New to Breastfeeding

[Tamara115]

Hello everyone.
I am due in November with my first child, a boy. I plan on breastfeeding and want to know what I absolutely need to get started. Can I use any bottles for breastmilk? Should I invest in a pump of some kind? Milk storage bags?
I tried reading through many on the posts but after a while it can get very overwhelming!!

Thanks Tamara

[farsk]

Tamara,

Congratulations!!! I think you will love breastfeeding, I know I do! My suggestion is to rent a hospital grade pump (like the Medela Lactina or Medela Symphony) and take it home from the hospital. That way if you have any trouble with your DS latching on because of engorgement, you have a pump at the ready!

I plan on buying the Medela Pump in Style when I return to work in late October, and rented the Lactina because I wanted to make sure breastfeeding would go well before making such a large investment. From everything I've heard, the electric pumps are the way to go, although I've heard the Avent Isis is nice for a hand pump.

As far as bottles go, we have the Avent. DD has just started taking bottles of EBM, and these seem to work for her. I chose these because they were supposed to be the most "breastfeeding friendly". Ellen goes from bottle to breast without missing a beat!

Good Luck! We are excited for you!

-Shannon
Mom to Ellen
7/23/2003

[stillplayswithbarbies]

You already have the most important thing you need for breastfeeding . . . breasts! :)

Here is what you will want to have on hand (others will chime in with whatever I forgot)

- Lansinoh for sore nipples (when you first start, your nipples will be tender and this feels heavenly on them)

- a pillow of some kind, a Boppy or a My Brest Friend, or just some throw pillows, to prop up the baby. Your arm will get tired and this helps hold the baby up to the right level to latch on.

- a nursing bra (there have been several threads here recently about which ones are the best)

- a book about breastfeeding (search the old threads here for suggestions, but any book is better than none)

- a class on breastfeeding. You'd think that all you have to do is hold the baby up to the nipple and they know what to do, but it's not that simple. Definitely take a class before the baby is born

- information about your local La Leche League. Attend a meeting before the baby is born so you get a feel for the group and have a sense whether you will feel comfortable going to them when you have questions

- a breast pump. It's not absolutely necessary to have one, unless you will be going back to work. The Avent Isis is a good one to start with if you will be a stay at home mom. Either the Ameda Purely Yours or the Medela Pump in Style are good if you are going back to work.

- bottles. You don't need these unless you will be going back to work. If you want someone else to give the baby a bottle sometimes, you should wait until breastfeeding is going well, so there is time to get them later.

If you have any questions, now or later, just ask them here, or search the archives, there is a wealth of information on these boards.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[simplemama]

i just wanted to add to karen's post:

it doesn't hurt to have bottles. i exclusively breastfed, but my DH and an occasional babysitter were able to use the bottle to feed my expressed breastmilk to my DS. but karen's right; you can wait until you make sure the breastfeeding is going well. i bought a few packs of storage bags for when i traveled and when i ran out of bottles, but bags are tricker to use than bottles. it's easiest to use a pump that pumps milk directly into bottles.

breast pads will be also necessary, most likely. when your milk starts to come in plentifully, you will leak. big time. personally, i didn't the disposable ones -- i found them flimsy.

in addition to la leche league, find other breastfeeding support/information/help kind of resources. every organization operates under different principles, and it helps to have a few different sources to go to.

[KathyO]

I second everything that's been said about the Lansinoh, the classes, the number of your local La Leche League and et cetera. I would never have thought to buy a Boppy pillow for myself, but a friend loaned me hers, and it was a real godsend - kept me from hunching over the baby and giving myself neck/backache. I have an Avent Isis pump and was very happy with it. Works well, easy to clean, etc.

If your hospital offers the services of a lactation consultant, see if you can get her to meet with you twice before you leave the hospital. The first time to help you get started, and the second just before you go, to fine-tune your technique. This is what I did, and it saved a world'o'pain.

If breastfeeding is not very successful for you at first, consider consulting with a second and/or third lactation consultant. They all have different knowledge bases, coming from the variety of clients they have encountered, and if one doesn't have the magic trick that will get you going properly, another one might.

Good luck! Once you get it going well, breastfeeding is SOOOO easy!

Cheers,

KathyO

[trumansmom]

I think everyone has covered it pretty well! The only thing I would add is a nursing stool. While not a necessity at all, once I finally got one it really helped me with positioning. I still use it now even though Truman has been weaned for months. I prop my feet on it when I read to him in the rocking chair.

Good luck!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01

[egoldber]

The only things I found essential were a pillow and a good lactation consultant! A stool was really nice for the first few weeks, but after that, I found I didn't really need it. And as someone else said, don't be afraid to seek out several LCs if you need to. It took me three tries to find one that really helped us.

HTH,

[lizajane]

i think the most important thing to have before breastfeeding is DETERMINATION!! for some folks, it is super easy and just "works" from the start. for others, like me, it is PURE HELL to get started. it hurt for weeks. BUT i stuck with it because i had decided before ds was born that it was REALLY important to me to breastfeed, and that i would do it no matter what. so if you have any trouble at first, GET HELP and plllllllease ignore all those annoying family members and friends who say, "why don't you just give him a bottle?" in that terrible high pitched know-it-all voice!!!

you can do it! you will be so glad you did!!

liza

[mommyj]

I think the recommendations you've received are good ones. I just wanted to add that I took my Dr. Sears breastfeeding book to the hospital and was really glad I did. I also fed my baby in front of as many nurses as possible so I could get their suggestions. I quickly learned that everyone told me something different, but I eventually figured out what worked best for me. I ended up using a combination of ideas from different nurses and doctors.
I also highly recommend having help, if it's possible. DH held DS' hands while I latched him on for the first 2 days and it made it much easier.
I also think it's important to have confidence that you can and will succeed with breastfeeding. If you can stay calm & have patience while you and your baby are figuring out the whole process, it makes it a lot more enjoyable.
Good luck!

[cinrein]

Congratulations Tamara!

I would make sure you have some kind of pump with you when you go home from the hospital if your milk hasn't come in yet. I got terribly engorged when the milk first came in and used the manual pump that came with my PIS to relieve it enough so that Anna could latch on.

Also, keep a water bottle, tissues, a remote and some kind of cloth (like a cloth diaper or burp rag) at your BFing station. Snacks are good too.

Remember, BFing is hard but soooo rewarding. My absolute goal was to make it to 6 mos, then see what happens. Now that we made it, we are going for 1 year. But in the beginning, I was sooo sore and had 3 bouts of mastitis. During those low points, my goal was just to get to the end of the week. I promised myself I would not decide to give up on BFing during a time that things were going badly. I found that problems happen quickly with BFing, but can also resolve themselves fairly quickly too. It helps to know ahead of time that you will hit rough spots and that it will get better. As hard as it was sometimes, I am so glad I stuck with it. I must have BF Anna a million times by now, but I still get choked up watching her little face while nursing. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.

Cindy
Mama to Anna 2/11/03

[yitlan]

I was going to say the same thing lizajane did. THE most important thing you need is determination. Set you mind to do it and don't get discouraged. After that, the number of a lactation consultant or a doula with a good reputation is great to have on hand. Everything else comes after.

Good luck and don't give up!



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