can you prepare for breastfeeding?

i'm a bit nervous for some reason that breastfeeding won't go as smoothly as i am hoping. i was just wondering if theres anything i could be doing now to make it easier? i really really want to be able to bf and i want to do everything i can to make sure i can...

also, i know a lot of hospitals use bottles and pacifiers for newborns. do they ask the parents before they do this? does it really make it difficult to bf?

 

Make a sign on your hospital door (NO ARTIFICIAL NIPPLES OR SUGAR WATERS FOR THIS CHILD!), tell your nurses, threaten them if you have to. The best way to get hospital staff to take you seriously is to show how much you know and how passionate you are. Trust me, as a 20 year old mother in the hospital, they looked at me like just another stupid teen mom. Only after I showed my knowledge did they have ANY respect for me at all.

As far as preparing, all you can really do is prepare your mind. Keep telling yourself that no matter how much it hurts, sucks to be stuck in a chair, or how many people tell you that your baby isn't getting enough from your boobs, that you won't use anything other than your boob for at least three weeks! Throw away any formula samples you've been given, exchange any bottles you get from babyshowers, and arrange for lots of help in those first weeks.

Those first weeks, you're going to be sitting in a chair or in bed for the majority of the day and night. Don't even think about cleaning house. Have someone available to make you lots of snacks and keep the tray within reach. Have a pitcher of water and a glass near your chair, with the remote, a book, a radio, a pillow, a cover....Basically, move a dresser or the changing table to right next to your nursing chair (pick a good nursing chair, if you can!) and fill it with everything you might need for you and baby for those nursing marathons. If you don't need to move while the baby's nursing, don't do it. Use that time while your baby is nursing in those first weeks to bask in the glow of your baby, and all the help you're going to get. It goes away sooooo fast.

Also, if you have any reservations about being topless in front of people, try to work on those now. Unless no one comes over in those first weeks, they are going to probably see your boobs. I mean, in my first couple of weeks, I didn't wear a shirt at all. You want your boobs to air out because all of the nursing, saliva, and friction, your boobs are going to be best served with lots of air. Plus, positioning baby will be easier with no shirt in the way.

In any event, you're most of the way there. Wanting to nurse is most of the battle!

 

Just believe that you can.. and be well edcated. So many new moms are so nervous and end up giving up or not feeling sre so early. Find a LLL if you can.

 

oh yeah, know several little facts:

It shouldn't hurt for her to latch on. If it does, see an IBCLC (not a hospital LC).
LLL is good support and can answer questions, most simple ones.
Your baby is going to nurse for 24/7 it seems. And she's going to pull off and scream sometimes (at approx. 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months). This is totally normal and doesn't mean you need a bottle.

 

Have you read any books? I suggest _So That's What They're For_ I found it at Barnes and Noble.

Think positive thoughts and have confidence in yourself

 

I thought bfing would be a breeze. It totally wasn't.
Alexis had a TERRIBLE time latching on. I couldn't get anywhere to see someone from my local LLL and the closest place is an hour and a half away. I had to work with Alexis myself....with the support and knowledge of the ladies here, I got it. But, Alexis has milk sensitivity....and I just couldn't do soy milk, so I had to switch her to the bottle....I made it 6 weeks, though.
Like Holly said, put a sign on your baby's bed. Let them know that you plan to strictly breastfeed. They should ask you that....upon a billion other questions while you're in labor....when you get there and they take you to L&D.
Just believe in yourself and know that you're doing the best thing possible for your precious bundle.
You'll feel like you're CONSTANTLY feeding the baby, but, everythings alright. Let him nurse when he feels like it....don't force it.
When I was nursing, pacifiers didn't affect Alexis' latch once she got it right, but every baby is different.
You can PM me if ya want. I know how you feel.
Love and luck.

 

You can PM me, too, if you want.

For me, the biggest help of all was just someone reminding me "Don't give up!" Those words stuck in my head through the worst of my experience, when my nipples started to bleed and scab over and then Abryn would suck the scabs off and they would bleed some more! My nipples hurt sooo badly, but I didn't know what else to do and I just KNEW that I WOULD NOT give her formula, so I stuck through it and when my milk finally came in everything started going much more smoothly.

Now I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it.

So...Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

 

To prepare I'm taking a breastfeeding class with some local LC's in my area. I have also read every book I can get my hands on on the subject. I have had my husband read some from these books too, plus he is attending the breastfeeding class with me. I think it will help me a lot to have a supportive partner, and he is very supportive of this. Not to mention his mom already warned him that my job the first month will be nothing but breastfeeding and sleeping and he will need to work hard to be responsible for the other needs we may have. His mother is a real strong breastfeeding advocate. She also is a nurse practitioner for the neo-natal unit in the hospital I am giving birth at so she will make sure NOTHING artificial goes near my baby without damn good medical reason. I feel lucky to have all that.

Not to say I'm not surrounded by nay-sayers (ALL of them women, many who've never had kids of their own) who try to tell me how much I'll hate it, how they'll be suprised if I last three months, how breastfeeding past 6 months is weird and will cause my baby to have dependancy issues -- basically all kinds of crap. I have been working hard to ignore it but it does frusterate me and I feel like I can't be open with my intentions as much as I'd like.

I think that the best you can do to prepare is to be as informed as you can and have people around who support your breastfeeding. I am very determined to breastfeed successfully. With all that I still worry a bit about how it will ACTUALLY be and that it may not go smoothly, since this is my first time as well. In fact I occasionally have nightmares that I am unable to feed my baby!

Has anyone here had trouble with hospitals giving bottles/pacifiers to their newborns without consideration for the mothers breastfeeding efforts? This has been a concern of mine as well, and my sister actually had some trouble with this just a year ago when her baby was born.

 

as long as things go well at birth, the baby should never leave your room. make sure when you are admitted that they know you'll be rooming in. make sure to be confident in telling them that the baby is not allowed in the nursery or allowed artificial nipples. if you want to make sure they don't put pacis or sugar water in your babe, don't leave his side, if you two must be separated, make sure a strong, confident loved one is the baby's escort.

 

thanks everyone. i think i just needed some positive support. everyone around me tells me that breastfeeding is a pain, and a waste of time, and that i'll hate it after the first week. but i am determined.

my mom actually is a nurse on the floor, so she will be there to make sure everything goes well. I just wish that she was more supposrtive of me nursing him. she will respect my decisions, but when i told her that i didn't want any artificial nipples around him she just rolled her eyes and said "oh boy, you're going to be one of those patients" she was being half sarcastic, but she isn't really being 100% supportive. i know she won't let them do anything i don't want though.

a friend of mine who just had a baby about a month ago had a lot of problems in the hospital with bottles and such. they gave him the sugar water and a pacifier after she had told them not to, and she wasnt able to breast feed him at all. i know that probably wasn't the only reason, and i'm not sure how hard she tried, but she was furious at the hospital staff.

that was at a notoriously not so great hospital though, and she had a pretty bad experience with his birth as well. I know that i will be taken care of, and that the nurses will take me seriously just because they are my moms friends. and i know that the baby shouldnt have to leave my room, and if he does pat (my boyfriend) will be right there with him.

I'm looking for a breastfeeding class i can take. i'm taking an expecting parents class, which i think touches on breastfeeding. and i am doing a lot of reading. i've been reading everything i can get my hands on about anything that has to do with pregnancy or parenting since i found out i was pregnant.

i've also been having a lot of bad dreams lately. about not being able to feed him and that i wont be able to take care of him somehow. i guess it's just because it's finally starting to become so real. i had a dream last night that someone took him from the hospital while i was sleeping, and i was running all over town in a hospital gown trying to find him. it was really scary. but i've been really stressed about lots of other things too lately.

i really just need some more support, so thanks again for all the advice.
i guess i'll just keep doing what i'm doing and keep my fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong.

 

my only advice is to remember do whats best for your baby... i had some milk issues and had to supplement even though every single part of me was agianst it... do what feels right to you... you are going to hear everyone elses ideas but if you encounter a problem listen to advice but take it with a grain of salt... I have resorted to pumping and feeding with a bottle because its what was best for my baby...
some people will hate you if you break down and feed formula
some people will hate that you want to breastfeed
some people will tell you what you do is wrong
remember people are just people learn to tune them out....

 

My OB gave me information on local breastfeeding classes in my area, maybe yours will have some resources for you. It's worth asking, anyway.

Everything you have experienced sounds just like I am going, through. We're even both having boys due right around the same time

I keep having dreams where the baby just refuses to nurse, or where I forget I have a baby at all only to rush home and be unable to find him. I even had one where I went out on the town and just left the baby on the floor!!

It's too bad your mom isn't being more supportive, especially since she's in the position to really put you at ease over this. I'm sure she'll pay special attention to make sure your wishes are kept, but she could be more enthusiastic about it. My mother in law is a bulldog about the whole breastfeeding thing, so that has been a source of encouragement for me - and since she works neo-natal there I know I have someone with influence on my side to keep an eye on things when I'm unable to.

I hope that the eye-roll isn't the general attitude of nurses who have patients who are informed and determined in the choices they make for their baby, that's kinda scary!

Best wishes! It's comforting to know I'm not alone in what I'm experiencing with these breastfeeding concerns, that is a source of support in itself!

 

Why don't they doctors and nurses in your area support bfing?

They incourage mothers to nurse here, and there are signs all over the hospital saying "breast is best".

Weird that they wouldn't be the same where you are.

 

There can be a rough period in the begining when it hurts alot, nipples can get cracked and sore and engorged boobs feel like they will explode. this is when some people give up. Just know that period is pretty short and you will get the hang of it, it won't always hurt (if it does,it doesn't for everybody, not trying to scare you) It's the best thing for your baby and for you. Just hang n there. good luck

 

Oh, yes. Engorgement. That was so painful when it happened to me. My boobs swelled from a B to a D overnight.

 

Education is the best tool. Go to La Leche League Meetings. Read books about breastfeeding, REFUSE To listen to horror stories. Make breastfeeing that baby your priority. Do not use any artificial nipples, anything that the baby needs is in your milk. If the baby has "Low sugar" (A common reasons hospitals use to start supplementing) FEED the baby your colostrum, which is meant to raise blood sugar, tell the staff that you are breastfeeding, which does NOT include "supplenting."

 

You're already on a great path by asking these questions! I had a hell of a time trying to bf Leane and in the end after a little over a month or two of trying, I ended up on formula. Still feels like it was the biggest mistake and regret of my life. If only I had stuck with it and tuned out my mom who was always harpin in my ear, "just do it the easy way! I only bf you because your dad made me!" People like that are HORRIBLE to have around you when you're determined to get it right!
Find as MANY supportive people as you can! Those first few weeks are going to be hard, but like soooo many other people said, just plan to stay in bed for a month doing nothing but nursing! I had my mom on my ass to clean the house a week after Leane came home and it tore me apart!
Just relax and do what ya gotta do! Be determined to get this right! Gte a great support system around you NOW so that when you need them, they'll be there. Definately find a LLL close to you. I found one that I was never actually able to get to, but the leader welcomed me to call her whenever I needed to talk and she was chat with me for hours. I wish I could have gotten there in person to talk to her!
Take classes NOW and read as much as you can about the subject!

 

Moon Flower, for next time. There is NO REASON that the mother of a cow milk sensitive baby HAS to drink soy milk. I haven't drank or eaten dairy products while nursing ANY of my children, and haven't ever drank soy milk.

Only in the last few years has it been decent enough to use in cooking, but that is for texture only. YOU (Mama) DON'T NEED ANY MILK OF ANY KIND TO BREASTFEED A BABY. Some doctors are ignorant and think "A mother needs milk to make milk." Simply not true. Next time, get OFF that nasty cow milk, and just have a regular diet with NO dairy products. If you don't liek the soy, don't eat them. They are not neccesary, either. If you are worried, take a Calcium supplement. (Calcium Citrate.) But, in no way do you have to drink soy milk or cow milk to breastfeed. If your baby is cow milk sensitive (as ALL my kids were, and as I found out, when I elimiated it from my diet when nursing my first one, I am also allergic to cow milk, I may have never known) sim[ly take the cow milk OUT of your diet. There is never a reason to "replace it" with anything, as Milk isn't a food for adults anyway. If your doctor is of the opinion that ADULTS NEED milk, (which has been proven false for many many years, in fact, cow milk will predispose you to everything from asthma to diabetes) what ELSE is he this ignorant about? Maybe get a doctor with a better understanding of Human Lactation AND human nutrition. NO good doctor, who knows nutrition, will tell you you HAVE TO substitute anything for cow milk, as cow milk isn't a neccary food.

If you like Soy foods and are not allergic to them, then they are fine, (I happen to like them, with the exception of simply not being able to swallow any soy milk at all, Blech.) if you hate soy foods, then just eat everything else. You need NO milk at al in YOUR diet you are not an infant.

Sadly, this issue could have been solved easily. Are you open to relactation?

 

This has been my experience with doctors and nurses too. Every doctor I've ever had has been completely supportive of me exclusively nursing my babies. At the hospitals (I delivered at 2 different ones in 2 cities) they always asked me if I will be nursing. They asked me too, if I want any bottles or pacifiers. I have never felt any pressure by anyone to bottle feed, as far as I know, everyone agrees that breastmilk is best. I also don't see why anyone would feel pressured over some free samples of formula, I would never just throw them away, there are plenty of moms that I'm sure would appreciate them if you don't use them.

I wish someone had told me when I had my first that a baby will not take a bottle sometimes, I had no clue that this could happen. I had planned to go back to work and pump my milk to give to him, but I ended up quitting my job because he would not take any kind of bottle. I personally think that nipple confusion is a bunch of bs, babies are too smart at least mine were/are!

As for preparing for breastfeeding, I never did a thing but educate myself as much as possible. Know that nursing is not an easy thing to do. You will be exhausted, and will be the only one that can feed your baby. Like others said, you will be stuck in a chair or bed for many many hours of the day and night for the first few months. You will be the one getting up at night. I tried co-sleeping but my son refused to nurse when I was laying down. You will be leaking all over every thing, and if your baby is anything like mine, they will scream when you have let down because the milk comes out too fast. Until you are comfortable nursing in public, you will also be stuck in the house or your baby will start screaming when you are anywhere because he/she wants to eat.

But, it is the most rewarding and endearing thing you can do for your baby. When my oldest weaned, my heart broke because he would turn into a newborn instantly when he'd get on the breast and I knew that that time was passed. Now, with my second baby, it is so much easier to nurse. I am no longer shy at all about nursing anywhere and I am much more relaxed about the whole thing. When the nurses asked me if I wanted a paci, I said yes this time. I started giving her a daily bottle of breastmilk when she was a week old and I notice that if I stop giving her one daily, she will struggle to take it.

You are in for the adventure of your life!!

 

Oh, I also do not drink any milk or ingest very much dairy products whether I am nursing or not. I have never heard that you need milk to make milk. I think that drinking lots of water and eating healthy is much more important that drinking milk.