Parenting & kids - Quick introduction of myself :)

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Quick introduction of myself :)

I am just trying to find time to lurk and join in here. Some here from MKP
may recognize me. :)

My name is Jill, and I am 34 weeks pregnant with my first (a girl). I have
decided to breastfeed, and haven't yet been able to take a bf class but am
going to very soon-- I am due in May! (I'm in North Carolina, USA)

I feel a bit lost, because I don't know much about breastfeeding but have
picked up some good info on misc.kids.pregnancy. I do feel lost because,
sadly, all the people around me who have had babies have formula fed, and so
has everyone in the family, even both grandmas! I'm going to have to find a
link through the hospital to get in touch with a group of local bf'ing moms
for support. I am very determined to breastfeed for as long as possible, not
just a few weeks etc.

So, I probably have some silly and basic questions, and need recommendations
on everything, especially products and supplies! I will try to use google
and lurk for a while so I won't be asking the same old repetitive questions.

But I would like to ask....what do I need to have on hand to get started?? I
want to be sure I have the few things I need before I have the baby so I can
just focus on the baby when we get home and can just go to it!

Jill

Quick introduction of myself :)

"Jill" wrote in message
m...
I am just trying to find time to lurk and join in here. Some here from MKP
may recognize me. :)

My name is Jill, and I am 34 weeks pregnant with my first (a girl). I have
decided to breastfeed, and haven't yet been able to take a bf class but am
going to very soon-- I am due in May! (I'm in North Carolina, USA)

I feel a bit lost, because I don't know much about breastfeeding but have
picked up some good info on misc.kids.pregnancy. I do feel lost because,
sadly, all the people around me who have had babies have formula fed, and
so
has everyone in the family, even both grandmas! I'm going to have to find
a
link through the hospital to get in touch with a group of local bf'ing
moms
for support. I am very determined to breastfeed for as long as possible,
not
just a few weeks etc.

So, I probably have some silly and basic questions, and need
recommendations
on everything, especially products and supplies! I will try to use google
and lurk for a while so I won't be asking the same old repetitive
questions.

But I would like to ask....what do I need to have on hand to get started??
I
want to be sure I have the few things I need before I have the baby so I
can
just focus on the baby when we get home and can just go to it!

Jill

Congrats on deciding to give your baby the very best you can offer by
breastfeeding! Here are a few things I can think of:

- Boppy pillow
- Lansinoh or some other nipple cream which you may or may not need. I
didn't need it with my first but used a lot with my 2nd.
- You'll need nursing pads within 2-5 days - depending on when your milk
comes in.

It's strange but that's all I can think of for the first week or so. You
need to drink lots and lots of water. Stay on your vitamins. Rest and
enjoy your baby!

You didn't mention if you work outside the home or not. You may have to
think of a breastpump and introducing bottles around 6 weeks of age,
depending on your work status.

Shannon

Quick introduction of myself :)

Jill wrote:

But I would like to ask....what do I need to have on hand to get
started??

1. You
2. Baby

: )

There are things that may make your life easier, like nursing pads, lanolin
cream, a nursing pillow (Boppy is NOT the only one out there; I had and
loved the My Brest Friend pillow, which I think offers better support). You
may not need them, though. Some things, like Lansinoh, are fairly expensive
and if you're working within a budget, I wouldn't make it a priority (if you
need it, it's perfectly easy to run to the store for it, and there are other
things that help sore nipples, like sun and breastmilk).

--
tristyn
www.tristyn.net

Quick introduction of myself :)

(7) A good breastfeeding book or two, and a computer with access to this
newsgroup. :-) These will help you if you encounter any problems or have
any
questions about stuff like whether green poop is normal. ;-) This group
is
also a great place to go to complain about your MIL telling you to just
give
the baby a bottle all the time. :-)

Holly
Mom to Camden, 3yo
EDD #2 6/8/04

Ha Ha this really made me laugh - you been watching my life??? What is it
about Mother in Law's??

Ellie

Quick introduction of myself :)

But I would like to ask....what do I need to have on hand to get started?? I
want to be sure I have the few things I need before I have the baby so I can
just focus on the baby when we get home and can just go to it!

(1) A really comfortable place to sit for long periods of time. Ideally,
somewhere you can recline and doze. This could be a glider or recliner chair
with a high back, it could be your couch plus a footstool, it could be your bed
with lots of pillows.

(2) Pillows to help get your baby into a nursing position that won't strain
your back or arms. Boppy is the most widely available nursing pillow, but
there are others, and each type has its pros and cons. And some people just
use regular bed pillows or toss pillows.

(3) A large sport bottle or pitcher for water. Reasonably healthy snacks you
can eat one-handed. A phone, books, TV remote, radio, or whatever else you
want available to you while you are basically chained to one spot for hours and
hours and hours out of each day. :-) (Eventually you will learn how to nurse
on the move, but it may take some time before it's really comfortable.)
Possibly a clock and/or a notepad and pencil, if you end up needing or wanting
to keep more careful track of your baby's feeding times and diaper output. Put
all of this stuff on an end table or something of the sort near your comfy
place to sit.

(4) A supply of nursing pads; cloth or disposable is your choice. Don't buy a
ton, because you may or may not leak for a long time, but almost everyone uses
at least a few in the first couple weeks. And some hydrogel discs (ComfortGel
or Soothies) and/or a tube of lanolin ointment (Lansinoh or PureLan), to help
with sore nipples.

(5) Clothing and bras that provide you with easy access to and a clear view of
your breasts. You could just go topless for a while g and many moms find
that regular sports bras and/or regular tee shirts work just fine for them
later, but for most of us, 3 or 4 supportive nursing bras, a nursing
nightshirt, and at least one or two nursing tee shirts are very useful in the
early days when you feel as if you need six hands to get everything and
everyone positioned correctly.

(7) A good breastfeeding book or two, and a computer with access to this
newsgroup. :-) These will help you if you encounter any problems or have any
questions about stuff like whether green poop is normal. ;-) This group is
also a great place to go to complain about your MIL telling you to just give
the baby a bottle all the time. :-)

Holly
Mom to Camden, 3yo
EDD #2 6/8/04

Quick introduction of myself :)

Shannon G writes:

- You'll need nursing pads within 2-5 days - depending on when your milk
comes in.

Actually, you may not, although it's definitely a good idea to have a small
supply in. I haven't leaked at all, and DS is now 5 months old. I mention
it because I sometimes worried that it meant I wasn't producing enough
milk. It didn't!

Not really a product, but I'd suggest thinking now about setting up a
really comfortable "nursing station", somewhere you can happily sit for
hours at a time, since you'll be nursing a *lot* in the early weeks at
least. We have a rocker-glider chair, which is wonderful - if buying new
furniture is something you're going to be able to and want to do, I highly
recommend considering one. But just things like making sure you have
somewhere comfortable to sit with access to entertainment e.g. TV,
telephone, table for water etc., might save you scrabbling to sort that out
later.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

Quick introduction of myself :)

Jill wrote:

But I would like to ask....what do I need to have on hand to get started?? I
want to be sure I have the few things I need before I have the baby so I can
just focus on the baby when we get home and can just go to it!

Good job making the decision! You can do it, we'll all help.

My mother's rule was to have one book that was only for nursing
sessions. That way you would have to relax, cause you wanted to read
it!!

If you can figure out nursing lying down (it's not too hard, but I think
it depends on how large your breasts are), that is great for the middle
of the night nursings.

Good luck!!
--
It's Tis Herself!

Quick introduction of myself :)

"Jill" wrote:
. . . I'm going to have to find a link through the hospital to
get in touch with a group of local bf'ing moms for support.

Jill, you have gotten lots of great answers, but I would like to
respond specifically about this statement. Finding a local group of
breastfeeding mothers is an *excellent* idea. Finding more than one
group would be a good idea, too. Places to try in addition to your
hospital a

La Leche League - see
http://www.lalecheleague.org/Web/NorthCarolina.html for chapters in
North Carolina.

meetup.com has several mothering related meetups, including one called
"mommy milk meetup". see http://mommymilk.meetup.com/ to sign up
and/or get more information.

there could be other ways to find breastfeeding mothers, but i can't
think of any right now!

--
-- Vicki
Married DH May 21, 1995. Ima shel DS, born 11/16/99; DD, born at
home 5/19/02, and "the Final Frontier", "due" September 4, 2004.
The penalty that good men (sic) pay for not being interested in
politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves. -Plato,
philosopher (427-347 BCE)

Quick introduction of myself :)

"Jill" wrote questions.

But I would like to ask....what do I need to have on hand to get started??
I
want to be sure I have the few things I need before I have the baby so I
can
just focus on the baby when we get home and can just go to it!

Breasts and a baby :)
Really.
things other mothers have found useful are
nipple cream
cold packs

When I had my first child,. for whatever reason I was determined to
breastfeed though I didnt know much. The baby and I learned together, though
my mother was there to help.