The Breast Feeding Support Thread

My daughter is almost 10 weeks old and I've only felt I'm back in the land of the living since 8 weeks. Up until then I was so tired during the day because of marathon night feeding sessions.

I don't know how some women manage to be out and about within days of having babies. They're obviously made of stronger stuff than me!

Murdywurdy, you're in the most intense and difficult phase of breastfeeding. What you're feeling is completely normal but it does pass and in two or three weeks you'll feel much more like your old self again. The parent baby groups are fantastic. Yesterday my daughter was constantly screaming after a bad night. I went to a group and really felt so much better afterwards. You get chatting to other mums and have a laugh about the things which might get you down if you were stuck at home alone.

On the sleeping thing; my daughter is still sleeping on me at 10 weeks. I'm airing the co sleeper cot and hoping to set it up at the weekend. Then I'm hoping she will spend at least a couple of hours a night in it soon. However I read a great blog post yesterday which said to go with it if your baby wants to sleep on you, the cat, the washing machine. Just do it if it means you sleep because at some stage they will go into a cot just not yet. There are very few students starting university that can only sleep on their mammies so don't worry about the early days. I kind of liked that because this lady is showing no signs of getting off me any time soon!

2nd time around is much easier in the sense that you're not dealing with the shock of motherhood and the huge life changes it brings.

I can def say I've found this baby time much easier and I know it's a phase which will end be replaced by the next phase

Are you ladies taking a multivitamin? I'd really recommend taking one. I can feel the difference in myself because I've been taking one since A was born. I don't feel lethargic even when I'm exhausted.

Nead21, you've got the 12 week one around the corner and then you're on the easy stretch! I didn't find the 12 week one bad on my son. He fed quite a lot for a couple of days but not at night time. Hopefully it'll be the same with A.

What multivitamin would you recommend, obviously anything that increases the chances of successful feeding are worth a shot in my book.

HS so glad you are saying its not as much of a shock this time, I was getting worried. Do you find 2 sleeping on you much with 1 to rush round after too?

Blueskye, he really neds to back you. If it weren't for my OH I would never be able to deal with my MIL, she is so like yours!

I'm taking a Floradix iron supplement, when I remember.

Second babies are definitely easier!

I'm taking sona multivitamin as it doesnt have iron. I can't take anything with iron it in.

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

Blueskye - getting time to pump is hard! It's my wedding anniversary this weekend and my mum is babysitting for us so we can go out to dinner. Have to find time to express before then but it's hard timing it with his feeds. I can't imagine it with two! How did you find sleeping with them on the pillow? I'm tempted to do that sometimes but it scares me too! Fingers crossed your OH can sort something out with your MIL!

Enjoy your meal out this weekend and congrats on your anniversary

I find it ok, they slept on pillow again tonight as I stayed in parents house and they refused to settle in the cot here. They do start off the night in the co sleeper cot at home but at least one ends up in the bed towards morning.

It's a big twin pillow that wraps around me. One baby under either arm. Feet under my arms (rugby hold?). My arms are around the babies and I'm sitting up. A few weeks ago I would have been too nervous but you won't squish them. We all get sleep so I'll go with it for now.

Girls does anyone have any advice on how to stop leaking.

My baby is 9 days old and I've a massive amount of milk. I fed my first two children and it was the same. I know its a good complaint. But I can't stop leaking. I'm going through at least 3 bras, tops and 2 pairs of pjs a day. For example just now I fed her off my right and my left is leaking madly. The let down reflex applied to both boobs! As soon as she lets out the tiniest cry my let down reflex goes - my body just tunes into her. She was lying on my last night for cuddles - lifted her - soaked.

I've tried every breast pad going and I find them all useless. They never stay in place for me or if they do they're nowhere absorbent enough. Im totally paranoid now with visitors and am constantly washing nursing bras and tops!!

Anyone any suggestions?? (and I know supply will regulate with her but if anyone has any tricks I'd appreciate them)

Thanks

I'm the same highly! She's 7&1/2 weeks and some days it's ok and some days it's just not!! I use avent night breast pads during day and change them regularly - works mostly! Ciuldnt consider no pads or bra!!
It seems worse if I fed her alot the day before and then it calms down!! My supply doesn't really seem to be regulating - it's up and down like her!!!! But never quite manages to get it right!!
I heard a baby cry onthe tv yest & got let down....!

gravid wrote: »

I was leaking A LOT too the first 3 months or so, and I still, 6 months on, have to use pads day and night (i use Johnsons Baby nursing pads http://www.boots.ie/en/Johnsons-Baby-Nursing-Pads-1-x-30-Pads_21437/ ).

I was using collection shells on the breast I wasnt feeding on while feeding which nearly always filled up (nearly 2 oz i think)!! This really saved me as it gets very messy and smelly when you leak so much. THe few times I forgot to put on the shell I knew all about it :-/
Once I got the hang of it, and if I had the energy to go wash the shell properly between feeds, I used to freeze the milk and nearly filled my freezer with bm after a few weeks :-)
Since 4 months I dont think Ive used the shells more than once or twice some mornings if she has slept longer than usual...
I used the avent collector shells with a hole on the top which is handy for pouring the milk into freezer bags/tray.

Shells are a great idea - I forgot they existed! That's exactly what I need!

cyning wrote: »

I received a reply to my complaint yesterday about the wonderful "formula has loads of iron" remarks I got when my little girl was in hospital recently and they discovered she was anaemic and "still" breastfeed at 10 months. Oh and i had her spoilt There is going to be in service training on breastfeeding provided to staff on breastfeeding. I'm glad I complained now so hopefully that won't happen to anybody else.

I never leaked I'm glad I don't think I missed out

Oh and my little girl is 1 tomorrow a whole year breastfeeding I would never have believed it if you told me this time last year!

What hospital is this can you say? I am hoping for more support from the nurses this time than last. All I got was a "whip them out" attitude (in front of my MIL who looked on disgusted and made comments and a nurse literally pinching the hell out of my nipples making them sore and giving out to me for wincing while she did it. So I would love f just before I am due the staff got a refresher course!

I would go mental if a nurse made those comments at me, there is iron from other food sources too!

It's not a maternity hospital: she was in for investigations on a heart murmur. I was so upset at the time. Ill send you a pm with the hospital name I swore I was only feeding for 6 months too: I am weaning-ish now I think a year is my limit!

I know next time (when I get over the fear of being pregnant again!) ill be more assertive. They did that with my nipples too and just shoved my nipple straight in her mouth. If they'd noticed the VERY obvious lip tie I mightn't have found breastfeeding so painful. And wouldn't have needed shields etc. I would never have kept breastfeeding without the support of my PHN and the nurse in my docs who's a LC.

dublinlady wrote: »

Wolf -That's awful they treated u like that! I get that they do need , well it sometimes help, if they pinch your boob in a way to show you how to make it easier fir the baby to latch - but it should not be sore!! Make sure and speak up if they do that and don't let then knock your confidence!! I found I got conflicting advise from every different midwife while in hosp and it really upset me - I didn't know what was right! But knowing that I wanted to succeed urged me to push on and follow my gut and find our way! Then at day 9 due to advise on here I got a lactation consultant to the house - it had all gone horribly wrong within a day or two and she just fixed us! Haven't looked back since - so so glad !

I was young and very scared. This time I will not allow myself to be spoken down to or be manhandled. I know they are busy and whatnot, but throwing formula milk at every girl is not the way to do it. Seriously, they kept giving me formula milk saying it was easier, rather than taking 15 minutes to show me calmly how to do it. And when I asked for my MIL to leave, it was brushed off, she is not a nice woman and is already making comments about failing again.

I am so scared of failing again, not for me, I am not going to beat myself up about it, I will try everything I can, but I won't pressure myself, but I fear the comments, not that I will ever let her know that! Hence why I am prepping now in advance.

LilMrsDahamsta wrote: »

Can you feel when you're going to leak? If you can, or as soon as you notice, hit them fairly gently with the inside of your arm or palm of your hand. You might need to do it 3 or 4 times, but it stops the flow very quickly. I have a ridiculous let down reflex, so I do this even during feeds while I'm burping him and rarely loose more than a drop or two. You can kind of train yourself after a while to be more alert for it. I found I got good pretty quickly when I stopped wearing breast pads; it made it easier to feel the leaking starting and stop it immediately. I don't know if it would work for everyone, but it did for me!

I kinda can to be honest. I know when they're engorged but she's not due a feed and are about to leak.

What do you hit? The nipple? The side? (Sorry for stupid question) Makes sense to do it during the feeds too - my milk just spurts out all over her face like a hose!! I'll try anything at this stage!

kvicka if you work in the private sector then you're not entitled to time off to breastfeed or express. I think the public sector may have an agreement of some sort.

As for breastfeeding past 6 months; I'd never planned to continue past 6 months on my son. I'd never intended to go past 6 weeks initially :P
Once we got up and running my intention was to wean onto solids at 6 months and change over to formula as I was going back to work. However, at around 5 months, I read that Dr Jack Newman said 2-3 breastfeeds in 34 hours are nutritionally sufficient for a baby over 6 months and they can last throughout the day without breastfeeds if they're fed on demand once you're with them. So I decided to give it a go and it worked fine and we kept going to 1 year.

Cyning fair play for complaining. There's enough iron in the 6 months + formula to knock a horse over but it's added in the expectation that a minute bit will be absorbed. Most of it doesn't. The attitudes to breastfeeding in this country by the healthcare professionals are truly disgraceful and shocking but I think it stems from the basic but fundamental belief that both are equal from a nutritional point of view so why bother with breastfeeding if formula us as good. All we can do is complain when we receive bad service or wrong information and hope that things will change.

However it's interesting to see how one now discredited report about a lack of iron in breast milk has stuck and is often being repeated by hcps but they rarely refer to the studies which show formula fed babies are more likely to suffer from gastroenteritis etc.

Murdy i find debenhams brilliant for bikinis as the tops on some of their ranges are done by bra size rather than regular sizes. I got a good few there a few summers ago up in the square in tallaght.

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

Thanks ladies - I'll have a look in Debenhams and see. I did look on figleaves and saw one I really like but choosing a size is the hard part, especially if my size will change. I'm wearing a 34H nursing bra but I'm normally a 32DD. I think trying one on in a shop would be best.

The thing is an underwired bra type top would give me the most support but it would be hard to get my boobs out of it to feed. I 'm not sure what style would be best for that? I'm going to try on all my bikinis later and see how bad they are. My stomach is almost back to normal so not worried about that - just the massive boobs!

I am just in awe of ur proportions!!!!!

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

Lol! I am looking very top heavy these days my mum was watching me breastfeed last night and said she hoped they wouldn't permanently be this big - think she was a bit shocked!

After breast feeding my first mine completely deflated
Back to big again now (dd) but dread to see them after this one!!! I was c to start - dd when pregnant - b after - dd when pregnant!

highly1111 wrote: »

I kinda can to be honest. I know when they're engorged but she's not due a feed and are about to leak.

What do you hit? The nipple? The side? (Sorry for stupid question) Makes sense to do it during the feeds too - my milk just spurts out all over her face like a hose!! I'll try anything at this stage!

Yea, the nipple area. Just give it a quick couple of knocks and it stops. But not so hard it hurts! It was the only useful bit if advice the PHN ever gave me, and she learned it from her mother who thought it was the norm back when more people breastfed. If you're out and about, no one will have a clue what you're doing if you do it with your inner forearm. Only problem I had was hubby could tell when I was thinking about the baby and took the piss out of "patting the boobs".

Yeah my boobs also deflated from feeding - were a C before baby, a B after 20 months of feeding. I'm 21 weeks pregnant now & not sure of my size. They only grew very recently, were very small up to about 15 weeks.

mseliot - there are many reasons but at least it seems to be making a come back here. My eldest is 14 and I see a massive difference even in that lenght of time. It more acceptable and understood now. But you still have the mammys of my mothers generation who don't like it and to them a happy baby is fed every 4 hours and sleeps most of the rest of the time. Seeing the health benefits to my kids, my mother is now all for breastfeeding (and the weight loss for me helps!)

Well done Holding, i find every public feed is a little victory achieved :-) On sunday we were in town and although it wasnt long after i had fed my little man he started roaring in the pram for another one. I started to panic a little cause i wasnt in a cafe or anything and i didnt want to go in anywhere with him screaming his head off. There was a bench nearby so i just sat down and fed him and everything was grand again :-)