and know that you will do a great job for your baby.