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breastfeeding questions!!!

hi am considering breastfeeding as i didnt with first but have some questions for those who have already done it...

did you all buy bottles, sterilisers, formula etc just incase it didnt work out?

how long do you keep trying before you should give in so the baby doesnt starve?

i dont really know how to word this one...but how did you find switching from boobs for baby to boobs for oh? what i mean is..would boobs in the bedroom be out of the question (they are a big thing in sex for me and oh) but i think id feel a bit weird having baby there and then oh and then baby if you understand (sorry bit embarrassed about that!).

and what did you do if you had visitors in and baby needed fed? did you just start feedin in front of them or go in other room (personally i dont see why i should as its my house, but i wouldnt want to do it in front either)...

[Modified by: lauragcam on 26 December 2007 23:13:59 ]

Replies

  • Hi there!
    I bought the full monty just in case bf didn't work and I also wanted to express so oh could have a turn in feeding th lo. I bf for 3 weeks and if I'm honest I didn't really enjoy it, Poppy was a very lazy feeder and would scream the place down if the milk didn't come quickly enough and then she just wouldn't feed from me at all. She lost nearly 1lb in the first week which was quite upsetting for me but after coaxing from midwives and health visitors I carried on but she was a big baby (9lbs 12) when born and she was always hungry. After 2 weeks or so I expressed for every feed which made my supply run low so I had to top up with formula then I eventually called it a day and switched to completely formula feeding her.
    With regards to sex, I couldn't bear my oh touching them as they leaked all the time (even if she cried when in another room) and they smelled funny to me too so he didn't get a look in until a few weeks after my milk dried up. I was too conscious of feeding in front of anyone other than oh so would either go into another room to do it or plan my visitors carefully (which never worked!). I do have quite big boobs though and could never work out how to do it discretely like some women I have seen while out and about!

    At the end of the day, bf is much easier as long as your baby takes to it and you don't mind feeding more often and for the majority of people is a lovely, precious time to spend bonding with your baby.

    Good luck whatever you decide to do.
    xx
  • i'm breastfeeding my 1 week old and it took about 4 or 5 days to get to grips with, i stayed in hosp for 2 days purely to establish breastfeeding, he did struggle at first and we had to give him a small amount of formula but they didnt use a bottle, they made him drink from a cup.
    its very hard at first but don't give up because when they get the hang of it its the most amazing experience and i'm so glad i didn't give up, (i'm feeding him right now- thats how easy it is-i can type too lol)
    i too have bought sterilizer and formula just incase and will express so hubby can have a go, as for the bedroom, my boobs feel comfy now, first few days are uncomfortable, but they are whether you breastfeed or not, might feel abit weird sharing them between hubby and baby but you won't be having sex straight away and by time you do breastfeeding feels so natural you won't really think about it.
    I would really recommend it.
    good luck
  • Hi Laura, I breast fed my little girl for 10 1/2 months (at which point she weened herself and refused to feed any more!) so hopefully I can answer some of your questions. I bought a breast pump before she was born which came with a couple of bottles and I also bought a steriliser for sterilising the pump, my lo never took a bottle but I did still use the breast pump as it was helpful when my breasts were very full at the begining. I didn't buy any formula as to be honest the thought that I might not get on with breastfeeding never really occured to me, but if you bought a couple of the little cartons of ready made formula you would have some handy in case you needed it and you can always use them later for mixing breakfast cereal and things (they have a really long date).

    It's increadibly unlikely that the baby will starve. Unless you are one of the very few people who can't produce milk your body will make enough if you give it chance. For the first few days untill your milk comes in it will probably seem like your lo is feeding constantly but this is actually a good thing as this is natures way of stimulating your milk supply, as long as you make sure you get plenty to eat and drink it will settle down once your milk comes in after a few days. Newborn babies have such tiny stomachs that these first feeds are often only a teaspoon each!

    I think that wether or not you are happy about oh touching your boobs is going to be a personal wait and see job as everybody feels different. Personally I wasn't comfy with it but then I was never very bothered before hand either! Any leaking may well settle down, I only had to wear breast pads for the first few weeks, after that I didn't leak a drop.

    I think that you get used to feeding in public, I would say that untill you and baby get the hang of it you may feel more comfortable going into a different room. Millie was a really lazy feeder and for the first week I quite often had to take my top of and feed skin to skin, not very practical with visitors! If you are anything like me you will go from worrying about people seeing you feeding to not giving a s*** pretty quickly. I was really worried the first time I had to feed when I was out but by the end I would feed Millie regardless of where we were, if she was hungry she got fed! (Although I did have preferance for nice coffee shops)

    Breastfeeding can be really hard work in the early days, I had mastits twice in the first six weeks which was really painful and the antibiotics upset lo's tummy but I am so glad I persevered as it was a really lovely feeling watching Millie get bigger and knowing that it was all down to me, it also made feeding much quicker and simpler.

    I have just read this back and it is really long so sorry if I have been waffling but if you have any other questions just shout.
    Good luck with everything
    Kerry
  • It's nice to know that it gets easier. I breastfed for 3 weeks, then had to stop as I went back to uni and couldn't be there all the time for lo as mum looked after her. This time round (i'm 15+1 Weeks) I'll be there all the time for lo so I can look forward to breastfeeding. It was quite uncomfortable and sometimes painful for the first couple of weeks and just as we were getting the hang of it and it felt much better I had to stop. So that upsets me a bit.

    But now have so much to look forward to!
  • hiya, I'm still bf my 7 month lo and its brill.

    we have been really lucky - regardless of me having a c sec he took to it really well and now can latch himself on and off as and when needed. he was a big baby 9lb 2 at birth and did feed very two hours for the first couple of weeks.

    There was a day when i thought i was starving him as he fed every half an hour - but i learnt that this was his first growth spurt. I think this is where most people give up bf, they think its better/easier (I'm not having a go at anyone) to top up with formula when lo is having a growth spurt but if you continue to feed on demand your body will provide enough milk for your lo.

    you can have problems, mastitis (which you should feed through) and foods affecting lo - we were in hospital at 3 weeks with him coz he'd taken a dislike to my milk after i'd eaten cumberland sausages!! But he fed when he got hungry enough, and didnt starve. As said before unless you have physical problems you will not starve you lo as your body produces (usually more than) enough for your lo.

    your oh can get involved as well, just express a bottle for him. that way he doesnt get out of night feeds!

    I did buy a breast pump and steriliser and some bottles, which we have used for breastmilk - i exressed at least two bottles every day to freeze as we were going on honeymoon when lo was 4 months old and i wanted him to stay on breastmilk (i also expressed i honeymoon to keep up my supply of milk) and i managed to get over 100 feeds stored up for him, meaning that now he's weaning i can use that to mix his feeds and allow my body to slow down on how much it produces only making enough for four feeds a day (and a lunch feed which i express off if he doesnt have it) instead of a feed every two hours.

    As for feeding in public - breastfeeding is natural. We are the only country where it isnt considered as the only option, and the only country where people are made to feel bad for feeding in public.

    I will feed my lo anywhere. If someone has a problem with it thats their problem. If my baby is hungry he gets fed. its no different to someone going buying a bar of chocolate if theyre hungry. I've fed him everywhere, including at the top of a mountain in the freezing cold with a very large group of walkers.
    If my baby is hungry I stick a boob in his face, as we call it.

    As for boobs in bed, they've never been a big thing for me and it annoys me now if oh thinks hes can have babys boobs. I tell him when los finished with them he can have them, meaning when we've stopped bf.

    Sorry, its turned into a long reply!
    xxx
  • this has been helpful a lil long yes but helpful all the same! thanks
  • I'm not sure about feeding in public, I have 36G boobs (pre-pregnancy!) and I can't imagine feeding in public at all. If your petite then I think no-one can tell but if u look like jordan lol its kinda obvious!

    I think I'm going to bottle-feed as oh won't be able to wait until it's established to do feeds, plus seeing as I won't get mat. allowance I might have to get back to part-time work fairly soon so it's not going to be practical. Then again I guess some bf is better than none at all so I might do the first few weeks.
  • 36G!!! I'm only just getting up to that now - you poor thing and your poor back! xxx
  • 36G!!! I'm only just getting up to that now - you poor thing and your poor back! xxx
    I know yeah I'd kill people who go on about wanting huge boobs cos there a nightmare! I've been quite lucky with my back but I look so front-heavy with boobs and a bump, I'll prob be toppling over at 40 wks lol.
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