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February 2016 Moms
kinnonam
member
Breastfeeding
kinnonam
member
hi all any mommies out there planning on breastfeeding? If so any favorite positions or breast pumps? I have a few friends that strictly formula fed. If anyone did any particular reason?
Re: Breastfeeding
The very very best advice on BFing I can give is that it can be really, really hard at the beginning. It's painful and can be frustrating but it is SO worth it to see lactation consultants and push through the hard stuff. It doesn't come naturally for most, it's something that has to be learned, by both you and baby and it's not always easy. But if you want to feed your baby that way, getting through the tough stuff is essential because it gets better and can be really amazing.
Especially the first 2-5 nights is hardest. Baby will cry all night to nurse and you'll try and baby will still freaking cry. That's part of the bringing in the milk process (as long as baby gains weight. It could also be a not enough milk issue but for me, my son gained well so it was a brining it in process and not one I'm anxious to experience again). In the hospital, do whatever you can to sleep when you can and especially the first two weeks. Things pretty much settle down a bit after that. And it can pinch and be sore (get lanolin!) and you'll get clogs, early signs of mastitis or even the full blown deal. But it eventually all settles down into a routine and your boobs finally regulate and chill the eff out and it becomes more simple...right in time for you to realize just because baby doesn't have teeth doesn't mean they can't bite the hell out of your nipple, but overall it was wonderful. Weight loss, cheap meals for the kid, reasons to eat a Snickers a day (just kidding, kinda), convenience, etc. I hope and plan to do it the same way all over again.
My Ridiculous Chart
My advice is not to pump in the very beginning to relieve pressure when your milk first comes in and you're in pain bc of it. Bf'ing is supply and demand. If you pump to relieve pressure you'll continue to make a ton.
Same goes for feeding or pumping on the regular schedule you want to feed your baby on. Otherwise, if you don't and wait too long then the same time the next day you'll have less milk.
This go around I plan on strictly pumping. Call me crazy but nursing for me just seems to "sexual" FOR ME! Its natural I understand that but I just cannot get past how I feel towards someone sucking my boobs.
Hopefully strictly pumping I can keep up with because I heard its rough
Learn to recognize the difference between a growing fussy baby and a supply problem. Store a few batches of lactation cookies in the freezer so you can get to them quickly if you need to. Facebook has a million wonderful (and a million not so wonderful) breastfeeding groups so pick a few to join and learn as your baby is still cooking. Also it's important to remember that for being one of the most natural thing a person can do it's hard as hell and you can't give up on your hardest darkest hour.
The best advice I have is to educate yourself beforehand and gets support system in place. The book The Womaly Art of Breastfeeding was fantastic for me. It basically spells out normal expectations for breastfeeding, so when you have different things happen you think, "ok, I read about this, it's normal."
The standard cradle hold with a Boppy pillow worked pretty well for me most of the time. It was great when I discovered side lying breast-feeding for nighttime sessions. The football hold sometimes work too. This time I'm hoping to learn how to breast-feed while wearing her. I never could quite master that before. I'm hoping to attend some la Leche meetings while on maternity leave because maybe somebody there can show me how.
I got the Ameda purely yours breast pump free through my insurance company. It is a double electric pump and I believe it is closed system as well so the milk doesn't get into the tubing. It works great for me for the full 10 months. I recommend it.
More important than the pump or the position is how the flanges fit. If you can buy your breast pump before having the baby, I recommend packing it in your hospital bag so when you are in the hospital with baby the lactation consultant or nurse on duty can show you which flanges to use based on your nipple size. I have many friends who have ended up with the wrong flange size because they were either given misinformation or didn't seek out advice from a lactation consultant. Many of them had their breast-feeding journeys come to an early end because of infections or nipple bleeding or pain. Definitely see A lactation consultant if you experience any pain or bruising or cuts are bleeding. These are not normal. They can help you find ways to make it a better experience and prolonged you're breast-feeding time.
Don't get me wrong, some women just can't breast-feed for whatever reason and have to formula feed. And that is fine. And some women need to supplement with formula like I did in the first week or two. And that is fine too. I just think it's great to make sure you explore all options and get help that you need before throwing in the towel.
Good luck with whatever happens! If a baby is fed and they (and mama) are happy, that's really all that matters.
I did the football hold with him because was so small and my boobs were so big. Then we switched to the cross cradle position when he got bigger. I loved my BrestFriend pillow. Way more than the Boppy. I also recommend a nursing stool because it's supportive for your back.
When would you recommend I begin going to classes or meetings like La Leche?
And something with baby's scent helps too.
I felt the same when I was pregnant with my first. The idea just made me feel uncomfortable. It will change instantaneously when your baby is born. Or it did for me anyways.
I think what PP said about the comment being sad stems from why some of us would feel this way to begin with rather than what was said being an unpopular opinion. I actually think how you feel is quite common. We grew up in a society where breastfeeding was treated as something that needs hidden (and still is), like it's a shameful act. Also our society has sexualized women for profit and created this idea that breasts are solely sexual objects. It's hard not to feel weird and uncomfortable about breastfeeding when this is the kind of stuff shaping our views. I could be wrong about what PP was referring to as sad, but this is why I think it's sad.
I was worried it would be "weird" because no one in my family had nursed past leaving the hospital and if they did I didn't know about it because it was hidden.
Another thing people didn't like was that she cluster fed, so they couldn't hold her, they couldn't feed her and they really didn't like that she would fall asleep (which babies do) so I would let her sleep. I lived by this picture.
You actually might encounter family and friends who strongly think breasts are for sex and that you don't need to be doing it but as long as you want to you can do it. From the day I left the hospital my mom would ask "how long are you doing that for" and others would say "are you still nursing?" I'm not going to lie it stressed me out a ton, made me feel horrible but I knew once she was born and she latched that first time I was sticking to it. If you need to make short goals. I did 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, then a year and she nursed until 16 months!