re: Sucessful breastfeeders

<blockquote><b>Quoting ambrahh:</b>" like everyone I've come in contact with is like "oh I did it for a day and couldn't do it anymore" then ... [snip!] ... I also have a breast pump..so if you pump the milk out to give to the baby will your body still keep producing enough?"</blockquote>



Like I said, educate yourself or you WILL fail. Don't listen to the negative things people have to say. Read the facts.

I mean whether he gets the milk from latching or from a bottle..I guess I don't have a preference..
I'd just rather not start a newborn out on formula if possible.

I'm going to be honest about my experience. Breast feeding in the beginning was very hard for us. She had jaundice and wouldn't stay awake, they forced me to formula feed, I cried nonstop about it. That being said even if it is hard for you if you stick with it and get the help you need with lactation consultants and what not you can do it. I've been breast feeding for 9 months now. I love it and I'm so happy I stuck with it and believed in myself and my baby.

Quoting ambrahh:" I mean whether he gets the milk from latching or from a bottle..I guess I don't have a preference.. I'd just rather not start a newborn out on formula if possible."

He'll get colostrum first until your milk comes in, but that's good stuff for the babes!! Just read up and get educated! Tell everyone to keep their negative comments to themselves. Just because they gave up doesn't mean you will.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Kelly +2 ERF/EH!:</b>" He'll get colostrum first until your milk comes in, but that's good stuff for the babes!! Just read up ... [snip!] ... and get educated! Tell everyone to keep their negative comments to themselves. Just because they gave up doesn't mean you will."</blockquote>


Thank you!
I think Monday I will call and talk to the lactation lady.

Quoting ambrahh:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Kelly +2 ERF/EH!:</b>" He'll get colostrum first until your ... [snip!] ... gave up doesn't mean you will."</blockquote> Thank you! I think Monday I will call and talk to the lactation lady."

Do it!!! Good luck mama!!  

Quoting ambrahh:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Kelly +2 ERF/EH!:</b>" What's the problem?"</blockquote> ... [snip!] ... it and constantly telling me how hard it is..yada yada. I just want to hear some good tips from people on they made it through!"

ignore them and all negativity don't give up all adviaa ff n

Don't give up! Thankfully Carter was a good latcher from the start, but that doesn't mean we didn't have issues! We had thrush horribly and I would literally have to clench my fists and cry when he would latch- BUT I didn't give up and it did get better after a while.

People tell me oh I couldn't breastfeed my supply never came in....etc and I'm sure for some people that's true but I think if you just keep with it, it will come in just fine.

There are some downsides not going to lie, Carter will NOT take a bottle so it's always me that has to do the feedings which I love but sometimes it's a little frustrating you feel like all you will do is have a baby attached to you haha. Just keep with it and don't give up! Carter is 3 months now and is a great nurser...good luck!

Take a breast feeding class, it was amazing and was so much than reading a book!

Honestly, I did not have one problem bfing my daughter. She latched perfecting from the beginning and the only issued I had with chapped nipples was on like day 4 and 5, when my left nipple was a little sore and a tiny, tiny bit bloody (I used lanolin and I felt fine). I also produced enough milk, my daughter never refused the breast and we never had thrush or any type of yeast problem. I actually think that my story is the norm, but people tend to tell the negative stories and not "brag" about the positives.
Don't give up, if you have problems KNOW you have the ability to make it through, it might hurt but you can push through it (you did labor). I am the type of person who has to "defy", so when someone said it was going to be hard, or I might not be able to do it, that was a challenge for me to see it through.

Hmm well I've been able to breastfeed all of my kids for a year. My oldest was a little less than a year and my youngest is still nursing at 13 months. In the beginning, you shouldn't pump at all unless you're planning on going back to work in the near future. The problem with pumping (which is a great alternative if baby is having latching issues or for going back to work,etc) is that it's like feeding the baby twice. One of the perks of breastfeeding is that you don't need bottles at all unless you want them.

So the basic truth, the beginning is challenging, especially when you haven't breastfed before. You're both learning what goes where. There's a little bit of a learning curve. It's also uncomfortable/sometimes painful for the first week or so. As long as you use lanolin cream on your nipples after every feeding, it shouldn't last that long. Your nipples toughen up pretty quickly. Some babies catch on faster than others. Most of the time though, when your milk comes in within the first few days, it's really really easy.

In the beginning when the baby is very little, expect to spend a good portion of your day with the baby on your boob. That's around the clock. At a couple of weeks old, they go through their first growth spurt. That's when most first time breastfeeders start freaking out thinking they're starving their baby. The baby will want to eat once a half an hour or more. Sometimes they'll cluster feed for hours. That's their way of getting your body to make more milk. Totally normal for them to act like that and will happen with every growth spurt and sometimes teething. You just keep switching boobs when they unlatch and scream. It's normally pretty obvious when they're full and happy.

After that, unless they're teething or they're sick or something else is going on, it's pretty smooth sailing. You'll figure out your favorite way of nursing in public or private and you'll fit your schedule around it. It does mean that you and the baby are pretty much stuck with each other 24/7 until you stop exclusively breastfeeding though if you do straight forward nursing. Since i have 3 kids, spending 24/7 with a baby is not that big of a deal. If me and the hubby went out, we took our youngest with us. It wasn't an issue.

I did have thrush with my middle baby. It wasn't a big deal and there's just as much chance of that happening with a formula baby as a breastfed baby. They get anti-fungal drops for their tongue, but the truth is that it pretty much cleared on its own when i stopped messing with it. Obviously ours was a minor thrush issue.

If your hospital was anything like mine, lactation consultants will visit you a lot in the hospital. I agree with the other posters, Kellymom.com is an awesome site.

Very helpful!
So as I'm feeding I'm suppose to alternate it...feed for however many mi items on one boon and finish on the other?

Quoting ambrahh:" Very helpful! So as I'm feeding I'm suppose to alternate it...feed for however many mi items on one boon and finish on the other?"

When it's a normal feeding in the beginning, they fall asleep a lot. I normally stick with one boob per feeding in the beginning unless they unlatch and are still awake and acting interested in eating. If they are still interested, I'll offer the other boob. Next feeding, I'll start with the 2nd boob. As they get older though, they normally will use one boob first and then switch over to the other boob before they're done with a feeding. I would still start with a different boob at each feeding though so i don't get lop-sided.  


You'll hear a lot of moms freaking out about babies falling asleep on the boob and worrying if they got enough or not. My opinion is that they'd still be awake if they were hungry. They wake up when they're hungry. That's what babies are programmed to do, eat, poop, and sleep. Waking up a baby in a food-coma is almost impossible. Obviously if the baby is smaller than normal or born early, the rules are different. I'm talking about full term babies without issue.

O.K. ;)
That makes sense...if they fall asleep obviously there's a bit of satisfaction there until they wake up.
If I do choose to pump would your milk slow down more so than if you were having the baby latch?
And most babies will unlatch when you should attempt the other boob?

i'll admit for me breastfeeding was hard... i breastfed my first for 1 month but had pain every time, my second refused to breastfed but my third we have been breastfeeding for 14 months now.. we EBF until she was 10 months. just stay positive and when you need help get help... i wanted until my daughter was 4/4.5 months to get help with her latch and i still suffer (sometimes) from sore nipples or pain latch but it's way better than what it was before getting help

My biggest thing is I don't want it to fail so bad that he doesn't get anything to fulfill him.. And I feel like I won't know...it's always just the constant first time mom fear I suppose.