March 2017 Moms

Breastfeeding Q&A

Tonight I took a breastfeeding class and now I have way more questions than I did before taking it. I'm hoping to get advice & info on the do's/don'ts from any experienced moms.
I had no idea before tonight about so many things and I'm feeling nervous I won't do things right... I know a lot depends on the baby & both of us have to do our part equally, but I'm wondering how long it took before you got into a good rhythm with your babies? For those who went back to work after, how did you manage things at that point - when did you begin to use a pump/how often etc.? Did you get help from a lactation consultant or breastfeeding support group...would you recommend going that route? Is lanolin cream (or any other product) something I should buy ahead of time? Any other tips or techniques you've found to help?
If any other FTM's also have questions about breastfeeding please jump in too! (I don't think we've had a previous thread on this but if there's one out there already maybe it can be bumped up?) 
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Re: Breastfeeding Q&A

  • Took us about the first week before it came more naturally. Yes to Lanolin! Or whatever cream you decide, have it handy right away! I had a lactation consultant come to my house once a week to weigh baby, talk about concerns, check her latch etc. It was great so if this is something you have access to I highly recommend it. The reassurance and support helped me mentally and physically. Breastfeeding is a hard job so whatever support there is, take it. 
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  • Personally, my babies took about a week to get the hang of things and I only used nipple cream twice with my first and not at all with my second. sleeping topless before birth helps toughen those puppies up a lot but for a first experience breastfeeding, its a must. My mother is a licensed lactation consultant and breastfed five babies herself so I had all the help I needed there, but would definitely recommend utilizing your local Leche League or hospital LC as much as possible during the first couple months. I didn't go back to work and have only ever had horrible, milk supply destroying experiences with pumping so I can't speak on that part- and I can say that for me, nursing without a shirt or some sort of support was a dreadful idea- whichever breast not being used would leak like mad. So i used a loose, stretchy nursing bra with disposable nursing pads that I would switch from one side to the other and add the other in if I felt leaky. Experiment with comfortable nursing positions and resist the urge to give up if you feel frustrated- there is so much help available to give you and baby the best shot at a productive nursing relationship! Both my babies nursed until 8 months and then switched to formula, I felt guilty about that for a while but then recalled the sheer amount of work, lost sleep and public awkwardness I endured to have those months, and couldn't be prouder. Keep strong and always follow your instincts- ask for help if you need it and keep open communication with someone you trust about your breastfeeding journey! 
  • Its great that you are doing your research now.  However please do not stress.  While breastfeeding can certainly be a challenge (both painful and frustrating)  it is such an awesome thing!  I work full time and was lucky enough to BF for a year with my daughter.

    1.) Certainly use lanolin at the hospital and PLEASE use the lactation ladies.  It is such a big help in getting a correct latch.  Also call them if you need to after you are home.  And yes, on the just being topless alot! :)

    2.) It took about two weeks I would say before the pain lessen when she latched and I felt comfortable feeding her outside the house, in public.

    3.)  And the advice I give everyone, is give it atleast 3-4 weeks and never quit on a bad day.  You'll do great and while it can be tough...its the nest bonding experience ever.

    4.) Oh and I started pumping around a week post.....I started have DH giving one bottle a day at 4 weeks to get her used to it before returning to work.  Then I nursed when I was with her and pumped 3-4 times each day at work.  Pumping can be a bitch.....but worth it. 


    You'll do awesome!!  
  • 2 random tips... expressing a bit of milk after the feeding and letting it dry really helped me.. also, if you ever get a blocked duct, put a big ol cabbage leaf on your boob and let it sit there in your bra/tshirt. It sounds ridiculous but I swear I had to do this a couple of times and it was the only relief I found
  • how long it took before you got into a good rhythm with your babies? A couple of weeks. My nipples are not good for breastfeeding apparently (may be TMI but they are small so it was hard for us to get a good latch) Eventually we figured it out together. 

    For those who went back to work after, how did you manage things at that point - when did you begin to use a pump/how often etc.? I started pumping almost right away, small amounts at first so you don't overproduce as pp mentioned. Best time to start pumping is after the first feed of the day since you'll have lots of milk from the night. 

    Made me feel more prepared for work when I had a stash in the freezer, which ended up being necessary since my supply dropped when I went back to work (eventually you can get it back up, but the stress and not having your baby around may make you produce less - I used to watch videos of my daughter while pumping and then my milk would let down).


    Did you get help from a lactation consultant or breastfeeding support group...would you recommend going that route? I had help only in the hospital from the LC. And actually it was a NICU nurse (my daughter spent 24 hours there) who ended up being the most helpful in getting DD to latch. If there are resources available to you I would take advantage if you need them!

    Is lanolin cream (or any other product) something I should buy ahead of time? Any other tips or techniques you've found to help? Yes, that and the pads to prevent leaking. 
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  • If you contact Gerber 1-800-408-7277, and ask them about Gerber Nutrition kit, they will tell you it doesn't exist anymore but that they will write down your address and mail some things to you. I just got mine this week, it had a onesie 3-6 month, a coupon and month badge stickers. Also they offered a nutrition consultant to call. Mine just called, granted it's late because they tell you what eat 2nd and 3rd trimester. But she offered to call again a month after baby is due to discuss baby's nutrition, breast feeding and/or formula as well as samples and/or coupons.
  • @EALasagna45 @serenity13 of course! 
    As everyone said there are resources to tap / reach out to if you're still struggling. Plus I'm sure there will still be moms here or on FB that will be more than willing to answer questions that you have
  • CbeanzCbeanz member
    edited January 2017
    Lots of great advice here, so I won't bother repeating it.  But here's what helped me a ton:

    Bought a baby scale (about $40) so I could do my weighed feedings at home anytime - did wonders for my peace of mind. SCALE

    Having a trusted network of mom friends to talk to, ask questions and just feel "understood"

    La Leche League - website and local meeting was huge for me.

    And the most important thing... the more time you have baby at the breast, the better your chances of success.  Nothing establishes supply like baby on the nip.  If that means you're topless the first few weeks, if that means you can't have a lot of visitors early on, so be it - you'll fall into a routine and it'll be second nature.

    ETA: I started pumping in the hospital. I wanted a big freezer stash and wasn't trying to avoid an oversupply. Went back to work around 6 months, pumped twice a day at work. 
  • Already lots of great advice, but I will just say a few regrets I had with my first.  1. I didn't see a lactation consultant.  Absolutely should have.  2. My milk didn't come in right away and I should have pumped a little earlier.  This is what ultimately helped my milk to come in.  If your boobs aren't rock hard, your milk isn't fully in.  3.  I caved and gave a bottle of pumped milk too soon, 2 Weeks I think.  

    I went back back to work at 12 weeks and pretty much exclusively pumped after that.  That ended up working fine, but I wish we would have had more success breastfeeding.  It's hard!  Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't go as smoothly as you imagined.  
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  • @kiyamurph I got one of these at the recommendation of an LC and it looks like it might be similar to what you recommended! 

    Me: 26 Hubs: 28

    Married: 6/6/15 <3

    Baby Girl: 3/22/2017


  • WF7968 said:
    Already lots of great advice, but I will just say a few regrets I had with my first.  1. I didn't see a lactation consultant.  Absolutely should have.  2. My milk didn't come in right away and I should have pumped a little earlier.  This is what ultimately helped my milk to come in.  If your boobs aren't rock hard, your milk isn't fully in.  3.  I caved and gave a bottle of pumped milk too soon, 2 Weeks I think.  

    I went back back to work at 12 weeks and pretty much exclusively pumped after that.  That ended up working fine, but I wish we would have had more success breastfeeding.  It's hard!  Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't go as smoothly as you imagined.  
    ? No one's milk comes in right away. It comes in at 3-5 days after birth. (Breastfed babies generally lose weight after birth--normal.) Usually puting baby to breast is better than pumping to get milk to come in unless something else is going on. 

    My boobs never got rock hard and I had oversupply so that my kiddos poop looked lol green algae and I had to start blockfeeding , lol. 

    I think Your post is great though became it shows how everyone's experience really is different. It can be hard. So much of breastfeeding at first is just troubleshooting until you get it right. And going back to work really does add extra levels of difficulty. :(

    Good for you for exclusively pumping though! It is twice as hard as just nursing and takes real commitment. People don't know untiltheyve had to do it how much work it really is.  <3


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  • My two cents is that it can be HARD! We saw a lactation consultant in the hospital every day we were there and went to BF support groups after we got home. Ultimately we needed to use a nipple shield for a few months while she learned. It sucked and was a nuisance at the time - annoying for travel, difficult to keep clean, and takes longer to nurse, but one day around 3 months DD ripped it off and never looked back. She BF'd until she was like 22 months and I'm so glad we both stuck it out and persevered in the long run.

    Hopefully it will be easier this time,but if not at least I'll be prepared.

    DD also never had formula and I traveled a ton for work and was so obsessed with pumping and making sure I he enough and pumping while away. sending home with dry ice, etc. It was pretty stressful, and in retrospect it wouldn't have been a big deal for her to have formula here and there when I was away.


  • WF7968WF7968 member
    edited January 2017
    @longliveregina - Totally agree: everybody's BFing story and experience is so different and I think that's part of what makes it so difficult.  My DD who was already a low birth weight ended up losing almost a whole pound in the first few days and they threatened to put her back in the hospital.  It made me feel like a failure and terrible mother for not realizing I was starving my new baby.  That's why I gave the warning about your milk not coming in.  Hope this helps just 1 person who runs into a similar type of experience.  Bottom line if your having troubles or just generally confused, reach out to an expert.  I feel like it really could have made a bad experience much better for me.  
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  • Yes to so many of the PP. We didn't take a breastfeeding class and the only advice that I got was to have medela lanolin on tap. 

    In the hospital, one of my nurses was a lactation consultant. I valued only her opinion and just did my best with the other nurses who manhandled my boobs. 

    It took probably 2 months for it to be completely normal. My milk came in about the 3rd day. My son was slightly jaundice and nursing was his remedy. ... I felt like we were getting the hang of it and then one nipple just started hurting terribly, healed, and then the other had issues. I watched YouTube videos for strategies on the right angle for him to latch at. 

    ... Ultimately, I loved nursing my son. I began weaning after he turned a year and transitioned for about 3 months and ended when he was 15 months. 


    For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.
    1 Samuel 1:27
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  • I have more to add but I didn't want to forget that there is a FB group called Breast Bottle and Beyond. They have actual LC's that are a part of the group
  • This may be a stupid question but once you've left the hospital do you have to pay for a LC? I had a really hard time with BF DD and I'm hoping for better success this time and I'm looking to have resources on hand.
  • babyspice said:
    This may be a stupid question but once you've left the hospital do you have to pay for a LC? I had a really hard time with BF DD and I'm hoping for better success this time and I'm looking to have resources on hand.
    Good question! Pretty sure Facebook groups and the consultants working with La Leche Leagues at least are free of course, but I don't know if lactation consultants get paid by the hospital they work for or by you- might be worth asking around about or simply seeking information via the web :) 
  • babyspice said:
    This may be a stupid question but once you've left the hospital do you have to pay for a LC? I had a really hard time with BF DD and I'm hoping for better success this time and I'm looking to have resources on hand.

    There are LCs at most pediatrician offices.  I was able to schedule appointments with ours. They're billed as a non-well-visit to insurance, so I had a copay and had to pay some percentage out of pocket, based on my insurance policy.
  • @silverbulletband thank you for your reply! I think I will do some more research on the internet and also ask my doc at the next visit too.
  • babyspice said:
    This may be a stupid question but once you've left the hospital do you have to pay for a LC? I had a really hard time with BF DD and I'm hoping for better success this time and I'm looking to have resources on hand.
    Mine had open free group weekly sessions you could attend, and insisted ppl call her with any questions! Not sure if there was a charge for a one on one scheduled appointment because i never needed one.
  • Northside.com has a free online breastfeeding tutorial/class if anyone is interested. Just choose classes and events, and maternity classes and the one labeled breastfeeding-online. 
    Me: 27
    DH: 33
    Furbaby: Walther, 4 year old Rottweiler/Coonhound mix
    EDD: 3/7/17<img
  • @babyspice - check with your insurance.  I know mine it's covered (probably via a co-pay) to have a LC.
    ME: 34
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    DD: 03/17/17
    DS: 12/06/19
  • Everyone has such great advise on here! When I started breastfeeding, it did not go well. My babe lost 10% of her body weight before we left he hospital and the nurses were not happy. They made me use a nipple shield. Which did help, but was very frustrating. I really wanted to stop using it so I would try and try to get her to latch w/o it and would watch videos to see how it was supposed to look. I would literally cry after watching the videos cause she didn't do anything those babies did. I started going to the weekly bf moms group at the hospital and those women that went did not help at all. I had one mom tell me that I might as well give up because she had to stop because of the nipple shield made her supply go away. I felt terrible but then I started just seeing the lactation nurse and we went into a room and I put her on w/o the nipple shield to see what advise she could give me on helping and the whole time, she had been latching correctly and i didnt need the nipple shield. So in the end, watching those videos made my experience worse cause those babies in the videos are profession nursers lol so dont be discouraged if the baby doesnt look perfect like those babies. The nurses at the hospital after birth didnt really help either as the pushed the nipple shield on my w/o really helping me try it without it also. I would say the nipple shield probably helped a little but moms have been feeding their babies forever w/o one so if they try to push it on you, I would try your hardest to avoid having to use one. 
  • mecoats said:
    @babyspice - check with your insurance.  I know mine it's covered (probably via a co-pay) to have a LC.
    Yes this... our insurance covers it as well. It never hurts to ask. I had to speak to 3 representatives to get this information. 
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