While reading the whole bottlefeeding/breastfeeding debate I was wondering how the mommas that have made breastfeeding work have done it. I haven't started yet, won't for about another week of so ( if I make it that long! ) But i have already been telling my self from the start that there is no other choice. Because for me, there isn't. Bottlefeeding isn't a choice for us. I don't keep cupons from the formula companies, when they send me samples i through them away. Just i won't see them when i'm having a hard time with bf and think that it will be easier. I've also been reading ALOT! Since i have nothing else to do! Another thing that i think helps alot is i have support from my mom, i think that if she was to discourge me that would be really hard for me. But she breastfeed all 3 of us girls until we were well over a year, so i think she is my greatest asset. And jeremy really supports me and wants this to work, any time i come across cool facts about breatfeeding I tell him to get him excited! And anything that is free is all about it! So for the mommas that breastfeed/fed what did you do to be sucessful, and did you have alot of support from people in your lives??
This is my breastfeeding story:
Both my family, and my boyfriends family are very pro-breastfeeding.
My mom (who had kids starting at age 20) didn't breastfeed my older sister, she breastfed me for about 6 weeks, and my younger brother for about 3 weeks. She doesn't think she succeeded at breastfeeding. Her best friend had children in her late 30's and was very up to date on the most recent breatfeeding info and told my mom all about it. So my mom then was very supportive that I breastfeed.
Now, I didn't have much problems with a latch or with milk supply or anything like that. I just plain didn't like breastfeeding. I wanted my body back. So, his Dad did gave him one bottle in the middle of the night when he was 3 week to 2 months old. Then he started sleeping longer, and I was able to fully breastfeed him and get an adequate amount of sleep a night. That was what worked for us. I could have fully breastfed him in those days, but I was losing my mind and didn't want to. I did feel guilty about it at the time though.
The hospital I had him at sent home all this pro-breastfeeding info and one of the pamphlets was about the affects of giving your baby just one bottle a day... and thats probebly what caused me to feel guilty the most.
There were times when I really wanted to quit. But I couldn't. he wouldn't take a bottle. Not of formula, not of breastmilk. I am glad I didn't quit. When times got tough I'd remind myself that it was free, and that I wasn't washing bottles, and that he was going to be healthier and possibly smarter becuase of it. He would bite a lot. He would wake to nurse in the night until he was 10 months old. I would worry about being away from him for too long. I wouldn't be able to go drinking with my friends. I mean I could, but I couldn't get drunk like they did because my son wasn't sleeping through the night, and wouldn't take a bottle.
But we got through it. When I introduced the bottle when I had to go back to work, he completely gave up the breast in a matter of two weeks. THis was not my plan. I only wanted him to be able to go 8 hours without me, and nurse the rest of the time. I would try and try to get him to nurse. But he was at this age of growing independance, and he wouldn't. So he was weaned at 11 months old. And even though in the beginning I didn't think I'd make it that long, I was actually a little sad to see it go.
I am happy that I breastfed him. My issues with breastfeeding had more to do with me not feeling confidant as a new mama more than anything else. I am more confidant now and plan to fully breastfeed any other babies that I have in the future.
I hope this is what you were looking for in a reply.
It never occurred to me that I wouldn't be successful breastfeeding. I was a postpartum nurse at the time, and so I had seen a lot of unsuccessful latches, but I never considered not exclusively breastfeeding. Max was near-term and despite jaundice and some challenges, we did pre- and post-weights with the LC for a few days.
I do recognize the privilege inherent in my resources. I had information, support (the LCs were my co-workers), insurance coverage for LC visits, and relatively few outside concerns (though we wer very broke, we could cover rent, food, etc., so I didn't have to worry about that).. But I do think the assumption of success was crucial. It made the other crap seem like just a PITA, not insurmountable barriers.
We nursed exclusively for six months, then continued for three years. I went back to work full-time when he was 14 weeks old and pumped three times a day for 14 months. Max never had formula, thanks to a friend of mine who donated her extra milk, but since we did need to supplement initially we would have used formula for supplementation had it been necessary. I am so happy we BF that long, and I look forward to nursing this baby as long as we can!
I thought I might add a few things.
Around here the hospital and Nurses are very pro-breastfeeding. The nurses that come to your house for post natal checks will come back as many times as needed until your baby latches good. Or you can make appts. at the health centres. Also, these same nurses set up breastfeeding clinics weekly at various malls across the city. You can bring your baby there for help with latching, to have questions answered, and to get your babe weighted.
Weather or not your family doctor or Ped. is pro-breastfeeding is your choice. You just need to make sure you find the right one.
My province also has a 1-800 # you can call 24/7 for enquiries after hours.
Breastfeeding was very difficult for my daughter and I for the first few days. I told myself "keep trying for a week, if we still can't get it then you can quit". Luckily we got the hang of it by about day 3 or 4. I think setting goals is very important. My goal was to breastfeed for 9 months,but I fell very short of this (I stopped at about 4.5 months due to working and going to school fulltime & not being able to pump enough. Now I know there are ways to increase the milk supply,but at the time I didnt.) But I'm proud of myself for the healthy start I gave my daughter and i know with the next baby (which is a big IF) I will breastfeed much longer.
I think you are off to a great start, because you already have a good attitude about bf'ing & you sound really determined to do it. Plus if you are surrounded by support,that makes it soooo much better. My mom was super supportive about me bf'ing and I think that really helped. Good luck!!!!
I used a nipple shield on one side for like three days, because my nipple was flat.
They gave me nipple shields too, when ds was first born, because they told me my nipples were flat. I had trouble getting him to latch on until I stopped using them, then he nursed just fine and all the nurses commented about how good his latch on was. Wierd. I think maybe he just had to nurse a bit to draw them out.
Getting started breastfeeding was very hard for me to do. First, Matt was born severely tongue-tied, which made latching near impossible. He would compensate for what he couldn't do with his tongue, with his cheeks. Which hurt me, and tired him out so he'd pass out before he was full, wake up from hunger, try to nurse, pass out, wake up from hunger, it was a bad, bad cycle.
Then he went back in for jaundice and I was pumping so he could bottle feed under the bili lights. Then I had my first gall bladder attack. It was misdiagnosed by an inept ER doc as a possible blood clot in my lung. I was made to both breathe in radiation, and have a radiation injection so they could take pictures of my lungs. Matt was only four days old, and still in the nursery under the lights. I took him home in the morning and wasn't allowed to hold my newborn baby for more than ten minutes once every hour because the radiation could pass from me to him through any kind of contact, and I'm tearing up just remembering how awful that was. I had to pump and dump for 48 hours, and he was drinking formula samples we'd gotten from the hospital.
After that was finally over, I was given the phone number of a dentist from my LC who could clip Matt's tongue. The piece of skin that holds his tongue to the bottom of his mouth came all the way out to the tip of his tongue and the bottom of his teeth. The doctor clipped that back and asked me to go ahead and nurse him in the office. Like fricking magic the latch was perfect and he nursed right there in the office until he was full. I nursed him two years after that.
I said I'd do it for 2 weeks. Then at 2 weeks moved the end time 6 and so on until about the 3rd month. I was set on breastfeeding then and couldn't see doing it any other way.
I think it reality I was set on breastfeeding but had a fear of failure. I'd advise any mother wanting to breastfeed to go in with an "i can't fail" attitude then find any resource they can to make it work.
I nursed on demand, coslept, and was able to stay home with her for the first year. She nursed for a little over 2 years so we worked it through my school schedule and work schedule, but she was older and was able to eat solids and go longer without nursing.
With the one on the way I have a pump ready to go (never needed to with Chloe) but have the mindset to breastfeed.
It never really occurred to me to formula feed since we're always broke and breastfeeding doesn't cost anything. :D But it wasn't until I came to this site and realized how much better breastfeeding actually is that I really decided that it was what I'd do. I guess I was lucky because I had her in the room with me the whole time we were in the hospital so we were able to practice more and get the hang of it. I also never got sore nipples, just really painful engorged breasts which is pretty much inevitable. But really there wasn't a problem with it, I had the support I needed which I'm very thankful for. The only thing that was tough...well..still is tough is that I'M her food, so I can't stray too far from her unless I feel like pumping which I never do..so it's like 24/7 baby and me and it gets kind of exhausting. But you know, totally worth it.
Getting my daughter to latch was a big problem for me when she was born. Trying different feeding positions made it easier for the both of us to successfully BF. I was exclusively Bf for the first 4 weeks, but I do give her formula when I'm away and she is with my mom or my sister. I tried pumping but I never have enough milk if I'm away from her for a long time. I've read that giving a baby a bottle will mess up your milk supply, but my daughter always seems to get enough to eat, so I don't worry about it.
It was easier for me to make BF work through the help of the LC at the hospital after I gave birth. Also, depending on where you live there are LC's with WIC that I go to that help me and it's free. You can also contact the La Leche League.