BREAST FEEDING LETS US ALL HELP!!!!!!! ONE ANOTHER!!!!

if you are new to b/f a newborn this may help...

with my 1st i had cracked nipples and it was a pain but i persited...

when i was pregant with my 2nd i started using nipple creams 3 weeks before my due date so they would be soft and easier to feed as well as using the cream after a feed i never had a problem with cracking nipples again. but the laching OMG! i would be screaming! it hurt more then labour!! but lucky it stops within 2 weeks.. i guess nothing is meant to be easy!

Hi there I have brest feed 3 babes and still BF my 10 month old now and can attest that persistance is the key. Good news well at least for me is that because I knew technique ect is that subsequent babies don't hurt so bad.

With DD1 though I had cracked nipples at day 3. Everybody like my mum who gave up very quickly and my mother inlaw who admittedly just "doesn't like the idea of a baby sucking at her nipples'(what the).It sorted it self out a little after a week. It was all attachment issues.

After that she was a very fussy baby and my DP tried to push to feed ALL the time and maybe start bottle feeding because he thought she wasn't getting enough milk.

At 6 weeks she had gone from the top 50% in wieght to top 95%. Midwife told us to stop feeding her so much, I said tell HIM!!!!

BF Babes is always best but I'd just like to add lets give a cheers to those mothers who really do try and turn to the bottle. after all a happy mother is a happy baby smile

Hiya! I have a two week old baby boy and have started mixed feeding because he never seems to be full once breast fed. Every feed i am putting him on the boob but he fusses and gets frustrated, so i have been topping him up with express milk and sometimes formula.

Would love to other mum's stories and get some advise.

Lozzie

Congratulations on breastfeeding.

I will say it is hard work even for a daisy cow like me.

Be patient, as your body is still adjusting to what your baby needs. Try not to top up with formula if possible because the more you offer your baby your breasts the more milk you will produce.

It is also very important to continue drinking plenty of fluids. For me I had to drink 500-600ml of wateer between each feed to produce enough so it was imperative for me to get my DS into a routine straight away. We started off on 2-3 hrly feeds to help me with supply and we encouraged up to 7hrs overnight from midnight to enable my body (and breasts) to regenerate.

I continued to give my DS a breastfeed between 11pm and 1am until about 9months of age with us still breastfeeding with him having turned 16mths old on 2/4/12. I feel so lucky and privileged to be able to breastfeed.

It is important to have support and encouragement... there is so much I could say but best of all you need to do what is right for you and your baby remembering that your baby is constantly growing and your breasts/supply will adjust to meet your baby's needs.

Lastly there is no need to introduce solids at 4mths with a breastfed baby with exclusive breastfeeding until 6mths actually recommended.

Good luck and should you need even more advice there is a really helpful forum on Essential Baby if you are interested Essential Baby Breastfeeding Tips