Monday, September 26, 2011

breast feeding . . .

I have to admit, I am pretty clueless when it comes to breast feeding. I am bound and determined this time around to breast feed for as long as possible. With Will, I was not taking in enough calories and pretty much could not produce enough for him.

I am a bit clueless about the whole process. I pretty much winged it with Will and just gave it a shot. With #2 on the way, I am still winging it. I have no clue how often breast fed babies need to eat, how long on each breast, and when I pump and he uses a bottle, how much will I feed him?

I know the basics of feeding a baby and know when they are full. But for some reason this breast feeding thing is freaking me out!

Did you wing it? Did you read a book? Or did you get your information from the internet? My sister's never breast fed, they attempted but it didn't last. My mom breast fed me, but unfortunately I cannot get any information from her. I feel like I should have asked these questions when she was sick. She did say, that I was the best baby out of her 4, so that has to count for something.

Any advice you can give would be most helpful! Thanks...

14 comments:

Dee said...

You'll be able to tell by baby! When they are done eating they will stop and then when they're hungry, they'll also let you know. :) I never read anything-I just wing it and that works for me. BUT I did have some issues with how much it hurt at first. We had to work really hard on the baby's latch. My hospital had a lactation consultant come around after I had my babies. GOOD LUCK!

Christy said...

You just feed them when they are hungry (which is A LOT). I nurse Guppy about every 2 hours during the day. I know when he wants to eat, because he'll keep rooting against my chest. And when he is REALLY hungry, he'll cry.

I am actually leaving Guppy with John for the first time tonight (I have a doctor's appointment). I pumped a 4oz bottle for him.

I was just flying by the seat of my pants with Porgie, and we struggled with breastfeeding. With Izzy, I got a book called The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins. Very informative and helpful. It will tell you important things like how many ounces your baby will eat based on his weight.

BNM said...

I tried to breastfeed with my first and couldnt get the hang of it, I too am bound and determined to do it with this baby.. If you find any useful tips send em my way please :)

Anonymous said...

No help here but good luck!! :-)

Brandi said...

I just winged it as well. I very much agree with they'll let you know when they're hungry and they'll stop eating when they're full. I think the best advice is to relax? It's hard not to stress about are they getting enough, am I eating enough, am I making enough milk... etc. You'll drive yourself bonkers. Amberly would nurse one side each feeding and only nurse 3 - 5 min. She did this her first several months and I was totally freaked. But, she wasn't fussy, she was peeing and pooping, and she was gaining weight. She was just a very efficient eater. On the other hand, a couple of my boys would camp out and nurse FOREVER. I could never get anything done around the house b/c they were ALWAYS nursing and the nursing sessions were loooooong. It's different with each baby, I think.

Eat a healthy diet, drink LOTS of water, and RELAX - - baby will do the rest! :)

Shell said...

I took a class. That really helped. And read a few books.

Unknown said...

I totally agree with comment #1. I didn't BF my first, and I just went for it with #2. It's really up to the baby. I know staying calm makes a big difference for both of you.

When I was in the hospital postpartum there were all these BF people coming in and out and giving me tips and pointers. I honestly could not tell you anything they said. It was like charlie brown's teacher, and quite honestly stressed me out more than had they just given me the baby, and left me to my instincts.

So follow your instincts!

amanda said...

i feel like i could write a novel on bf! not that anyone would want to read it! it was so different the first time around - the nurses stressed me out. i charted and recorded every feeding. i watched the clock like a crazy woman. i was nutso. then at our six week check up i pulled out my nursing chart and my doctor literally threw it away! she said let it go - follow her lead. and i did and just like that it was awesome.

so the second time around? even better.

don't stress. follow baby's lead. and drink more water than you think you need. and enjoy it. it goes sooo sooo quickly.

Callie said...

I think it's safe to say that I winged it. :) With my first, I pretty much did on demand and she ate A TON so that was really hard on me (I was never NOT hungry). I nursed her for 11 months. With my second, she liked eating from bottles better and that was fine, but it was hard to pump, store, plus take care of two kiddos. I think in that case I wished I would've come up with a better plan or bought a better pump so I could've done it longer. With Harper, I did it for 4 months. I think the best advice I'd give is to know that you are doing the best you can and don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't work out.

Natalie said...

I read some books but when it comes down to it you just trust your instincts. In the beginning, you usually feed anywhere from every hour and a half to 2 hours. It will seem like it takes them forever but it gets easier as their mouth matures and they get the hang of it. Then once mine got a little older I moved it to 3 hours then to 4. They'll give you cues. Just try to make sure they get a full feeding...that helps their bellies grow and for them to lengthen the time. I've been breastfeeding for 11 months and hoping to until a year. Just don't stress and good luck :)

Emily said...

Wow, a topic I could go on and on about... My first experience with Aidan was very hard. He didn't bf for his first 3 weeks, so I had to pump and then give him milk in a bottle. Finally he did start to bf though. With Connor he latched right away. But, I have an overabundance of milk and had to deal with severe engorgement his first two weeks of life. Which was extremely painful! It was terrible to be honest and made feeding him very hard since my breasts were huge and as hard as rocks.

Your baby will let you know when he's hungry, when he's done and will eat enough to satisfy him. Babies usually eat every 2-3 hours during the day and will go longer stretches at night. Right now Connor is 3 weeks old and can go 5 hours at night without eating. But, everybody is different. Just follow your instincts. :)

Barbara said...

I have no advice, sadly breastfeeding never worked out between #1 and I since he was born premature and never got the hang of it! I admire you enthusiasm for #2, I hope I can be the same in a few months.

Carly said...

I took a class at the hospital, read a handful of books and many websites. One of the best was kellymom.com I also talked with many moms who already breastfed their babies, and got many tips and hints.
Anytime I had a question I went there. While I was in the hospital they had a lactation consultants available. She was great, and I had her come in and make sure I was doing it right a few times. There is also a group at the hospital that meets every week. We have lunch and the consultants are available to ask questions. It has been nice to go weekly and see how much he weights, how much he is eating and ask all of my silly questions. It's also nice to hear that I am doing it right, and that other moms have some of the same concerns.
Good luck!

Unknown said...

I read, read, read. Also--kellymom.com (as mentioned) is great! And I know it sounds weird, but YouTube helped me A TON. Seriously. With the positions, latch, etc you can find everything you need online.
After you have your baby use the lactation consultant at your hospital as much as possible. They will help you out SO much. Also a lot of nurses are pros at nursing--I am sure there will be someone around to help you out.
As for when they are done, newborns take awhile to nurse because they don't have the method down yet. Think of it as they are learning right along with you :) Usually 20-30 minutes on each side and they will eat a lot more frequently than a formula fed baby.
I could go on forever--email me if you want to talk. I love breastfeeding and want you to love it just as much as we do :)

xoxo