first time breast feeding - questions

hi ladies....i am planning on breastfeeding my baby but have no experience with this....im wondering what items i should be adding to my registry for breastfeeding....what do i need? do i still need bottles? can i store milk or do i have to feed the baby straight from my breast?

i am meeting with a nurse on may 11 to sign up for my breastfeeding classes but prob wont start them til june....thanks for your help :)

[Dragon1973]

Hi there.

Before you rush out and buy a ton of items to help you with breastfeeding, I would suggest that you only buy a few items in case your baby isn't willing to breast feed successfully.  Not every baby and mom can breast feed, and it is not your fault if this is the situation.  I would suggest that you contact your local breastfeeding clinic or the La Leche League (who are the breast feeding specialists) see here:  http://www.llli.org/nb.html  for help with breastfeeding.  They do believe that anyone can breast feed, no matter what the problem, so if you do end up having trouble, seek out advice before you quit.  Many moms quit simply because if you are not educated on how to breast feed properly and as a result it can be quite painful if you do not have a proper latch.  It doesn't have to be painful, so read all the literature you can on the subject.  When my son was born with Down syndrome, I was told the likely hood of him being able to breast feed was slim, due to the low muscle tone in/around his mouth.  We successfully exclusively breast fed for 6 1/2 months until my milk was not sufficient for him.  We transitioned him to bottles around that time.  (He also had 2 bottom teeth at that time which was becoming painful anyway.)
If you have trouble, yes you can pump your milk and store it.  They suggest that if you are storing milk, use a deep freezer which can store milk for 6 months.  A regular freezer will be good for 3 months, and the refrigerator will only be good for 4-7 days.  If you choose, you can pump or express all your milk if you find breast feeding too much or a challenge for both of you, and your baby will benefit from your milk by bottle.  I pumped extra milk in the beginning months for my son, so that if I had to go out, his grandmother could feed him or his daddy could bottle feed him also.  It also was beneficial that he learned to use the bottle on occasion so that transitioning later was not a struggle or difficult.  No one tells you these things, so my personal suggestion is that you introduce a bottle with your breast milk before he is 8 weeks old.  This is if you have successfully gotten your baby used to breast feeding, so as not to cause nipple confusion.   Introducing a bottle and back to your breast too early can sometimes cause nipple confusion.  I am not an expert, just a mom who went through it recently.
In addition to anything I have mentioned, please keep in mind, that while I or others may have extensive knowledge in many areas, you should always seek professional medical advice from your own physician, as it pertains to medical conditions or concerns.
Good luck, and if you have any other questions that I can help you with, please feel free to message me directly.

Sincerely,
Sandi (Dragon1973)
MedHelp Down syndrome Community Leader
& Ds Group Forum Founder/Moderator