I bought The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding but never got around to reading it. I had no clue what I was doing in the hospital, but it worked out ok in the long run. See as many LCs as you can for as much time as you can. When I delivered they were pretty slammed and I didn't really get much time. My biggest help was an independent LC. She came to our house when dd was 8 days old and she helped me with latch, holds, did a weighed feed.
Our hospital has a bf group weekly. I never went, but it might have been nice to meet other new moms. I did try a LLL meeting, but I didn't mesh well with the rest of the group.
Between the LC, kellymom, and MMM, we've made it to 4 months so far and hoping to continue until 1 year. I think you'll be fine - maybe just check out some quick info about latching on kellymom before your LO arrives.
At your next OB apt. Ask if they have any LC business cards.
I got by on kellymom.com and trial and error. I learned from DDs reactions (once my milk was in) that I had forceful letdown online and read about positions that would help.
Dd was not a textbook nurser so for me it actually sorta hurt me to read much on what is *typical* since it made me feel like something was wrong when it wasn't. It was honestly better to just ask on here if what I was experiencing and what was "working" was actually ok.
What also helped was knowing that the first couple weeks are WORK- every single nursing session might be constant work with DD as that was Ok. She was learning her body and I was learning both of ours.
Nursing your baby by Karen Pryor is awesome. My mom took it to the hospital with her each time and it was my bible.
It was written in the 60s so there's a lot of stuff about how to BF when so many people were using formula and that was the norm, but it's been updated since then :-)
I want to echo again how important it is to have a supportive spouse/partner. When I was sobbing because I couldn't figure it out & the baby was screaming in frustration/hunger, my husband's understanding looks, quiet holding my hand, and offers to do anything and everything to help (including calling the lactation consultant for me!) were absolutely invaluable. Without some prepping before, I'm afraid he would have thought I was crazy, wondered why I couldn't do something so natural/simple, or offered suggestions to fix it or just go out and buy formula. Having him on board with me that whole time was essential to our success.
I didn't take a BF class and now I'm starting to get concerned that I don't know anything. Does anyone have a good BF book to recommend, or does such a thing even exist?
Also, how do lactation consultants work? Will someone come to visit me in the hospital or do I have to find my own?
Are you delivering at NSH? They have (or did when DD was born) LCs come round on new moms. The LCs also have a help line and do appts post-partum; I called them for feedback on DD's tongue tie when she was a few weeks old.
I didn't take a BF class and now I'm starting to get concerned that I don't know anything. Does anyone have a good BF book to recommend, or does such a thing even exist?
Also, how do lactation consultants work? Will someone come to visit me in the hospital or do I have to find my own?
Are you delivering at NSH? They have (or did when DD was born) LCs come round on new moms. The LCs also have a help line and do appts post-partum; I called them for feedback on DD's tongue tie when she was a few weeks old.
There's no need (in my book) to do ALL of them, but it's good for H's to know what they can do. In addition to this, my H got up with the baby in the night, changed his diaper, then went back to sleep while I fed the baby. That was HUGE for me. I didn't feel so alone and overwhelmed because it reminded me that we are a team.
Post by halfbakedgrace on Jul 19, 2014 1:38:20 GMT -5
I wanted to "tritto" breastfeeding made simple. I read it while I was BFing (no classes or books beforehand), learned a lot, and felt no guilt.
The nurses in the hospital had me call them anytime I needed help & they would help me get him positioned/latched. I went to a BF support group through the pediatrician's office that helped when I had questions, wanted to commiserate, or check his weight between check ups.
I wholeheartedly agree that a good support system makes all the difference. The first 1-2 months of his life I didn't do much other than nurse him & snuggle him while he slept. It would have been a much different experience if my DH wasn't supportive of that.
Breast of luck! (That was supposed to say "best" but it autocorrected. I'm leaving it due to the topic ;-)).