The Breast Feeding Support Thread

Cat Melodeon

Well, we got to our wedding, on our own. Yeay! I swear, 6 weeks of trying to get our girl to take a bottle. 6 weeks of stress. We tried EVERY brand of bottle. I had some success spooning it in to her but it just took so long. Then 3 days before we left for Scotland, she suddenly decided to yield (to the Avent bottle - the very first one we'd tried her with - typical!) and guzzled it down and looked for more. I couldn't believe it! Only for her dad though, if she as much as caught a glimpse of me she'd roar. She was no bother for her nan either and slept better for her than she does for me. I think we're going to have a battlesome relationship!

The wedding was probably one of the nicest I've been to. We got to meet heaps of our friends whom we haven't met in person for over 4 years (including my very good friend tequila and orange juice who I spent a lot of time with) and there were at least 9 other breastfeeding mothers there, with and without babies. The bathrooms were full of the hum of Medela pumps! Not a single one of my friends here has breastfed, it was a bit of a culture shock! Anyway, thanks for the support earlier, I probably wouldn't have persevered without it and would have ended up bringing her with us. And that lie-in the next morning probably added about 6 years to my life!

wmpdd3

The last wedding i was at, my car was used for a 4 person pumping session. i was amazed how decret the pros were

dublinlady

wmpdd3 wrote: »

The last wedding i was at, my car was used for a 4 person pumping session. i was amazed how decret the pros were

I stopped breast feeding over a week ago and can still hand express some out? They much softer and deflated but there's def still milk available! I'd be tempted to do the occasional feed if it weren't for those damn shields! I'm on hols and don't have them as thought milk would just go and that be that?! She's very happy on bottles tho now - really took to it. I've a freeze with enOugh breast milk to give her one feed a day for about a month when I get home so that's good.

wmpdd3

Dublin lady, did you use the shields right up until you gave up? that's brilliant, i dont know anyone who managed to maintain their supply for more than a few weeks using the shields, though I never had any issues up to week 10 or when ever i shopped using them.

I have a vomiting bug, I didnt really realise it would be so hard to feed baby while ill. Poor guy only gets a hug after I've sterlised myself.

How Strange

Ah wmpdd3 I hope you feel better soon. Hopefully your little fella won't get it because you'll be passing on the immunity to him through the milk. I was sick a few times when my son was less than 12 weeks and each time he slept for hours, had no evening wind and fed a lot less. It was like he knew his mammy was sick and needed to rest. It happened too often to just be coincidence.

dublinlady you could have milk for a couple of months. I'd say keep a little milk in the freezer in case she gets an eye infection (sticky eye) in the next few months because breast milk is a wonderful elixir for all sorts of things. I'm sorry I didn't keep some for these things.

dublinlady

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Dublin lady, did you use the shields right up until you gave up? that's brilliant, i dont know anyone who managed to maintain their supply for more than a few weeks using the shields, though I never had any issues up to week 10 or when ever i shopped using them.

I have a vomiting bug, I didnt really realise it would be so hard to feed baby while ill. Poor guy only gets a hug after I've sterlised myself.

Yeah couldn't get her off the shields no matter what I did - even after ciudiu advice etc - tried everything! She has a strong mind!! Next time around I'll be adamant not to use them!

wmpdd3

That reall is brilliant, which ones did you use, i'm going to pass this info to a girl in the cruidu meeting i go to, if thats ok, she's 3 weeks using the shields and everyone keeps tellling her her supply will disappear. Mine didnt but my little fella is tiny (10 pounds at 15weeks) so maybe not as hungary as an average baby. How strange, you might be right, i'm in bed with baby since 8pm last night and he's only been awake for a half an hour! He's passed out here beside me!

galah

same here - I used the NUK shields for 18 weeks without any problems! No decrease in milk supply etc. One day our little blighter decided he didnt want them anymore though and continued 'bare boob' - which was great, less faffing. But without the shields I wouldnt have bfed as long.

Incidentally - coming up to the 6 month mark now - any one any tips on how to wean him off the boob completely (without being an emotional wreck about it?)? he does get a bottle at night and some solids during the day, so he's well used to alternative food sources but for some stupid reason I get really really emotional about stopping, I think mainly because it was so tough in the beginning, we struggled so much, and now it's really easy...:o

wmpdd3

Thanks for that, cant wait to tell the girl at the next meeting.
I know what you mean about stopping, It was so hard o get the hang of this, I dont want to lose it. I'm starting with a bottle at 5pm every evening as I'll probably be working evenings in a months time so I have to start making a plan.

dublinlady

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Thanks for that, cant wait to tell the girl at the next meeting.
I know what you mean about stopping, It was so hard o get the hang of this, I dont want to lose it. I'm starting with a bottle at 5pm every evening as I'll probably be working evenings in a months time so I have to start making a plan.

Oh I had no issue with supply - def didn't seem to be affected by shields! I do think they may have made her gassiness worse tho! Literally if had to stop using shields there would have been no b feeding. She just would not go without !
I hated the shields due to the gas issue, also I felt less close to her , and also they were pain in behind!! I think I'd do the odd feed nowif I could go without - but she's much less gassy since stopping and much happier - which makes me sad I do miss it - and I do feel guilty about stopping at 12 weeks :(but between hols, work and the shields I couldn't cope with the time demands etc. I just give her extra hugs now...! I def def def def de would not accept advise of using shields off midwife next time around. But again I suppose at least they made 12 weeks possible!

MelanieB

There is of course your PHN - some are trained as Lactation Consultants too.

The Hospital you gave birth in will also be able to help as well.

Please be aware there are also voluntary organisations out there too who can support you for no cost and sometimes they will come to your house, or they run weekly/monthly groups or sometimes may even meet you for coffee at your local café.

These are namely Le Leche and Cuidiú. There are branches or Breastfeeding Counsellors in every county and spread well across them too.

Their numbers can be found in the Golden Pages and on the internet.

Best advice I ever had...Never give up after a bad nights sleep!

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/groups/280389385380674/

MelanieB

galah wrote: »

same here - I used the NUK shields for 18 weeks without any problems! No decrease in milk supply etc. One day our little blighter decided he didnt want them anymore though and continued 'bare boob' - which was great, less faffing. But without the shields I wouldnt have bfed as long.

Incidentally - coming up to the 6 month mark now - any one any tips on how to wean him off the boob completely (without being an emotional wreck about it?)? he does get a bottle at night and some solids during the day, so he's well used to alternative food sources but for some stupid reason I get really really emotional about stopping, I think mainly because it was so tough in the beginning, we struggled so much, and now it's really easy...:o

Why are stopping out of interest? You can just bring him/her down to 3-4 feeds a day and continue feeding. You could feed from one boob in the morning express from the other and bottle it and the creche can give that for lunch and then BF when you come home and then one more when you go to bed and do a dream feed. (Just a suggestion!)

Best of both worlds then. From six months they can have water with their meals and breastmilk inbetween. Have a word with a BF Counsellor and they will make some suggestions on the best way to continue BF and work.

liliq

Did anyone see the breastfeeding article in the Feel Good section of the Irish Examiner today? Really lovely article, lovely to see mums continuing to feed "beyond babyhood" as it was put

NextSteps

galah wrote: »

Incidentally - coming up to the 6 month mark now - any one any tips on how to wean him off the boob completely (without being an emotional wreck about it?)? he does get a bottle at night and some solids during the day, so he's well used to alternative food sources but for some stupid reason I get really really emotional about stopping, I think mainly because it was so tough in the beginning, we struggled so much, and now it's really easy...:o

Why stop if neither of you wants too? I found that it was after six months that I really started to enjoy breastfeeding as a way of cuddling up and feeling close. Not to mention the continued, huge, benefits.

galah

see and there is my problem or dilemma - one the one hand, I don't want to stop since it's now so easy, and obviously beneficial, and just nice in terms of bonding and all. But on the other hand, I would like my independence back, would like more than a glass of wine on occasion, and also would like my boobs back to normal and not about to explode when someone decides to sleep through the night and skip a feed...
and there's the matter of maybe TTC again in a while - for that, I'd like my periods back first though (sorry if TMI).

so there's the dilemma, his needs versus mine...:o

red fraggle

MelanieB wrote: »

Why are stopping out of interest? You can just bring him/her down to 3-4 feeds a day and continue feeding. You could feed from one boob in the morning express from the other and bottle it and the creche can give that for lunch and then BF when you come home and then one more when you go to bed and do a dream feed. (Just a suggestion!)

just wondering, i was thinking of stopping at 6 months but now im thinking of keeping up 2 feeds or even one i will have to see how it goes.

on the topic of expressing. i express in the morning while my daughter feeds from the other boob just so i can have a supply in the freezer. very handy. however i only express 4 to 7 oz depending which boob etc the problem is my monster will take 11oz from a bottle at the moment. will she stay at this amount? i dont want to have to be expressing more than once when im back to work. just wont have the time. i might have to combine formula aswell i suppose. she is 19 weeks now and i didnt think id stil be at it!!!

dublinlady

Galah it's such a tough decision.... I'm still racked with guilt but know I really didn't have much option due to work. I could have tried expressing but never got enough for a feed and again it was hugely time consuming! Maybe ppl who managed it for longer could advise u - but end of day you'll make decision that's right for you both - uve done great anyway

And on a side - 19 weeks! Well done red!

How Strange

galah I found that my sons feeding patterns really changed around 6 months. He'd go for up to 5 hours between feeds. I went back to work when he was 7 months and fed him 3-4 times in 24 hours.

I know what you mean about getting your body back to yourself but it's such a short time in the grand scheme of things. We managed a weekend away on our own when he was 9 months so they definitely get less and less dependent on you after 6 months. I could even wear dresses during the day because he'd only want to feed before bed time.

I personally found it all much easier after 6 months. You have to do what suits your family and getting to 6 months is a fantastic start for your son.

Ben Moore

Hi there,

Personally I do not know so much about this topic but recently and separately two friends of mine have become involved in movements which may be of use to you.

if you get a chance take a look at these 11 Free HSE approved Apps for all sorts of new parent care

http://whatsupmum.ie/

and in particular a new Breastfeeding Consultant Group which has a facebook page here

https://www.facebook.com/BreastFeedingConsultants

I hope these links are of help.

Mink

As someone due end of July and planning to breastfeed, can you experienced people tell me any essentials that I need to have the first month or so of breastfeeding (other than boobs & baby).

I have a pack of washable breast pads and my sister is lending me her double medela pump (to use once I get the hang of the direct feeding).

I do have a few bottles and steriliser just in case it all goes to sh1t and I have to do a small top up with formular in the middle of the night etc.

But is there anything else you guys think I should definitely buy or that you'd recommend me getting before the wee one arrives?

ck83

Mink wrote: »

As someone due end of July and planning to breastfeed, can you experienced people tell me any essentials that I need to have the first month or so of breastfeeding (other than boobs & baby).

I have a pack of washable breast pads and my sister is lending me her double medela pump (to use once I get the hang of the direct feeding).

I do have a few bottles and steriliser just in case it all goes to sh1t and I have to do a small top up with formular in the middle of the night etc.

But is there anything else you guys think I should definitely buy or that you'd recommend me getting before the wee one arrives?

Equipment wise, you're pretty much there... you'll need the bottles and steriliser if you express and feed baby anyhow, not just if you decide to give formula. you'll need a couple of nursing bras, and i'd advise you to have a look at the boob nursing wear range (some maternity shops sell it, but you can buy online too). I got a few of the hoodies, and have worn them to death over the last 7 months (people actually remark now when I don't wear them!!)... they're expensive, but well worth it. I found that wearing them made it much easier to feed discreetly- i.e. in public, or in company, and that really gave me confidence when it came to feeding my LO in public... This might not be something that will bother you, but I know it's a big issue for a lot of people...

foxinsocks

Clothing that buttons up the front for use at home and in the hospital. In public i feed from under any t-shirty thing, but at home or in bed, front opening is 10x easier, especially while you both are learning.

Nursing bra (don't know how i did without this first time round)

Lansinoh (or some other nipple cream)

Breast shields.

Hopefully you won't need the last two. I didn't this time, but i used the shields on my first as she couldn't get a latch for the first few weeks without them.

Congratulations and good luck!

implausible

Mink wrote: »

But is there anything else you guys think I should definitely buy or that you'd recommend me getting before the wee one arrives?

Muslin cloths for mopping up, throwing up and covering up. Also, you can't have enough vest tops for underneath your other tops - they cover your belly and if you're like me and have oversupply, you could end up changing a few times a day (and you might need more than one pack of breastpads). Lansinoh nipple cream is a godsend and even if you don't use it, it's good to know it's there.

wmpdd3

Baby's colic is cured!! But now he's teething, he keeps biting my nipple :0 .
I'm trying to introduce a bottle at 5pm so he's be ready when I go back to work, but even after 8oz of formula he will take another boob. Its like he'll humour me by drinking the bottle as long as there is boob after it.

I have no idea what my hours will be in work, so I think the next bottle will be 1pm. I could be working25 hrs per week but that could be: 10-2pm, 2-10, 12-6 and 6-10 in a week, so I have no idea how this is going to work out.

I dont want to stop, it was so much work starting! He will be 5 months when I go back.

Neyite

Mink wrote: »

As someone due end of July and planning to breastfeed, can you experienced people tell me any essentials that I need to have the first month or so of breastfeeding (other than boobs & baby).

I have a pack of washable breast pads and my sister is lending me her double medela pump (to use once I get the hang of the direct feeding).

I do have a few bottles and steriliser just in case it all goes to sh1t and I have to do a small top up with formular in the middle of the night etc.

But is there anything else you guys think I should definitely buy or that you'd recommend me getting before the wee one arrives?

As someone who is now 11 days into breastfeeding, I can throw in my 2 cents:

Start toughening up your nipples now - a brisk rub in the shower with a facecloth every day, they will be very tender at first, but keep it up and you will see that they will gradually toughen up. My sister gave me this tip and I am thanking her now for it. I've had no soreness at all so far.

I live in the vest tops with hidden support (which holds in the breast pads) so stock up on those. I throw a cardigan over the lot and it looks grand. I found the nursing bra uncomfortable so unless I'm going out of the house, I dont bother. Its also much easier to pull up/down a vest top than unclip the bra one handed, until you get the hang of handling baby one handed. (but I dont have huge boobs so maybe that helps go without a nursing bra)

Get more muslins. You will use them.

I'd also stock up on more breastpads - I go through a few disposabe ones a day so if you are using washable ones you will want several sets to rotate while you wash and dry them. No harm to get a box or two of disposable ones too.

I got a simple hand pump - just so that you can relieve a bit of engorging by expressing a few ml so baby can latch on easier. I dont keep it at the moment but I will once the baby is a bit older and I can give him expressed milk in a bottle.

I found the breastfeeding pillow not the best, it was hard to position correctly without knocking baby off the boob, we got a glider chair, and I use a little roll shaped pillow (like the ones for decorating a bed) and its much easier.

I'm loving my kindle too while feeding - its a lot of hours out of the day you are sitting and one handed so its perfect for the job.

Our laundry loads have increased so we have swapped the whole household wash over to fairy non-bio, as its the gentlest, and we are going to get another clothes horse to cope with it.

wmpdd3

^^^Brilliant post, I knew of none of those points before this baby was born!

ck83

wmpdd3 wrote: »

^^^Brilliant post, I knew of none of those points before this baby was born!

It is a brilliant post. It's funny how, a few months on, you can forget all the things that were most useful in the first few weeks!!!

red fraggle

all of a sudden i have a sore leaking boob!:eek: any ideas


also im thinking of introducing formula now as im not expressing enough for a full feed and we have a wedding in a few weeks so i want to make sure there will be milk for her. also one of my freezer bags burst so i lost 7oz :mad:and cant risk this when im not around. so anyone any ideas on what formula i could introduce? she is 20 weeks old now:eek: (feelin guilty but i know its a good decision...)

lynski

It is not usually advised to rough up your nipples - breastfeeding should not hurt and if it does there is a problem.
other then that great post. muslin cloths from ikea are amazing, and i love the non-bio from aldi as it has no scent, i find the fairy scent overpowering.
I never need breastpads for more then a few days at the start - on any of my 3, so a little stock to start off with is fine but dont go overboard.

implausible

red fraggle wrote: »

all of a sudden i have a sore leaking boob!:eek: any ideas
so anyone any ideas on what formula i could introduce? she is 20 weeks old now:eek: (feelin guilty but i know its a good decision...)

You'll have to reduce the feeds gradually as you don't want to end up with engorgement or mastitis. It's heartbreaking when you lose your stash like that after all the work that went into it. To be on the safe side, try freezing smaller amounts at a time, there's less waste that way. Formula-wise I don't think it matters, they're all the same. I gave my wee fella Aptamil 1 until just before his 1st birthday. You could try giving ready-made cartons at the beginning to see what suits.

There's no need for guilt, you've fed your baby the very best and we all need our lives (and boobs back) at different stages.

lynski wrote: »

I never need breastpads for more then a few days at the start - on any of my 3, so a little stock to start off with is fine but dont go overboard.

Lucky mare:eek:! My wee woman is nearly 4 weeks old and I might get the day out of one set of washable breastpads and at night I rarely wake up with dry disposable pads:(. With my 1st, I don't think I stopped wearing the pads until he was weaned:eek:

But you're right, it's hard to know until you start.