For Women who have breastfed succesfully.. What were some of the problems you had breastfeeding?

Question

I am due in 6 weeks and I am very nervous about breast feeding. NOBODY I know has been able to keep up with nursing and they all had the babies on formula within a month of birth. My niece's doctor told my sister that she had to use formula or they were going to take her baby cuz she was so bad @ it. I am really dedicated to my daughter only having breastmilk for at least the fist three months and I want to be prepared for what issues might come up. Also, I have to go back to work after the 6 weeks of healing are there any laws that will enable me to pump milk @ work? Thanks for your answers

Answer 1

First of all, you need to surround yourself with *positive* role models. I would suggest you go to a La Leche League meeting (see sources section below). The two most important things you need to breastfeed successfully are information and support--neither of which you will get from all the people who will tell you that there's never enough milk!! Going to a meeting now, before the baby is born, will give you more than almost anything else you can do to prepare.

Secondly, ignore all the nay-sayers. Anyone, for instance, who tells you that the biggest problem is not latching correctly, but for his wife, the problem was the opposite--the baby didn't latch correctly, has no idea of what he is talking about!!

Virtually *every* woman can nurse her baby (*if* she has correct information and enough support) unless she has a hormonal imbalance or has had breast (or chest) surgery. If it's important enough to you, you will make sure that you do have the support.

Answer 2

First of all I ( having b/fed my 7 month baby exclusively for the first 6 months and still continuing) would like to tell you that its not a easy thing. You can continue only if you are very very determined to give your baby the best that you can (n be sure that its the best - the child is probably less likely to suffer from stomach cramps than with drinking formula). There will be many people who would tell you to switch over because its easy to move around n the baby will also gain weight at a slower pace than the formula fed babies. But it actually depends on you whether you want to continue.

Okay now for the problems - again I can talk from my own experience. As has been said in the other answers its important that the baby latches on properly, theres a technique which my mid-wife had explained to me n am sure it will b explained to you as well. Yes my breasts did feel extremely heavy n sore n was bleeding as well after the first two days. If the breasts bleeds give it some rest n let the baby drink from the other breast for sometime n dnt forget to rub the same milk on to the sore breast after each feeding Its the best medicine n it will be probably heal up quickly.

All the best n hope you will be successful ( believe me its one of the best feelings for a new mom to see your baby sucking on happily )!

Answer 3

all of these answers are great but I am going to add my two cents to. Not because of the points but because I had a horrifying breastfeeding experience ( i am still going strong at six months) and I wanted to share it to let you know that it could happen, not to scare you from breastfeeding but to help you see the signs so that what happened to me did not happen to you.Whoever said that breasfeeding is easy and so rewarding was half right. I have never been through a worse experience. For me breasfeeding was the obvious choice. All the facts are so clear. Apart from the fact that it is a whole lot cheaper, the benefits for the baby are just to numerous to ignore.Since I knew that I wanted to breastfeed Ana, I read all the books I could, I took two different classes. I even spoke to a lactation consultant before the baby was born. In the hospital I thought Ana latched on fine. She qs sucking awa almost as soon as she was born. Not until the next day at th hospital did it start to hurt when she waould eat. A lactition from the hospital came to talk to me and I found out I had been doing it wrong. I thought, ' How do you do it wrong. Isn't there only one way?' Boy was I misinformed. THe lactition told me I had been holding Ana incorrectly so she wasn't latching on the way she should. That is what was causing the pain. So I got her latched on properly and I figured all was well. I was wrong again. Oh so very wrong. On the second day home from the hospital I woke up for a midnight feeding. I got Ana latched on a let out a yelp of pain when she started to suck. It was so painful I had to stop. I tried again but it still hurt. I decieded to grin and bare it and hopefully after a coiple of days the tenderness would go away. Wrong again(noticing a pattern?). The pain got worse. My nipples were cracked and started bleeding at each feeding. I developed plugged up milk ducts and mastitis which is an infection of the breast. Pretty much everything bad that can happen happened to me. My mastitis reached such an advanced stage that it formed and abcess in my breast that burst. After the abcess burst things actually atarted getting btter. After about two week more of fevers and chills and pain, my infection was all cleared up and I could feed Ana on both sides without any pain. Throughout this whole experience I felt like giving up, but I look at my healthy baby and think of all I am doing for her and I know that it was all worh it.


I hope this info helped some. I know I would have liked to know more about the things that could go wrong. Good luck and whatever happens, if you really cannot breastfeed, dont let anyone make yo ufeel bad for giving her formula, you tried and that is what counts.

Answer 4

Congratulations and good for you for making the choice to breastfeed your baby!

I have read the comments and there is a lot of good (and some not so good) information. I wanted to add that one of the very best things you can do to get things going well is to unwrap your baby's arms after your baby is born (nurses usually bundle the baby up) and put the baby on you bare chest/stomach. Babies are born knowing how to suckle, and if you encourage that instinct within minutes of birth, the baby's natural instinct will get stronger. Let your baby do what comes naturally... you will be amazed!

The other bit of advice I have is that breastfeeding should NOT be painful (ok, in the first 2-3 weeks, the initial latch may make your toes curl for a few seconds, but after that it should not hurt). If you experience any problems at all, make sure to get help! La Leche League Leaders sometimes make housecalls for free, and if not, find a certified Lactation Consultant who can make a housecall, or who you can visit right away. The longer you wait for correct a problem, the harder it is to fix it.

*Most* women do fine (the first couple of weeks can be hard... you are tired, sore, recovering from birth... but remember that breast feeding will help your body heal quickly, and also stimulates the "mothering" hormone, both very important in those first few days postpartum!); don't let other scare you. If you decide that are ARE going to be successful, you will take the steps you need to in order to acheive your goal.

Good luck to you and your lucky baby!

Answer 5

First of all, you need to determine that you will keep up the breastfeeding even if it hurts. My babies never had any problem latching on. I think the hardest parts were the pain. When I'd engorge and my breasts would be swollen and hot to the touch. Or when I couldn't even stand to have a bra on because it hurt. Or when my nipples cracked *owwwies!!*. Or just being intimate with my husband and having to wear a bra with breastpads so I'd not squirt us both.
Don't get me wrong, breastfeeding was a wonderful thing. But alot of women don't realize what they are getting into. Its nice to just attach the baby at 2am instead of making a bottle or needing to buy formula. Its the healthiest option for a baby. My first fed till 4 months, 2nd 13 months, 3rd about 13 months. I think it helped them be more healthy babies, and I know it was a calming time for us both. But there were times that I was such a zombie that I kept breastfeeding them that day just cause I'd done it the day before. The first six months were the hardest for me. Once the baby started eating some solids and wasn't breastfeeding exclusively, then I got more sleep and started feeling human again. Just don't expect it to be sunshine and roses, cause its tiring. But it is great for your baby and does help you lose that pregnancy weight! Just be prepared for a bit of pain, and take it one day at a time.

Answer 6

Don't feel bad about breastfeeding. It has everything baby needs to grow. Its also the best thing for baby. Think of baby first and your worries will soon disappear. I had a complication, i wasn't supplying my son with enough milk. One thing that can effect your milk supply is if you chose the bottle and breatfeeding. It will slow down your milk flow. Anotheer good thick is putting boiled cabbage on your breasts when your baby isn't drinking because while you breast feed your shirts will be saturated, also get pads. There shouldn't be any laws, especially with supplying your baby with milk while you work. As long as you do it in private, it will be fine. Some ladies aren't able to breast feed. This is because they can't get baby to latch onto the nipple, or aren't able to suck the nipple right. If this happens, ask the nurse before you leave the hospital as they will anyway. They will help you in everyy worry you may have in taking care of your child. Congratulations and i hope your pregnanc goes well.

Answer 7

Dont worry im with you on this one, im now having my first child in 4 months and im booked in to my local hospital as breastfeeding after birth. Im the only mother out of 10 booked at the same time to choose breastfeeding instead of formula. I dont have any experience of course but i have relied on everything my midwife has told me....it is never a woman's fault if bub wont breastfeed. sometimes the baby doesnt like the taste, or the mother's nipples are inverted, sometimes it can take a few weeks for the milk to develop fully from colostrum so using a breast pump to assist it getting to work properly can work wonders.

For some reason babies seem to like the left breast more than the right (they say its usually because they can hear the mum's heartbeat. which they remember from when they were in the womb) so stick with the left when u first start just in case.

And it does take a while so cheer up. I hope everything works out for ya.

Answer 8

Most women have some kind of issue that arises. For me, I was swaddling my daughter before nursing her, which was causing her to slide out of her latch and onto my nipple, which causes me soreness, cracked nipples, etc...also, we got thrush the first month and a half, so had to give the baby oral meds and put cream on my breasts. But, it was well worth it. THe thing that helped the most is the lactation consultant at the hospital. They offer free appointments wherever you deliver and its great. THey helped me figure out what was wrong and how to correct it. You can definitely breastfeed your baby and I think as long as you are committed to getting through the first couple of months, then you will do fabulous. I really believe that the first 2 weeks are the hardest and the first 2 months still are an adjustment period, but after that it is awesome. I think most women quit nursing because it is difficult at the beginning and they arent really dedicated to making it work because of lack of support, lack of information, or just their personal opinions on breastmilk vs. formula. I think the fact that you are so concerned about it shows that you are truly dedicated and that you have what it takes to make it work. You will do great! Just seek help as you need it from a lactation consultant or even la leche league. good luck!

Answer 9

Well my nipples hurt for the first week, after that I was just fine. You might want to put him on a bottle after the first 2 or 3 days (pumping that is) so your body is use to pumping the milk, but I would also make sure you put him on you nipple when your at home just for that bond it gives you. If you really want to breast feed and you have your mind set to that you can do it. Don't worry about what problems everyone else had cause ur body is different. Just set ur mind to breastfeeding. The only reason breastfeeding might be harder is cause the babies eat more when breastfed, their body uses it very fast so therefore you have to feed them more. Formula feed babies it takes longer to get through their bodies cause it has stuff in it that they don't need. I don't know if you can pump milk at work, I know you can breastfeed you baby in public!!!! If you do breastfeed in public don't take your baby to the restrooms, that just nasty. I don't want to eat in the bathroom am sure you don't want to either. I hope everything works out great for you!!!!

Answer 10

I breast fed all four of my kids. I did not enjoy it - but I did it. If you ever feel like you don't have enough milk - drink a bear (it was suggested by my nurse at the hospital) or take brewers yeast pills they both work really well so take/drink in the AM in case baby sleeps through the night you do not get engorged.
One thing I learned is that no baby ever died from formula - if you need to supplement - do it for the baby and your own sanity. You'll know what I mean when you get there.