BREASTFEEDING

[avik7]

okay ladies ive been going back and forth between whether im going to breastfeed or not. ive decided that i am going to. i got a book to read about nursing but no one in my family ever nursed so i cant get info from them and i have few friends that bf. i would love any experiences you could share with me! and this may be a stupid question but can i just pump and bottle feed with breast milk or is that impossible to pump that much?

[JoyRenee]

And YAY for having a friend to support and be supported by with this! That's seriously cool. I hope she wants to go. It's so much easier to have a friend with you.

[JoyRenee]

LLL will cover storage. If you buy a breastfeeding book (or get one from the library) it will also tell you. You store it in the fridge after pumping. You will notice that the milk will look funny, as though the top half is white and the bottom half is more yellowish. That is because the fat has separated from the milk! Just shake and it's fine.

Do NOT microwave it to warm it up. What I would do is heat up water in a glass measuring cup (maybe halfway filled with water). Then once it was boiling hot I'd set the bottle in the measuring cup for a few minutes.

Since you'll want to pump and take it with you, you might not have a way to warm it up. I would roll it between my hands or take the bottle out of the cooler 20-30 minutes before they'd eat (some diaper bags have an insulated bottle bag that you add an ice pack to in order to keep the milk cool).

[avik7]

i looked up the LLL in my area and they meet the first fri of every month so that would be in sept. i have a friend that is due 2 days b4 me with her first also and she is planning on breastfeeding so im going to see if she wants to go the meeting with me, i think i may pump so when im in public i can bottlefeed with breast milk, how do u store the breast milk and all?

[KeyD]

My local hospital offers a free breast feeding support group every week, it was wonderful. I could ask my questions and the baby was weighed before and after feeding to make sure she was getting enough. As for exclusive pumping--good luck. Nothing compares to the bond during BFing.

[JoyRenee]

Well you definitely don't have to nurse in public. Or you can use a nursing cover (called Udder Covers). And it's not dumb at all. Many women hate nursing in public. If you just want to pump when you go out, then that's perfectly fine and shouldn't affect your supply. I thought you meant you wanted to pump exclusively.

daniplusone- I didn't do any research or anything when pregnant with my first either! And I really regretted it because I found I really and truly wanted to nurse. I ended up not getting ANY support from the nurses at the hospital (most of them are not trained to help women breastfeed anymore). You can find books, join forums online, call your hospital to ask if they have a class, etc., etc.

[avik7]

i will be a stay at home mom...i think what im worried about most is having to breast feed in public..i dont really like the idea of it! I know thats probably dumb but i just dont wanna do it in front of other people or even my family. thanks for all ur input..if u have anything else to add go for it the help and encouragement is great! Thanks girls!

[KM604]

I breastfed my daughter until she was 9 weeks old, when I returned back to work - full time.  Well I started pumping when my daughter was a week old.  I was trying to build up my supply so that when I went back to work I could continue breastfeeding.  Pumping thoroughly exhausted me.  I felt like I was neglecting my daughter because once I was done feeding her I had to pump and then by the time I was done pumping it was almost time to feed her again - not mention clean my pump after every use.  You will have to pump pretty much every 2 hours to keep your supply full.  I encourage you to try breastfeeding first before pumping.  Breastfeeding provides a bonding experience with you and your baby.  If I were to be a stay at home mom, I would have never pumped and continued to breastfeed only.  It is possible that your baby could have latch issues, but there are usually lactation consultants who can help you with that.  I don't want you to steer away from pumping, but just know it is a lot of work.  However, I do encourage you to try to breastfeed first - it is an incredible experience.

[daniplusone2009]

I will be a first time mother when my child is born.  I was asked if I wanted to breastfeed or not.  I said a combination of the two, and never really gave it much thought.  I have an older sister and older brother of whom both have children.  However, my sisters son is 15,  and my brother lives about 2 hours away.  so as far as being old enough to see my sister breatfeed or not, i was too young to care and my brother lives so far that i see his children about 2-3 times a year.  I had no preference on weather or not to breastfeed as I have a small family and no one even asked me.  I never considered it truly until i read this post.  I never even knew that there were classes on breastfeeding.  I do know that a nurse or someone showed my sister how to breastfeed when she gave birth to my nephew, and that was pretty much how i thought it was done......meaning after you deliver, they show you how to breastfeed as a default of having a baby.

I feel kinda bad saying all of this but the reality is that i have been to about 7-8 prenatal appts to date because they consider me high risk, and none of the healthcare prof. have asked me about breastfeeding.  Maybe its too soon.  I am not sure.  I will be approaching 4 completed months in a week.  but either way, i will ask at my next appt.   I love this site.  :-)

[tiredbuthappy]

i hated pumping, but did it for my baby who couldn't nurse. I'd do it again, to give her the nutritional benefits, but it is stressful and tiring and you miss out on a lot of bonding.
However, you can consider a combination of nursing and pumping. If the baby is at the breast part of the time, your supply is stabler, and you are less likely to lose your supply. With this baby, I hope to nurse in the beginning, and then after a month or 2 start doing a combo, especially since I'll eventually be going back to work.

[JoyRenee]

Oh I forgot to talk about the pumping and feeding bit. I agree with casandbaby- it can be difficult, especially in those first weeks. You also should establish your milk supply (minimum of 4 weeks) before pumping. La Leche League will talk to you about that and the science behind it.

If you want to do it because you'll be working then you CAN do it! But I was a SAHM, with my baby all day everyday, and at one point started pumping and feeding my daughter the breastmilk in bottles. It was just crazy. I was constantly pumping and feeding. When she wasn't eating, I was pumping. They just eat so often the first month or so. I couldn't eat, pee, cook, clean because I was trying to pump as much as I could.

That might just be one of those things you'll have to see about. But definitely try to feed at the breast those first weeks.

[casandbaby]

I agree with joy!

I was an exclusive pumper and it was time consuming and tedious. I wish my son had taken to breastfeeding. But I would do it all over again. It's just so much more work to pump and bottle feed at least it was for me =] hope you don't think i'm trying to discourage you it's just harder to pump and bottle feed( like I said it was for me) =]

[JoyRenee]

You should contact your local La Leche League!!! Some hospitals also have Breastfeeding support groups that meet weekly. DEFINITELY give yourself every opportunity to educate yourself in breastfeeding. Your hospital may also have a breastfeeding class that will use dolls to help show you how to position baby.

I think that so long as a you TRY to breastfeed, you can't go wrong. If it doesn't work out (like for me!) then don't feel guilty.