GTKY breastfeeding

LittleLady77 · October 2013

Sometimes I have to give speeches and seminars. It's always really important to know your audience and I think it's high time we get to know each other a little better. It's poll day!

abbeylanecb · October 2013

Breast feeding is very important to me. My first son was breast fed until 12m and my second until 19m. I'm hoping I don't have any issues this time either.

LolaX2 · October 2013

Breastfeeding is important to me and if I have to, I will EP again. Had many issues with DS and ended up EPing for 7 months and had enough freezer stash to last until 12 months, however did have to start doing a little formula supplementing the last 2 months. It was very hard but work it to me.

CalinAZ · October 2013

Breastfeeding is super important to me - I've actually been looking forward to it almost as much as being pregnant. I just think that special bonding time will be amazing. That said, my mom had some issues breastfeeding and my sister only made it 5ish months before she lost her supply, so I'm aware I might have some issues. I also had low progesterone in this pregnancy, which I hear can be connected with BFing issues. Anyone else hear that?

MamaFantastic · October 2013

I won't lie, I'll be CRUSHED if for some reason I can't exclusively BF. Even supplementing a little will feel disappointing to me. I'd get over it, but I'd be really sad. And FWIW, exclusively pumping totally counts as EBF to me. Baby's getting BM, that's all that matters.

But... I have been told by a LC that I have "beautiful, textbook nipples!" (imagine hearing that bizarre compliment at 2 days PP) so the odds are ever in my favor

(Funny enough, I hold myself to a much stricter standard than I hold others around me.)

Teresa1896 · October 2013

I BF my daughter for 16 months and had no issues. I will do whatever I can to make it work again.... But I dont see myself EP if it came to that. BFing is very important to me but EPing is a lot
of work and I don't think I'm down for all that. But we'll see how it goes! This time I know I can do it, so I think that takes some pressure off.

nikki912 · October 2013

While I understand people's choice not to BF, I will be absolutely devastated if I can't this time. With my son we had the typical rough Start with bloody nipples and confusion on both our parts but it is absolutely worth it. Health benefits aside I loved the bonding time. I BF until my son weaned himself at 11 months. I was so sad it was over but we were both ready. I can't wait to have another baby on my boob!!

christinanoelle · October 2013

As a FTM, I must say this one surprises me! I do not feel strongly one way or the other about BF'ing (yet). My current opinion is that if it works, great. But if it doesn't, I will not be too worked up over it. I guess i'll find out in a few months if it is really something that is important to me! But after all the votes about how important it is for some people, I am definitely looking forward to trying it..

For those of you that feel so strongly about it, what is it about BFing that you love? I don't intend for this question to begin a formula feeding versus breastfeeding debate..I am just truly curious.

My sister tried breastfeeding for 2 months and it didn't work out for her so after pumping for a few weeks switched to formula.

Rrrrrachel · October 2013

I am not at all judgmental of women who ff or supplement or whatever. I used to be but motherhood has helped me get over that, among other things

. One thing I will say, though, is if you want it to work go into it with the mentality that it WILL work. Try not to doubt it. There may be some road blocks but you'll figure it out. When I hear women say "I'm going to try" I can't help but think formula is in their future within six months.

Rrrrrachel · October 2013

christinanoelle said:

As a FTM, I must say this one surprises me! I do not feel strongly one way or the other about BF'ing (yet). My current opinion is that if it works, great. But if it doesn't, I will not be too worked up over it. I guess i'll find out in a few months if it is really something that is important to me! But after all the votes about how important it is for some people, I am definitely looking forward to trying it..

For those of you that feel so strongly about it, what is it about BFing that you love? I don't intend for this question to begin a formula feeding versus breastfeeding debate..I am just truly curious.

My sister tried breastfeeding for 2 months and it didn't work out for her so after pumping for a few weeks switched to formula.

First and foremost are the health benefits to both the baby and the mother. Some people re skeptical of these but I am not. I think breast milk is amazing in ways we don't even understand yet, and they're finding out new things about it all the time. Second, I have so many memories of sweet moments nursing my newborn last time around. I can very vividly remember snuggling her and thinking how could anyone not want to do this?!? That being said, everybody's different, that was just my experience

. Also, breastfeeding is free and I'm kind of a cheapskate!

NoleFan4 · October 2013

After making it 18 months with my daughter and I hope I can do the same again. It was really good length for us. It was tough working full time and pumping but I pushed through.

LolaX2 · October 2013

There are so many benefits for both baby and mom. I really want to give that to my baby, Also selfish reasons are that it is free and formula is expensive also last time it helped me lose the baby weight very easily while eating whatever and whenever I wanted!

thomas930 · October 2013

Personally, I put everything I have into those first few weeks to make breastfeeding successful (blood, sweat, tears, ect) It's very important to me and what I want for my children, but I don't judge what other moms decided to do for their's. I have successfully breastfed both my children past their firsts birthday's and plan to do the same this with this one.

thompson26 · October 2013

I EBF DD until 9 - 10 months At about 6 months I was dealing with stress at work and started taking supplements and teas and whatever I could they helped for awhile. At 10 months I lost my private place to pump (long story) and the stress of pumping at work became too much I seriously went from getting 20-24 oz a day pumping at work to being lucky to get 4 oz. So we had to supplement formula for day care and I would BF and try pumping some at home. I BF at home til 12 months, but we supplemented with formula until we could introduce whole milk. It was tough having to give up exclusively giving DD breastmilk and it still upsets me to think about it. Hopefully being a SAHM now I will be able to EBF & pump for this next one until at least 12 months.

DemoDoll · October 2013

I BF and pumped for 6 months last time. I hope to do better and make it longer this time. It was much harder than I thought but now that I know what to expect, I really hope I can push through. I supplemented in the second week and struggled. This time I will get more help with a LC. Had I known I was having latch issues and my DD wasn't getting enough because of that, things would have gone better. I'm also going to see if I can rent a hospital grade pump because my Medela couldn't pump much out of me.

rlmanning · October 2013

I am prepared for the women who feel I am a horrible mother for FF my DD to knock me down because of what I am about to say, but I truely hope this isnt the case..... So here it goes.

My experience was this; I was hell bent of EBF with my DD all through pregnancy. Once she was born she had some minor health issues that triggered me to supplement with formula. She had a hematoma (SP) on her right side of her head that caused extremely high Jaundice numbers (highest was 25, she had to be under 10 to be released from the hospital). She was under the lights in the hospital for about 20 hours before her numbers dropped enough and they could release her.I tried to breastfeed her during this time but it was difficult, as she could only be out of the lights for 15 minutes at a time. When we got home I continued to try and breastfeed her and we were having some difficulty, as most do in the beginning. I have flat nipples and her latch.... well she couldnt latch. In turn she didnt have a wet diaper for just over a day, and she lost an extreme amount of weight (I cant remember the exact amount... its in her baby book). Anyways, I took her to urgent care where the Dr. advised I supplement with formula as she needed nutrients. This was the worst feeling for me. I was devastated. I never felt like a failure as much as I did that day. And being PP didnt help with my depresion. After a few days DH and I decided it was best for our family to FF her. I struggled with this at the beginning because you are made to feel like a failure if you cant BF. Women are very judgemental and I was so embarassed. I dont think I ever admitted to my then BMB that I didnt breast feed.

With this said, I dont want any FTM's to feel the way I did. It is ok if you FF. My DD is now 2 years old and is healthy as an ox and is super smart for her age. And to top it off she is already potty trained. She is full of energy and I think she is absolutely amazing. ;-)

I do think I missed out on the bonding time with DD but I do not think that I didnt bond with her because I FF.

I hope that it goes different this time but I will be ok if it doesnt. And I wont beat myself up for it nor will I let anyone else make me feel like less of a mother because I FF.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

LittleLady77 · October 2013

christinanoelle I would highly recommend looking into the benefits of BFing. There are hundreds of studies from all across the world and they all say BFing is better. Things like obesity prevention throughout life, having a healthier and smarter child, reductions in SIDs rates, easier weight loss for the mother, the list goes on and on.) We all know this research exists but this topic gets controversial because no one can agree with HOW much better BFing is. Some people say the difference is negligible and some say it's huge. The other big issue is that not all people can BF no mater how hard they try.

I'm not a mom yet but I will do ANYTHING to BF and I will be very sad if I can't. I know it will be hard, really hard with twins but I'm going to try. I don't judge others who opt to formula feed. I stole this quote from another lady on another board that I really like.

"I know that BF versus FF is a sensitive topic and as someone who BF I probably can't relate to how hard it is to hear that formula is second best. But the important thing is that we are all giving our children the best that we can given our own circumstances. To me being a good parent, even a great parent, isn't about giving your child THE BEST of everything. You just have to do the best you can and do what makes sense for your family. I won't be sending E to the best schools or feeding him the best organic food. He won't be playing with the best toys and I'm pretty certain that I'm not THE BEST mom. I'm not going to beat myself up about that though. I'm not trying to be a perfect parent, just a good parent. It doesn't matter if breast milk is THE BEST or not IMO. FF doesn't mean you don't care or that you are settling for second best for your child. It's just not the best option for your family with all things considered."

ream02 · October 2013

I voted I'll do anything. Because I made it 14 months, gave up dairy, went through mastitis twice, clogged ducts a few times and lots of blood sweat, tears and of course sleepless nights.

lyndsey774 · October 2013

I'll do anything. I made it 14mo with DS with no problems. After 14 months I was itching to give my boobs back to my husband and yes, have a few cocktails with dinner (selfish mommy! )

add to that DS was showing disinterest....I knew it was time to pull the plug. I was able to go so long and avoid problems by feeding him every 2 hours around the clock, and/or every time he showed hunger cues. After awhile the times between feeding got longer and longer. Exhausting? Yes, at first it was, but then at 2 months we got a rhythm and it was like clockwork. The most comfortable natural thing in the world. I'd love to give advice if anyone ever has a specific question.

sandylou · October 2013

rlmanning said:

I am prepared for the women who feel I am a horrible mother for FF my DD to knock me down because of what I am about to say, but I truely hope this isnt the case..... So here it goes.

My experience was this; I was hell bent of EBF with my DD all through pregnancy. Once she was born she had some minor health issues that triggered me to supplement with formula. She had a hematoma (SP) on her right side of her head that caused extremely high Jaundice numbers (highest was 25, she had to be under 10 to be released from the hospital). She was under the lights in the hospital for about 20 hours before her numbers dropped enough and they could release her.I tried to breastfeed her during this time but it was difficult, as she could only be out of the lights for 15 minutes at a time. When we got home I continued to try and breastfeed her and we were having some difficulty, as most do in the beginning. I have flat nipples and her latch.... well she couldnt latch. In turn she didnt have a wet diaper for just over a day, and she lost an extreme amount of weight (I cant remember the exact amount... its in her baby book). Anyways, I took her to urgent care where the Dr. advised I supplement with formula as she needed nutrients. This was the worst feeling for me. I was devastated. I never felt like a failure as much as I did that day. And being PP didnt help with my depresion. After a few days DH and I decided it was best for our family to FF her. I struggled with this at the beginning because you are made to feel like a failure if you cant BF. Women are very judgemental and I was so embarassed. I dont think I ever admitted to my then BMB that I didnt breast feed.

With this said, I dont want any FTM's to feel the way I did. It is ok if you FF. My DD is now 2 years old and is healthy as an ox and is super smart for her age. And to top it off she is already potty trained. She is full of energy and I think she is absolutely amazing. ;-)

I do think I missed out on the bonding time with DD but I do not think that I didnt bond with her because I FF.

I hope that it goes different this time but I will be ok if it doesnt. And I wont beat myself up for it nor will I let anyone else make me feel like less of a mother because I FF.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

i feel you-i was hell bent and it didn't work out for several different reasons. i pumped 4 months with my first and refused to go down that route with my second. i never felt like a bigger failure than not being able to do what i'm told my body was made to do and designed to do. Luckily i made peace with it so when i wasn't able to bf my second i didn't have the same reaction.

it is so hard to want something so badly and not be able to experience it. i will say that i don't think it effected my bond with either of my children. you bond in other ways and you comfort them in other ways as well. there are so many other ways to do those things but in the thick of pp hormones it is hard to see past your own heartache. in the end both of my children are beautiful, healthy, smart and overall perfect in my eyes! so this time i will try again and hope that maybe the third time is a charm and the issues that i had in the past maybe won't be factors! if they are though i know it will all be ok!

Good luck to everyone! i hope you all get the experience you want! Remember though that your baby really just needs to be loved and fed, regardless of where that milk comes from

KHendy27 · October 2013

I had a lot of problems with my oldest and after she weaned at about 12 months, I found out she was tongue tied. I had the ped look at it before, and he said she was fine. Then an LC looked at her and pointed it out. I was pissed. Anyway, my 20 month old just weaned this past week and it was a MILLION times easier the 2nd time around. I was so much more confident and knew what to expect. Of course there were rough days, but that's part of the newborn amnesia.

Anyway, I'll definitely nurse this baby as well. I love nursing, I love having an "excuse" to get away for a bit when the inlaws are over (funny, I have no issues AT ALL nursing in public but when inlaws are over, well, i need to go upstairs lol) and to top it off, I'm cheap. I don't want to pay for something that I can get for free.

With all that said, that's just me. I don't care how people feed their kids, just as long as their fed.

kwolslager · October 2013

I'm an exclusive pumper. TMI- I have rather flat nipples, no matter what I do to perk them up for BFing they fail me every time, even with a nipple shield.
I love pumping! The major key to it is having a reliable double electric breast pump, and to also get a car charger!

Tantan2779 · October 2013

I'm a pumper! I will also cut dairy or do whatever necessary to feed baby breast milk for a year.

AcaAwkward · October 2013

My DD just self-weaned at 19 months. We BATTLED to BF and I'm not exaggerating when I say it's one of my proudest accomplishments. DD was severely jaundiced and was in the NICU for 6 days. My milk didn't come in for 2 weeks. I'm not sure I slept more than 45 min consecutively because of our required BFing, bottle feeding any BM I could express, bottle feeding formula to supplement, and pump -- every 3 hrs for 4 weeks until her weight finally came back up. We struggled with latch, 2 bouts of mastitis, 2 bouts of terrible thrush, and countless clogged ducts. At 9 mo, my right breast stopped producing so I was pretty lopsided for a long while.

Even through all that, I loved BFing DD and am so glad I did everything possible to make it happen. Will do the same with #2.

That said, I'm way harder on myself than I am on others -- if others don't feel BFing is for them or it doesn't work out, no sweat off my back!

avidkeo · October 2013

I wont have much choice as Ill be going back to full time work after 8 weeks. I plan on BF and pumping - that way at least baby will get breastmilk, but if that doesnt work, and we end up using formula, I wont care because baby will be healthy (FX!)

Twirple · October 2013

This is an interesting question for me because the one of the only two pieces of advice I am willing to give to expectant mothers is "If for some reason you can't or don't breastfeed, you're still a great Mom." I have friends who have tried everything to be able to breastfeed and been unable to.

That said, breastfeeding is extremely important to me. I EBF (well, pumped at work) DS for two years. I dealt with clogged ducts and had peeled (not cracked, peeled) nipples for 2 months. Latching on was toe curlingly painful for the first 2.5 months until I healed completely. I am very proud to say that DS has never tasted formula. I was, luckily able to produce more milk that DS needed, so I had a small freezer stash at my Mom's house, my in-law's house and with my daycare provider, just in case they needed it and I hadn't left enough fresh milk.

I produced enough that I ended up donating some on Human milk 4 Human babies.

For six months, I only had to pump once a day at work to produce enough for my son to have 4 5 oz bottles the next day.

This time, I'm going to get pre-registered with our Hospital's lactation boutique so that I can donate to the closest milk bank. If I pump three times a day, I should have plenty to donate.

This is a very long way of saying I would be devastated if I were unable to BF this LO. I love that bonding. I was so proud of DS when he fully got the hang of latching on so that DH could fly him in to me superman style and DS would latch on (we have a photo of me at a family dinner doing this. We have a very open family!)

I'm going to keep in mind something that I read a couple of years ago. I heard that, even if you were able to successfully BF one baby, you may still need help to BF the next. Every baby is different, and there is a learning curve that comes with BFing, for both mother and baby. If I need to visit the LC, I'll definitely do that!

pannk · October 2013

I had a breast reduction, so I won't know if I'll be able to BF until I deliver my baby. I really want to BF, so I'll be devastated if I can't... but I know the odds are against me, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Any other mamas have reductions?

LittleLady77 · October 2013

pannk said:

I had a breast reduction, so I won't know if I'll be able to BF until I deliver my baby. I really want to BF, so I'll be devastated if I can't... but I know the odds are against me, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Any other mamas have reductions?

My friend had a reduction and was able to BF for a while. I don't know all the details but I know she was really happy about it.

I feel the same way about BFing twins. i know the odds are against me too (maybe not as much as you). It's scary and daunting.

amhah09 · October 2013

Lots of aspiring breast feeders! That makes me happy

deidremaria · October 2013

Rrrrrachel said:
I am not at all judgmental of women who ff or supplement or whatever. I used to be but motherhood has helped me get over that, among other things . One thing I will say, though, is if you want it to work go into it with the mentality that it WILL work. Try not to doubt it. There may be some road blocks but you'll figure it out. When I hear women say "I'm going to try" I can't help but think formula is in their future within six months.

As sad as this may sound before I got pregnant and read how many people have problems breasfeeding I was surprised. I realize that I was very ignorant to how hard breast feeding can be. I've always seen the women in my family pop a baby out and breast feed with no problem so I honestly assumed that it was easy for all women (I hope that didn't offend anyone). After reading about latching issues and such I am so much more aware and pray that it goes easily for baby and I.

deidremaria · October 2013

My friend had a reduction and was able to BF for a while. I don't know all the details but I know she was really happy about it.

I feel the same way about BFing twins. i know the odds are against me too (maybe not as much as you). It's scary and daunting.

If it makes you feel any better a friend of mine has a set of 15 month old twins that she still breast feeds. A lot of pumping is involved but they both get a sufficient supply of breast milk :-)

avidkeo · October 2013

@Pannk I really wanted to get a reduction (H cup at my biggest) but never did because of the fear of being able to BF. I hope that you are able to, but even if you cant, you will be a wonderful mother!!! I agree with the above, there is no difference in mums who BF and those who dont for what ever reason!

beautifulstr13 · October 2013

I'm going to try my hardest but it didn't work for us last time so I'm not going to get too upset if it doesn't work this time.

klgallup · October 2013

I fought so hard to breastfeeding my son. He had a bad latch and I pumped for a while and then we were able to get back to breastfeeding later. I never loved breastfeeding like some women seem to. I am proud that we made it to 6 months but I was ready at that point to be done. When I look back at his first few weeks of life all I seem to remember are our struggles to breastfeed. There was a lot of tears over it. If I could go back in time I would actually advise myself to quit and enjoy being a new mom. I really hope my experience with this child is different but I preparing myself to not be too upset if it does not work out. If I can give my baby some nutritious colostrum that is great. Anything else is just bonus to me.

rtv3 · October 2013

I'm really hoping to BF because I know it's better for baby and I like that it's cheaper. BUT if it doesn't work out then it doesn't work out. My sanity and baby's health come first. I have no judgement at all for people who FF over BF. Only you know what is best for your family.

BiggerinRealLife · October 2013

@spasticfantastic What are textbook nipples?!? I don't know why, but reading that made me instantly insecure about my own nipple's ability to feed my child. Probably because I'm insecure about my nipples.

deidremaria · October 2013

I never understood the judgement behind mothers who ff. I mean the baby is being fed. What's the problem? I plan to EBF if possible but there was a time in my life when I thought I'd want to exclusively pump. Now, not so much. Breasfeeding is important to me but I never imagine judging mothers who choose not to.

MamaFantastic · October 2013

hahahahaha! i'd post a selfie pic, but i'm pretty sure that would get me banned.

also, it would be a pic of my boobs on the internet, so.....

but seriously, i don't have flat or inverted nipples. they stick out when they need to and are soft when they aren't needed. evidently that's a good thing for a tiny baby mouth.

let's all go inspect our nipples now!

LittleLady77 · October 2013

I immediately whipped out my boob and started playing with my nipple

LittleLady77 · October 2013

I can't believe I just wrote that and put it on the Internet!

BiggerinRealLife · October 2013

@spasticfantastic This is officially a conversation that I never thought I'd have with a person over the internet....until I got pregnant.

)

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