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breastfeeding

im really interested in breast feeding but i just have a douple of worries. im only 19 and my mum thinks i might be best not breast feeding. anyone any suggestions?? im just worried it might be alot of effort and might not be easy and i know the babys going to be hard in general anyway!! i tried to think about good and bad points for breast feeding and not and they both seem quite even!! i think this isd because i wouldnt just get my boobs out in public but it means sat there for hours preparing bottles!!

someone please help!!

Replies

  • I breast fed my first baby and I was only 19. It's not for everyone but you should definately give it a try. it's cheap for one thing and It's alot easier in the early weeks when your getting up in the night, because you don't even have to get out of bed if the crib is close enough. It was hard to start with though and my boobs were enormous! I only did it for 2 months in the end because my daughter got very hungary and started wanting a feed every hour! But it hasn't put me off, I'm going to try and breastfed my nxt one too (due in feb) and just see how it goes. good luck x
  • Hi I am 18 weeks pregnant with our 2nd child, I only breastfed my daughter for about 5 weeks as I did not have the support from the hospital or visiting midwife (also my mum died 2 weeks before she was born so i was going through a very emotional time as well). It is definately worth trying and perservering with as the rewards are great, you get to bond with you baby and your baby gets all the anti-bodies and nutrients from you. Give it a go XX:\)
  • i will definatley give it a go just worrying about me not being successful or breaking down if things dont go to plan!! just hgope its not too much hard work
  • Hi
    I wonder why your mum has said you would be best *not* breastfeeding? It's unbelievable! I'm thinking from other posts you have written that she is hoping that by not breatsfeeding she can 'take over' feeding the baby too..... As dcampbell said, the baby will get nutrients and antibodies from the breatsmilk, they will not get that from Formula. By breastfeeding you are dramatically reducing the risk of your baby being ill with problems such as ear infections and diarhoea/gastro-enteritis (a formula fed baby is 3 times more likely to suffer ear infections or diarhoea/gastro-enteritis) and also you dramatically reduce the risk of your baby having allergies or conditions such as eczema and asthma. Added to that, the longer you breastfeed for the less likely you will be of developing breast or ovarian cancer, or osteoperosis. And as the other posters have said, breastfeeding is cheaper than buying formula & bottles, and once you get the hang of it it is much quiker & less time consuming too than preparing & washing bottles. You also will not have the issue of remembering to pack milk & bottles on days out, you will have it 'on tap' and always at the right temp too! .................. .................. ..................... ................. .................... ................... I breastfed my first baby for 4 months, I was 18 at the time, so age is irrelavent. I wish I had percevered(sp?) for much longer, but I started introducing formula 'top-ups' on the advice of of my Health Visitor, and it ended breastfeeding for me as my daughter rejected the breast. You should get in contact with the La Leche League www.laleche.org.uk or a local Breastfeeding peer support/counsellor. Make sure you get help to perfect your latch and positioning. You should be aware that babies are *supposed* to be fed regularly, on demand, and it is perfectly normal and acceptable to breastfeed every hour or two, formula fed babies only go longer between feeds because formula is harder to digest - not because it is better for them or fills them up more. The charts your baby's weight will be marked on are based on Formula Fed babies from the 50s & 60s. Formula fed babies tend to gain more weight in their first year than breastfed ones. A weight gain average of 4oz a week is acceptable for a breastfed baby, so you do not need to worry about the baby's weight as long as they are gaining something, and producing wet and dirty nappies as normal (so dont be scared into giving formula and dont automatically believe the HV if she says you arent producing enough milk or something, I did & she was talking rubbish!) also, you are only 'obliged' to have your baby weighed 6 times in their first year, of course it is nice to weigh them more than that, but some health professionals feel that weighing more than once every two months does not give an accurate portrayal of weight gain and can cause unneccesary concern. .......... ................ .............. Also, at around 6 weeks babies have a growth spurt and often want feeding more frequently. Go with the flow and it shouldn't last too long, maybe a week or two and the feeds should spread out a bit again. If you are concerned about how much milk you are producing, oats are very good, either porridge or flapjack (good excuse to eat lots of flapjackimage LOL). If that doesnt help enough you can take supplements such as Fenugreek, Milk thistle etc, which you can get from a good Health Food shop. That shouldnt be needed though. ....... ........ .............. ............. Bottles and Dummies *should not* be introduced to a breastfed baby before 6 weeks as it can cause 'nipple confusion' and make your baby reject the breast. In my case, even waiting until after 10 weeks to give a bottle *still* hampered breastfeeding, so I would advise you to *not* give a bottle under any circumstance unless *really* needed. If you need to get fluid such as water or formula or medicine, into the baby, give it via a small baby spoon or syringe. Oh and if you decide to express your milk for any reason, bear in mind you will not get as much milk via pumping as your baby gets, so do not worry if you seem to be producing very little - your baby will get much more milk from you than the pump. I hope this is of some help, the la leche league site should be better though & go into more detail for you. Take care & good luck! Love Sam
    xxxx (21yrs old now, 36 weeks pregnant with second baby, hoping to breastfeed for 1yr+)
  • thank you so much sam you have helped so much!1 usually everyone reads but doesnt reply and im still in the dark about the whole situation!! you have provided some really useful info that i never knew and have helped my decision!! i will definatley be giving it a try just hoping that by breast feeding its not going to stop me from days out etc. (19yrs old, 31 weeks pregnant with first baby (boy)
  • No probs image Oh, another thing, when you are out, try Boots stores or Mothercare as they tend to have feeding rooms, if not, I'd suggest going into *any* clothes shop, grabbing an item, and going and sitting in their changing room/cubicle to feed until you get comfortable with it *teehee*. It can help too as most have mirrors so you can practice feeding discreetly at the same time. HTH
    Love Sam
    xxx
  • Hi i think your right to give it a go, all you can do is try, i breastfed my son for eight months who i had when i was twenty, he is four now and i am 11 wks pregnant with my second child. I found it quite difficult at first to get the right position and my baby to latch on which was frustrating and quite upsetting to as my hormones where everywhere! The midwifes where excellent and gave me lots of support, i ended up staying in hospital for three days while they helped me get the hang of it. It took me about a week to get the hang of it but once i did i never looked back. It was much easier than messing with bottles and my baby thrived really well, if i wanted the odd night out i used to express and then freeze it, which is quite easy if you have a good breast pump. good luck nat x
  • hi i tried breast feeding my daughter but she didnt latch on right and it was very painful,and midwives didnt try and help only lasted 3 days as she was looking fed every hour and a half,i thought it was just a matter of putting it in her mouth and away she went,how wrong was i,really want to breast feed this time hopefully works out,give it a go you wont know if its for you or not until you try good luck x
  • chlelle well done for you giving it a go! you be strong as you're obviously going to no support from your mum. you stick to your guns and give a real try. when you're naffed off in about 9/10 weeks just come on here for support instead!! :\) read as much as you can about it so you can have plenty things to say back to your mum in 'defense'! lol.. just out interest, did she breastfeed you? but don't feel bad if it doesn't work out. whether do you 1 week or 1 year it's all good for baby. wendy xxx
  • HI LAdies 

    just wondering if anyone has done both breast and bottle? I am pregnant with my third, I want to breastfeed soley for the first month I think (maybe longer) but is it ok to give bottle feeds as well so my partner can take over? I will pump but I don’t want to over pump so I have to do it constantly so I don’t get mastitis... maybe I’m over thinking it. Just wanted some advice. I did breastfeed my other children but my youngest is now 7 and I feel like I’ve forgotten everything! Xx 

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