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advise

Hello ladies.

I had a little girl 4 days ago and so far breast feeding is going well. O already have a 3 yr old little boy but i didn't manage to feed him myself so all this is very new to me. I was hoping some experienced bf'ders could give me a few bits of advice;

Are there any foods I need to avoid eating?

Is there an average time I should expect her to feed for?

If she has finished then wants more very soon after should I offer her the other side?

At which points should i expect growth spurts?

I'm sure they will be more things I need to ask along the way!.thank-you xx

Replies

  • hello



    i too couldnt feed my first and found my breastfeeding group a godsend! i'll try ad answer what i can although we have only been doing it 11 weeks!



    Are there any foods I need to avoid eating? i was told no foods as such but you may notice your baby doesnt agree with certain things, i havent yet!



    Is there an average time I should expect her to feed for?for as long as your baby wants, DD would feed for upto an hour and longer in the evenings (cluster feeding) but now its about 20 mins



    If she has finished then wants more very soon after should I offer her the other side? i was told to offer the same side if they havent fed for long or its very soon after they have finished as the first milk as thirst quenshing and the latter milk is filling and sometimes they dont get them both if its quick,



    At which points should i expect growth spurts?my book says 6,8,10,12 and 16 but she fed pretty frequently until about 9 weeks when she started going 3 hourly, she did get down to one night feed but recently has had two although this could be growth or heat related?



    hope that helped x
  • Piggypops has given you great answers, foods - tomatoes can be quite strong, onions, peas, beans, can cause wind but I would just eat what you like and if you notice something is making baby uncomfortable then stop eating it. I had to stop eating oats and too much milk, oats gave me too much milk so baby wasn't getting the creamier stuff, and milk made him a bit ill. But every baby is different. Feed whenever baby wants it as this will make sure your supply keeps up with the babies needs. Growth spurts are as piggypops said, 6 weeks is a hard one and you may or may not notice the others. Good luck and well done xx
  • PP has given great answers!! Defo find a breast feeding group / cafe nearby - it is weel worth an initial visit for specific questions. Or phone the la leche league for free breast feeding advise over the phone.



    The only things I'd say is don't feed for longer than 30 minutes on one breast. The breast should have been fully drained within that time and if baby is still suckling they will be doing it for comfort and it may result in a crack or a blister. Unlatch them using your little finger and offer the other breast - if they are hungry they will take it. Also - check medication before you take it!! x
  • Good reasonable advice given above. The main thing on the food side is you should be aiming to take in an extra 500calories a day whilst BFing. Every baby is different with the growth spurts and lengths of feeds. Again as mentioned above, which breast you offer will depend on how long the feed was and when it last occured. As Cutiepiesmum pointed out if you have fed for 30mins or more on one boob it is prob best to offer the other one (or you may wind up with lop-sided chest).
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