How to make breastfeeding successful, give your ideas!

[purpley]

poppins not at all! I certainly havent taken any offence and didnt consider it a row I thought we were just exchanging views and ideas 
I agree totally with reading babes cues - all I was trying to add is some mums do need to nurse much more frequently than 3 hourly but because they read things saying baby should go 3-4 hrs etc they try and follow this resulting in a lack of milk.
I think perhaps a couple of articles say what I'm trying to say better:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBJulAug03p126.html
http://www.lalecheleague.org/ba/May99.html

[Hope's Mum]

Don't worry! It's not a row! Me and Purpley are very much of the same mind, I think, when it comes to this subject. I'm not disagreeing with her at all, just saying that I agree with you that 'feed on demand' can be taken too literally.

[purpley]

Whilst on topic, this is quite an interesting read:
http://www.fix.net/%7Erprewett/evidence.html

[woopster]

I think I've been too successful!  DS is 14 months and still going strong.
He has not taken a bottle since he was 6 weeks old, and has never had a dummy.
He will drink water from a cup so I know he can do it, but will not take milk from a cup.
I want to wean him from the boob, but I don't know how to go about it.
At the moment he is not too well, either teething or a cold/virus and is using me for lots of comfort.  He still wakes during the night and if I don't offer him the breast, he lifts my t-shirt up  :shock:
Help!!!
Wendy

[purpley]

Hi there
Are you wanting to wean your LO totally or just prevent night feeding?  I ask because many mums dont know there are lots of benefits still to your baby nursing at 14mths - If you havent got any info on this yell and I will dig some out 
When either stopping nightfeeds or stopping nursing altogether it is important to tread quite carefully as nursing is not just a nutritional bond but also an emotional source of comfort and a way your baby connects with you.  To suddenly withold feeds can be quite disressing for baby not old enough to comprehend why and some mums suggest this an indication baby still needs whatever comfort/bond it is providing so when not allowing baby to self wean care does need to be taken to make the transition as smooth as possible.
I will hunt out some info for you if that would help?

[woopster]

Purpley,
I initially want to stop night feedings and eventually stop altogether..  I would like my body back for a short while as we want to have another baby soon.
You are an angel!!  :lol:
Ta very much, Wendy

[LottieB]

Just to go back to subject of sore nipples.  My mother-in-law (a retired obstetrician!) told me whilst I was pregnant to rub cream (any bodycream) in to my nipples every time I had a shower to toughen them up before the baby arrived.  I did this with both babies.  My first baby fed ALL THE TIME(!!!) and although my nipples were uncomfortable and  a bit sore, they never bled or were really bad.  Second baby is very quick feeder and esp in beginning spaced out her feeds so my nipples had a bit more of a chance.  I know this advice is only helpful if you are pregant, but if you are pregant I would recommend doing this as it did seem to work well for me.

[kaz004]

I have been reading through the posts & totally agree with Poppins re : feeding on demand, I made this mistake with dd. Everytime she made a noise I fed her, I fed her to sleep, I fed her if she had wind I fed herfor comfort. This led to her having no routine, at 4years old she still cannot manage to fall asleep alone, she was extremely sick whenever she was picked up, or moved in any way because she was so full to the brim constantly & if I fed her lying down & she fell asleep feeding I would leave her on no matter how long that was - minutes or hours & if she woke in the night I just put her in bed with me & fed her as it was the easiest option as a result she never slept properly & regularly through the night until she was 3 yrs old!. Everybody I knew (none of whom breastfed) said I should switch to formula cause my life would be much easier - they were right in a way but just following a routine like EASY would have made my life much easier. I bf her for 12 months & loved every minute but this time with ds I have not made the same mistake & he has been on EASY since 6 wks. I do still occassionaly feed him when it's not necessary - after immunisations, if he is extremely upset when we are out etc but not very often. I do this because to me one of the great advantages of breastfeeding is being able to pacify your baby very quickly and easily when the need arises. On the whole though if you demand feed you are more likely to end up sore, feel you have no time to call your own & a baby who will probably be very windy or sicky & very demanding. I had to start dd on baby rice at 11 wks in the mistaken belief she was constantly hungry - it never occurred to me that babies cry for anything other than food. So my tip is remember just because the breast is always there doesn't mean it has to be constantly used, if you were formula feeding even ifyou had ten bottles made up you wouldn't feed them one after another to your baby just because it quitened them - the same goes for breastfeeding.

[gracie]

My dd pediatrician was nagging me to supplement b/c my dd had jaundice, but i just kept going at it, putting her to the breast every 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour to get the milk to come in.  I also used fenugreet tea.  sometimes called mother's milk tea.  it is supposed to help increase or help your milk to come in.  It isn't the best tasting stuff, but was okay with milk and sugar.  I think that it really helped and will use it again with my next baby.

[jaxnp]

Fenugreek also comes in capsule form if you don't like the taste of the tea.  I took it for a week or so a couple times when my supply was down and it definitely helped, along with regular pumping.

[talea]

Here are the things that I did/would do next time.

1.  Feed immediately after the birth (as soon as you can)
2.  No pacifier.  I gave dd a pacifier when she was over 4 weeks old but only for sleeping not for during the day.  During the day I nursed her for comfort and for feeds and my milk supply definitely benefitted from that.
3.  Looking after nipples is soooo NB.  I rubbed mine with breast milk after every feed, and also air dried them.   No soap on them ever but I think what helped the most was making sure she was latched on correctly.
4.  Correct information.  This is sooo important.  I didn't read the La Leche book until she was over 6 weeks old and I wish I had read it sooner as I wouldn't have worried about all the things that I did worry about.

I think those 4 were about the most important for me.  My dd was really into the breast and I hope that the next baby is too.

[oompah18]

Many of my friends gave up after a couple of weeks or so b-f.ing, they wanted their husbands to take more of the work by bottlefeeding!!! So my tip is to think of the bonding you get between you & your baby that no one else can get, they way he looks up at you when he has mouthful of milk, satisfied! I used nipple shields for 13 months on ds1 & tried sooooo hard not to with ds 2, now 4 months, but the pain was so excruciating, I had no one to help me (foreigner in foreign land!) & I spent all my time crying. Sooooo I went back to nipple shields & hey presto, success. he is a fat & healthy 4 month old. Ds1 very healthy too! So, to mums like me, don´t worry about nipple shields, if they work for your baby, then use it!

[jaxnp]

I came across this product while in the hospital having Kaitlin called Vigilon for cracked nipples.  It's a gel patch that you put directly on your nipples and leave there except while nursing, and it works like a second skin, enabling moist healing.  It feels great when you put it on, nice and cool, and it works better than lanolin.  It's quite expensive, but so worth it!  There's only one pharmacy in my area that has it, but I bet you can get it online.  It's been a life saver this time, as I've had the blistered, cracked nipples again.

[Angelo&Sofia's_mom]

I've been reading the posts on this subject and I find myself reminiscing and laughing at my own experiences.  Only now on baby #2 do I realize that  bf.ing is not the answer to a baby every cry!  But I do love to bf.

I agree that it is very important to nurse first thing after birth.  It helps in so many ways to bond and feel like a mom to this little person you're just now meeting! 

I bf my son for 1 year and plan to do the same for my daughter(now 9 months).  I had no nipple problems with ds but dd caused me some excrutiating nights.  I had never before thought I would not bf, but at 3am, sitting in her room crying as she nursed, I seriously considered quitting !  I'm really glad I stuck it out!  I think that bf.ing is the best gift a mom can give her baby and herself.

My best advice, would be to hang in there and to surround yourself with other women who have been successful at bf.ing.  It is important to have the support of others in the beginning when you might run into problems!

[~Lisa~]

The best thing I did was hire the services of a Lactation Consultant. My LC also runs a clinic at a local chemist so I have been in regular contact with her throughout DD’s first year of life. She always makes me feel positive about breastfeeding.

The other thing I would recommend is to trust your instincts; if something does not feel right then it probably isn’t and needs further investigation.

Oh I have one more- don’t get lazy when it comes to your own sleeping positions. Back before I was pregnant I love to sleep on my tummy. When DD was eleven months old I began doing it again and ended up in hospital with a nasty case of mastitis.