Things I wish I'd known about BFing before Baby Came

[LaeActress]

By the way, your son is absolutely adorable.

[futuresoccermom]

Very informative!

[TK2]

You will probably leak in the first weeks (or months :oops: ). Have some good breast pads ready. (I tried a bunch and my def fav are Lansinoh)

[NSenadenos]

You will probably leak in the first weeks (or months :oops: ). Have some good breast pads ready. (I tried a bunch and my def fav are Lansinoh)

Oh yes, the Lansinoh are THE best ones.

[momma2binSD]

You will probably leak in the first weeks (or months :oops: ). Have some good breast pads ready. (I tried a bunch and my def fav are Lansinoh)

Oh yes, the Lansinoh are THE best ones.

I agree!!!

[3andMe]

But don't worry if you never leak. Some women just don't, and it's not indicative of supply. I have a whole bunch of nursing pads that I never used and for which I'm trying to find alternative uses.

[stash]

for which I'm trying to find alternative uses.

Coasters?

[heartmyboyz]

for which I'm trying to find alternative uses.

Coasters?

lol

[TK2]

for which I'm trying to find alternative uses.

Coasters?

[CareBearMom]

I tried breastfeeding with my second child and I cried when it was time to bf bcuz of the pain. Felt like someone was sticking me with needles. I want to try again w/this child. What advice do you have? How long does it hurt like this?

I have NO experience with this yet, but my mom told me to get my nipples ready by rolling and tugging (gently) on them. I am going to try it.

[NSenadenos]

I tried breastfeeding with my second child and I cried when it was time to bf bcuz of the pain. Felt like someone was sticking me with needles. I want to try again w/this child. What advice do you have? How long does it hurt like this?

I have NO experience with this yet, but my mom told me to get my nipples ready by rolling and tugging (gently) on them. I am going to try it.

Careful though - too much nipple stimulation can cause contractions...

[CareBearMom]

I will be careful. I also read that using a towel to roughen them up helps.

[MommaBear]

IMO it'd be pretty hard to find anything that will actually toughen up your nipples enough that a real baby's super-vacuum suck won't make you sore.

[MommaBear]

I wish I'd known that you NEVER stop worrying about your supply. Jamie's over 1 and I only pump to donate, and I still freak out when I get less than usual at a given session.

[jenhd]

I wish I had known to not be so obsessed w/ the clock. The whole 10 minutes/side every 2-3 hours drove me batty. I know it's meant as a guideline but it caused me more stress than anything else- I felt like something was wrong if she ate for less (or more) than that. Sometimes she'd eat for 5 minutes and not be hungry until 3 hours later, other times she'd eat for 45 and want more an hour later. Once I realized I needed to let go of the whole time thing, we were much happier!

[Antimony25]

But don't worry if you never leak. Some women just don't, and it's not indicative of supply. I have a whole bunch of nursing pads that I never used and for which I'm trying to find alternative uses.

buffing your car after wax (like you have time, right?!?)

[Jaisaphira]

I wish I would have known that many women are sad when their babies wean... {I cried for 2 wks...}

I wish I would have known that it doesnt matter what ppl think or even say when you are nursing in public, its natural and beautiful! {It took me months to figure that out.}

I wish I would have know that even with a perfect latch, it can still hurt for more than a few weeks for some women. {All the LCs all said we were perfect, I just had tender nipples... }

I wish I would have known about lanolin cream with my first 2 kids... {it saved me with my 3rd}

[missamanda]

This was probably already said but I wish I knew that my nipples were going to kill for weeks and weeks. The nurses mislead you and say it should only hurt for a few days and during the first few minutes of nursing. Iguess they don't want to scare you off so they don't tell you what really happens.

Be prepared for pain just in case!

That and, if things are going cruddy and not what you expected, don't beat yourself up. I was constantly thinking I was doing something wrong, but we were both just learning and trying to get the hang of it. It takes lots of time, effort and tears. But anyone can do it you just keep on keepin' on ;)

[dixiechicken]

Thank you for this thread.....Baby #1 is due soon and I want nothing more than to BF! Reminds me, I need to get some Breast Pads, thanks for the recommendations!

[LilMama]

I wish I would have known about the gel pads you can get to stick in the fridge and then into your bra after nursing to alleviate any soreness.

I wish I had known that it can hurt like h3ll to have your milk come in again. Mine felt like two hot pokers running through the center of my nipples. not fun..

I wish I would have known that I could have kept on pumping my milk after Gus was weaned at seven months. I knew nothing then...

[KJBriesacher]

It has probably already been said, but I wish I would've known the crap I was going to get for BFing. "What are you stupid" " What a waste of time" "You can get a lot of things done if you just FF" To all of this I say "BUNK"! Just because it worked for you doesn't mean it'll be perfect for MY family. I have no problem with FF by the way, but I want to give my boy the very best I can. I want to have that treasured bond when BFing! I don't care how much of MY time is taken up with BFing daily, because I am being a great mom giving my son everything I can! From the beginning we had problems, but I was bound and determined to MAKE it work out and now 5 months later, we are still going strong!

[Lante]

What are breast shields or nipple shields?

[Channing'sMom]

Here is some info I got from my LC. It tells what to expect from a breastfed baby and what is normal behavior. Hope it reassures you like it did me!

[dixiechicken]

Here are my "I wish I had known"

*That babies sometimes prefer laying on one side to eat and that it is normal
*That DH would be jealous of me because "I got to bond with the baby while pregnant and now while you feed him!"
*That the lack of sleep due to feeding gets better....your body adjusts to little/no sleep
*Not to waste money on any nursing pads other than Lansinoh
*Singing while nursing calms me and baby and the same song can help at other fussy times too

[ColtsFan1912]

I wish i knew that for some babies it isn't very hard to start...but it does NOT mean they are not getting what they need. BFing went very well from the beginning for Caleb & I. . .my nipples never hurt & I was afraid he wasn't eating. . .but he was. He gained like 3 lbs in 2 weeks lol. .. .maybe i just have old tough boobs hehe i dunno. But i know he's eating fine. . .i just heard stories about how sore you'll be & I wasn't. ..freaked me out i was starving him or something.

[zacharysmom]

I wish I had known all the different stories I'd get and discouragement even from the doctor!!!!

[teachermom]

That you can suddenly develop a bad latch after having a good one (DD got lazy when she was sick and I was too tired to notice what was happening).

That even experienced breastfeeding friends can seem perplexed when you tell them you LO wants to eat nonstop (I believe some mothers experience amnesia after their babies are 3 mos or older).

That your LO can HATE nursing covers, even at 4 weeks of age or younger!

[laura88]

I wish I had known to express some milk if your boob gets to engorged, & ESPECIALLY of it gets hard.

I wish I had know that leakeage also meant milk flying out,like the water guns you use in the Carnival Games w/the ballons that rise (thanks to expressing, I bet I could win 1 of those w/o use of the gun!)

I wish I had known that refluxy babies will sometimes feed, & spit-up at the same time, so they end up drinking the spit-up back-up....& that this means you need to stop them every few minutes to keep this from happening!

[laura88]

I wish i knew that for some babies it isn't very hard to start...but it does NOT mean they are not getting what they need. BFing went very well from the beginning for Caleb & I. . .my nipples never hurt & I was afraid he wasn't eating. . .but he was. He gained like 3 lbs in 2 weeks lol. .. .maybe i just have old tough boobs hehe i dunno. But i know he's eating fine. . .i just heard stories about how sore you'll be & I wasn't. ..freaked me out i was starving him or something.

I wonder if that's a Caleb thing....same thing 4 me. It was so easy I kept checking to see what I was doing wrong, b/c every1 talks about what work it is, & i was expecting the work! I was so paranoid, but in week 2 he'd gain 18 ounces...so I stopped worrying. Now I just wonder if he'll ever go 3 or 4 hrs w/o eating....he was, & then in week 3 he slowly got back to 2hrs. Now in week 4 (almost 5) he goes 2 hrs max (over an hour though).....I'm sleep deprived again!

[kerri]

i wish i would have know how easy it is to NIP, without a cover, and the joy and pride i feel doing it!
i wish i would have know how crucial a nursing style top really would be. like a button down or crossover top, something that allows the boobies to be free quickly!