The Breast Feeding Support Thread

Marz66

If you've already been reducing the length of feeds, it might be time to just stop and hand express or pump if you really need to, not too much, just what you need to. I think it's trial and error at that stage!

Ciarrai76

Marz66 wrote: »

If you've already been reducing the length of feeds, it might be time to just stop and hand express or pump if you really need to, not too much, just what you need to. I think it's trial and error at that stage!

Great, thanks for your advice!

Cunning Stunt

Marz66 wrote: »

Cunning, if you want to night wean for good, then no harm to start now before your trip

If you just want to do it because you'll be away for a few days, then they say Dad will find a way to settle baby. Baby will know you're not there and will settle for Dad eventually - he could try rocking or bouncing gently on bed while singing etc

Hi, no I was actually planning on stopping breastfeeding after 1 year max and she is 13 months now, so I would be doing it anyway. It has only really been night time breastfeeding for the past few months.
Well we have gotten through 3 nights now without boob - the first two were a bit rocky, she fell out with me completely - but last night went great - she was quite happy to have drinks of water during the night and she slept better and longer.
So our breastfeeding journey ends here, but I want to say that this thread has been a great resource and help to me over the past 13 months, and I am very thankful for it. I wish you all the best with your babas and your breastfeeding.

scarepanda

Hey! I have what is probably a weird question... Does breastfeeding get easier/harder or does the convenience (and sometimes lack of) change at all once you introduce solids etc?
Sorry, I know it's a strange question. I'm now bf longer than anyone I know irl, so iv no one to ask advice from. Iv never had a goal for how long I wanted to bf for, just delighted iv made it this far. But I have been mulling it over lately, although I'm nowhere near making a decision yet. But I'm sure from here on in I'll be getting asked the question!
Would love to hear anyone's experience!
Cheers!

spottybananas

Breastfeeding didn't change for me when we started solids but I found it very helpful when I was adjusting to remembering he needed food now. I often forgot to bring food out places in the early days of solids and it was great to have milkies to offer, couldn't forget my own boobs!

Actually the same applies now at 20 months, if we get caught out with no food or snacks and he's hungry a quick feed will tide him over until we do get lunch/a snack/or to wherever we're going that has food.

scarepanda

Thanks a million spottybananas! I dunno why it's been on my mind so much lately. I'm sure though I'll be asked quite often over Christmas how long I plan to breastfeed her for!

Actually, it hadn't dawned on me that I'd have yet another thing to remember to put in the changing bag when were out and about 😥! I'd forget my head only it's tied to me!

Ciarrai76

I stopped breastfeeding almost 2 weeks ago now. I was down to one feed (at night), so its now finished, but my breasts are still really tender and seem to be leaking today. I have expressed them by hand a small bit (mainly in the first few days), but today they feel like they are a lot more tender & leaky. Is there anything else I can do to help relieve them?

spottybananas

Scaredpanda it's usually fine because you can obviously just give baby bits of whatever you're having if you're going somewhere for food, it would just be times that I might have been going somewhere that I really couldn't/wouldn't give him my food which was very rare (as in maybe fast food with fat & salt) or maybe a very long drive that I just wasn't going to eat on (I travel a lot), and I'd be like "yes saved by milkies!) when it dawned on me he'd be grand with that in his belly for a while

Food before 1 is just for fun as they say so they don't need food often or 3 square meals etc at first, so it wasn't too big a deal if we did miss a meal especially as he had breastmilk the whole time so was fine and full.

Handy things to say to people who ask you that are:

The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding until 2 to achieve the best benefits for growth and immunity.

It's free so why would I stop.

I'm lazy and it's easy so why would I stop.

I've got this far so I'm not about to start paying for formula, learning how to prepare it and getting up at night to make them!

Sure I can send it in freezer bags when baby goes to college/I'm sure their partner won't mind me being in next room on their wedding night.

We'll stop when he/she is ready.

Depending on how cheeky you want to be and how much they're annoying you

scarepanda

Haha! I'm loving those answers :-)!

Thankfully I haven't had any **** from people, but I do know a few were surprised (?) That I was breastfeeding. I can only imagine as she gets older people will find it stranger and stranger and try push their opinions on me more!

When did your little one start dropping feeds? Or have they?

spottybananas

I can't really remember when he started dropping feeds as it was so gradual. But I suppose around 8-10 months I noticed a small reduction in number of feeds, then at around 15 months he started to go much longer without during the day if we were busy.

Lucuma

scarepanda just to give you another perspective I'm now giving 2-3 bottles a night to a 7 month old and boobs would be so much easier. She's taking nearly a full bottle to get back to sleep and if it was boob I'd say she'd fall back asleep after much less. Because she's taking in so much bottles at night, she has no interest in solids during the day. I stack the 3 bottles up on the locker before I go to bed and then prop them with her cellular blanket (she's in co-sleeper) so there's no getting up as such (they are room temp by time it comes to her drinking them) but what often happens is she falls asleep and I fall asleep and the bottle falls and soaks her mattress so I'm also doing a full wash every morning - vest, babygro, sleeping bag, matress and sheet etc it's not fun! If I was still breastfeeding it would be much easier I have to say. I notice that in her from an early age though, she'd happily down a 6oz bottle and wake 1 hour later, only difference now is that she'll do 2-3 hours then needs another bottle to do another 2-3 hours etc. I love spottybanans replies about 'it's free so why would I stop', that's a great one.
At 1 year of age they no longer need formula and can drink normal cow's milk but if you stop breastfeeding before baby turns 1 then you'll have to make bottles for however long is left til they turn 1. So keeping going til 1 year of age makes perfect sense - you'll never have to use formula then and can go straight to giving cow's milk as a drink and no making bottles.
Disclaimer - some people chose not to give cow's milk at 1 year I'm just pointing out that you no longer have to give formula where's before 1 it can't be normal cow's milk has to be either formula or breastmilk.
Disclaimer 2 - of course you may want to bf past 1 as well

Happydippy

Scarepanda, I'm still breastfeeding my almost 3 year old. Didn't plan to go this long. I thought I might stop at 6 months but was too lazy/busy to start making up formula, I found introducing solids hard enough. At each stage that I thought I might stop I'd look at her and think she's still my baby and it just feels so easy and natural to us now.
When she started solids the number of breastfeeds did reduce but it was very gradual. When I went back to work she was 11mth and went all day without boob no problem. The biggest drop in feeds was when she started running around (18mths-ish) and was too busy playing/exploring the world.
When she is sick she will always look for boob, but mostly now its only twice a day.

scarepanda

Thanks a million ladies for all of your perspectives! I have to say that I'm really enjoying bf now and don't currently have any plans to finish. I really don't like the thoughts of faffing about with formula either!

Lucuma

Ciarrai76 wrote: »

I stopped breastfeeding almost 2 weeks ago now. I was down to one feed (at night), so its now finished, but my breasts are still really tender and seem to be leaking today. I have expressed them by hand a small bit (mainly in the first few days), but today they feel like they are a lot more tender & leaky. Is there anything else I can do to help relieve them?

Ciarrai maybe you'd be better off just don't touch them at all. One night of hardship and they should go back to normal. If you express too much you might be stimulating them and that's why they were 'back in action' the next day

Ciarrai76

Lucuma wrote: »

Ciarrai maybe you'd be better off just don't touch them at all. One night of hardship and they should go back to normal. If you express too much you might be stimulating them and that's why they were 'back in action' the next day

I had a bit of a blocked duct situation, but I managed to gently massage them out and they are a lot better now. My right breast is still leaking a little bit, but thankfully they feel less tender and shrinking again! I'll need to get myself measured again soon as I don't think I've any non maternity bras to fit me now!

Lucuma

Ciarrai76 wrote: »

I had a bit of a blocked duct situation, but I managed to gently massage them out and they are a lot better now. My right breast is still leaking a little bit, but thankfully they feel less tender and shrinking again! I'll need to get myself measured again soon as I don't think I've any non maternity bras to fit me now!

Oh stop. I had to go through all that as well. First I bought the pregnancy bras coz normal ones wouldn't fit, then bought the breastfeeding bras, then had to buy new non-breastfeeding ones coz none of the others would fit either!

At least my 'fat' non-breastfeeding bras from after no.1 fit me now still after no.2 though so getting my money's worth

veggie newbie

Does anyone know if a soother can be introduced to a BF baby straight away or is it recommended to wait a few weeks? I've read mixed reports about nipple confusion... I appreciate no two babies are the same.... but has anyone any experience of giving soother to BF baby? Thx.

bovril

I've read that it is possible to miss The feeding signs from baby using a soother so it's recommended to wait for a few weeks before introducing. We gave a soother at about 3.5 weeks with our first and it didn't affect feeding. We waited on baby number two and gave it at around 8 weeks and baby didn't take to it at all. We've stopped trying now. I'd say to introduce it but just keep an eye that baby feeds regularly on the first few weeks and doesn't miss a feed due to the soother. Most babies are clever enough to know they are not getting milk from the soother and kick up a fuss if they're hungry.

spottybananas

My son had a soother from birth in scbu, he always had a very separate idea of what boob and soother are for so it never caused problems for us.

Lucuma

Soother as soon as they came home from hospital here on both (so 3-4 days old). Never affected breast feeding. Newborn stage is hard enough without attempting it without a soother in my opinion!

Ciarrai76

Lucuma wrote: »

Soother as soon as they came home from hospital here on both (so 3-4 days old). Never affected breast feeding. Newborn stage is hard enough without attempting it without a soother in my opinion!

I was so exhausted in the hospital a few days after my c-section that my mom made the nurse sterilise a soother and gave it to him! Thankfully 5 months later, he's not fussed with it, and doesn't need it to fall asleep etc. It does 'sooth' him if he's upset, but he doesn't tend to want it all the time.

Lucuma

Ciarrai76 wrote: »

I was so exhausted in the hospital a few days after my c-section that my mom made the nurse sterilise a soother and gave it to him! Thankfully 5 months later, he's not fussed with it, and doesn't need it to fall asleep etc. It does 'sooth' him if he's upset, but he doesn't tend to want it all the time.

That's brilliant. Long may it last! Our first was like that as well, didn't need it to fall asleep and just needed it in case of emergencies. That lasted til 18 months then she was under her Dad's care for 5 weeks while I had baby and he decided every night was an emergency so I suddenly had a toddler that needed a soother to sleep. I was going to get rid of it then and was told by a GP friend that new baby in the hosue is not a good time to get rid of soother. We're still living a crazy life so haven't the heart to take it off her now. In the new year when I go back to work and we're back into a stable predictable routine I will think about when to get rid of it. She doesn't have the 'soother mouth' anyway thank god which I think is because she didn't have a dependency on it til she got to 18 months and she only has it for sleeping (nap and night time) plus emergencies in public places (tantrums, funerals, christenings etc)
So if you can keep it as an 'emergency only' then do!

fits

Can anyone recommend good bottles for breastfed babies? I have newborn twins and am supplementing with expressed breast milk when things get a bit crazy ( maybe 1-2 times a day). Don't want them to develop nipple confusion though. Not sure if the nuk bottles we are using are the best.

spottybananas

I found Tommee Tippee closer to nature ones great.

rainbow kirby

Nuk with latex teats tend to be well accepted by breastfed babies - my 9 month old favours Avent or Tommee Tippee.

Teeley

My very fussy little girl refused all bottles except NUK with latex teat..so presume that's closest it the nipple on her mind?!
If we're blessed with another baba I'll be starting on the odd bottle at a much younger age..it's been a struggle to get her to take it all!

Lucuma

Congrats fits and well done for breastfeeding twins!!

Sprites

Also looking for advice on introducing a bottle of expressed milk. Baby is 9 weeks old and we've been trying unsuccessfully for the last 3 weeks. We've tried the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature and Ultra bottles and they didn't suit. I've been using the NUK bottles with the latex teat and he sometimes drinks from it but it takes him about an hour to have only 3oz. We heat the milk, I make sure it's not off and I've tried having Mammy, Daddy and Granny giving him the bottle. I don't think I could leave him for any length of time unless I knew he'd take the bottle and he'd have enough while I'm gone. Anyone have any tips or should I just not push it anymore?

Lucuma

Mam bottles often work where others have failed. I think it's coz the teat is kind of slanted
I mean the brand Mam :-)

scarepanda

My little girl wouldn't take a bottle from 10-18 weeks. She used to take them randomly before 10 weeks but then flat out refused. I tried for 2/3 weeks to get her back on a bottle but she was having none of it. So I left it alone for about 4/5 or so weeks without trying. We tried again I think when she was about 18 weeks and took it without any hassle first from granny and then my partner.
I don't have any end date with bf yet so didn't want to go buying bottles that might never be used so that's why I chose to leave it be for a few weeks.