Breastfeeding/Pumping

🍼feeding

Anonymous User

8 months ago

I am currently 31 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I have decided I would like to ~try breastfeeding/pumping when baby gets here. This can be a very overwhelming subject when googled though so I have been struggling to do my research without getting stressed. I am attending a class this weekend but curious if there was any advice or beginner information/articles that someone would recommend as a starting point to familiarize myself so I can semi prepare for class and know what questions to ask. Thanks in advance!

Anonymous

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8 months ago

The information is quite overwhelming! To be honest, I think learning as I went was really the best way to go. To prepare I would recommend looking at http://lactationnetwork.com and maybe meeting with a lactation consultant beforehand, or at least just have that information so you can reach out to someone afterwards. The biggest thing I think is:

It is about supply and demand. Gotta put baby on your boob for your body to know to make milk
It can take a few days for milk to come in, but baby SHOULD be okay just with colostrum that you produce until then
a lot of babies are kind of bad at eating. It takes practice for them and you
Have some formula on hand just in case. Get bottle nipples that are preemie or slow flow and look up paced feeding!

Anonymous

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8 months ago

ALSO don’t take word from your doctor or lactation consultant as laws, what works for some won’t work for others and you may need to meet with a couple!

Anonymous

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8 months ago

Totally agree on what Ally shared above. Just remember that it's a learning process for both you and baby. You'll both figure out together what works best and how. Give yourself grace through it. Some feedings might be easier than others. That's totally normal and ok. Best of luck through it all - you've got this! ❤️

Anonymous

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8 months ago

I have been exclusively breastfeeding/pumping for almost 3 months now🙏🏽. Some of the most helpful advice I received came from my post labor & delivery nurses and a lactation consultant. They literally showed me how to breastfeed at the hospital I gave birth in. However, don’t be afraid to look up YouTube videos I found great advice there also when I was struggling and felt like giving up. I remember being specific with age- ex. “Breastfeeding a 5 week old baby” because things change quickly. Some breastfeeding positions work better at different ages. Also, the one thing that helped me when I felt like giving up was using a nipple breast shield. I had no idea those existed. I used the momcozy brand but there are several brands out there and they’re not too pricey. I only used it when I was struggling to latch my baby because he had got used to drinking from a bottle when I was pumping, but it also worked great when my nipples were really sore. Best of luck, you’ve got this!