Did you try to breast feed?

Question

If so and you were successful what would you say was the must useful help hints or tips you got that spurred you on and made you stick with it. If you didn't breast feed is there anything any health professionals could have done to help you more and encourage you more to breast feed?

Answer 1

Be Prepared! Go into this armed with all of the information you can get your hands on.

Take a class and make your partner go, too. You'll need his support as breastfeeding, while wonderful, is also extremely time consuming for a few months int he beginning. You'll need his help.

Once piece of advice: When your baby is born, breastfeed her as soon as you get your hands on her. And even if
the nursery at the hospital offers to let you sleep through the night, tell then NO BOTTLES, bring my baby to me when she is hungry. Get her on the boob early and often. no bottles.

Good luck-it's really a wonderful thing...my nipples were sore for a couple weeks there, and I had 3 plugged milk ducts in a year, but overall, it was easy, cheap, and incredible bonding.

Having said ALL that, I did not breastfeed my first little girl because I wasn't prepared!! I got the WORST pice of advice from the nurse...she said, "that first night you have the baby, you need to sleep, let the nursery keep her". Well, by the time I got my wee bird in my arms again,. she didn't want to breastfeed. I tried after but really? My lack of preparation (and committment, too, I think) had already failed me. Wee bird was on stinky, expensive, messy formula shortly thereafter).

Answer 2

1) I wish someone would have warned me how time consuming it is to start with - up to an hour a feed, maybe every 2 1/2 hours or so. I still would have, but would have been more relaxed about it.
2) Kamillosan ointment. This was a relief whenever my nipples got sore. I probably would have admitted defeat after a couple of weeks without it.
3) You will get the hang of it! By 2 months mum and baby should have the hang of it fairly well, and be able to enjoy gloating at the mums who are carrying bottles around, making feeds, sterilising bottles...
4) Persevere! "Tummy to mummy, nose to nipple" will get you there, but have patience with little one, they're learning too.
5) Don't be afraid to ask for help, from family, friends, breastfeeding organisations, hubby. Anyone who can do the washing up, pick up bread an milk on their way round, help solve a problem. People WANT to help.

Thats my hints and tips. As to what the health professionals could have done to help, its only the HV's who let the side down - their solution to everything is "give her a bottle", and have always looked surprised when I tell them I'm breastfeeding. All the midwives were absolutley fantastic and were always on hand to help.

Answer 3

I really tried to breast feed my first child. Was up all night when I first got home from hospital trying every position going, with the baby screaming and going frantic. The next day I used a pump, and just had blood coming out and bruises all around my nipples, I was in agony. Carried on using a pump and supplimenting with formula until my daughter was three months. I felt awful, was givemn loads of advice from professionals but nothing worked. Felt a complete failure and ended up with post natal depression.
With my second I gotr very sore again, but knew that using the pump was too time consuming as I had no family support, a partner who works long hours and an active, jealous toddler. So my son was straight onto the bottle after being dismissed from hospital. But this time round I had the confidence to tell the midwives what I did and did not want to do and was a lot more happy as a result. Yes, breastfeeding is best but if it does not work do not beat yourself up, just get on with enjoying your baby.

Answer 4

my experience was, baby was stuck on the boob and never left lol.

I really enjoied breast feeding, yes it is sore to begin with, but once you get over that hurdle you have won lol. I breast fed my children for a year each

i dont think less or anything of woman who formula feed, because i know for some mothers, breast feeding just doesnt work out.

I have come across lots of mothers that can be in your face if you dont breast feed etc, so that isnt exactly good encouragement, but i think there is enough help around for it, if you want to keep on breast feeding.

Answer 5

For my twins I expressed milk for the first two weeks while they were in SCBU but that was all, with my third child I was determined to have a good go at feeding and with the support of a local breast feeding group I fed my child for 18 months. There were times when it was really hard and some days especially early on when it hurt but with the right support you can work through these days

Answer 6

When I had my son I did not breastfeed and nothing that anyone told me would have gotten me to change my mind. This is because I heard so many horror stories.
When I had my daughter I did breastfeed. I was persuaded that everyones experience is different. I would not change that for the world. The bond is so strong between mother and child. The best tip I got was to stand in a warm shower and let the water run over my breasts. That allowed them to drain and not to become engeorged. Also, there is a product out called Lanisil I think, it's for your nipples so they dont crack and bleed. Good stuff! It's in a purple and white tube and I would highly recommend it to any mother. I hope your experience is as good as mine was. That is something I will take with me for the rest of my life! Good luck!

Answer 7

I prepared well in advance and was determined to make it work. I read everything that I could get my hands on, did tons of internet reserach, attended a breastfeeding class at the hospital, and purchased all my necessities before the baby's birth (including a $300, non-refundable breastpump).

Although it's not the "ideal" reason to stick with it, having spent all that TIME and MONEY preparing for it really helped keep me on track when breastfeeding became difficult -- and it was VERY difficult for me in the beginning. I could have thrown in the towel very easily at times. But I just kept telling myself that women have been nursing their babies since the beginning of time and if they could do it, then so could I. And I did.

Something my nurses could have done to help me out would be to stop pushing formula the second I started to have trouble. Instead of encouraging me, they were insisting that I supplement and take home all sorts of formula samples. That made me upset because I didn't feel they were very knowledgeable or supportive at all. I'm pregnant again and due in a few weeks and I plan on telling them to keep their formula samples... I don't want them.

Answer 8

I bf'd for 2 years. I did not have an adequate milk supply, had to pump between feeding and use a supplemental nursing system. After 4 mo I switched to supplementing with formula (even with the pump it was not enough) The best thing for me was taking advantage of my hospitals nursing specialists and classes. I would have given up when I found I was not making enough milk, but they showed me how to use the SNS and pump, and help me see that if I could not feed him all alone there was no shame in using supplements. I loved nursing, and can't wait to do it again!!

Answer 9

I tried to breast feed all my {5} children, by I could only manage a week, it might be best for baby but I did not like it { sorry all you mum's } just because mine were bought up on the bottle, have to say it did none of them any harm, no they would not have changed my mind, it is personal choice.

Answer 10

I breast feed for a month. I used the pump while the where little so I could see how much they were eating.but I also had twins. I would say breastfeed as long as you can the more you put them on the more milk you will produce.