Lactation Classes?

NeonNoon · January 2015

Anyone have any experience with breastfeeding classes? I can't seem to make up my mind but would like to do so in the next couple of days.

I've read the section in the Sears' Baby Book on breastfeeding already. I own the "Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" book but it looks like I'm not going to be able to read it by my due date. It's also my understanding that the hospital has a lactation consultant help out with latching after birth.

I guess I was hoping to have the skills drilled in a little more. Are there any practical benefits to an in person class?

MCH77 · January 2015

I went into it without not doing much research. I was successful with the hospital support. However, if I could do it over I would have taken a class. There were just little things like timing and holds I wish I had known more about. I'm thinking of doing a course before this LO, it will have been 4 years.

So my vote is yes if you have the time, but it's not needed.

NeonNoon · January 2015

Was it useful for your H @hikerlady? If I go, I plan on going on my own.

tishue · January 2015

I went to a breastfeeding course and I remember it being a waste of time. We were told to bring a doll to practice holds but the woman glazed right over them. I found it more useful to have the lactation consultant (a little old lady that probably has seen thousands of babies and boobs!) come and help me out in my room at the hospital. She gave me pointers, encouragement and came back the next morning to check on how things were going and say good luck. I found doing some research online was more helpful than the class.

anonymousmotley · January 2015

I would agree that there is some real benefit to taking a class. I tried breastfeeding my son (18 years ago) and I had no prior knowledge or support and I had to switch to formula after 3 weeks because he was losing weight.

With my 2nd child, I read the books and had a lactation consultant at the hospital, the nurses were very helpful and knowledgable too. However, I still had to have a lactation consultant come to my house after my milk came in because it was so painful and I had developed mastitis. I started supplementing at 2 months because I never could get the latch right while on maternity leave and I was pumping constantly. By 4 months my milk supply was gone.

I learned several useful pieces of information in the class that I had never read or seen online (not that it's not out there, but I hadn't seen it). One was about pumping (I will go back to work after 6 weeks) and that you need to be consistent. Pump at the same time everyday (when you feel you are most full...maybe in the morning or evening) and stick with it. Don't just do it whenever you have time. If you do it this way, your body will learn to make more milk at that time and you'll build a stock pile more effectively. I feel this is one of the areas I failed miserably with the last time around.

There are many other useful tidbits that I found to be worth a lot more than the $35 for the class! I had quite a few 'aha' moments.

I went alone. There were 5 other women there and only 1 dad...I felt sorry for him being the only one there.

I don't know if I just had terrible lactation consultants, or if I just couldn't retain the info because I was so warn out. I do know that this LC that gave the class was very good and shared alot of things I don't remember the 2 other LCs telling me.

Good luck!!! If you do take the class, let us know what you found most useful.

marijaa333 · January 2015

I had the same question, @NeonNoon, so thanks for asking.

In the meantime, I've slowly been going through online resources and videos, including the ones listed here:

https://www.workandpump.com/BFbasics.htm

KateLouise · January 2015

I didn't do classes, but my antenatal class had a session on breastfeeding, which had some useful elements.

What I did want to say though was, get the latch right. I didn't with my first.

I said to the mw who was getting me to feed her that it was sore. She tried a couple of things and then when it still hurt, she shrugged and said, "yeah it will you just have to push through." So I did. By the time I asked another mw for help it was late the next day and the damage was already done.

It took me/us a month to battle back from the pain and learn how to latch well.

In hindsight what the first mw should have said to me was, "hmm well it's 4.30 in the morning, do your best for now, but the next time you feed her, call someone to come and have a look at what you're doing, just to double check things."

With my second baby, I had every person who came into my room have a look. If it felt just a bit tender, I asked someone to check. Each person made a different suggestion for me to try out, and I really quickly found what was going to work for me and baby.

I had 3 days of slightly tender nipples when she first latched and that was it.

So I cannot say it often enough, get someone to check your latch and watch how you get baby on the breast.

BF is a wonderful thing, but it is not always an obvious thing to work out.

Best wishes.

Shoecrazysarah · January 2015

***Lurker***

You should also know that under the Affordable Care Act insurers are required to provide you with Breastpump rentals (rent a hospital grade!) and visits with lactation consultants. (Assuming you are not on a grandfathered plan)

https://www2.aap.org/breastfeeding/files/pdf/FederalSupportforBreastfeedingResource.pdf

I had a really hard time breastfeeding for months and had to exclusively pump for awhile. So I say take all the resources you can, because it can't hurt. The LC's at my hospital were useless simply because they had too many patients. I couldn't obtain a good latch and subsequently LO ended up with severe Jaundice and had to under go treatment. If you can, have an LC view your breasts ahead of time to see if you may have problems BFing from flat nipples etc.

I went to a free BF support group afterwards too. At one point a pregnant gal joined us for a while just to gather info. I thought that was brilliant and wish I had thought of it.

The BFing board on here is a great help too. Good Luck!

topaz7777 · January 2015

I went to the class and was glad that I did. I mean it didn't help a whole lot with the holds and the latch and stuff, though the LC at the hospital helped a lot with that. What was very helpful was knowing things like how to tell if baby is eating effectively ie wet diapers and charting. How often to feed. How to store pumped milk, and most importantly, how to know if something is wrong. They covered thrush, what to do if you are sick, Mastitis (not sure if I spelled that right). Those are the things I found most helpful. I don't feel like I need to go again with baby #2, but it was very helpful the first time around.

GASuzuki · January 2015

PPs are right. A class does help as does a support group. My medical provider actually has a great support system with a lactation consultant and a once-a-week breastfeeding group.

I do need to warn you about good ol' Dr. Sears... I read that thing cover to back and adhered to it. Do NOT let your kid co-sleep with you. They will NEVER get out of the bed!!! My 5-year-old daughter lasts all of two hours in her room before she crawls right back into our bed. We've given up. We are so tired by the time she does it we don't have the will to fight it.

cneiding · January 2015

The class probably totally depends on the teacher as to whether it is beneficial or not. I suggest taking one. I never did...such things were not available at least around my area when I had my first. They didn't even have lacation consultants at the hospital back then.. Well they had one come in one day during the week. so if you delivered any time other than that day you were just out of luck for help!! ANyways...even if you learn one thing or go into breastfeeding feel slightly more ready and knowledgeable it is worth the time, I feel.

Really for breastfeeding nothing can really totally prepare you except the experience itself. I think help in the hospital and continuing into the first week or few weeks is more valuable than pre breastfeeding help.

topaz7777 · January 2015

Breastfeeding for me was extremely hard. I took the class so I knew a few things about how to do it, but still the newborn has to learn it too. It was very frustrating to me, but eventually we both learned how to do it together. I would recommend the class though. As hard as it was, with out the little I did learn, I might have been too frustrated to keep trying.

newenglander71 · January 2015

I went to a class, which was worth the time, but I feel that no class would've been able to fully prepare me and I would have still been able to BF without the class. However, I would've been lost without all the help I received while in the hospital, not only from the LC but from the nursing staff. The absolute best piece of advice actually came the morning of my discharge, when one of the nurse's I hadn't seen before told me point blank what I needed to do and the position that would work best for us. It made a huge difference.

I also think having friends you can call for help/advice/encouragement is vital to breastfeeding success.

BabyBliss76 · January 2015

I took a class with my first. I am glad I did. We still had a very hard time for a couple of months after she was born, but I learned things to help me make it! I remember thinking breastfeeding would be easy, but it was not for us. We did end up with breastfeeding success, and she nursed for about a year

BabyBliss76 · January 2015

PS...when we were having a hard time the only way I could get her on was with the football hold. If it was not for that, we would have not made it.

niknak1208 · January 2015

The Babies R Us near us does some free classes. I took a lactation class there when I was pregnant with my first. I did find it helpful but he was my first and I had not a clue what I was doing.

I did not take any classes with my daughter and I probably won't this time either. The hospital does have a lactation specialist that can help if you're having any issues and I did utilize her after my daughter was born. She just wasn't latching well and we got it worked out and it was fine. I kind of liked the one on one attention too. I think nursing is one of those things you just have to try and not give up on. Some women just can't for other reasons but I think some can give up out of frustration too. It can be super frustrating. My biggest frustration was always living through cluster feedings.

maggs2015 · January 2015

I went to a lactation class for the first 8 weeks of breastfeeding, at first it was imperative for me to figure out the latch but it ended up being a support group where I met some cool women. I wouldn't have been successful without it, breastfeeding did not come naturally and took a lot of practice.

I would research options in your area?

NeonNoon · January 2015

Thanks for encouraging me to go. I went to a 3 hr class. It turned out to cover a whole bunch more practical tips than I had come across on my own. In fact, a lot of it was new info for me. It's also nice to have the number for a lactation consultant in case you run into trouble. I won't know how effective the class was until after birth, though!

anonymousmotley · January 2015

The LC that did my class also gave us her number and said to call her anytime! I felt that was worth the cost of the class by itself, not to mention all the tips I hadn't heard before, like you. Glad you went and found it very useful!

topaz7777 · January 2015

@Neonnoon I had a lot of trouble getting DD to latch. She had to get suctioned by the NICU team after birth and wouldn't latch. I had a lactation consultant come in and basically try for half an hour to get DD to latch which resulted in bloody cracked nipples and me not being interested in ever seeing another LC ever again.

And then something happened... That LC had passed on my information to the oncoming LC and she came to visit. I guess it hadn't occured to me that they would be on shifts and another would be coming. I'm so glad though. The second LC had entirely different ideas on latching and a whole different set of tricks and techniques that the first never considered. She ended up using a flexible nipple shield to get DD to latch on to that and using a tiny little cathedar attached to a syringe full of formula to give it a little squirt to let DD know oh... oh I get it!!

After a few tries with this method, DD kind of got the idea that latching meant milk! Then I stopped needing the formula at all and DD would latch to the nipple shield that covered my nipple. About 12 hours after that (and some nipple healing on my part) I was able to get her to latch directly and didn't need the shield again.

I'm just telling you this story so that you know that each LC is different, just as each midwife or OB is different. If one doesn't work for you, ask for another. I really would have given up if I hadn't had that second experience and I'm so glad that one of them had an idea that worked for DD.

maggs2015 · January 2015

PP good point on LC being different. The first consultant that visited me postpartum wasn't very helpful. She stayed for five minutes and was out of there!

The support group I visited weekly had two amazing consultants who were calm and understanding; they even made a visit to my house when I couldn't figure out the latch.

Pnut050515 · March 2015

I have UHC and my insurance covered a breastpump plus lactation support. Definitely check out to see what your insurance will take care of it. I got my pump through Aeroflow Healthcare and they also made me aware of the lactation support coverage. It's worth a shot.

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