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MommyAgain
lovemygermies
Member since 6/08 3195 total posts
Name:
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some advice for you mommies to be...
i just wanted to post this, because i wish i wouldve listened if anyone posted it before i had my dd..
i was SET on BFing..i didnt do it with my ds, and have regretted it for years, so i knew there was NO WAY i wouldnt do it for my dd..
we had ALOT of trouble with her latching, and my milk production, and i almost gave up sooooo many times, because i felt very alone, and had a huge lack of support..i asked 4 different nurses to help me, no one came to my room..i called la leche they waited 4 days to call me back (normal people wouldve quit by then...i like to make myself miserable lol)
please please please, if you have no breastfeeding experience, set yourself up with an ARMY of help for after the baby is born..BFing is NOT as natural as everyone thinks its caught onto..it takes time to "learn" each other, and get to know each others "dance"..
my lil  is gonna be 2 weeks old tomorrow (i cant believe it lol) and we are JUST getting the hang of it now..and my milk is finally coming in at a faster pace..and my nipples are no longer cracked and bleeding...
pelase stick with it girls..and if you need ANY support, i may not be able to answer the technical stuff, but id love to cheer you on!! Please FM!!
Good luck girls!! safe and happy pregnancy to all of you!!
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Posted 1/15/09 5:25 PM  |
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Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
really good advice. Did La leche finally able to help you? I should probably start calling around.
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| Posted 1/15/09 5:29 PM |
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2BEANS
wow time is going fast.
Member since 9/07 16106 total posts
Name:
Tina
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I totally feel ya with this!! I went through same thing after my dd was born.. She was born on a sat.. and the nurse right away said "no lactation coach on weekends.. and no time to help you bfed, can we just bottle feed?".. I said no way and kept to my guns. It was super hard trying to figure it out myself.. but adventually I did it with help from a lactation coach over the phone when i got home and mommies on here!!!
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| Posted 1/15/09 5:30 PM |
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I decided not to BF, however, knowing ladies who do, I was encouraged to attend LLL classes early on in my pregnancy if I had planned to follow through with it. Good luck to you ladies who decide to BF. I admire you all. A main reason I decided not to was because of the level of committment/difficulty involved.
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| Posted 1/15/09 5:49 PM |
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Dani922
Here's to new beginnings
Member since 10/07 7260 total posts
Name:
Danielle
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
This is EXCELLENT advice!!! I took advantage of the LC in the hospital every single chance I got & I'm so glad I did. The most important thing she told me- the main thing that kept me going- is that it takes time to perfect! I honestly thought I would just be able to do it easily right from the beginning, but it's harder than that. It took both DD & me some time to figure out how to latch just right & how to get comfortable. It was a hard few weeks (lots of crying & lots of thinking I'd never make it), but I swear one day it just clicked. I'm so glad I stuck with it because it was an amazing experience & it eventually did become so easy, comfortable & natural just like I had imagined it would be 
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| Posted 1/15/09 6:08 PM |
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MrsS2005
Mom of 3
Member since 11/05 13118 total posts
Name:
B
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Great advice. BFing is not easy. I went through a period where I thought about quitting every day. It's getting a lot better although DS is now cluster feeding at night, which is tough. Get as much support as you can, especially in the hospital. I worked with 4 different LCs in the hospital and I still had difficulty with BFing after we got home. Good luck to everyone. 
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| Posted 1/15/09 7:06 PM |
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MrsPowers
So blessed!
Member since 11/06 10348 total posts
Name:
Ivelysse
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
This is great advice. Thank you for posting your experience!
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| Posted 1/15/09 7:09 PM |
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BnBdreamin
Gonna be a BIG Bro in April!
Member since 10/06 5913 total posts
Name:
Denise
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Nice post. Thanks. For the moms who had trouble in the beginning... were you supplementing with bottle feeding if LO did not latch that feeding or day?
In the beginning I was really on the fence about BF but the further along I get, I really do want to give it a fair effort but I've been around relatives having trouble and being "helped" and I've been with my sis when a LLL came to her house and I am still iffy about the someone else manhandling me in that way. I know they say when you have a baby, you won't care but I feel like now, I care and what if I still care then.
ETA: Oh and I'm really glad you got through it. Good for you and . Great story. 
Message edited 1/15/2009 7:31:46 PM.
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| Posted 1/15/09 7:30 PM |
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MrsS2005
Mom of 3
Member since 11/05 13118 total posts
Name:
B
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Posted by BnBdreamin
Nice post. Thanks. For the moms who had trouble in the beginning... were you supplementing with bottle feeding if LO did not latch that feeding or day?
At the beginning, DS would sometimes get hungry so quickly and would get so upset that he wouldn't latch. I'd give him a bottle of pumped BM. It was a quick fix, but I think that may have contributed to latching issues. BFing was extremely painful for several weeks, most likely b/c DS wasn't latching correctly. That seems to have corrected itself now.
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| Posted 1/15/09 7:46 PM |
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BnBdreamin
Gonna be a BIG Bro in April!
Member since 10/06 5913 total posts
Name:
Denise
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Posted by MrsS2005
I'd give him a bottle of pumped BM.
That was another thought that at least I'd pump. But yes, I've heard that the bottle does create latching issues. I guess it will all work itself out then and one never knows until you try it.
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| Posted 1/15/09 8:14 PM |
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MommyAgain
lovemygermies
Member since 6/08 3195 total posts
Name:
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
this was my problem, they made me supplement with formula in the hospital because she lost so much weight, or they wouldnt let her come home!! So she got used to the bottle after a feeding..and i think it caused "nipple confusion" which contributes to her latching issue...13 days later, we are FINALLY on the same page..i can see when shes starving and latching is an issue for her, or if im ULTRA full, i have to pump alil first so she can get a good latch..i cried EVERY DAY for the first few days..
to answer another poster..yes, since my dd is already supplementing with formula at most of her nite time feedings i do give her a formula bottle or a breast milk bottle if i have one on hand when she wont latch..
but,,,my BEST ADVICE IS NOT TO DO THIS in the beggining..i was kinda forced into it..
its simple guys, and i finally see its true, bfing is supply and demand..the more you nurse, the easier it gets, the more you pump and nurse, the more milk youll have..you make as much as your body sees it needs..if youre supplementing too much, your body isnt making as much as it will need to..
im glad so many of you replied..please keep your heads up!! It is worth it..
this sounds so crazy, but when i had to give my dd that first formula bottle, i cried,,i felt like i wasnt giving her what she needed and it hurt my feelings..
when she FINALLY latched on well, and my milk REALLY came in..she pulled away from me, and had a fat lil face full of milk dripping down her chin..and it was mine ;) nothing better then that!
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| Posted 1/15/09 8:32 PM |
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BnBdreamin
Gonna be a BIG Bro in April!
Member since 10/06 5913 total posts
Name:
Denise
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
LIF should make at least a BF board if one other special topic. This post is bringing up so many questions I have that I'm sure I'll get answered in classes.
Anyone do the skin to skin (feed as soon as baby gets cleaned and checked after delivery)?
Can you pump in the hospital or you don't start pumping until after the colostrum?
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| Posted 1/15/09 8:56 PM |
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alexlynn7
Big brother to be!
Member since 9/06 6314 total posts
Name:
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Posted by BabySammie
I totally feel ya with this!! I went through same thing after my dd was born.. She was born on a sat.. and the nurse right away said "no lactation coach on weekends.. and no time to help you bfed, can we just bottle feed?".. I said no way and kept to my guns. It was super hard trying to figure it out myself.. but adventually I did it with help from a lactation coach over the phone when i got home and mommies on here!!!
same thing happened to me - NO LC OVER THE WEEKEND?!?!?!? 
ARE THEY KIDDING???
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| Posted 1/15/09 9:00 PM |
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Violet
content
Member since 7/06 1860 total posts
Name:
Mama :)
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
thank you for posting this!
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| Posted 1/15/09 9:12 PM |
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I just want to say, for those who do have a baby on a weekend--don't quit based on that alone. I had a C-section on a Friday and the LC made sure to come see me before she left for the weekend and again on Monday. In addition, I did not have a problem getting nurses to help me. I became very frustrated trying to get the baby to latch but it was not for lack of help. I had to stop BFing after 2 weeks because there was some doubt about the safety of my heart medication but I still wish that I could have planned to go off it temporarily.
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| Posted 1/16/09 1:30 AM |
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babyonthebrain
Brotherly Love!
Member since 1/08 6209 total posts
Name:
Rafaela
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I second that!!!!! BFing is def. not as easy as I thought it would be. I have only a few drops of colostrum right now (I found out today when I tried to pump) my baby can latch on but is s frustrated he is not geting anything he gets very fussy and I feel terrible. I had no choice but to give him formula, which is making him gassy and now constipating the poor baby!!!
My milk has not come in yet. I am going to pump everyday several times a day to stimulate. I'm also trying to drink lots of water. I am intent on not giving up.
If your frustrated like me please be patient, I'm hoping it will work out for the better!!!
XOXOXO
BOTB
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| Posted 1/16/09 2:30 AM |
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pharmcat2000
Mom of 2 + 1
Member since 10/05 7395 total posts
Name:
Catherine
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I did the skin to skin. I insisted I BF within 30mins of delivery. I could see the nurses rolling their eyes at me but I didn't care. I gave it a try anyway. It didn't go so well though. We then kept trying in the hospital and by day 2 I was in tears every time they brought her to me to eat. When I would try to BF I was just so tense and nervous about it and I think that contributed to my non-success. DH got mad at me for being so frustrated and crying while I was trying to feed her and told me that I could NOT feed her in that condition. So I asked for a pump and they brought it to me. I pumped every 2-3 hours the whole time I was in the hospital. At first I was just getting colustrum but I kept going and eventually I got milk. They were very good about encouraging me to keep pumping. They gave her whatever I was able to pump. I'm not sure if they gave her formula to supplement as well. I never really thought to ask. We ended up pumping exclusively for 5 months, until I went back to work.
To the OP: thanks so much for the post. I'm def going to try much harder this time around!
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| Posted 1/16/09 3:44 AM |
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DRMom
Two in Blue
Member since 5/05 20223 total posts
Name:
Melissa
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Posted by MrsS2005
Posted by BnBdreamin
Nice post. Thanks. For the moms who had trouble in the beginning... were you supplementing with bottle feeding if LO did not latch that feeding or day?
At the beginning, DS would sometimes get hungry so quickly and would get so upset that he wouldn't latch. I'd give him a bottle of pumped BM. It was a quick fix, but I think that may have contributed to latching issues. BFing was extremely painful for several weeks, most likely b/c DS wasn't latching correctly. That seems to have corrected itself now.
This is how one of my sons is-my other son latched the 1st time we tried. A ood tip is don't let them get too hungry because they will get frustrated whne they first start as the milk may not come down fast enough
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| Posted 1/16/09 4:03 AM |
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randella
Love my little man
Member since 8/05 16290 total posts
Name:
Randi
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I think it's so important to take a breastfeeding class to become educated and be prepared that it will be hard.
I am mentally prepared that it will be difficult, but of course am hoping for the best.
Thanks for posting-- since I think a lot of women think it's just an innate thing, but it does require practice on both mom and baby's part.
Glad your little one is successfully latching!!
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| Posted 1/16/09 8:41 AM |
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Bxgell2
Perfection
Member since 5/05 16438 total posts
Name:
Beth
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
I can't concur enough - I had a friend who told me the same thing when I was pregnant, so I armed myself - I read SOOOO many books, talked to my ob/gyn, took a BFing class, and had the # of a lactation consultant when I went to the hospital and made sure she visited me within a half hour of delivering so she could show me how to do it the first time.
EVEN WITH all of that, and even WITH having an AMAZING latch with my daughter from the very start, it was STILL insanely difficult and completely bizarre and unnatural to me. BFing, even when everything goes great, is not at all a natural process, very confusing and can be very frustrating. I made many a follow-up call/visit to my lactation consultant in the weeks following my daughter's birth, and am just so tremendously happy I had that resource because I don't know if I would have continued without it.
And in the end, after about 3-4 weeks of hell, it "clicked" and my daughter and I had one of the most amazing, beautiful BFing experiences for the next 6 months
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| Posted 1/16/09 8:47 AM |
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Bxgell2
Perfection
Member since 5/05 16438 total posts
Name:
Beth
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Posted by BnBdreamin
Nice post. Thanks. For the moms who had trouble in the beginning... were you supplementing with bottle feeding if LO did not latch that feeding or day?
I didn't because I heard if I gave her a bottle it would cause nipple confusion and just make the whole process even worse. I'm glad I didn't because when I DID introduce the bottle, she had a lot of problems with the transition.
I had plenty of milk so I just persisted, and eventually, after a lot of frustration, we got into a routine...
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| Posted 1/16/09 8:50 AM |
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headoverheels
s'il vous plaît
Member since 6/07 42079 total posts
Name:
LB
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
this is great advice. if you want to BF you NEED people surrounding you who will support you and help you if you need it. i was lucky enough to have a lac. consultant come to my room every day during my stay (i was there for 4 days) but even then we didn't get the hang of it. i was sooooo frustrated and ready to quit but my DH (of all people) was the one who told me i COULD do this, and we worked through our latch issues. even at 3 months when i wanted to quit because i hated pumping, DH convinced me to keep at it, and now, i am so very glad i did. 
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| Posted 1/16/09 8:51 AM |
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NoStressMom
My Heart and Soul
Member since 5/05 11122 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
This is great thanks so much for the words and wisdom!! I will be FM if I have any problems!!! Denise
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| Posted 1/16/09 8:53 AM |
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Bxgell2
Perfection
Member since 5/05 16438 total posts
Name:
Beth
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Posted by BnBdreamin
LIF should make at least a BF board if one other special topic. This post is bringing up so many questions I have that I'm sure I'll get answered in classes.
Anyone do the skin to skin (feed as soon as baby gets cleaned and checked after delivery)?
Can you pump in the hospital or you don't start pumping until after the colostrum?
I had a c/s, but within a half hour of my recovery they brought my DD in because I had made it VERY clear to all the nurses beforehand that I was very adamant about BFing. They actually put a sign on her little nursery crib saying "NO FORMULA - BF ONLY" so they wouldn't mix anything up and accidentally give her a bottle.
Within a half hour, they brought her in and the lactation consultant and nurse came into the room to help me. They suggested skin-to-skin, so I took my robe off my chest. Then, because I have bigger boobs (34D) one of the nurses suggested I roll up a receiving blanket and tuck it under the boob to give it better "lift" for the latch (which works). They helped me get my DD on and latch and that was it...
I was told by my ob/gyn and the pediatrician not to pump for 3 weeks until my supply evened out and we had a good BFing routine started so I waited a few weeks to pump.
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| Posted 1/16/09 8:54 AM |
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Blissful
Ultimate Expression of LOVE
Member since 6/08 4985 total posts
Name:
Maria
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Re: some advice for you mommies to be...
Great post and advice! I just posted the other day that I attended a LLL meeting near me and hte moms were so supportive and gave me tons of advice and their phones numbers to call if I needed any help!
I definitely reccomend checking out a LLL meeting, they weren't as "radical" as I thought they would be, at least my chapter here in CT!
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| Posted 1/16/09 9:04 AM |
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