The Breast Feeding Support Thread

FairCity12 · 08-01-2021 10:36pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The best thing about bf my last baby was that I did nothing else.
Trust me!
Still feeding said 21 month old. I used to love getting home from work and after my shower just sitting bonding with him as he got older and just feeding.. Dinner handed to me feet up..
OH can help with so much more.
BF is something special

I understand that, and some of my friends were unable to stick with BF for different reasons. I am planning to try the best I can but am trying to be prepared or at least think about all eventualities. Because of the special bonding of feeding, and reading other fora, I know it can be a nice experience for the man in my life also.

Breastfeeding, even with a bottle, still ensures the baba gets the goodness!

Minier81 · 08-01-2021 11:04pm

FairCity12 wrote: »

Thanking you. I'm thinking more of a 'just in case' thing as well, and would like OH to be involved in feeding as well - and maybe to give me a break now and again!

I got a spectra double pump and found it good. Used it from about 8 weeks. It came with all this bits you needed, and I just bought freezer bags then. It cost 200€ish.

I did get a haka too. If it's just the odd bit of pumping then the haka can do the job for the odd feed. They cost about 20€ and are in lidl this week on the baby special.

In retrospect I never needed the expensive pump. The pump can be seen as liberating but its not necessarily, it's way quicker to just put the baby on the boob after the first few weeks than to get a pump out!!

Minier81 · 08-01-2021 11:14pm

FairCity12 wrote: »

I understand that, and some of my friends were unable to stick with BF for different reasons. I am planning to try the best I can but am trying to be prepared or at least think about all eventualities. Because of the special bonding of feeding, and reading other fora, I know it can be a nice experience for the man in my life also.

Breastfeeding, even with a bottle, still ensures the baba gets the goodness!

Totally agree that all breastmilk getting into baby is a benefit. However if it comes down to choice just remember there are non nutritional benefits to breastfeeding as well x

FairCity12 · 08-01-2021 11:21pm

Minier81 wrote: »

Totally agree that all breastmilk getting into baby is a benefit. However if it comes down to choice just remember there are non nutritional benefits to breastfeeding as well x

Yes I know - every night I'm reading/watching videos about breastfeeding and different aspects of it! Trying to get in the zone mentally haha

Minier81 · 08-01-2021 11:25pm

Sounds like you are much more prepared than I was!! Knowledge is power, you will be fine :-)

10-01-2021 10:01am

FairCity12 wrote: »

I understand that, and some of my friends were unable to stick with BF for different reasons. I am planning to try the best I can but am trying to be prepared or at least think about all eventualities. Because of the special bonding of feeding, and reading other fora, I know it can be a nice experience for the man in my life also.

Breastfeeding, even with a bottle, still ensures the baba gets the goodness!

Absolutely, but being armed and prepared before having the baby gives you a better chance to avoid those different reasons others may not have been able or able to continue.
I work with BF mums, the amount of woman who no nothing before having the baby is shocking, prior education is key, even the basics will stand to the experience.
There have been studies to show that breast milk straight from the best holds a better nutritional value than pumping though too.
Pumping can take it out of you also keep in mind. The baby feeds so much in the first few weeks you barely have time to pump. And if you start pumping before 6 to 8 weeks you can create an oversupply which can be uncomfortable for mum and baby.
I pumped for 6 months for a very ill baby who couldn't go to the breast, no breast at all. It was tough.

FairCity12 · 11-01-2021 2:01pm

And that's why I'd like to be prepared for all eventualities

I may not pump. I may not breastfeed! But if I DID have to pump I'd rather not be scrambling for knowledge on decent ones at the time!

11-01-2021 3:06pm

FairCity12 wrote: »

Thanking you. I'm thinking more of a 'just in case' thing as well, and would like OH to be involved in feeding as well - and maybe to give me a break now and again!

Just in case--it's great to have one in mind for just in case.. And purchasing it when it's needed.
Wanting OH to be 'involved in feeding' isn't a valid reason to introduce bottles as alot of babies can become confused and refuse the breast. My OH wouldn't dream of breaking the breastfeeding experience cos he wanted to 'feel involved'. Old and hairy enough and all that.
Breast feeding is difficult and takes comittment at the beginning but once established its much easier and you'll have lots of breaks.
Plus with covid rampant - breast is the best.

Redser87 · 11-01-2021 4:35pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Dinner handed to me feet up..
OH can help with so much more.
BF is something special

Dinner with the feet up sounds great ðŸ˜€feel free to send your OH over whenever

Seriously though FairCity, if you are going to pump I'd leave it until week 6 if at all possible - you'll have so much going on in those early weeks, and your supply won't have stabilised until then. I have the medela mini pump as well as a haakaa and together, they do the trick for pumping 2 or 3 times a week.

Dahdum · 11-01-2021 5:41pm

FairCity12 - when we were pregnant we looked at getting a pump as my aim was to BF but I wanted to be prepared in case we’d any issues and I actually thought it was a necessity. Ladies at mothercare (booo, gone now) were brill and I was advised to hold off on getting an electrical until jr was here but the haakaa was suggested at the time. Read up on that and got it. I’ve found it really handy in that it’s helped when I’ve been very full and jr is already fed. I read that it doesn’t cause over supply (happy to be corrected on that one) and it hasn’t in my case and for the price, should it not work or not be needed, you’ll be out about €25! You pour straight from pump into bottles so you don’t have to worry about all the extra bits and bobs.

Pre COVID, I think it was handy to wait until baby arrived and you could see what type of pump you needed, if at all but with nearly everything being closed I think there’s no harm being prepared.

I got mine on earthmother.ie

fits · 11-01-2021 6:35pm

^ pharmacies are open though. And bigger ones often stock the pumps

OP actually reminds me of me when I was expecting. Doing all the research

. For me anyway things worked out quite differently to what I expected. I suspect that’s true for lots of us. But the research did help.

Millem · 11-01-2021 9:03pm

fits wrote: »

^ pharmacies are open though. And bigger ones often stock the pumps

OP actually reminds me of me when I was expecting. Doing all the research . For me anyway things worked out quite differently to what I expected. I suspect that’s true for lots of us. But the research did help.

I have also ordered from Amazon uk recently with no issues.

FairCity12 · 13-01-2021 11:05pm

Lidl had the Haakaa last week for €17. I got one new off someone else for €14

thefasteriwalk · 15-01-2021 4:22am

Does anyone have any advice or insight re moving from nipple shields to the bare breast? We're having a tough time of it.

Minier81 · 15-01-2021 6:07pm

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

Does anyone have any advice or insight re moving from nipple shields to the bare breast? We're having a tough time of it.

How old I baby? I was using them in the beginning and gradually stopped when she was 10 days ish. They are nuisance!!

scarepanda · 15-01-2021 6:20pm

It depends how old baby is and why you were using them? As in was baby not latching properly, has he/she a tongue tie, has it been sorted out or were you just getting very sore etc?

Some ways I saw was to snip the top of the shield and slowly cut it down to basically nothing. Other ways is to alternate feeds between shield and no shield. You can also start baby off with a shield on and swap when baby is relaxed/initial letdown has passed. Or feed baby before he/she gets too hungry and try start the feed with no shield, but have one ready just in case they get fussy.

I used one with my first for 2 years, I could never get off them. I reckon she has/had a type (?) 4 tie so it wasn't visible to the eye. Any time I tried to feed her without a shield I'd be in bits afterwards. I didn't know at the time I could self refer to a clinic to get an expert to check her out. With baby no2 she had a type(?)2 tie so it was visible to the eye. It was snipped at 9days but took me till she was 3ish months to build up the courage to try going shield free. I did the swapsy for the first day or two then alternated just to be sure I wasn't going to end up in bits and finally fed no shield but had one ready for the first week or so just in case she got fussy.

thefasteriwalk · 15-01-2021 8:14pm

Thanks all. She's five weeks old. I had a very difficult labour and a haemoglobin of 4.8 afterwards so had a VERY slow start. Milk took a long time to come. She had a type 4 tongue tie but we went to Dr O'Reilly and got it sorted. We've tried removing the shield numerous times, and she has accidentally latched a few times, but if she cops that it's gone she'll just cry and won't try to latch.

scarepanda · 15-01-2021 8:28pm

Just keep going the way you are so. One day she'll latch and not realise! Maybe if she latches accidentally, realises it, try swap out the shield when she's calmed down and just see how she reacts. It'll just take a bit of time, patience and perseverance. I was lucky with no2 in that's she'll go with the flow (or would till the terrible 2s kicked in) I wouldn't have been so lucky with no1. I found it handy to have an extra pack of shields on the go, just so that your not always under pressure to clean them immediately after every feed, especially at night.

thefasteriwalk · 15-01-2021 10:35pm

scarepanda wrote: »

Just keep going the way you are so. One day she'll latch and not realise! Maybe if she latches accidentally, realises it, try swap out the shield when she's calmed down and just see how she reacts. It'll just take a bit of time, patience and perseverance. I was lucky with no2 in that's she'll go with the flow (or would till the terrible 2s kicked in) I wouldn't have been so lucky with no1. I found it handy to have an extra pack of shields on the go, just so that your not always under pressure to clean them immediately after every feed, especially at night.

Thanks for your help.

Vaquita · 22-04-2021 7:45am

Hello,

My little 10month old is breastfed to sleep each evening. But for the last week or so it has become somewhat of an acrobatic display. Gone are my lovely evenings sitting in bed with her in cradle hold - she is sitting up, lying down, on the left, on the right, twisted this way and that. Iv started calling it boob yoga - its that varied! Last 2 nights we ended up lying next to each other, her latched and feet and hands pushing on me until she fell asleep.

I assume this is normal as she is growing in mobility? Any tricks for a mobile feeder?

Thanks!

scarepanda · 22-04-2021 9:49am

All completely normal! I don't really have any solutions other than taking away the boob if they are too energetic or you are getting hurt with their endeavors. Tell them what is happening like '(insert whatever you call nursing/boobs) is going away/night night because x, y, z'. And follow through, for a few minutes, and make it clear when you are about to let them nurse again that they need to stay quite or you'll take it away again. It'll only take that happening once or twice before they will realise that you will follow through and then all you will have to ask is if they want the boob to go when they are getting on with their yoga. More often than not the answer will be no and they will quite down sharpish

. Its mainly a phase at the moment, but one that can become habit, and even at 10 months they learn and understand pretty quickly that their actions will have some consequences.

lazygal · 22-04-2021 3:57pm

Totally normal! My 2.5 year old had some really weird positions.

bee06 · 22-04-2021 6:15pm

The joys of gymnurstics. There is a sleep regression around 9-10 months as well and I’ve found feeding to sleep becomes more difficult for a while.

Vaquita · 17-06-2021 8:50am

Not quite breastfeeding related, but milk drinking related so hope this is ok to post.

My 1 yr old is breastfed when I am home and would have 2 x bottles with expressed milk when I am at work. Until last week. She is now refusing milk in her old baby bottle, in her straw cup, in an open cup. Just not interested and will even gag according to her childminder.

Is it ok to just rely on yoghurts, cheese, other calcium sources during the day and for her to drink water? She'd have full fat cows milky porridge most mornings and loves yoghurt. She still feeds from me really well at night or in the day at weekends.

I would be very happy to drop my midday work pump so if she's not drinking it, will stopping that pump affect my supply overall?

Thank you!

scarepanda · 17-06-2021 9:41am

My opinion is that your daytime feeds at the weekends may be affected as your body gets used to not pumping during the day during the week. But your usual nursing times, say morning and night, shouldn't be affected.

I'm a stay at home mam and even at that both of mine went to two feeds a day themselves around 12/13 months - morning and bedtime. The only time they nursed outside of that was if they were hurt or sick. We introduced cows milk to them when we were weaning them onto solids with their dinners.

bee06 · 17-06-2021 11:06am

I stopped pumping at work at 12 months. Never impacted weekend supply or even if I was off on a weekday.

Other dairy products (or other sources of calcium) are fine if baby won’t drink milk.

PhoenixParker · 17-06-2021 1:39pm

In terms of supply, everyone's supply is a bit different but most people will be ok not pumping after the 1 year mark and keeping up their remaining supply based on evening/weekend feeds. In terms of baby, every baby is different in what they need, but if she's refusing to drink the milk, then chances are she's fine without it during the day.

My daughter's been in creche since she was 16 months. She's a great eater and I haven't sent a bottle with her. I just feed her before creche/after creche and before sleep and she drinks water at creche. Hasn't been an issue for supply or anything else.

fits · 17-06-2021 2:21pm

bee06 wrote: »

I stopped pumping at work at 12 months. Never impacted weekend supply or even if I was off on a weekday.

Other dairy products (or other sources of calcium) are fine if baby won’t drink milk.

Yes same. My boys just fed when I was at home after I returned to work at 13 months. My commute was too long to transport pumped milk home safely anyway.

lazygal · 17-06-2021 4:15pm

We rarely if ever serve milk at home. Two out of my three don't really like it. There is no need to force children to drink any animal milks.

I just fed mornings and on the evenings I wasn't working late, and throughout the day when I wasn't at work.

Minier81 · 17-06-2021 6:31pm

It is totally fine not to have milk during the day. I went back to work when little one was 12 months and I never sent a bottle to creche or never bothered pumping. She only drank water during the day but did have foods (good eater) and snacks like cheese/yogurt and milky porridge. We actually did the same at weekends too, I went for the whole don't offer don't refuse thing during the day. She got boobs going to bed and in the morning (and usually during the night too til 18 months). She self weaned at just over 2.
Your milk is now mature breastmilk and supply will not be affected hugely by dropping the daytime expressing. In the early months this would have had an effect. Reduce the pumping gradually to be easy on yourself though. And well done for making it to above 1 year!

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