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so glad for this chat room.

hi everyone. what a good idea to put a chat room on just for breastfeeding. somewhere to go rather than just in general. i have got 5 kids and breast fed them all. 1st for a year, 2nd for 2 years, 3rd for 5 months, 4th for 9 months and i am still feeding my 7 month old. i have had many problems along the way. like mastitis , engorgement , cracked sore bleeding nipples etc but have over come them all.
i have set up a local feeding support group where i live and like to try and help if i can if ladies have problems.
hope feeding is going well for you all. xxxxx
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Replies

  • Hi,

    I'm 30+5 so still have a bit to go but i'm really hoping to breast feed. Do you have any tips for preparing yourself physically before the baby is born? I have been putting cream on my nipples for about a week now.
    Lauren xx
  • hi lauren. i didn't really prepare my self in anyway. the creams you can buy are great for sore nipples if this happens in pregnancy. but other than that there is nothing else really. just read as much as you can on positioning baby when he or she is born. the rest will follow when baby is born. i think perseverance is key when you start to feed as it is a learning experiance for you and baby. hope all goes well for you.xxxx
  • i really am glad for this room too!
    I really enjoy bf my lo Olliver, and wanted to do it so much that when we went on honeymoon when he was 5 months old i expressed every feed he would need before we went (Ollie stayed here as honeymoon was too far and too hot) and expressed while i was away to keep my supply up so i could cary on bf.
    ollie is 8months now and we still love it, but I get hacked off when people ask me why I'm bothering, and why havent we stopped yet or something equally as silly.
    I can understand that it isnt for everyone and thats ok, but why cant people understand that it IS for me..... at least until ollie is 1 yr old, then he can have cows milk image


    I'm currently doing a course to become a bf support worker, so if there is anything people want to ask feel free.... I'll try to help.

    I never prepared for anything really, I had no idea what to expect.....

    i had a c sec too so positioning was something important for me - we had to learn the rugby hold pretty quickly! :lol:

    xxxx
  • avent electric, and we never used a pillow at all!

    xxxxx
  • I agree, great to have this chat room too. I am so passionate about breastfeeding and it is so good to chat to others.
    Stephey - well done you for carrying on breastfeeding after your honeymoon and expressing whilst on it. You should be so pleased with yourself! I had to express when my lo was 8 months and went on a nursing strike for 6 long awful days and it was hard work getting 18oz a day to keep my supply up but she was unwell and when she got better she went back on and we're still going strong at 10 months.
    hmvdb - I have always expressed as I have to work at getting a good milk supply and when my 1st baby was 5 weeks and not yet regained his birth weight I refused to do what the Drs wanted - to give him formula so hired a dual electric breast pump and expressed every 2 hours. Since then I have always liked to have spare milk just in case. Now, with my 3rd baby I haven't needed it so have a freezer full of expressed breast milk which I donate to the milk bank. Back to your question, the avent manual is good and sounds fine for you for occasional use. I also have an ameda dual electric (approx ??80) which I have always found great (if you express a lot a dual pump saves time and you express more if you do both sides at the same time). I used to feed on one side in the morning and express on the other at the same time but lo gets too distracted now so I hand express 2oz on one side before her morning feed which is just as quick for me now.
    A plain v pillow from Argos is just as good as a widgey pillow. Hope that helps x
  • hi everyone image i fed oliver for 11m wich is when he lost interest and intend to bf next baby due in april, i mostly had positive reactions to bf in public, just a few "isnt he a bit old for that now?" comments,lol
    stephe Y, is it the la leche course that ur doing? thats the one i did and really enjoyed it image

    i still go to bf drop in even though im not bf at the mo as i met some lovely mums who gave advice and encouragement espec in the early days i even take lunch as funding for food/drinks was stopped image

    i used the medela mini elec pump wich was great just a shame oliver wouldnt take a bottle,lol xxx
  • at last a forum for us b/f mums, couldve done with this 9 months ago when isaac was born and was on the verge of giving up due to mastits, good job im stubborn so when my mum told me it was best to give up i wanted to prove her wrong. And i did!!!! I only once had a bit of a negative reaction when some old biddy told her friend i should be "doing that in the baby change room not the cafe" to which i replied that the baby room had a toilet and an overflowing stinking nappy bin in it and if she would eat her dinner in there i would gladly feed my baby there after. she shut up after that. I think as long as youre discreet most people dont even realise what you are doing.
  • Kirst - yep it is. I'm really enjoying it so far (although - and please dont think im being bigheaded - they havent told me anything i dont already know yet....)

    i felt like such a plonker on honeymoon, but just took it one day at a time - the worst was the trip to vesuvious - a whole day without having somewhere to go and express........ agony! :lol:
    the feeling i got when i got back tho, and could still feed him - it was as good a feeling as i got the day i gave birth to him.
    it also meant he didnt take ages to recognise us either as i was able to feed him as soon as we got back..... image

    i feed wherever i need to - even at the top of a mountain once! :lol:

    xxx
  • I need help about my milk supply

  • What help do you need Terri ?

  • My baby was given a bottle in the NICU and now I am trying to breast freed exclusively but my lo is being very difficult. Sometimes she won't latch on or when she does she won't suck or sometimes she will just cry and cry. It's very difficult and I feel like she is not getting enough. The Lactation specialist at the hospital said she has gained enough   Weight that she could miss a few feedings but its hard to watch her cry. This is very frustrating, she is 3 weeks old and can't breast feed.

  • Hey bkaschilly are you still feeding? Everythong ok?
  • Is it normal to feel scared when your baby is trying to latch on? We both have thrush and the pain is driving me insane. 

  • Zaphira, Feeling scared is normal - you know it's going to hurt!! But this won't last for ever. I'm assuming you've both been treated? Have you been given a tablet called fluconazole? And does baby have nystatin drops? 

    It's going to smart at first but I promise it gets better. Keep going. This pain won't last and you'll be enjoying feeding before long. Hope this helps? Good luck xx

  • They have us both nystatin today. Now the doctor's concern is that he's not gaining enough weight. He's 13 days old, and has been having more than the "required" amount of wet and dirty diapers, so I know he's eating good. What are some ways I can make sure he's gaining weight while breastfeeding? 

  • Wet and dirty nappies are good. Are you switching breasts after every feed? So are you feeding once on the left, next time on the right etc? How long does little one feed for approx? To gain more weight, try feeding 2 or 3 times on one side before switching sides. That way, little one will be getting the watery fore milk on the first feed but will then be getting the creamier richer hind milk on the other 1 or 2 feeds. If you've been switching sides after every feed, then baby is getting less of the calorie dense stuff.

    Also, make sure you're feeding your baby yourself overnight and you're not expressing and sleeping through yourself. Your body makes a very slightly different milk at night. It's richer and more calorie dense,  and you need to feed baby on demand overnight to keep your milk supply up (expressing isn't as good at this early age).

    Whatever happens, baby is doing great if they're having wet and dirty nappies. Don't get too hung up on weight. If they've regained birth weight by the time they're 3-4 weeks, that's fine, any more is a bonus. Don't stress. You're doing great image

    hope this helps xx

  • Thank you. 

    Ive been getting up every time he makes a noise, which is surprising since I'm a hard sleeper. I don't even know how to express. What I do is let him feed off one side (usually 30 minutes before he lets go), burp him, and switch to the other side (if he wants it). Next feeding he starts on the side he was last on. I find this helps bring down some of the pain too. 

  • hi, I'm a mother of 3 wonderful boys and i love to breastfeed but im having the hardest time with all of them and that is why i gave up on my 1st two but im really trying with my 3rd he is a month old and im having so much pain and we just are getting through thrush and i have a cut or something on one breast and its so painful. please can someone give me some advice.

  • hi Proudmother3!

    I am a first time breastfeeder and just like you I am struggling through pain and a huge cut that has separated one of my nipples in 2 horizontaly. I have used several creams: medela lanolin, Newman, Bactroban and finally Lasinoh (which seems to be working better than medela).

    I am going to the clinic this morning so if they prescribe me something I will let you know.

    Hang in there! You are doing an amazing job!

  • hi, kikismom, 

    i finally found something that worked wonder like the same the cracks heal. i have been using coconut oil. now i feel so much better about breastfeeding and we are going on 2 1/2 months now. i'm working on getting a better milk supply now. 

    thanks for your replyimage

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