Forum home Babies Breast & bottle feeding

Have i got this right?

Im after any hints and tips to get breastfeeding off to a good start, any advice would be greatly recieved. Here's my plan of action:

-try to put baby to breast asap after birth
-feed on demand up to 12 times in 24 hours
-dont leave it until baby is crying for food, look out for hunger signs
-feed on one breast, burp, offer second breast. Start next feed on opposite side

After a couple of weeks id like to try expressing so baby will take a bottle. Any advice on this?

Thankyou in advance!

36+2 xx

Replies

  • hey,

    - yes definarly do try as soon as poss but dont worry if you cant due to the birth you have. It wa prob a couple of hours till I got to try with my lo.
    - feed on demand, great! not sure about the up t 12 times.....I wouldn't count too much to be honest to begin with!
    - a hunger sign with be crying to begin with, and nestling into you looking for your breast. not sure about that one tbh!
    - try to feed as much as poss from one side as the more they feed from it the fattier the milk gets. I would wind lo then try again on same side, if not satisfied then offer other. Not all bf babies are windy though so dont worry if lo doesn't bring up wind. And yep, start next feed on other side.
    (my midwife at postnatal group said you dont need to wind a bf baby but many do need it)

    Expressing - dont worry if you dont get much out as your baby will be better at getting the milk out than a breast pump.

    Good luck!

    Lisa
  • It's a great idea to prepare as much as possible beforehand. In addition to everything you list I would suggest getting the details of a qualified lactation consultant (who comes with good recommendations) beforehand, just in case you run into any problems, or you may even just need reassurance that what you're doing is correct.

    My lo didn't feed for over 30 hrs after being born and it was very stressful. I'd always been so determined to breastfeed but I could see how if you weren't so resolute it would be easy to go to formula.

    Good luck!
  • Thanks everyone, sounds like ive got the right idea but should offer same breast again after winding so baby gets fattier milk-check!

    I'll definately be asking lots of questions, forums like this are great as you don't feel like your being judged and ive got a lovely MW too x
  • Hi pixiebob! Hope your pregnancy is going well. Just wanted to say that in the very early days, Riley was on the breast pretty much all the time. I'd feed him for an hour, then half an hour later he'd be rooting again, so with the 12 times part I think he fed a lot more. It was great though as it kick started the supply.

    The best piece of advice I was given was to take a tube of lansinoh nipple cream in to the hospital, and i'm so glad I did! It was very much worth the money. I used it before and after every feed, and you don't need to wash it off before feeding. Very soothing. Also, a midwife told me to just draw the curtains and let my boobs air, lol. Sounds simple but it did help.

    I also took my big body support pillow thing in, and ended up with a section so this was great for protecting my tummy and also meant I wasnt craning down to feed.

    Riley has one boob per feed and always has done, and gained 8oz in the first two weeks when they're supposed to lose weight, so do what you feel is best for you both. It just worked out this way for us.

    Just thought i'd mention those things. Am sure you'll do fab! Sounds like you're determined. I'm rubbish at sticking to things, but Riley is 7 months and still going, and was exclusive till 26 weeks.

    Take care, and all the best hun. xxx
  • Oooh, I forgot, when Riley was hungry in the first few days, before crying he used to wave his arm from his hip to his mouthm hitting himself on the top lip over and over. Think this bit is called the feeding triangle? He also used to latch onto his hands and anything in sight, so it was always amusing trying to get him onto the boob as he'd attach himself to afew other things on the way, lol. Sorry for the essays. xxx
  • Thanks Rebecca-its all really interesting, you don't get to hear/read things like this normally-hearing personnal experiences is so helpful. I'll buy some of that cream, air my boobs and look out for the 'feeding triangle'! Thanks again everyone!xx
  • I love this, I was exactly the same and determination paid off i bfed my twins for 8 months.

    my tip is stay in hospital until your happy and then whilst you are there ask ask and ask again, everytime baby latches get assistant to check he is latched right, 99% of the time really sore nipples is due to incorrect latching.

    when he is latched sometimes you can 'feed' more of the nipple into his mouth.

    Ask m/w to show you how to safely bfeed lying down

    good luck

    xxDBxx
  • Just a couple of more general tips to add.

    * Have a glass of waterhandy whenever you sit down to feed, and also some easy to eat food- cereal bars, a sandwich, fruit etc. That will help to make sure you get enough to eat/drink- it's easy to forget to look after yourself.

    * On the same track, really do sleep whenever the baby is sleeping in the first few days and don't let visitors interrupt your rest time. Also, let your oh or family do all the housework, cooking, even changing nappies, so you ccan focus on the feeding.

    * Don't worry if your milk doesn't come in for a few days, or if it feels like your baby is feeding all the time.

    *After a couple of weeks my milk supply settled down and my boobs stopped feeling 'full', I was convinced that there was a problem with milk production, but it's normal.

    Good luck- it sounds like you have done all the research and are pretty determined, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Bfing is hard work at first but it really is worth it!
  • Thanks again everyone. Id like to give it a really good go but im not going to get upset if it doesn't work. As determined as i am, it's not the end of the world for me if it doesn't happen but i'd like to feel like i gave it 100% so that if i do end up bottle feeding, i can be guilt free , im sure i'll be back here, asking lots more questions in a few weeks!xx
  • There is so much great advice here and i agree with all of it.I wish I'd seen some of this when i had my lo. Just wanted to add that it's worth getting some nipple shields just in case you need them. I'd not heard of them (didnt do any research to be honest so I'm impressed with yours!). I fed my son fine in hospital for about a week then once home I began to struggle with really sore nipples. Nipples were bleeding but was advised to keep feeding from that boob. One night of particularly toe-curling pain and my poor hubby had to go out at 11:30pm to find an all night supermarket that sold them - and they were my life line for a while!! It made all the difference and didnt confuse him at all (only needed to use on one boob for some reason!). I found I couldn't use the nipple cream provided at the hospital lanosan and instead found camilosan a natural and soothing alternative (also much cheaper!!!). Good luck and enjoy. I'm so pleased I kept going. He's 19 weeks now and all the initial pain and problems are a distant memory! image
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions