What you wish you knew before First time Breastfeeding

Question

Hello ladies , so this will be my 3rd child but first time Breastfeeding. Just a little background : With my other 2 pregnancies they both came early and i wasnt even able to try. This pregnancy has been monitored alot more, iv been on 17p injections since 16 weeks and im now 33w 3days. My question is , What do yall know now that you wish you wojld have known when you first started breastfeeding ? Im so clueless and need help! Baby girl will be here in a little over 3 weeks if she stays in that long .

Answer

Give it 2 weeks, then give it 2 more! Getting through the first 2-3 weeks was the hardest part.

Answer

Never give up on your worst day needs to be your mantra the first 8 weeks. It's not easy so dont go into thinking there won't be any issues. Go to a few la leche league meetings before baby comes. The womanly art of breastfeed is my go to book. I've been nursing for 4 years now, the past 2 years tandem nursing, if I coukd only give one piece of advice it would be to not have ANY formula in your house, period!

Answer

Don't watch the clock. Watch babies cues. Don't stress when they want to eat every hour...just feed on demand and don't worry how long or short it has been and auto think something is wrong. My lo such an efficient eater, but others said she was lazy on the boob. Turns out not so...she gets all she needs and I listen to her. I also realize she needs an evening bottle to help sleep so I pump so I know she has full tummy.

Find good product to sooth nipples. Asymmetrical latch videos on YouTube were helpful. I only feed from one breast at a time because it works better for us. Trust yourself and listen to "experts", but always do what your body tells you is right for your baby.

Answer

Most important thing is to make sure you wash your nipples between feedings and use a cream to keep them moisturized to avoid cracking I use coconut oil, if you don't wash good and keep your breast dry you can get thrust which is a yeast infection in your breasts NOT FUN! also make sure you are emptying your breast as much as you can and don't wear tight bras or clothing to avoid getting a plugged duct or mastitis , I have both thrush and a plugged ducts right now and it's the worst so I deff wish I knew these things before I started breast feeding . If you use breast pads make sure you change them as soon as they get wet and wash your bras daily. If your baby is having trouble latching check for tongue tie or upper lip tie those things are crucial to rule out if the baby isn't lathing . If your supply is down don't freak and go to formula try mothers lactation drops and the lactation tea i use both and it doubled my supply !

Answer

If you get sore nipples from a bad latch or nipple pain in general in the early weeks use COCONUT OIL!!! I wasted money on products like earth mama angel baby nipple butter and Motherlove nipple cream. Coconut oil was a million times more effective. Apply after every feed and you don't have to wash it off before feeding again. I had bleeding nipples it was so painful and coconut oil saved my life.

Answer

That it will take days for your milk to come in and that's fine. That you really want to nurse that baby as often as possible for the first week (like every two hours) because that will make more milk and will also make it easier for the baby to latch properly since they won't be quite so hungry (and they'll suck a little more gently so you won't hurt quite as much). That you really want to watch other people do it before you do (for this is recommend going to a la leche league meeting a month before your due date). It used to be women say babies nurse all the time but now we never do. So you have no frame of reference when you go to do it yourself.

Answer

And don't introduce a bottle or pacifier until over a month old I tried it and totally confused my son . Had to learn how to latch again , took a whole day to get it down again. So not worth it . You'll want a break trust me but just ride it out it'll get easier !

Answer

That it's hard before it gets easy.

Cracked and bleeds nipples are going to happen.

Lactation consultants are your best friend.

Don't stress about how much milk you pump out.

You're going to have anxiety about breastfeeding in public but your hungry baby will be work it. Just find what works for you too.

Answer

Is there another oil you can use besides coconut? I used Lasinoh cream last time and it worked because I am allergic to coconut and I will have hives all over if I get anywhere near anything coconut and that's what everyone told me was best...

Answer

Thanks yall! All the info i can get is helpful, im glad i heard so much good about coconut oil cause that is one item i was already looking to get.

What you wish you knew before First time Breastfeeding

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