breastfeeding

Hi

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options. I would
love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I tried
breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on (Ok
proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad after
pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would feel
about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I feel
embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by putting
milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

April & Bump

April & Bump writes:

Hi I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options.
I would love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I
tried breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on
(Ok proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad
after pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would
feel about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I
feel embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by
putting milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

Good for you for rethinking! I don't have much time right now, but a few
things come to mind:

- If you're unsure about it, don't aim for a year to begin with. *Any*
breastfeeding is great for your baby (and you). Maybe pick a much shorter
time to aim for, one that seems doable to you, to begin with, and then
reevaluate once you're actually doing it. Six months? Six weeks? Even six
days would ensure that your baby got the colostrum.

- Some babies do struggle to latch. Others seem to have read the book in
utero and immediately get it right. It's quite possible that your next baby
may "just know" how to do it.

- After pains tend to happen at the times when you breastfeed, but that's
just because the breastfeeding stimulates the hormones that help the uterus
to shrink. The uterus has to shrink anyway, it's just that if you're not
feeding there isn't a focal time for it to happen. So I doubt that you'd
actually have any less pain if you didn't breastfeed, it'd just be more
spread out.

- Ibuprofen is good for afterpains, and it's fine to take while
breastfeeding. Don't feel you have to go without pain relief. (It's also
good for any initial nipple soreness.)

- Having a good latch is really, really important for preventing pain and
for getting the baby enough milk. The main thing to do before the birth is
to read up on techniques for getting a good latch - this page has lots of
good resources for that:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/bas...resources.html

(The rest of this site is great too.)

- misc.kids.breastfeeding is a great newsgroup with lots of people who are
really helpful; you might like to start reading it now, and definitely if
you run into any problems, that's the place to ask questions. People there
are very enthusiastic about breastfeeding, so you may experience some
pressure not to give up, though - it's always your choice.

- Yes, you can always express milk and put it in a bottle to feed your baby
while you're out, if you prefer to do that; but a much easier approach for
most people is to overcome the initial shyness and learn to feed in public.
You'll be surprised at how easy it is to be discreet about it (to the
extent that you choose to be), and how positive most people are about it in
fact. Many people find that hardly anyone even notices when they feed a
baby in public, and that the vast majority of those who do notice are
positive. I've never had an adverse comment.

Good luck and good thinking,

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options. I
would love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I tried
breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on (Ok
proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad after
pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would feel
about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I feel
embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by putting
milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

April, I'm so glad you are asking these questions, I was really only being
curious when asking earlier and when I saw your reply I wasn't going to
press you any further, but it is wonderful that you are thinking about
breastfeeding. There is no 2 ways about it, breastmilk really is the best
thing for your baby, but it can be hard, particularly in the 1st 6 weeks, so
you do really need to be prepared. The vast majority of babies don't seem to
latch on particularly easily at first, even experienced mums can have
trouble with new babies, the key thing is during the first few days is just
to be with the baby, hold the baby, lie down with the baby and if they are
interested get the breast out and whatever you do don't give anything,
whether your own milk, or formula via a bottle, _if_ they need something,
you can give it via a syringe, but it's fairly uncommon for there to be a
real need to supplement in this way.

What are your concerns about feeding in public? What people will see? What
people will think? or how you will feel? If you are worried about other
people, to start off with people rarely notice, if they do, they rarely see
anything and most of them will think, good for her.

You can get loads of help over on misc.kids.breastfeeding, but it's a good
question to ask here as you get all sides of the story.

Cheers

Anne

" April & Bump" wrote in message ...

Hi

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options. I
would love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I tried
breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on (Ok
proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad after
pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would feel
about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I feel
embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by putting
milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

April & Bump



Just the fact you are thinking about it is brilliant!

When I had #1 my boyfriend told me not to breastfeed or he'd leave me. I was
only 18 and stupidly agreed.

In hospital I tried to ask a midwife for help breastfeeding but she didn't
listen. My son became very ill on formula and was losing weight from
vomiting. I decided to give breastfeeding a try after DS had been bottle fed
for 5 days. It was a lovely experience for me, and now I have breastfed all
6 of my children. I am not saying I have been problem free, but it's so
worth it.The health benefits are immense.

Anyone breastfeeding for the first time would be nervous. Make sure you are
comfortable with the latching on before you BF in public. I breastfeed in
public and do so that discreetly that people have come over to admire my
baby!
I undo my bra under my top, then latch baby on and pull my top to the babies
nose.

I would seriously consider contacting the La Leche league
http://www.laleche.org.uk/ before the baby comes, they can put you in touch
with your local breastfeeding supporter who can give you a ton of
help/advice. They were brilliant for me a few months back, and I even rented
a hospital grade pump from them.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

Andrea mom of 6 (UK) Erin Elizabeth 9 weeks (and really didn't like her
vaccinations today!)

April & Bump wrote:
Hi

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options. I would
love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I tried
breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on (Ok
proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad after
pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would feel
about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I feel
embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by putting
milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

I'm always one to try to follow a path that keeps
doors open (guess that's my control freak side ;-) ), so
in your shoes, my first thought would be that I can *always*
go back to formula feeding, but if I want to retain the option
to breastfeed it's a heck of a lot easier if I start out
that way. So, I'd be minded to give it the good old college
try first and see if I could make a go of it.
You've got several encouraging things going for you:

1) You tend to make more milk with subsequent babies, so you'll
likely have an easier time this time.

2) You've got support here (or at m.k.b, if you like) to
get good information.

3) If you can make it through the first 6 weeks, you're
almost certainly over the hard part, and during the
first 6 weeks, you're likely to be hanging around
closer to home anyway, so you won't need to deal with
the feeding in public thing until you're more experienced.

As far as poor latch goes, get ahold of a lactation consultant
(or whatever you local equivalent is) so that you get good
information from the start. That can prevent a lot of pain
and help get things going well. The afterpains can be
painful. On the other hand, they are serving a purpose
and helping get that uterus back where it belongs. I took
ibuprofen and that helped. Also, they don't last for that
long. Every day after the birth they get significantly
better.

Most women find that if they make it through the first six
weeks, they can deal pretty easily with the feeding in public thing.
It seems a lot more embarrassing when you're thinking about
it as a future hypothetical than it does when you're actually
in the midst of it. And while you may have seem women
nursing in public who exposed more than you'd be comfortable
with, most women can manage to nurse very discreetly in
public with a little practice, such that there's nothing
for anyone to see. Once you've got nursing down in private,
you've got time to cross that bridge, though. At that time,
you can experiment with clothing and positions and such
and you may well find that you feel quite comfortable
with how discreetly you can nurse in public. And heck,
even if you decide at that point that you just can't stand
it and want to go to formula feeding, you've got that option
and you've already done your baby a favor with even six
weeks of breastfeeding! It's a win-win. Breastfeeding
is one of those things that seems much more indimidating
and embarrassing and odd before you're actually doing it.
Most women find that once they've gotten the hang of it,
it's no big deal and they wonder why they felt so anxious
about it in advance.

Best wishes,
Ericka

In article ,
" April & Bump" wrote:

Hi

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options. I would
love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I tried
breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on (Ok
proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad after
pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would feel
about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I feel
embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by putting
milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

Do it do it do it! I'm a _huge_ fan of breastfeeding. I had the same
fears before my first was born, but it ended up being fine (and he
nursed until he was 2 1/2). I'm a modest person, but I didn't have any
problems nursing in public -- not much shows, really.
--
Sara
accompanied by TK, number two, due in April of 2006

Quoting, for users of Google Groups:
http://groups.google.com/support/bin...4213&topic=250

April & Bump wrote:
Hi

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options.
I would love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it

Yay - do give it a try. You can always stop but by starting you are keeping
all your options open!


in the past I
tried breastfeeding and failed miserably, my babies struggled to latch
on

Locate a good lactation consultant now. Sometimes the hospitals have one
but I've heard they aren't always that good. If there is a LLL chapter in
your area call and ask the leader for a good referral. A proper start makes
all the difference! You may also have time to take a breastfeeding class.

I got
real bad after pains which made me really irritable

Medicate thy self with ibuprofen for the first few days :-)

and I am not sure
how I would feel about a baby suckerling off me for a year,

I thought breastfeeding felt weird (a bit to animalistic) for about 2 months
and then it seemed like the most natural thing in the whole world. Don't
let this bother you and don't worry about a whole year! Start with goals
you can reach, like 2 or 3 weeks. You can do most anything for 2-3 weeks.
Then go to 8 weeks. Then 12 weeks. You will reach a point when you quit
setting goals and either decide to stop, or decide you'll just keep going as
long as you feel like it.

I feel embarrassed about feeding in public but Ok this
can be overcome by putting milk in a bottle before going out I
suppose.

Yes that is one solution and I also found that once I was comfortable with
breastfeeding in general I tried it out in public for convenience sake and
after a little while I was comfortable with NIP too.
--
Nikki
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Thing One and Thing Two :-) EDD 4/06

I am currently pumping and bottle feeding, for some of the same reasons you
listed... I don't want to feed in public, I don't want the baby 100%
dependant on me for every single feeding, I failed at it last time, etc.
This time around, I have already dealt with nipples cracked and bleeding,
mastitis and thrush.

I'm at 3 weeks now, and I can tell you the after pains suck! But only
lasted for me a few days. I am pumping WAY more than Emily can eat, so in 3
weeks I already have over 100 6oz bags of EBM in the freezer. I'm sure
supply will go down at some point, so I'm happy to stockpile while I can.
My husband does alot of the feedings at night, and in the evening when I am
cooking dinner or taking a bath. This helps so much to be able to take a
break.

My goal is 6 months. I'm almost down 1! Breastfeeding didn't come
naturally to me, nor did I enjoy it as much as other women claim to. The
silver lining to pumping and bottle feeding is that the baby still gets the
bm, you can take more breaks, and you still lose weight quicker than you
would if you were formula feeding.

Betsy

" April & Bump" wrote in message
...
Hi

I have got to week 37 and I am seriously rethinking feeding options. I
would love to breastfeed but I am very scared of it, in the past I tried
breastfeeding and failed misrably, my babies struggled to latch on (Ok
proberbly cause I didnt have a clue what I was doing) I got real bad after
pains which made me really irratable and I am not sure how I would feel
about a baby suckerling off me for a year, I know thats selfish. I feel
embarrased about feeding in public but Ok this can be overcome by putting
milk in a bottle before going out I suppose.

April & Bump

oregonchick wrote:
My goal is 6 months. I'm almost down 1! Breastfeeding didn't come
naturally to me, nor did I enjoy it as much as other women claim to. The
silver lining to pumping and bottle feeding is that the baby still gets
the bm, you can take more breaks, and you still lose weight quicker than
you would if you were formula feeding.

I just wanted to add here, that Betsy is very lucky to have such good
supply, most women with newborns would have to pump every 2hrs to get less
than half this amount, which means instead of being tied to a baby, you are
tied to a pump, which is way less portable.

Anne

"oregonchick" wrote in message
...
Breastfeeding didn't come naturally to me, nor did I enjoy it as much as
other women claim to.

I'm not really sure of the extent to which most women ENJOY breastfeeding,
especially in the first 4-6 weeks or so, even those of us who've done it
successfully with multiple babies. I'm well into my 8th year of virtually
continuous breastfeeding (though on the slow downward spiral to fully
weaning my youngest, who will be 4 in March) and I don't know that I can
honestly say that I ever ENJOYED it as an activity to be done for the sake
of doing it. I enjoyed it to the extent that I liked always having the
baby's food along with me wherever I went (the great thing about breasts is,
wherever you go, there they are!), that I always had an easy way to
calm/soothe a cranky baby/toddler, and that it was (after baby boot camp was
over) EASY. But it's not like it's something I looked forward to doing the
way I'd look forward to reading a good book or having a good sleep--now
THOSE are things I enjoy!

IOW, "enjoying" breastfeeding isn't essential to success, although I suppose
not actively DESPISING it probably is.
--
Be well, Barbara