The Breast Feeding Support Thread

holding

aknitter wrote: »

Thanks Murdy, I feel so much better. Had some walks with the two kids and the baby is feeding well. I'd be listening to your doctor about the weaning thing. He knows you and J and while there is good reason to delay weaning it really comes down to personal circumstances. Your little man may be a hungry guy cause he's growing so fast!

A is 12 weeks on thursday and I'm really hopeful about continuing with the exclusive breastfeeding as on my last fella I'd decided to add formula as he was so unsettled and never seemed satisfied. With all the talk here about needing help, obstacles etc the one thing no one has mentioned the baby. When it comes to the whole nature/nurture debate I believe each child is born with an innate personality and this, I think, influences their temperament and how they feed, so maybe its time to start taking the baby into consideration with everything that goes on

Each to their own. I personally had a terrible experience with a paediatrician in the Rotunda when my baby was 20 hours old. She didn't have a clue that my milk hadn't come in yet and was trying to persuade me to give formula. I was lucky that I had done some reading prior to that so I was able to hold my own. My GP is also clueless about breastfeeding, and didn't know about the different weight charts, telling me that my 2 week old baby was light for his age. I now proceed with the assumption that doctors, although medically qualified, are not necessarily the best authority on breastfeeding or on breastfed babies. I haven't actually met a single HSE professional yet who could speak with authority about half the things we talk about in this thread, but then I am only 5 months into breastfeeding my first baby so I'm sure there is time yet.

Your second point describes baby led weaning to a T - listening to the baby's cues, letting them dictate how early/ late they eat solids, and basing the whole experience on their individual personalities. Purees, baby rice, and spoon feeding is called parent-led weaning. Probably most people end up doing a combo whether they plan to or not

holding

lolademmers wrote: »

Hey ladies. Due my first baby in 6 weeks and I'm going to breast feed all going well. What I'm basically asking is what do I need??! I have nursing bras, nipple shield and breast pads. Want to get a few more bits over the next couple if weeks I'm trying to spread the cost. Has anyone any creams,gadgets etc. they found were invaluable to them?

I found Lansinoh great, it's a gel thing in a purple tube that is good for sore or cracked nipples. Lasts ages too. Found the resusable breast pads the most absorbent, but also that they moved around at night in my bra when I was in bed. Oh and lots of vest tops that you can pull down, for wearing under t shirts. Cheapo in Penneys.

dublinlady

lolademmers wrote: »

Hey ladies. Due my first baby in 6 weeks and I'm going to breast feed all going well. What I'm basically asking is what do I need??! I have nursing bras, nipple shield and breast pads. Want to get a few more bits over the next couple if weeks I'm trying to spread the cost. Has anyone any creams,gadgets etc. they found were invaluable to them?

That's the beauty of breast feeding!! No expense!
If u want the lansinoh cream and multimamm compresses are something I couldn't do without!
As a luxury a breast feeding pillow - but regular cushion or pillow does perfectly! In fact I find a regular pillow easier in bed. I fly thru breast pads.. I love the lansinoh brand - at 17 weeks I still use about 4 a day!
I wouldn't go without my medela swing pump either - although you prob wouldn't need that til a couple weeks in as its better to have the baby feed itself for first few weeks.
People have different views on this but I wouldn't survive without my breast feeding tops!! H&M do cheap ones!

God now I think of it I have lots of breast feeding crap!

Although I'd avoid shields if u can - I found it literally impossible to get my first baby off them and I found then fiddly and annoying to use! I really worked hard at getting the latch right with the midwives while I was in the hospital second time around and it's much easier this time!

How Strange

Not a necessity by any means but my friend passed on her boob (brand name!) nursing top as she's finished breastfeeding and it's so lovely.

They're expensive to buy new but would be very nice if you're going to be feeding throughout the winter. Don't buy in advance though. I personally don't think you should buy nice breastfeeding bras or tops until you've got past 6 weeks and are sure you're going to continue for a few months.

I also bought myself some boob fast food bras last month and I love them. I reckon I'll be using them until I finish up feeding and it's great to have some nice underwear.

gravid

lolademmers wrote: »

Hey ladies. Due my first baby in 6 weeks and I'm going to breast feed all going well. What I'm basically asking is what do I need??! I have nursing bras, nipple shield and breast pads. Want to get a few more bits over the next couple if weeks I'm trying to spread the cost. Has anyone any creams,gadgets etc. they found were invaluable to them?

i agree with previous posters. also, i would stock up on night time snacks as i was very hungry and thirsty all hours of the day! i made savoury muffins that were handy to have when up feeding all night :-)

cyning

Oh god the thirstiness at the start I had totally forgotten I must stock up on litre bottles of water I honestly thought my husband would kill me if I got him to get water for me one more time.

Like the others have said try and avoid shields if at all possible, ask for help if you need it and lansinoh was essential.

holding

The thirst, yes!! I have a no-spill litre bottle from 'camelpak' that saved me. Doesn't spill when the baby kicks it over basically. Essential for me at night!

aknitter

I'd recommend the multimam nipple balm, its brilliant - doesn't have to be wiped off before feeding.

Penneys do maternity bras cheap as chips so you can use them and see how it goes, but a good bra is not to be underestimated.

If you like watching the tv, set any programs you like to record or lay in a stock of box sets you'd like to watch, or get in netflix - you'll do a lot of sitting in the early days - you know I kinda miss it! I'm a reader myself and I would have been lost without my kindle - can be held one handed and so many books available for free online

lolademmers

Great thanks a million for all the suggestions. I plan on hibernating for two weeks when I'm home from the hospital so the more I have at home the better!! Live about 20 minutes away from the nearest town.

Oral Slang

Dunnes also do nursing bras now, bought a 2 pack for €15 the other day - had to check a few branches to find my size, but if your size is available in the uk, they'll order it into your local store for you.

A great facebook page is maternity & nursing clothes fsot - you can pick up great tops, dresses, bras etc., if you don't mind 2nd hand. Sometimes there are new things too.

wolfpawnat

Little girl is 8 weeks today. I really didn't think I would even get to 6 weeks. So happy, and it is a breeze now. She decided 2 weeks ago to abandon the shields and it has made life even easier for us Next milestone is 12 weeks

icescreamqueen

wolfpawnat wrote: »

Little girl is 8 weeks today. I really didn't think I would even get to 6 weeks. So happy, and it is a breeze now. She decided 2 weeks ago to abandon the shields and it has made life even easier for us Next milestone is 12 weeks

Congrats on getting this far. It definitely does get easier. If you don't mind me asking, how long would S be feeding for over the course of the day?
When I was pregnant I said I would breastfeed for 3 months and be happy but now I'm thinking of extending it to 4 months or extend it further and do it up to Christmas. I really enjoy it now and I know it is best for my baby. Also, I just happened to look at the price of formula the other day and it's so expensive!

holding

Delighted for you Wolfpawnat!

banbhaaifric

lolademmers wrote: »

Hey ladies. Due my first baby in 6 weeks and I'm going to breast feed all going well. What I'm basically asking is what do I need??! I have nursing bras, nipple shield and breast pads. Want to get a few more bits over the next couple if weeks I'm trying to spread the cost. Has anyone any creams,gadgets etc. they found were invaluable to them?

Plus 1 on the multimam balm and compresses -especially the compresses even though they are a little bit pricey they are well worth it.

We are on day 12 now and things have totally settled down for us. At the beginning I was lazy about sorting the latch at each feed and very quickly regretted it! It's hard when you are sleep deprived I think and sometimes it's easier to go ill just leave her latched on and bear with it until she's done... Haha, big mistake! She wasn't getting enough so was feeding more often and I had two fissures on my nipples! The good news is after a couple of feeds where I was just ruthless about getting a good latch, most of the pain had gone. 24 hours later everything was fine again. God bless those compresses

I did get my husband to pick up shields when I was at my lowest point, but I think just knowing they were there was enough to make me persevere with the latch. (And the thoughts of having to sterilise them seemed like waaaay too much hassle )

One tip is to cut your nails on your little fingers as short as possible so you have two latch breakers at the ready if your baby decides to just do some nipple chomping. My husbands face was a picture when I suggested he pop a clean pinkie in the baby's mouth just to see what my nipples were going through :P

Good luck anyway it's well worth persevering with

aknitter

icescreamqueen wrote: »

. Also, I just happened to look at the price of formula the other day and it's so expensive!

Not to mention the smell! Its so disgusting.

wolfpawnat

icescreamqueen wrote: »

Congrats on getting this far. It definitely does get easier. If you don't mind me asking, how long would S be feeding for over the course of the day?
When I was pregnant I said I would breastfeed for 3 months and be happy but now I'm thinking of extending it to 4 months or extend it further and do it up to Christmas. I really enjoy it now and I know it is best for my baby. Also, I just happened to look at the price of formula the other day and it's so expensive!

She feeds for about 15min every 2, maybe sometimes up to 3 hours. Then in the evening she cluster feeds for about 3 hours and at 9 dozes off til about 2 or 3, then has a tiny couple of sucks around 5ish. Sometimes she doesn't bother with a 2/3 feed and can go until nearly 5. I worry sometimes is it good for her, but she has loads of wet nappies and is gaining loads of weight so it can be doing her any harm.

I never decided how long I would feed for, my biggest hope before I had S was to get to the six month mark, the first week was so hard I thought it was going to be a fail, so getting here alone is great and I will see how each milestone goes. But, with it going so well I might strive for the 6 month mark again, then start on solids and see what happens.

Formula costs a fortune, not to mention bottles, replacing teets all the time, sterilizing, and the pain of having to make bottles and waiting for them to cool/heat up! With bf, it's a case of "oh you're hungry?" and whip out one boobie to go! Ended up having to do it on the luas today. I use a blanket so nothing was on display, but still got some funny looks!

pwurple

aknitter wrote: »

Not to mention the smell! Its so disgusting.

Cracked Infected nipple doesn't smell so great either I can tell you. Can't clear this frikken thing. Have anti bac cream from the GP, plus lanolin. Seeing GP again in a week, it's so sore and gross. don't know what to do with it, I'm in tears every time I shower or try to clean it.

Hospital wrecked my head last week. If I don't manage to get the breastfeeding going for new baby they want me to use nutramigen to try to prevent the allergies. That stuff is a bloomin fortune.

How Strange

pwurple would you email Jack Newman and ask him for advice? He's really the guru on all things breastfeeding and he may be able to recommend something. He usually emails back within 1 day.

I'm on holidays at the moment and breastfeeding really comes into its own at times like this. It's just so easy. We can go anywhere and do anything we like without having to worry about bottles, formula etc.

My not so little lady is now 19lb at 4.5 months! I put her on the scales last Friday. She's in 6-9 month clothes and size 4 nappies. She's started really stretching her feeds out too and can go up to 5 hours. Sometimes I forget when I've last fed her.

wolfpawnat

How Strange wrote: »

pwurple would you email Jack Newman and ask him for advice? He's really the guru on all things breastfeeding and he may be able to recommend something. He usually emails back within 1 day.

Out of curiousity, what is his email HS?

How Strange

This is the address I used last year and I got a reply within 4 hours

drjacknewman@sympatico.ca

Blueskye

How Strange wrote: »

pwurple would you email Jack Newman and ask him for advice? He's really the guru on all things breastfeeding and he may be able to recommend something. He usually emails back within 1 day.

I'm on holidays at the moment and breastfeeding really comes into its own at times like this. It's just so easy. We can go anywhere and do anything we like without having to worry about bottles, formula etc.

My not so little lady is now 19lb at 4.5 months! I put her on the scales last Friday. She's in 6-9 month clothes and size 4 nappies. She's started really stretching her feeds out too and can go up to 5 hours. Sometimes I forget when I've last fed her.

Wow really 5 hours? That is brilliant! Twins 4 months but only 14lbs. Most they'll go is 3 hours between feeds but today they were looking for food more often.

aknitter

Blueskye, my hats off to you!

pwurple

How Strange wrote: »

pwurple would you email Jack Newman and ask him for advice? He's really the guru on all things breastfeeding and he may be able to recommend something. He usually emails back within 1 day.

Thanks, never heard of him til now! Will give the Gp another week and see if I have any improvement. Great to have another resource.

liliq

pwurple wrote: »

Cracked Infected nipple doesn't smell so great either I can tell you. Can't clear this frikken thing. Have anti bac cream from the GP, plus lanolin. Seeing GP again in a week, it's so sore and gross. don't know what to do with it, I'm in tears every time I shower or try to clean it.

Hospital wrecked my head last week. If I don't manage to get the breastfeeding going for new baby they want me to use nutramigen to try to prevent the allergies. That stuff is a bloomin fortune.

Multimams will help heal the crack, lanolin can sometimes not be the best. Coconut oil can help too and is a natural anti fungal (and useful for so mnay things!)
I 100% agree with emailing Jack Newman, he is amazing.

Has everyone heard that he will be speaking at the La Leche League Conference in Maynooth in March? CAN NOT WAIT!

And... we've made it to two years! Can't believe my little man is two years old today! HSE and WHO guideliens met? Check

pwurple

liliq wrote: »

Multimams will help heal the crack, lanolin can sometimes not be the best. Coconut oil can help too and is a natural anti fungal (and useful for so mnay things!)

Thanks liliq, where can I multimams? I think the lanolin is making it worse if anything actually. Super-dry and really really itchy. I've only realised last night that lanolin is made from wool, arg. Should really google the heck out of this stuff before using. My skin reacts like crazy to wool, as does my daughter. That defo wasn't going to work for me. Herbal things are generally a no-no for me too. Can't get an ingredient list on multi-mam from their website....

Paranoid now.

The product is based on the patented 2QR complex that is unique in its ability to block harmful bacteria in a safe and natural way.

What's 2qr complex exactly? What's in it? Bleurg.

Multi-Mam Compresses are not toxic and contain no preservatives. The bio-active gel has a pleasant sweet taste, contains only herbal ingredients

Herbal ingredients could be anything. I have mild psorisis as well, I react to loads of things on my skin, especially herbs. Why can't they just say what the ingredients are. Sigh.

Era. i'll just try it, I've a few months before action-day. Trial and error will hopefully eventually find something.

cyning

Wow liliq that's amazing massive congrats

liliq

pwurple wrote: »

Thanks liliq, where can I multimams? I think the lanolin is making it worse if anything actually. Super-dry and really really itchy. I've only realised last night that lanolin is made from wool, arg. Should really google the heck out of this stuff before using. My skin reacts like crazy to wool, as does my daughter. That defo wasn't going to work for me. Herbal things are generally a no-no for me too. Can't get an ingredient list on multi-mam from their website....

Paranoid now.
What's 2qr complex exactly? What's in it? Bleurg.

Herbal ingredients could be anything. I have mild psorisis as well, I react to loads of things on my skin, especially herbs. Why can't they just say what the ingredients are. Sigh.

Era. i'll just try it, I've a few months before action-day. Trial and error will hopefully eventually find something.

I know the pharmacy in city west in Dublin have them, as do a lot of boots.
I think it's derived from the gel stuff in seaweed but can't remember! Maybe they might tell you if you email them?

Thanks cyning! Kind of thinking 'eh, how did that happen?!'. Funny how it creeps up!

scaryfairy

pwurple wrote: »

Thanks liliq, where can I multimams? I think the lanolin is making it worse if anything actually. Super-dry and really really itchy. I've only realised last night that lanolin is made from wool, arg. Should really google the heck out of this stuff before using. My skin reacts like crazy to wool, as does my daughter. That defo wasn't going to work for me. Herbal things are generally a no-no for me too. Can't get an ingredient list on multi-mam from their website....

Paranoid now.
What's 2qr complex exactly? What's in it? Bleurg.

Herbal ingredients could be anything. I have mild psorisis as well, I react to loads of things on my skin, especially herbs. Why can't they just say what the ingredients are. Sigh.

Era. i'll just try it, I've a few months before action-day. Trial and error will hopefully eventually find something.

Hi just bought some multimam compresses (having some tough nights!) and took a pic of the ingredients bit. Tried attaching it not sure it worked

scaryfairy

Got them in Lloyds, Unicare pharmacies should have them, too. Also found them online, with an Irish retailer

dublinlady

19 weeks on tue - feeling like I can't keep up - I know it'll pass! Sleep not great but been doing alot of travelling last month - planes, trains, buses and not having to bring formula has been amazing!
On serious downside she really has outgrown her Moses basket - I've put her in tonight and gotten a shock at how much she's grown! Ill have to move her to her own room and I'm not ready I can't cosleep and no room in room for cot. It's very sad..!!! Ill do it this week.
Is 19 weeks a growth spurt? She was 2 weeks over. Either that or tiredness has made my supply drop - she's huge now - my boobs will have to pick up the pace!! Back at work again this week so will be extra vigilant with my expressing while I'm there and feed her as much as can myself - luckily I'm only working mornings this week except for 2 long days.

Congrats liliq - you should be proud at your strength - regardless of what other people do or don't do what you've done cannot be anything other than fantastic for your baby. Pat on back to u and baby