Breastfeeding advice

I feel so lucky to be in the company of so many experienced moms. So, here's a question for you:

As I enter the third trimester of my preganancy, I am starting to have some anxiety over the arrival of our son. I am very committed to breastfeeding him, but I think it is also the thing I am most nervous about. I have two friends who tried to breastfeed recently, and both gave it up in less than a month.

The hospital where I am delivering has a lactation consultant, but friends who have delievered there says she is stretched too thin, and it is hard to find time to meet with her. My mom also breastfeed me and my sister for over a year each, so I am relying on her expertise.

ANY advice you can provide me in this arena would be very appreciated.

[houseelf]

First, CONGRATULATIONS!!! There is nothing better than a new baby. Second, try to have the baby latch on immediately after they are born. I truly believe that this helps. Third, a wide open latched mouth over the entire breast is key. Don't let your baby latch improperly. Take good care of your breasts. For me, this meant giving my kids a pacifier pretty early on so that they didn't over do it on me. Finally, if you feel like giving up, commit to just a few more days and see if you feel the same way then. Often, kids go through growth spurts or your body needs time to adjust to new sensations.

Best of luck. It is a beautiful relationship.

Kelly

With both deliveries, I never saw the lactation consultant in the hospital. BUT, I did go see one with each daughter shortly after I went home.
Any advice I did get in the hospital was in one ear and out the other.

The lactation consultant I saw was wonderful and the difference between continuing to BF or not. I am so, so glad I did. I'd suggest finding someone outside of the hospital to follow up with. Ask your dr or check with the La Leche League in your area.

[SueC]

Breastfeeding as I type this...I second what Kelly said about making sure the baby has a good latch. I used to let my first continue to nurse even if she wasn't latched on good, which caused me more pain than necessary.
If you can't get much time with the lactation consultant, find somebody that can offer you support. I had a good friend that had a baby 2 weeks before me and I credit my sticking with it to being able to call her with questions.
Also, I experienced pain with all of mine for the first month--I think it is common, but hang in there, it gets better. It's not unbearable pain, but it is uncomfortable at first. Once you get past the initial period where your body is trying to figure out how much to produce and when, breastfeeding becomes a breeze.

[BonBon]

My take on bf'ing is that I couldn't handle it. It was excruciating, and despite seeing a LC I was not able to adjust. I eventually got to the point where the actual breastfeeding wasn't painful, but when he came off it was EXTREMELY painful - think white hot poker stabbing through your nipples for several hours. (and I had TWO cases of mastitis in the first 2 weeks )

I ended up pumping almost exclusively for 6 weeks, and did not have a supply problem until I started on birth control. I actually pumped often and produced a lot more than he drank. Surprisingly, there is a whole community out there of exclusive pumpers, many of whom keep it up for at least a year. To be honest, I was sick of pumping and was grateful when my supply tanked. I felt SO guilty for giving him formula, but he is FINE.

Do I have a point? Not really, just give it your best effort, see an LC and talk to your mom for support. But if it just doesn't work out, don't feel guilty. There will be plenty of other things to stress about. (and it took me a LONG time to be able to say that!!!)

[mommax3]

Definitely find a chapter of La Leche League, and invest in a couple of breastfeeding books if you are the type that likes to refer to a book to find answers. With my first, the whole thing was pretty painful for the first six weeks, but I had resolved to stick it out that long, and by that point, it was much easier. I nursed for 12 months with him. With my second, my nipples cracked and bled, but that all resolved pretty quickly and things were great after that.....22 months of great! With my third, I was under a TON of stress and in hindsight, I don't know that he ever got a good latch on one side......I eventually got a recurrent case of mastitis on that side when he was about 9 months old which led to weaning a month later. I felt really guilty about it but I wish I would have cut myself a break and switched to formula sooner.

Your mom will be a huge help if you two get along well, since she nursed. I had mixed experiences with lactation consultants. The one I had with my first baby pulled on my nipple so hard that SHE (not the baby) gave me a hematoma! The one I had with my second baby (in an Air Force med center) was excellent.....I think she spent an hour in my room the first time, helping me get him latched on. I don't really even remember a lactation consultant with my third, although I'm sure one visited. We had just moved before the baby was born, and I had left my older two kids with virtual strangers while I was in the hospital, so I was pretty focused on getting out of there.

Drink lots of water and expect to get nothing done in the first days and weeks after she is born, except nursing. Sleep when she sleeps. If you get off to a good start, the rest is relatively easy.

Sally

This is all very helpful to me as well as I am getting so close to my due date. I am going to try and breastfeed and am hoping for the best!

Thanks for all the great advice. Are there any books that you found to be a particularly helpful reference?

I think the Dr Sears Nursing Book is good and there's another I can't think of right now (sorry). Maybe check out the reviews on Amazon.
And if it hurts worse than uncomfortable (like as bad as labor) then see a lactation consultant right away. I was in pain for too long with my first and just needed a little help.

[mommax3]

The two books I used were "Nursing Mother's Companion" by Kathleen Huggins, and "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding", which is put out by La Leche League. Both are dog-eared! The Huggins book breaks things down into the first couple of weeks, the first three months, and so on, and talks about problems/questions you might encounter during that time. Very helpful! The other book is pretty hard-core La Leche League, but has TONS of great information.

Good luck!

And do check the book reviews on Amazon, because although I loved these books, I got them nine years ago with my first and there may be some better ones out there now.

Sally

[Cumberland]

My biggest advice is to stick with it while recognizing that it will be really uncomfortable for the first month or so. DH would get me set up in a chair with pillows and a glass of water and then I would hook her up and he would come check the latch and try to get her mouth more flanged open (the goldfish mouth). I remember her crying to be fed, and DH telling me it was time, and me crying saying, no no no its not time yet, bc it was so uncomfortable. That being said I never had mastitis or latch problems. It was just a matter of having my boobs used 24/7 in a way they never had before. But it got better and now 11 months into nursing, it is the most wonderful bond. I would say the first two weeks were the worst, then it got gradually bettter and about six weeks into it was fine.

Two other things- there may be private lactation consultants you can use not affiliated with the hospital. And maybe this has already been mentioned but Green Cabbage is the BEST. It was recommended in my BF class for its soothing properties or something like that. I put a whole chilled leaf in each side of my bra and changed them every few hours. i went through a few heads that first month.

Good luck and we are here!!

[HeartRN]

I second the whole lanolin thing. My nipples cracked and bled for about week or so, but I kept it up and it got better. I wouldn't change a single thing. Also, don't feel bad if your baby winds up sleeping with you for a while. It may not be what you originally planned, but if your labor is rough , you may not be able to even THINK about getting up and lifting a baby every single time they want to nurse (which can be a LOT). I had such a long terrible labor that I couldn't even change DH's diaper until the day we came home from the hospital (and that was still very difficult to do). Staying in our family bed was a godsend. Best of luck, and congrats!

This is all great advice. I'll be in the same position in another 6 months.

Lunatic, I'm in NC. Does your breastfeeding group have any chapters in my state? Those look like great book recommendations and I plan on buying them from Amazon soon. Boy, I never thought I'd have a breastfeeding book proudly displayed in our bookcase!

I was just reading a magazine and it said the football hold should be used when nursing newborns and the belly to belly is for babies at least a few months old. Holding the baby in a football hold seems so awkward to me since I've never really held a baby that way before. Anyways, did you experienced moms breastfeed your newborns this way or in the traditional belly to belly hold? Or did you alternate between the two?

(I'm sure this is a stupid question, but I'm clueless! )

I did both holds with my first but she was smaller and still curled up. My second was over-baked and didn't pull her legs up as much and so the football hold didn't work as well.

A book is a great thing to have! I took the class at my hospital and thought it wouldn't be all that hard to figure out. I really wish I had a book to reference in those first few days. You might want to ask your dr's office for a reference to a lactation consultant -- your pediatrician might have one too -- so that you have the info on hand. I thought I was doing everything right with holding her and having her mouth open wide, but I was putting her on off-center on one breast. It was a difference of milimeters and if someone hadn't pointed it out, I would have continued to be miserable. The problem was fixed with one appt for about $50 -- well worth it! I don't know if I could have figured that out with a book.

[SueC]

I did the football hold with 2 out of 3 of my babies as newborns. It did seem awkward at first, but my nipples were pretty sore and for some reason a different hold really helped.