no bottles next time

[busyalexsmummy]

Well I really want to b/f next time, I didnt this time due to medical reasons, suggestions please ladies for being successful, Ive bought some avent nipplettes, Im getting rid of all the bottles and equipment any more ideas?

[spod]

sounds dumb... but be determined, I was, it worked. many people said that it shouldnt hurt, it should be easy etc, in the beginning. neither was true for me, am still bf and dd is 15 months... i found it really painful and hard, and i worrieda bout milk not coming in etc... and if you can, when babe is born, just concentrate on bf... my dd suckled for 4 days before milk came in... she was exhasusted by the time it finally did ( i had c sec) but its great. she loves it and so do i. best of luck.

[suzywong]

great advice

how old is your first child? I only ask this because no matter how young, don't feel bad about putting them infront of a dvd or giving them crayons and playdough or whatever when you concerntrate on BF baby during the day. If you have any worries about bf at all then get first child settled and occupied and do your stuff with the baby.

Best of luck to you. BF is one of the few things in life that I seem to be able to do very well so I'm afraid I don't have any tips other than believe in yourself, take it easy and keep coming back here for support.

[ghosty]

The best advice I can give you is to trust your body to do what it is designed for. I gave up early with DS because I lost confidence in what I was able to do (and had PND, and bad advice re. topping up with bottles so my milk dwindled, I had no idea that I could get it back with a bit of effort) ...
With DD I stayed focussed and every time she had a growth spurt or a couple of days of green poo or she seemed unsatisfied I made myself trust my body ... and it worked. It isn't easy for everyone in the early days to get it going and for some people it can be painful (it was a bit for me but again I stayed focussed).

Also, from day one work on the baby's latch ... and keep an eye on it. You and the baby can get lazy and even if the latch starts off well things can go pear shaped if you don't keep an eye.

Ummmm .... also, if you have a big baby, don't let anyone tell you that he/she needs topping up and that you can't feed a big baby yourself. DD was 10lbs 10oz and I fought a midwife in the hospital when she tried to give her a bottle ... I never did need to top up DD at all.

I successfully and blissfully breastfed for 9 months and if I have a 3rd child (a big IF!!) I will b/f for at least a year.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck!!

[NotQuiteCockney]

Get the baby to the boob ASAP after birth. We didn't manage this with DS1, because of SCBU, and had a bit of a struggle with BF as a result.

DS2 was latched on in recovery, and has fed like a dream.

Also, find a BF counsellor nearby, find out where the BF drop-in things are, so you feel comfortable going or calling. That way, if you're not 100% sure latch is fine, you can get it checked.

[SoupDragon]

Def make contact with a breastfeeding counsellor. In fact, contact them before the birth to discuss and ask them for tips for success, then you'll be armed with good ideas and also you will already have made a personal contact with someone who can help you through any difficult patches.

[Gem13]

Second the last post. Do ask for information. There is less given to you second time around as everyone seems to have the attitude that you know what you are doing.

I had 5 months between stopping feeding DS and having DD but I'd still forgotten how to feed a newborn and had to dig out all the information again.

Contact your local NCT for a counsellor and find out about the coffee mornings. For most of my friends that was the first place they fed their babies in public - a great confidence booster.

[throckenholt]

have a hand pump around - if for some reason you have problems with latching on you can maintain supply by expressing.

[Annner]

We were helped massively by BF counsellors during our difficult start (and we're only just established now, at 9 weeks) They can lend you videos beforehand, which can be useful. Also, a good community midwife and supportive HV made a difference for us: we insisted on a HV who had bf. She is not wedded to centile charts and is very reassuring.

With hindsight, I would have been more pushy in hospital: when midwives and HCAs come round they often shove the baby onto your boob, but don't stick around long enough to check that all is well.

Lansinoh ointment. Lots of it, before and after EVERY feed.

Good luck; it is worth initial pain and difficulties. I have cried buckets since November, but I think that I would do it all again.

[hermykne]

you have one baby already so plan ahead to what age they'll be and the demands they will make , my dd got very upset initally with ds at my boob took maybe 2weeks ofr things to settle which upset me greatly. and by breast feeding i alwaYS had a free hand to hug or calm here or read a story etc. have your suport group in toe, and i echo ghosty my ds at 11/2 did not get topped up once because he wouldnt go for a bottle and he is refuses a full feed out of a bottle at nearly 6mths. use laleche league counsellors by phone if things get tough, if you cant get out.