[c'est_la_vie]

I LOVED that part. I'd sleep on my side, and he'd lay next to me, nurse, and I'd sleep. It was SO NICE. I never felt too sleep deprived from getting to do that.....[/b]

I agree, that was the best thing my LC taught me. She would nurse and I would sleep, it was wonderful!

[CO Mommy]

1. Lansinoh cream is GOD SENT!!
2. The 1st two weeks are the worst- best advice is to not supplement at all during this time- it will drag out the "toughening" stage
3. I used disposable pads- washable ones didn't hold well for me- then again I work full time- so you may be able to get away with it as a SAHM
4. She will eat when she is hungry- you don't need to force feed her. When I was in mommy/baby right after I delivered I was told to nurse him every single hour like clockwork...well Logan didn't wanna eat every two hours sooo the next morning I was in tears when the doc came to check on him and I thought he was starving. LOL
5. Make sure to get a good latch- it will prevent blisters, cracks and unnecessary sore nipples.
6. "Typically" breastfed babies put on weight slower than FF babies- Logan was obviously not "typical"

Good luck, Lisa! You will do great!!

[Bekah]

I don't have much advice ... as I only breastfed for a month

- lansinoh is a God sent like megan said
- DON"T have formula around, I had samples of it lying around and started using it WAAY too often because I was so sleep deprived.
- I found I couldn't use the reusable breast pads, I leaked through them SO badly and through all my clothes too it was bad I could never go ANYWHERE
- I found the lansinoh breast pads the most absorbent, although every once and awhile I would have a leak.

[LindseyMarie]

I did like the Lansinoh ones more than the Curad I think.... as far as breast pads go. They felt better!

[CO Mommy]

I used Gerber contoured leak proof medium flow- they are like $5 for a pack of 30 I think =)

[Nikki.]

Lansinoh were my pad of choice. I only hated how they all came in plastic wrappers.

[LisanAndy]

Ok, another few questions LoL!

I've been told that as a newborn, (now I know all babies aren't the same), but they tend to only empty one breast at a time and that in order to keep your supply up you should pump the other side. Is this correct? If that's the case then I'll need a breast pump and I know nothing about them. What would you recommend? I've heard that manual pumps are ok if you're not exclusivly pumping or as long as you don't pump frequently or it could get tedious.. true or false? Or should I go with electric? I've seen nipple shields.. what are they for?

[CO Mommy]

I would only nurse on one side and then alternate sides between feedings and I never pumped the other side- does that make sense? Unless you are planning on having other people feed her, I think you'd be wasting your time pumping all the extra milk.
I only pumped at night and first thing in the morning so he would have milk at daycare. I used a dual-electric pump (Playtex) I really loved it!


ETA- If you are concerned about your supply you can nurse her for 5-10 minutes on one side and then switch sides and let her nurse as long as she wants on the other side since her big appetite will be satisfied within the first 10 minutes or so she will eat slower on the other side.

[LisanAndy]

Ohhhh that makes sense!! Thanks lover!!

[CO Mommy]

Anytime!!

[Nikki.]

I would nurse 10 minutes and then switch sides. But it is better to let the baby nurse on one side and then the side at the next feeding. That is my plan for the next baby.

I had a manual pump, it was Avent. I pumped and froze milk so my mother could feed him if she ever had to babysit.

Nipple shields are for women with inverted nipples.

[LisanAndy]

You girls are amazing, thank you so much!

[LadyK]

I heard it was best to nurse on one side instead of switching. The reason why is the hind milk (the last of the milk when it's almost empty) is the most satisfying so it keeps the baby full for longer.

Your body does things when your breastfeeding your baby, your milk actually lulls your baby to sleep so although formula fed babies may sleep longer, it's easier to put a baby to sleep when breastfeeding. Both Remy and Raiden falls asleep while on the breast

Learn more than one position to hold your baby while breastfeeding. I did the typical cradle hold for Remy and that was it. It was easy and it worked so I didn't think I needed to learn any other position. Well with Raiden, I learned how to breastfeed while laying on my side as well and with a newborn and a toddler, it was a lifesaver at night!! I didn't have to get up at all, I just rolled over and fed him. After he was done, I rolled onto my back and snapped up my nursing bra.

Nursing bra and disposable pads are a lifesaver. I wouldn't recommend cloth pads in the beginning because you're so engorged that you could soak through those in seconds since they don't have plastic in them to stop it from leaking through.

You might want to pump in the beginning because you're so engorged anyways. Don't pump until you're empty, just until it feels relieved if that makes sense? Since you're staying at home and not planning on going back to work, then obviously you don't need a big supply. If you feed on demand, your supply won't go down anyways. I pumped in the beginning, I have a double electric Medela pump. I pumped until it was about half empty and because I was SO freaking engorged. And just to build a supply. I had a great supply within a week just in case I wanted someone else to watch him or if I wanted to work part time kwim?

[tkay88]

With DD she nursed one side per feed. DS took both sides at each feed. You do not need to pump the other side if she only takes one otherwise your body will think it is feeding twins and you will make too much milk - this would probably work if you were needing to have pumped milk for work or whatever but otherwise i wouldn't do it. You will learn when/if baby needs to take both boobs at a feed. Breastfed babies may still need winding - a lot of people don't realise this. If she finished one side you can burp her and if that boob is not feeling full or anything you can try her on the other side. She will take it if she is hungry otherwise she won't be interested IYKWIM.

I have an Avent manual pump and i love it. Don't really use it much but i did with DD. If you get one don't use it before 6 weeks. I believe this is why i found it more difficult with DD than DS. I used it far too early!

DS is also one of those babys that gained more than enough weight being EBF. He was gaining 500g per week and MW said 100g would have been sufficient.

Nipple sheilds are for those who have inverted nipples, extremely cracked nipples, or sometimes if baby can't get a good latch.

Don't freak out if after a few weeks your boobs feel empty - it will be weird after your milk has come in and you have rock hard boobs. There is still milk there!!!

Will add more if i think of anything!

[LindseyMarie]

Oh, and nursing tanks are the BEST!!!! I loved mine!

[LisanAndy]

Wow Alisa, lots of awesome info, thank you SOO much! You girls are so great

[CO Mommy]

Oh Lindsey makes a great point!!
Although they didn't carry nursing tanks at the BX over here so I layered up- I wore a regular tank top under my shirt- pulled the top of the tank down under my boobs when I went to nurse him so I wasn't exposing any belly or back while nursing in public!

[2pinks&ablue]

Feeding on demand makes for a much happier baby! I'd keep formula on hand just in case you absolutely need it but make sure you have the willpower to not just use it in the night because you're tired or things like that.. will Alyssa, she had a paci from the time she was about 3 weeks old and she used bottles when I would pump and she switched back and forth fine, but I think that just depends on the baby. Same with the sleep thing, I think it depends on the baby, she slept about 4 hours at a time from birth until she was about 2 months old. I'm wondering how I'm going to manage breastfeeding with a toddler running around though

And make sure you have lots of breast pads and lanisoh cream on hand! And a pump really helps with engorgement..

[MD_2]

I didn't read alot of the posts, but I will share my experiences with both my girls.

Sam could never latch, in fact she literally made me bleed....and although the doctors say to still keep feeding and the blood wasn't bad for them and was good, I disagreed. So at 2 months I quit.

Shylah is almost 4 months and still nursing (formula while I work or when I can't feed her...with Sam being young it is easier to give a bottle then sit in the bathroom with them both. So it was hard going out with them so close in age. I do pump as much formula I use so that my supply don't go down.

As far as sleeping, Sam still waked up at least once...3 times a night until Shy was born. Shylah though is sleeping through the night. So I wouldn't say formula is more filling. It is just the baby. Shy very rarely gets a bottle since we stay home most of the time. In fact when she gets bottles she is up more.

But lanolin is AMAZING. I still have to use the nipple sheild every once in a while because they said Shy may never correct her suck. But I still plan to nurse til she is at least 1, 1.5 at the most. Pain or not, I regret stopping with Sam and wish I kept going.

Warm towels over the nipples helped as well. I iced it to when I was really sore...so then I was somewhat numb for the next feeding and I was able to take the time to latch her without being so scared about it. In the beginning I would sit there and cry the whole time. I do get teary eyed on some days but not as much.

I hand express now since Sam broke my hand pump...but I find that by handexpressing I don't get that sore feeling when being engorged, I prefer hand expressing then pumping tho. If your nipples are sore, some pumps with harder suction still hurt. I know they hurt me. With Sam the pump made me bleed, so I wish I mastered hand expressing like I did now. So she could still have got breastmilk. So me personally reccomend the hand pump so you can do it when you want instead of a frequent suck.

I really hope its easy for you tho

[LadyK]

I have the double electric Medela pump and you can adjust the settings. In the beginning, I'd use the first two settings so it's not so hard and fast..then later on, it didn't hurt to use the other settings. Hand expressing does work for me but personally, I didn't want to sit there forever. If an electric pump is too expensive for you, then try a good manual pump. Some moms like that better, some like electric ones better. I got a double one just to be safe. Sometimes I do pump both breasts at a time but I'd rather be stuck with a double pump and just use one (because that is possible) ..but I'd hate being stuck with a single pump wishing I could pump both breasts at the same time kwim?

Just have lots of patience in the beginning. It will get easier. Raiden is 5 months now and when we go out and he has to feed, I just pop somewhere seclusive for like 5 min. max! It's not a hassle at all

Oh and some people mentioned ice for sore nipples. Just make sure not to use cool methods for sore breasts or nipples like near the time you're about to feed. If you do then your breast tissue will be stiff and won't release your milk causing all sorts of problems.