Breastfeeding megathread

[waxonwaxoff 13]

As above! My daughter was fed on demand till she was about 18 months, but she'd got herself into a routine by then anyway. She then just went onto morning and night feeds till she was 2. If you're happy, stick with it! He'll get himself into a routine when he's ready. Blooming HV's, mine almost had a heart attack when she found out she was still having bm at 6 months!

 

Some health visitors really should just sod off and go and work in a call centre or something. They really are detremental at times. Yet a good one is invaluable.

[hennypenny 10]

I am breastfeeding my 14 week old son on demand. At what point should I stop feeding him on demand? I only ask because when I saw the Health Visitor yesterday she asked 'are you STILL feeding on demand?' like I should be restricting his feeds. I thought, perhaps naiively, that breastfeeding should be continued on demand until weening. Should I start making him have his feeds at certain times, continue with feeding on demand or what?!?!?

 

Some health visitors are a menace. Why on earth should you stop doing something that suits you and your son? If it stops suiting you think about how to alter it then. I fed my daughter on demand until she was 4.5

[treadlightly 10]

Totally reitterate what waxy said. I still continue to breastfeed my 2 year old on demand. It is what makes sense for us. In the early months, it is particularly important that you follow your babies needs as much as possible to keep the supply and demand system working really well, so that breastfeeding can continue for as long as you both would like it to.

 

Remember that Health visitors training on breastfeeding varies dramatically, and some do still peddle old wives tales, which can be unfortunate for the people who don't question what they are being told. On the other hand, like with most professions, there is always a flip side to that, and I have heard of some incredibly supportive Health visitors. Mine, who I actually don't see anymore, said that she fed on demand until hers were about 4!

[Tiggeriffic 10]

Thanks everyone! I feel much better now!! I love breastfeeding and hate thinking that I'm doing something wrong. It suits me (& him) to feed on demand - its only every 3 or 4 hours, longer at night - and if I need to I feed him at other times (before going out etc) I do!

 

I'm going to carry on with what I'm doing. My son is happy & thriving so the Health Visitor can just get lost!!!

[eeejay174 10]

phone the association of breastfeeding mothers, i gave up asking hv for advice a long time ago, the abm were absolutely wonderful, i had real trouble feeding dd3, and i phoned them day and night and they were fab, we got sorted with all our feeding problems, dd3 is now 2, and we are still going strong and its onl thanks to their advice and support, there is also an abm group on yahoo which are very supportive.

[jenz245 10]

im hoping to breastfeed my little one when she arrives but looking to introduce a bottle as soon as possible (within first 2 weeks hopefully) she will continue to have breast milk via the bottle for as long as possible but im unsure how much she'll need in oz's is it the same amount as formula babies approx?? any info really appreciated xx

[Corbyn 10]

im hoping to breastfeed my little one when she arrives but looking to introduce a bottle as soon as possible (within first 2 weeks hopefully) she will continue to have breast milk via the bottle for as long as possible but im unsure how much she'll need in oz's is it the same amount as formula babies approx?? any info really appreciated xx

 

It's worth bearing in mind that if you introduce a bottle too soon your baby may not learn how to latch on properly if you wanted to carry on breastfeeding as well as using the bottle.

 

The guidelines on formula are only a rough guide and every baby is different. It will be the same with breastfeeding and I think it will be a case of wait and see how much and how often your baby wants to drink. I found in the first few weeks the amount of times a day and how long my lo fed for varied a lot.

[waxonwaxoff 13]

I would also bear in mind that in the first month the baby almost constantly feeds. After that the first part of the milk they get is very thin like a drink and the later milk (hindmilk) is thicker and more norishing. It is better to feed breastfed babies by demand and I am unsure how you would do this with the bottles. It also takes some doing to express milk so I wouldnt panic yourself trying to get it sorted within the first 2 weeks. You milk will still be unsettled by then. I dont want to put you off but it seems to be a fair bit of pressure your putting yourself under. If you wanted to build up a supply the easiest way though would be to express whilst the baby feeds from the other breast. IF you let the baby feed untill they are finished you will have an idea as to how much milk is filling your baby up. Also bear in mind they can get out what they need a lot faster then you can express it. Sorry to sound negative though.

[treadlightly 10]

I would recommend calling a breastfeeding counsellor, either Association of Breastfeeding mothers 020 7813 1481 or the NCT 0300 33 00 771 to get their well informed advice. I would reitterate waxy's and corbyn's comments about latching and the whole babies feeding constantly during this time... There is so much to get to grips with when you have a new baby, you are both establishing yourselves, so giving yourself specific targets like that could make a challenging time more stressful.

 

In the world of breastfeeding it can be a challenging journey, but be assured that you are not alone, there are loads of voluntary organisations which are there to support you, as well as the NHS, though do be careful of Health Visitors advice on this, as it doesn't always promote continued breastfeeding. I'm sure many HV's out there are great, and offer fully WHO supported advice, but as with all professions there are some who just haven't had the training needed.

[jenz245 10]

Thanks for the advice the two weeks was just a guess and am happy to breastfeed by breast for longer its just that my partner really wants to be involved so i thought about this way. My friend had a baby on the 12th of this month and started bottle feeding him breast milk by the 15th and he hasn't had it via the breast since. I suppose I will see what suits me and baby best and take it from there.

[cosywolf 10]

For those of you currently looking for breastfeeding information

[Tartempion 10]

Hi, sorry to crash the thread but I just wanted to say jenz245 your partner can be involved in lots of other ways than feeding - bath, nappies for example. Your baby will prefer feeding direct from your breast and pumps and bottles and sterilising stuff is just going to be more things to worry about when you could just be enjoying a lovely snuggle with your baby! Good luck. Breastfeeding is amazing. You're going to be very proud of yourself!