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

"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

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

- 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

I certainly wish I had the glider and ottoman. I use the boppy pillow and
other firm pillows and tend to nurse where I can see a television to keep me
occupied on her long feedings.

I suppose it would be better if I nursed and spoke more to her, but she
tends to fall asleep so quickly. I also think I should get a cd player for
the nursery so that I can play music while I nurse. Hmmm??

It IS important to think a few steps ahead though. Having your drink,
telephone and remote nearby is very important. I can't tell you how many
times the phone rang and I couldn't get to it b/c I left it in the other
room!

~Carol Ann

"Carol Ann" wrote in message
news:cHZbc.183053$Cb.1700363@attbi_s51...

It IS important to think a few steps ahead though. Having your drink,
telephone and remote nearby is very important. I can't tell you how many
times the phone rang and I couldn't get to it b/c I left it in the other
room!

My friend used to have a little basket with the cordless phone, tv remote,
water, a book readily available. Whenever her baby needed to nurse, she'd
just grab the basket and put it right next to her.
--
JennP.

mom to Matthew 10/11/00
EDD #2 10/24/04
remove "no........spam" to reply

Carol Ann wrote:

It IS important to think a few steps ahead though. Having your drink,
telephone and remote nearby is very important. I can't tell you how
many times the phone rang and I couldn't get to it b/c I left it in
the other room!

It took me awhile but I also learned that it is better to just let the baby
cry a minute (or I learned to carry the baby) and go pee before you sit down
to nurse. I could never hold it long enough to get through the whole
nursing session so I'd just have to disrupt the baby to get up and go
anyway. When I didn't go first and interrupted the baby I often lost the
'baby goes to sleep after nursing' bonus!
--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Nikki wrote:

It took me awhile but I also learned that it is better to just let
the baby cry a minute (or I learned to carry the baby) and go pee
before you sit down to nurse. I could never hold it long enough to
get through the whole nursing session so I'd just have to disrupt the
baby to get up and go anyway. When I didn't go first and interrupted
the baby I often lost the 'baby goes to sleep after nursing' bonus!

I'd add to that make sure your water glass is full and have a snack handy in
case you get hungry while the little one is asleep on you. I don't know how
many times I sat there with an empty glass and a hungry stomach. I used to
say I was stranded on my island.

--
Belphoebe

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

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

(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