Wannabe breastfeeding

i haven't had the best times b'feeding both my two however this time around I was a lot more relaxed about the whole thing and wanted to give it a good go at least... I have been seeing Dr Delphine at MotorCity and she is brilliant. I have also hired a hospital grade pump. Dr Delphine has the number of the people that have them. It was wwaaaaaaay better than my mini electric one I had. This helped regulate my milk and it didn't hurt my b**bs at all! (unlike the mini). My baby is suffering from Reflux (quite bad) and so far even with prescriptions for stuff from Dr, I have found the only thing that really settles him when he is at his worst is Aptimal AR forumla, so I do combination feeding. Last time I hated feeding out in public with bf'ing cover... but this time I am happy to say I've managed it twice and I do thank people on here who have been so very supportive even just reading what they post for others having trouble and Dr Delphine. All the best with the arrival of your 4th LO. supermum!!! ;) (I have always wanted 4 children but I think DH is terrified of anymore) lol.

I just wanted to add, I didn't give formula but I did give some expressed milk by bottle when my baby was only a few days old as things were going a bit pear shaped. Not ideal and breastfeeding didn't go well for 10 weeks but we did get there in the end. I also know a few people who gave formula (for various reasons) in the first week and didn't have any latching problems at all. Its rare that a newborn "needs" formula but there are some cases when it is necessary and even then, many women still manage to get breastfeeding back on track.

Hi Blackr0s3, congratulations on your pregnancy. My baby was on formula for the first 10 days, bottle for the next 2 months and at nearly 8 months now is only breast fed :). It took me some time and perseverance to get the baby from the bottle to the breast but it was totally worth it. There is some great, great advise from the ladies here. If I were to do the whole brestfeeding thing differently, I would have gone to my LC immediately after my baby was discharged (he was in NICU for 3 days) as against waiting for 10 days as I did. The longer you wait, the harder it gets. With breastfeeding, it is best to get a headstart. Also, if you feel strongly, make sure you have strict, strict instructions, not to give your baby formula. Mention it to the midwife, nurses, and everyone from the hospital staff. The hospital staff here is very keen to put babies on formula. Or as someone mentioned here, have your baby with you in the room all the time. Try and nurse your baby soon after he is born, the sooner, the better. It will help with your supply. Do lots and lots of skin to skin. In my case, that really helped a lot, so I cannot emphasize the point enough. There are also breastfeeding teas available which helps with the supply. Spinneys keeps the Hipp brand. Check with your LC and you can take fenugreek capsules if she thinks you need them. There are also foods known to help with the supply such as oats, almonds, etc. You can include them in your diet..... these are really healthy, easy options which wont do any harm either :). Kellysmom site has the whole list. If there are days when you despair (I hope not!), keep everyone updated with your progress. I got a lot of help from the ladies on the forum. When you share, you will realise there is always someone who has also gone through the same thing. And the words of encouragement and support will really keep you determined. Even though you know that it is perfectly normal for the milk not to come for the first few days, when you see your baby hungry, you will doubt your body. For those times, it helps to keep your DH updated with all the breastfeeding info. I remember how when I would cry that my milk has not come in, my DH would encourage me with the stats I had shared with him earlier ;) With so much of preparation, I am sure you will do very well this time. I would be happy to help if you need any more information or just want to talk :) Good luck

just wanna mention that if u deliver at CH lets say on Thur afternoon/evening u probably wont see LC as she is day off Fri/Sat and you might be discharged from hospital on Sat if u have standard 2 nights stay..talking from personal experience here so either see her before delivery or as ladies suggested get other LC to come and see u while in CH HTH

It is totally normal for your milk to take a few days to come in, babies are fine on the small amounts of colustrum in the first few days and you can use this time to work on your latch with the LC before the actual milk comes in. She can also show you how to hand express etc to relieve the pain when milk first comes in. Wishing you successful breastfeeding this time around! Thats my LC told me when I was worried. My second baby was crying a lot and LC told me keep nursing as often possible as it will fasten milk supply. I almost gave in for formula but had to bit my lips (from sore nipples) and continue nursing, and we made it.

Good luck! I did read somewhere about how being surrounded by supportive people is one of the key factors in breast-feeding success so start picking your team now and make sure you husband gets the education you do so he can back you up. I think as mothers of newborns we are so vulnerable to the slightest criticism and its so easy to doubt yourself. If your MIL was unsupportive (even intentionally) with your previous babies I would suggest you think of a subtle way to keep her away for the first few weeks if at all possible and make sure that you have a team of people who not only know what you want, but have the knowledge to reassure you when you are worried. My mother is very pro-breastfeeding and my MIL is not but it was actually my mother who caused me the most doubt as her experience had been so different to mine. She had had a very rapid let down, squirted milk everywhere at the hint of a baby's cry and had a strong "pins and needles" feeling when her milk letdown. I almost never leaked milk, did not need breastpads, can barely pump anything and have never felt any sensation of letdown. When she arrived my baby was 2 weeks old and she almost convinced me I had a supply issue. I then started weighing my baby and his weight gain was actually above average, my supply was fine and I later talked to other women and discovered some of us are squirters and some are not! Mum still talks about my "milk supply problems" even though my baby had nothing but breastmilk until I introduced solids at 7 months and during that time gained so much weight he actually went up a few centiles on the WHO charts. Perception and reality can be quite different and a lot of women's worries are due to being misinformed, often by well meaning relatives and Drs.

I just wanted to say with my last dd, and my first c section, I bf for 6 weeks and that was quite an achievement for me as with my first two I didn't, however in the hospital all was okay for the first 24/36 hours then lo realised she was starving and the 3rd night she cried all night, I begged the midwife for some formula but she just said it was perfectly normal and to keep feeding her! And then the milk came in on day 3/4, if the baby is given formula in those early days it may have slowed down your milk production, it is hard but so worth it, I loved the fact for the first few weeks I had no bottles to make up!! All the best you can do it!! If I have anymore I would love to give it another real go and maybe feed for longer next time:)

yes to everything that is said below already! Very quickly: Most women do not have "milk" for the first few days,this is normal and does not mean you have low milk supply nor is it a reason to supplement with formula. It is also normal that your baby will lose weight in the first few days, up to 7% of their birth weight is fine (again not a reason to give formula) and even up to 10% if you had an IV/epidural because just as you retain extra fluid from that so does your baby, meaning their birthweight is falsely high and as soon as they wee a few times they will lose a lot of it. You are very unlikely to be able to pump in the first week, because the colostrum (before the milk) and the transitional milk are basically concentrated, only coming out in teaspoon sized amounts, so if you pump, a lot of it will get lost in the pump itself. Its much better to just let the baby get it directly and if for some reason your baby refuses to suck at all then first try hand expressing so there is no wastage. Don't be tempted to pump just to see if you have any milk there. Some women (like myself) never really respond well to pumping and are never able to pump much even though their breasts are full, (this is not a blockage, your boobs are just not so easily tricked by a pump and will only give the milk to a sucking baby) and yet still have ample milk supply when feeding directly as shown by their babies weight gain after the first week. (you are aiming for your baby to have regained their birth weight by the end of the first week or two). So remember those basic things: You will not be able to "see" your "milk" for the first few days so you have to put your baby to the breast as often as they want, (and try for that to be 8-10 times in a 24 hour period) and trust that the tiny drops of colostrum they are getting is enough. (they might get only a teaspoon per feed, that is enough). Yo might get nothing at all out when you squeeze your nipple. Your milk will probably "come in" on day 4 and your breasts will get quite full , and may feel hard and painful especially by day 5 or 6 (quite normal), let your baby drain as much as possible rather than trying to pump it out. Get a lactation specialist to show you how to massage any lumpy bits during a feed and use hot compresses just before a feed and cold compresses (or cold cabbage leaves as a compress) after a feed. Try to avoid giving your baby anything else to suck on (fingers,dummies, bottles) while they are learning to breastfeed properly, so they can more easily learn the right way to effectively get to your milk. They do get quite hungry by around day three and will want to suck a lot to stimulate your supply, this is normal, let your baby do this. Also if you want to breastfeed exclusively you need to be very clear and possibly even forceful in communicating this to the hospital staff. I would recommend keeping the baby in your own room all the time rather than the nursery as often they will give formula in there just because they don't want to wake you, or your baby is crying and they want to comfort it quickly. For many babies even just a few bottles is enough to confuse them about how to properly breastfeed. You need to know yourself how much weight loss is normal so that when your baby loses weight (and they will lose weight) you don't get worried by nurses commenting (many of them are so used to formula fed babies they don't even realise what is normal and can give you a hard time) Holding your baby as often as possible in between feeds and making sure they are not swaddled during a feed are also good ways to stimulate their natural reflexes, if possible you should also try and let them have a go at latching within the first hour or two of their birth and keep them on your chest for all that time as this has been shown to help a lot in getting breastfeeding off to a good start. As said below, meet with an LC before your baby is born so that you can have a "lesson" on what to do after the birth and she can go over all the info and answer your concerns in advance as well as visiting after the birth.

just wanted to add my two bits of advice as well... i second all the responses below and just want to add that it is very very very very important for you to know that for the first few days the milk that comes out is not more than a teaspoonful at any one feeding! and that's ALL that ur lil bubba will need when he/she is at the breast... just those few drops of liquid gold - colustrom... when i had my baby i kept hearing from so many people to only expect 'little' milk to come but i had no clue as to just how little... hence i assumed that when i hand expressed i should be able to see a trickle at least of milk... i never knew that all that would come are one or two drops of milk! that was for my first baby... and i succumbed to the pressure... assumed my baby was crying just coz she was hungry and gave in to formula feeding right from the hospital... the milk did eventually start flowing in a week's time but by then my bubba was already used to guzzling down an entire 60ml of formula with no problem so had to be constantly fed with formula top ups after direct breast feeds (this time the crying was definitely coz she was hungry)... hence when i delivered the second one... i went in armed with all the information given to me by the lovely ladies on here like Farangis / Sian / Brooke / Alicia who assured me that for the first few days the baby's tummy is so tiny that it only needs 2.5ml to 5ml (a teaspoonful) of milk per feed... the catch is though that the baby will want to suckle often so we must be able to facilitate that by constant skin-to-skin, avoiding visitors on the first few days so that you have the freedom to openly feed... and most importantly giving up on all sleep for the first two days... i remember having to keep the new bubba on the breast nearly every 30 minutes (every time she whimpered)... and lo behold... by the 5th day the milk started to flow and brought on everything associated with it... the leaky breasts, the pain, etc... but i couldn't have been happier coz that's exactly what i was waiting for... it took about another week to ten days for the flow to really regulate... and then i started having a few issues such as forceful letdown... but again with the lovely support of the ladies on this forum i found positions to counter that and have a proper established breastfeeding relationship with my baby... my new bubba just turned 3 months yesterday and has been EXCLUSIVELY breast fed and I can't begin to tell you how much of an achievement that is for me... she was only fed directly from the breast for the first 45 days... after that i had to return to work so i've been pumping successfully five to six times a day for the last month and a half and being able to meet my bubba's feeding demands... be patient... focus on the baby... keep your family close by for support and remember that the first week is all about you and the baby and establishing feeding... EVERYTHING else can wait and things will fall into place... you are an AWESOME mother for wanting to try this for your baby in spite of it not having worked out for you before... keep that perseverance and i will pray things work out for you and your bubba... in my case i've noticed the benefits of breast feeding coz i can compare the situation from my earlier formula/mixed fed child... the breast fed one sleeps better, drinks better, has a sweeter temperament,is less gassy and doesn't even poop that often but isn't constipated in the least!! :)

Good job for having another go at it. I think it's fantastic that you're putting your support network together now. That is so, so important. I second the advice from the previous posters. They all gave you fantastic advice. It is important to get an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) which is the gold standard in lactation consultants to give you support. There are three in Dubai. Dru Campbell, midwife and IBCLC Baby Clinic and Midwifery Clinic, Health Bay Polyclinic Tel: 04 348 7140 Dr Delphine Dupuis, family doctor (special interest pediatrics, lactation and women’s health) and IBCLC. Speaks English and French. Sun and Wed am MediCentres, Motor City Tel: 04 360 8866 Other days Symbiosis Healthcare, Healthcare City Tel 04 3624955. Fatima Jaaoura Baigar, midwife and IBCLC. Speaks English and French. Symbiosis Healthcare, Healthcare City Tel 04 3624955 When my son was born three months ago he had a tongue tie, which made nursing painful for me. I went to Dr. Delphine and can only speak very highly of her. She was wonderful in helping us. I also know Dru personally and know that she would also provide fantastic support. There are also groups that are run by trained breastfeeding supporters. The two main ones in the UAE are Breastfeeding Q & A UAE and Le Leche League UAE. Both of these groups have a Facebook page. It is so, so important to seek out the information and support before you have the baby, just as you are. I would say try to make it to an antenatal workshop run by BF Q & A UAE or try to make it to one of their meets or the LLL meets. They both meet once a month. Also join the Facebook groups. Mother come online to ask questions, celebrate accomplishments and support each other. There you will be able to chat with other mothers and with the trained supporters. I found that when I was having troubles in my first few days it was fantastic to be able to call these people that I already had a relationship with for guidance, support and advice. I printed out phone numbers and names and hung it on my fridge that way my husband knew exactly where to look when I needed to call someone and he could help me out. It takes anywhere from a couple of days to a week for your milk to fully come in, just as sydneygal said. With my daughter it was 6 days. Until that time you have colustrum, some of the most nutritious and important milk that you can give to your baby. When your baby is born the stomach is smaller than a small marble. It's very tiny. The amount of colustrum that you make is also very, very small. It would most likely be very difficult to pump it out and even when you hand express it, it would be very normal for it to only come out in tiny drops. When your milk does come in it can be uncomfortable, as you described. It is important to have a good latch so that the baby is able to get the milk out effectively. If there is a bad latch then the milk doesn't come out as easily. This is where that support network will come in very handy. As far as pumping goes, a lot of mothers can't pump at all. Their bodies just don't respond to the pump. When your baby comes to the breast to eat your body releases hormones that release your milk. There just isn't that same response with the pump, you don't feel those same feelings of love toward the pump and the body's response just isn't the same. Some mothers are able to pump despite the pump not being your baby but many can not. Did I describe that ok? So what you pump isn't an indication of how much milk you have. If I were you, which I am not so take or leave this advice, I would not pump for the first few weeks so that I could get a good breastfeeding relationship with the baby before taking on another thing. Plus, I would worry that I would be let down by the pump again and I would be afraid that it would get in my head and make me doubt my body. Many mother never pump at all, you don't have to pump to breastfeed, or they don't start pumping until their baby is a few months old. There are also telephone helplines if you need to speak to a trained supporter: Telephone helplines (free) Breastfeeding Friends (7 days/week, 10am-10pm) English Support Line: 050 – 8684417 Arabic Support Line: 050 – 5679525 Urdu Support Line: 050 – 9819270 There is also a lot of information online. Kellymom.com, LLLI.org and Breastfeedinginc.ca all have great videos, research articles and trained professionals that give support. I really believe you have a better chance this time around. You are seeking information and support and that is the first step to having a wonderful breastfeeding experience. I really wish you all the best. I am a trained breastfeeding supporter and volunteer over the phone and email. If you need anything feel free to contact me at brookelynnbauer at gmail dot com anytime. Congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your little one. Brooke x <em>edited by SweetLily on 10/05/2012</em>

I agree with sydneygal - my milk never came until the third or fourth day and they survived on colustrum. Having said that, I was always a horrible pumper. The milk didn't flow. Only my babies were able to make it come out. Don't give up so easily.

Oh yes, I remember that. For the 1st week of so, it's just the colustrum, which is very important for the baby to have. Yes, the feeling that you can't bfeed is just there. But, my doula told me, to be patient,it's normal. and have loads of skin to skin contact. That will encourage/ regulate milk flow. There's also that fenugreek tea which helps milk production. With regards to pain nips, maybe it is blocked. Not sure what the remedy for that is, perhaps other posters can help. Good luck S <em>edited by shjbelle on 10/05/2012</em>

I am sure loads of ladies will jump on soon with lots of advice for you but I thought I'd start! Make sure you ask to see the lactation consultant as soon as possible after you've delivered - I know they have one at City. Also if you really want to breastfeed, make sure you write this on your birth plan and specify that you don't want any formula fed to your baby. It is totally normal for your milk to take a few days to come in, babies are fine on the small amounts of colustrum in the first few days and you can use this time to work on your latch with the LC before the actual milk comes in. She can also show you how to hand express etc to relieve the pain when milk first comes in. Wishing you successful breastfeeding this time around!

I know how you feel - I just had low supply from day one and this didn't improve. Please get an independent LC to help you - don't rely on the team at City as there is one LC looking after a whole ward and it sounds like you will need someone to be available to help for several hours at a time. I am sure the team at City won't mind if the LC comes in to see you straight after the birth. Also sounds like you need to see the LC before the birth and fully brief them on your earlier experiences so you "hit the ground running" when LO arrives. Congrats on LO's imminent arrival and good luck