The Breast Feeding Support Thread

Day Lewin

scarepanda wrote: »

Hi ladies!
I have a couple of questions that I'd love advice on.
Firstly, any tips for breastfeeding in public? I'm trying to build up my confidence to do it. I know it seems so insignificant, but finally fed muggins in front of some people at home the other evening, but did the latch in private first. I'm most nervous of getting her latched on rather than feeding and finishing up.
Second, how long does frozen milk last once it's taken out of a freezer? We've a wedding in a couple of weeks.. Baby and sitter will be coming with us and I hope to bring a supply with us to relieve pressure incase muggins gets hungry during meal/mass when it would be harder for me to slip away for a few minutes. I'll be feeding her myself during the day (or pumping if I need to).

My lot are all grown up now: but I breastfed five of them during the 80s and 90s. I fed them in planes, trains, and automobiles, in public parks, shops, art galleries, restaurants, once even on television (a roaming camera caught us)
In all that time, not one single person ever gave me a barely a glance. People usually don't even notice and if they do, they don't care.
I used to pull UP my top or teeshirt, plug in the child and then usually had a shawl or cardigan on, to wrap across us both to keep us warm, cosy and discreet.
A loose outer jacket or fleece covers a multitude, just pull it round the baby.
You are within your absolute legal rights to feed anywhere and everywhere that your baby wants: but a bit of ordinary discretion is only common sense and courtesy, in my opinion.
I should add that I have no hangups about skin exposure - my last child was fed until he was past 3, and he used to slip his hand down the neckline of my jumper, just to stroke the skin, for years afterwards. I thought it was sweet.
Once you've done it once, you'll be fine. :-) and it's so CONVENIENT!!

jlm29

scarepanda wrote: »

Hi ladies!
I have a couple of questions that I'd love advice on.
Firstly, any tips for breastfeeding in public? I'm trying to build up my confidence to do it. I know it seems so insignificant, but finally fed muggins in front of some people at home the other evening, but did the latch in private first. I'm most nervous of getting her latched on rather than feeding and finishing up.
Second, how long does frozen milk last once it's taken out of a freezer? We've a wedding in a couple of weeks.. Baby and sitter will be coming with us and I hope to bring a supply with us to relieve pressure incase muggins gets hungry during meal/mass when it would be harder for me to slip away for a few minutes. I'll be feeding her myself during the day (or pumping if I need to).

Firstly, the feeding in public thing gets easier and easier! Have someone (as in a grown up) with you the first couple of times, if you're busy chatting, you'll have no time to worry about other people! Amd make sure you've got appropriate clothes on (for your own sake, no one else's! I have a couple of boob brand hoodies, and although they're expensive, they're so worth it!

Secondly, the milk lasts 24 hours once defrosted!

scarepanda

Thanks a million everyone! I ended up having to feed her in public today after all! We were in town and like a dumb ass I forgot to bring some expressed milk with me! So we found a semi private area and set up camp while my OH got us some coffee. It was actually fine. I was a bit fumbly getting her latched on, but I didn't notice anyone paying any heed which was great!

That's what iv read about frozen milk once defrosted. I'm just afraid of it going stale or something. Will be getting a cooler bag for the trip to help keep it cold as well.

Thanks again xx

hollymartins

I found breastfeeding in front of my brother and my father-in-law more awkward than feeding in public But once you get more confident of the latch it's grand. I've breastfed on buses, planes, cafes, cinemas, park benches. When your baby has to eat it has to eat, breastfeeding is so convenient!

scarepanda

hollymartins wrote:

I found breastfeeding in front of my brother and my father-in-law more awkward than feeding in public But once you get more confident of the latch it's grand. I've breastfed on buses, planes, cafes, cinemas, park benches. When your baby has to eat it has to eat, breastfeeding is so convenient!

Ya, I'd be the same as you on that front. Think it will be a while before I feed in front of the male members of either side, especially latching on.
It was very handy today. I think one of my biggest hangups is that I'm still using the nipple shield's so have an extra faffy thing to do before I can put her on. But practice will make perfect/I'll care less/become less conscious of latching the more I do it!

spottybananas

Go to a breastfeeding support group too, will get you well used to feeding and seeing women feeding and their tips and tricks but is still a good halfway point between feeding at home and in completely public places. I fed my 17 month old in a restaurant that I was too nervous to feed in when he was 12 days old and nobody even noticed, you will get so used to it I promise!

scarepanda

spottybananas wrote:

Go to a breastfeeding support group too, will get you well used to feeding and seeing women feeding and their tips and tricks but is still a good halfway point between feeding at home and in completely public places. I fed my 17 month old in a restaurant that I was too nervous to feed in when he was 12 days old and nobody even noticed, you will get so used to it I promise!

I ended up having a section, so still not back driving. I definately plan on going to one once I am though

spottybananas

scarepanda wrote: »

I ended up having a section, so still not back driving. I definately plan on going to one once I am though

I didn't realise how lucky I was to live near everything until I had a section and couldn't drive, it makes a big difference. Have you checked with your insurance company that you def can't drive until 6 weeks yeah?

scarepanda

spottybananas wrote:

I didn't how lucky I was to live near everything until I had a section and couldn't drive, it makes a big difference. Have you checked with your insurance company that you def can't drive until 6 weeks yeah?

We live 20 mins from the town's either side of us with no public transport! Iv had s serious case of cabin fever and all I want to do at the weekend is head into town or something to get out while all my OH wants to do is relax at home after being at work all week! Ya I have checked. Only a week left though and I'll be back tipping about the place. It'll be weird driving again and having herself with me.

spottybananas

scarepanda wrote: »

We live 20 mins from the town's either side of us with no public transport! Iv had s serious case of cabin fever and all I want to do at the weekend is head into town or something to get out while all my OH wants to do is relax at home after being at work all week! Ya I have checked. Only a week left though and I'll be back tipping about the place. It'll be weird driving again and having herself with me.

You'll get used to it quick. I remember we were nearly sick with the thought that we could soon park in parent spaces when I was pregnant, proper adults!! Then it felt so weird parking there, now it's so normal

That's tough alright being quite isolated, I definitely retracted any of my "I want to live in the countryside!" ideas once I had him!

scarepanda

spottybananas wrote:

You'll get used to it quick. I remember we were nearly sick with the thought that we could soon park in parent spaces when I was pregnant, proper adults!! Then it felt so weird parking there, now it's so normal

spottybananas wrote:

That's tough alright being quite isolated, I definitely retracted any of my "I want to live in the countryside!" ideas once I had him!

Haha, dispite the distance, I wouldn't move into town. I love the freedom/space and we have two big dogs who have the run of a decent back garden. We're living near my homeplace so I'm well used to it!
We we're looking for them parking spaces yesterday in town! We couldn't find them in one car park and their like gold dust in the other one! When I was expecting every time we were in town we were eyeing them up! I could certainly have used them the last few weeks I was pregnant... I kept forgetting I had a big bump and kept getting caught between wing mirrors ;-)!!

spottybananas

We actually have a huge garden which is great for our dog, cats and now the toddler, we live in a small town and my husband was very clever/lucky and bought a detached house with this massive private garden when he was very young! Those spaces are desperate in most shopping centres, about five of them and never free, or taken by able bodied people with no kids!

the_sonandmoon

I bought a pump today. It came with a storage lid for the bottle, as well as a teat. Up to now, I've been expressing by hand, into the bottle, and putting the bottle into the fridge with the teat on it. Is that the wrong thing to do? Do I need to get those storage jars for keeping the breast milk in the fridge/freezer?

bovril

Using the teat would be fine. If you haven't got a cover for over the teat though the milk may pick up the taste of anything strong smelling you'd have in the fridge. The covers for the bottles are handy if you're using a different brand of bottle for feeding.

scarepanda

spottybananas wrote:

We actually have a huge garden which is great for our dog, cats and now the toddler, we live in a small town and my husband was very clever/lucky and bought a detached house with this massive private garden when he was very young! Those spaces are desperate in most shopping centres, about five of them and never free, or taken by able bodied people with no kids!

Awww your very lucky so. We were looking to buy a couple of years ago and couldn't find anything we were happy with. The garden is a big requirement for me.
Oh it has always annoyed me seeing people who clearly didn't have any children with them parking in those places. I'll be delighted the first time I'm able to use one of those spaces and then won't care after that!

Neyite

the_sonandmoon wrote: »

I bought a pump today. It came with a storage lid for the bottle, as well as a teat. Up to now, I've been expressing by hand, into the bottle, and putting the bottle into the fridge with the teat on it. Is that the wrong thing to do? Do I need to get those storage jars for keeping the breast milk in the fridge/freezer?

You can buy pre-sterilised sealable breast milk bags. The polythene is safe, it's got ounces/ml on the outside so you can keep track of volume, they are suitable for freezer and no washing bottles/ sterilising after, just dump the empty bag in the bin - waay easier

Loads of different brands to choose from:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=breast+milk+bags

yellow hen

Neyite wrote: »

You can buy pre-sterilised sealable breast milk bags. The polythene is safe, it's got ounces/ml on the outside so you can keep track of volume, they are suitable for freezer and no washing bottles/ sterilising after, just dump the empty bag in the bin - waay easier

Loads of different brands to choose from:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=breast+milk+bags

Can you top -up those bags over a 2-3 day period? Eg. I pumped 3oz last night. Can I add a further 3oz from tonight to that bag and then freeze the lot?

Cakerbaker

yellow hen wrote: »

Can you top -up those bags over a 2-3 day period? Eg. I pumped 3oz last night. Can I add a further 3oz from tonight to that bag and then freeze the lot?

You can, just make sure the milk is at the same temp so put the milk you pump today into the fridge before adding it to yesterday's milk. And date it using the earliest date. Though depending on your baby, it might b less wasteful to freeze in small batches, my baby wouldn't take 6oz in one feed so I usually freeze in 2oz portions. I just defrost another portion in warm water if needed. All depends on your baby and how much they drink through!!!

yellow hen

Cakerbaker wrote: »

You can, just make sure the milk is at the same temp so put the milk you pump today into the fridge before adding it to yesterday's milk. And date it using the earliest date. Though depending on your baby, it might b less wasteful to freeze in small batches, my baby wouldn't take 6oz in one feed so I usually freeze in 2oz portions. I just defrost another portion in warm water if needed. All depends on your baby and how much they drink through!!!

Thanks a million. She's 5.5 months and I'm weaning her and giving her the odd bottle of formula so pumping on those occasions.

spottybananas

Freeze in 1-3oz batches, another can always be thawed but if you freeze 5-6+ ozs and baby only takes a little bit it could easily go to waste.

Neyite

yellow hen wrote: »

Can you top -up those bags over a 2-3 day period? Eg. I pumped 3oz last night. Can I add a further 3oz from tonight to that bag and then freeze the lot?

It's better to freeze it in small lots, and anyway you seal the bag and cant unseal it due to it being sterilised. It defrosts much quicker in smaller quantities plus if you defrost 6oz and baby turns their nose at it, you'll be gutted pouring 5.5 oz of milk you painstakingly pumped for hours, down the sink. <bitter voice of experience>

Cakerbaker

Neyite wrote: »

It's better to freeze it in small lots, and anyway you seal the bag and cant unseal it due to it being sterilised. It defrosts much quicker in smaller quantities plus if you defrost 6oz and baby turns their nose at it, you'll be gutted pouring 5.5 oz of milk you painstakingly pumped for hours, down the sink. <bitter voice of experience>

While I agree with freezing in small portions (life is too short to be wasting pumped milk!!!), according to the kellymom website it is possible to mix milk from different pumping sessions. I've been doing this and haven't had any issues, although I know the guidelines are for healthy full term babies so may not be appropriate for everyone.

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

Neyite

Cakerbaker wrote: »

While I agree with freezing in small portions (life is too short to be wasting pumped milk!!!), according to the kellymom website it is possible to mix milk from different pumping sessions. I've been doing this and haven't had any issues, although I know the guidelines are for healthy full term babies so may not be appropriate for everyone.

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

I never disagreed with you that milk can be mixed. But I preferred not to.

I had plenty of bags, they defrosted easier and quicker in smaller quantities and it cut down on wasted milk when the baby would still want more but only take another ounce. My milk got frozen immediately when it was absolutely fresh, rather than a day or so old and that was my personal habit with all food that I prepare for the freezer.

tinkerbell

Also, if freezing you should taste your milk too to make sure it doesn't have excess lipase. If it does, it needs to be scalded I think, before freezing. It can make it taste soapy.

More info here:
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/lipase-expressedmilk/

rainbow kirby

We have 2 teeth now and he's biting. RIP my nipples.

jlm29

My boy stopped biting very swiftly. Shut up shop if he does it, he'll soon learn it's a no go!
He tends to only bite now if I'm giving him the wrong boob (mam... This ones nearly empty, give me the other one!), or if I kept trying to boob him when he didn't want it (Saturday mornings when I'd like a little lie in!).

Neyite

Mine bit me twice. He got such a fright when I yelped he bawled . The second time he wasn't really hungry so he was messing, bit me and I took him off and waggled my finger at him saying "Ah Ah!" He bawled again - it was my first time ever telling him off and I felt like an Awful Mother :pac: But he never did it again.

lazygal

They don't bite forever!

Also, three years breastfeeding! If I'd heard of someone breastfeeding a three year old I'd have thought it was crazy before I started our journey.

spottybananas

Period has returned, "baby" is almost 18 months old, so it's been gone over two years, last one was July 2014. I didn't miss it! Gutted it's back, it stayed gone so long I hoped it might wait another few months altogether! I do wonder what made it come back now, he still feeds a lot during the day and every 2-3 hours at night.

Lucuma

I decided to start using the washable breast pads due to guilt over the rain forests. Am I missing something or are they really crap? Nothing to stick them in place so they easily move resulting in bra getting soaked and there's no soakage in them compared to the non-disposable ones?