Babies: 9 - 12 Months
anyone have any breastfeeding advice??
I am 27 weeks along with my 3rd child. I attempted breastfeeding with my first but it did not work out. It took a while for my milk to come in and I was a super stressed first time mom and gave up on it pretty quickly. I never even tried with my 2nd because of my bad experience the first time. So now I am considering it again and I am just wondering if anyone had any advice on how to make breastfeeding successful? I would appreciate any input at all, thanks!!
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Re: anyone have any breastfeeding advice??
First, I suggest reading a book on BFing.. or even taking one of those classes at the hospital. It helps to be educated on the matter.
Check out the breast feeding board here on tb. and Kellymom.com
It's hard to give advice without really knowing what went wrong last time. But advice I was given in the hospital to get my milk to come in faster and make sure there was plenty of it, was to pump after every nursing session. (even if you don't get any, it is still telling them to produce more)
Best advice I have heard for breastfeeding, is never quit on a bad day. If you feel like giving up, wait for a good day and if you still feel like it's time to stop, then stop. I used this advice, and didn't ever feel like I wanted to quit on those good days.
"What did my fingers do before they held you? What did my heart do with it's love?"
This is great. Let me just add to this.
- Make sure to maintain a well-balanced diet. You need the same amount (sometimes more) of calories as if you were PG
- Drink lots and lots of water
- Consider also taking fenugreek, drinking Mother's Milk Tea (I like the yogi brand), oatmeal ( the slow cooking brand), really anything with oats, fennel, fenugreek. I have a recipe for lactation cookies that's fun to eat. I haven't made it since #1 and can't say if it made a difference but who would turn down cookies?
- Get rest. Tough, I know but enlist the help of others so you can.
- With more rest comes less stress. Stay as stress-free as possible.
- Always remember that BF babies eat more often. BM is digested a lot quicker than formula so in the beginning they'll need to eat every 1-2 hours. Make sure to keep this in mind so your body sends the signal that milk is needed that often.
- Remember, in the beginning you won't make much if any milk but that's ok. NBs can live on colostrum in the beginning. Usually a surge of milk comes in by the end of the first week. Mine's came in on Day 4 of DS's life.
GL.
All of this. Breastfeeding was so hard for me the first 3months. I had to coax my little one onto my breast with a paci...I would let her suck the paci for a few minutes and then really quick like pull the paci out and put my breast in. Around month 4 she finally got it. After that breastfeeding was/is so easy. She can do it in the dark haha
For me, I took away the option to quit. I got a bunch of formula samples in the mail and donated them all. I didn't want formula to be an option because I knew I would be more likely to quit. I know this is not for everyone.
Getting educated about breastfeeding was also so important. Mom's are worried about, and rightly so, their baby getting enough to eat, milk not coming in quickly etc. Understand that colostrum is enough for the baby until your milk comes in. Also familiarize yourself with the different ways to hold your baby. Do what feels comfortable. You can take advice and get help but ultimately what works for you is what's best. Side lying has always been the best position for my LO and me.
The lactation consultant at our hospital gave free classes to anyone interested. She distributed a lot of literature and made her self available to anyone who needed it. She also does baby weigh in on Tuesdays and will meet with anyone having difficulty for free as well. She's great. Is there anything like this at your hospital or neighboring hospitals?
Expect the first couple of months to be challenging and to spend a lot of time sitting. Get someone to come help with the other kids if you can.
If your hospital has any kind of BFing mom group join it
Set reasonable goals. Start with a goal of 2 weeks. When you get to the end of 2 weeks, re-assess and go for another 2 weeks. A goal of 6 months or a year can seem totally overwhelming with a newborn. A 2 week commitment will seem much more doable and you're more likely to stick to smaller goals.
Never quit on your worst day
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
My advice is that this is a different baby snd a fresh start, so try not to worry too much ahead of time. Also have the number of a good lactation consultant and call as soon as possible to sort out any issues early. I had a hard time with my first in terms of latching and milk supply, and went to formula after a short time. My second latched immediately and it has been a breeze. We are still going string at 8.5 months. It may not be a struggle after all.