Using a sling while BF?

I'm currently pregnant with about 2 months to go. I also have a son who will
be 15 months old when the new baby is born. I'm hoping to BF this second
baby (as I did the first one!) and am crossing my fingers and toes that all
goes according to plan.

Since the 15 month old isn't likely to sit still for an hour while the
newborn has a BF, I'm considering either the use of a playpen (which I don't
really want to do unless I have to) or of finding some sort of a sling that
is conducive to the newborn breastfeeding while leaving my hands free to
deal with the 15 month old.

Has anyone here successfully used a sling that left their hands (relatively)
free while breastfeeding (I know I will sometimes need to adjust position,
help the baby find the nipple again, relatch, etc)? What brand was it? And
is it still available on the market? Where can I buy one?

Thanks for reading!

Engram

--
Matthew 21 June 2005
DD EDD 06 Oct 2006

"Engram" wrote in message
u...
I'm currently pregnant with about 2 months to go. I also have a son who
will be 15 months old when the new baby is born. I'm hoping to BF this
second baby (as I did the first one!) and am crossing my fingers and toes
that all goes according to plan.

Since the 15 month old isn't likely to sit still for an hour while the
newborn has a BF, I'm considering either the use of a playpen (which I
don't really want to do unless I have to) or of finding some sort of a
sling that is conducive to the newborn breastfeeding while leaving my
hands free to deal with the 15 month old.

Has anyone here successfully used a sling that left their hands
(relatively) free while breastfeeding (I know I will sometimes need to
adjust position, help the baby find the nipple again, relatch, etc)? What
brand was it? And is it still available on the market? Where can I buy
one?

Thanks for reading!

Engram

--
Matthew 21 June 2005
DD EDD 06 Oct 2006


I've breast fed successfully in a couple of different ring slings - one a
maya wrap ring sling (http://www.mayawrap.com/p_mayawrap.php but I got mine
from ebay) and one a basic ring sling bought off ebay from a work at home
mum. I think most ring slings are basically similar, but you want to make
sure it has a long enough "tail" if you want to use it to cover baby and
breast.
It did take a little while for us to get used to it (not sure if it was more
me or DD) -- I guess about half a dozen tries before I could actually do it
hands free. And if I'm moving round a lot she still does lose the nipple and
I have to relatch.

HTH
Liz

Are you still nursing the 13 month old? (You didn't mention so I thought I'd
ask). have you considered tandeming? My DD was 3 when my DS was born and
while tandeming such different aged kids was not much fun, I imagine nursing
2 babies would be much easier. Just a thought...

Also, I love the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder for nursing (look on ebay -
you'll find great ones there). Others swear by the Maya Wrap though I
couldn't get comfortable with that one...ymmv


"Engram" wrote in message
u...
I'm currently pregnant with about 2 months to go. I also have a son who
will be 15 months old when the new baby is born. I'm hoping to BF this
second baby (as I did the first one!) and am crossing my fingers and toes
that all goes according to plan.

Since the 15 month old isn't likely to sit still for an hour while the
newborn has a BF, I'm considering either the use of a playpen (which I
don't really want to do unless I have to) or of finding some sort of a
sling that is conducive to the newborn breastfeeding while leaving my
hands free to deal with the 15 month old.

Has anyone here successfully used a sling that left their hands
(relatively) free while breastfeeding (I know I will sometimes need to
adjust position, help the baby find the nipple again, relatch, etc)? What
brand was it? And is it still available on the market? Where can I buy
one?

Thanks for reading!

Engram

--
Matthew 21 June 2005
DD EDD 06 Oct 2006

Engram wrote:

Has anyone here successfully used a sling that left their hands (relatively)
free while breastfeeding (I know I will sometimes need to adjust position,
help the baby find the nipple again, relatch, etc)? What brand was it? And
is it still available on the market? Where can I buy one?

As the pp's said, yes! Personally, I've only used a MayaWrap with a
newborn. They've recently redesigned the shoulder, btw. The main
issue is that you really can't switch shoulders with it. Some people
can turn the baby around and do both sides - I couldn't figure out how
to do it.

However, the ultimate place to get info is www.thebabywearer.com. The
forums are great, and there is one specifically for Breastfeeding and
Babywearing with lots of troubleshooting tips, etc.

Oh, and if I were to have another baby, I'd be trying out a stretchy
wrap...

Irene

Engram,

Since you are not due yet, I will make a few "newborn" remarks.

Don't try to use a "ring" sling on a newborn (OTSBH or NOJO).
They require the baby to hold it's head up by itself, which
does not work for a newborn (IME).

The best kinds of slings are the "single fold over type, where
the baby is in a pouch made by the sling. I don't know any
brand names, because we got one made by a private individual.
Looking the the web, the New Native slings look good, but that
is just a guess.

Slings have a lot of other good uses than just dealing with an
older sibling, since you generally have a hand free.

Good luck,
Larry

Engram wrote:
I'm currently pregnant with about 2 months to go. I also have a son who will
be 15 months old when the new baby is born. I'm hoping to BF this second
baby (as I did the first one!) and am crossing my fingers and toes that all
goes according to plan.

Since the 15 month old isn't likely to sit still for an hour while the
newborn has a BF, I'm considering either the use of a playpen (which I don't
really want to do unless I have to) or of finding some sort of a sling that
is conducive to the newborn breastfeeding while leaving my hands free to
deal with the 15 month old.

Has anyone here successfully used a sling that left their hands (relatively)
free while breastfeeding (I know I will sometimes need to adjust position,
help the baby find the nipple again, relatch, etc)? What brand was it? And
is it still available on the market? Where can I buy one?

Thanks for reading!

Engram


Well, I've managed to BF in a sling now a few times (2x today), but not
without using my hands!

FWIW, though, I have the 'new native' sling and I like it very much. I
have a bunch of sarongs I was just going to use (used to live in Asia
and saw all the women there using them). But I figured I'd splurge on a
sling I didn't have to worry about tying appropriately. I really like
the one I have, so far....I guess it's doable without hands, but it's a
little long - the smaller size would be too small, this works well for
carrying, but to get her in position to BF I need to hold her higher.

wrote:
Engram,

Since you are not due yet, I will make a few "newborn" remarks.

Erm...tho Larry is definitely a bf expert, you are not a bw
(babywearing expert!) See below...

Don't try to use a "ring" sling on a newborn (OTSBH or NOJO).
They require the baby to hold it's head up by itself, which
does not work for a newborn (IME).

First of all, the distinction there is a padded ring sling (which, tbh,
I haven't used, but both the OTSBH and NOJO are padded, which makes
them very difficult to adjust, from everything I have heard and seen.)
An unpadded ring sling, used with the baby in cradle position, can
support the baby's head quite well when adjusted properly. The trick
I've found is to loosen the sling, latch baby on, then tighten the
sling with one hand while supporting baby's head in the other hand,
until the baby's head is then supported. I used my MayaWrap with dd
when she was about a week old - I'm not sure how old she was when I
first nursed her in there, but probably within the first week of
slinging her.

The best kinds of slings are the "single fold over type, where
the baby is in a pouch made by the sling. I don't know any
brand names, because we got one made by a private individual.
Looking the the web, the New Native slings look good, but that
is just a guess.

Opinion alert! ;-) My main complaint about poches (which is what you
mean by the above description) is that with a non-adjustable pouch, if
it doesn't fit, the only thing you can do to adjust is a shoulder flip.
Otherwise, you need to get a different size. And, it is rather
challenging to get the right size while pregnant, esp. since you don't
know how quickly you will lose weight post-partum. However, some moms
really love pouches. Brands I have heard good stuff about are Kangaroo
Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouches and Hotslings, among others. (Again,
see www.thebabywearer.com for more reviews)

Slings have a lot of other good uses than just dealing with an
older sibling, since you generally have a hand free.

Yup! And if you have it adjusted well, sometimes 2 hands. Or with a
mei tai or an Ergo, definitely 2 hands...

Irene

cjra wrote:
Engram wrote:
I'm currently pregnant with about 2 months to go. I also have a son who will
be 15 months old when the new baby is born. I'm hoping to BF this second
baby (as I did the first one!) and am crossing my fingers and toes that all
goes according to plan.

Since the 15 month old isn't likely to sit still for an hour while the
newborn has a BF, I'm considering either the use of a playpen (which I don't
really want to do unless I have to) or of finding some sort of a sling that
is conducive to the newborn breastfeeding while leaving my hands free to
deal with the 15 month old.

Has anyone here successfully used a sling that left their hands (relatively)
free while breastfeeding (I know I will sometimes need to adjust position,
help the baby find the nipple again, relatch, etc)? What brand was it? And
is it still available on the market? Where can I buy one?

Thanks for reading!

Engram


Well, I've managed to BF in a sling now a few times (2x today), but not
without using my hands!

FWIW, though, I have the 'new native' sling and I like it very much. I
have a bunch of sarongs I was just going to use (used to live in Asia
and saw all the women there using them). But I figured I'd splurge on a
sling I didn't have to worry about tying appropriately. I really like
the one I have, so far....I guess it's doable without hands, but it's a
little long - the smaller size would be too small, this works well for
carrying, but to get her in position to BF I need to hold her higher.

Have you tried a shoulder flip to shorten it up? If not, you might
want to try a different brand with different sizing - if it is too big,
eventually it will be too uncomfortable for you.

Irene