Breast Feeding

[Chilli]

Right, we should be a matter of hours (well, 32!) away from being induced, so need to ask about the feeding. From what I've read on here, it would be beneficial to get jnr to both breast feed and take from the bottle.....or am I wrong?
If so, alternate every feed or week on/week off? Also, how long can breast milk last in the fridge and how do you tell if it's past it's best?!

Cheers.

I'm actually thinking of getting Mrs C to join up here....think that's a good idea too? Also, I have this rash................!!!

[The_Doc]

www.babycentre.co.uk

join this, my wife found loads and loads of great advice here.

you should also have the big blue NHS book which gives all the official advice.

and to answer your question, most mothers who succeed in establishing breastfeeding do it in isolation (no formula). but not everyone has all this success. It's tricky, but your community midwife will be DESPERATE for you to persist with it.

In Leeds where we delivered, there was an on-call breast feeding emergency woman

[Chilli]

Thanks mate, appreciate it. We live abroad, so no blue bible!

Cheers.

[The_Doc]

Chilli said:

Thanks mate, appreciate it. We live abroad, so no blue bible!

Cheers.

Here it is:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digi...

download and refer to on favoured e-reader/tablet.

very useful.

There's a follow-up Green Book to which does Birth To Five

[5678]

Breast feed only (not even from a bottle) if your wife can hack it. There are many, many benefits to your child.

[whirligig]

I was determined to feed our three myself but after a traumatic delivery found it very difficult to establish breastfeeding. I persevered though and in the end fed each of them for a year - I cannot emphasise enough how important your support will be. It can be exhausting and just making sure that she always has a drink of water/tea to hand and verbal encouragment goes a long way.

Ideally of course, exclusively breast fed is best but I had a poor supply first time round and ended up giving top-up feeds of formula at night from about 8 weeks. This worked very well as my OH could get more involved with the feeding and baby went longer at night which was a bonus.

Second time round I had a much easier baby and better supply and she refused point blank to look at a bottle until weaned on to a sippy cup at a year.

Everyone's experience is different and it can be uncomfortable/sore at first but so, so worthwhile. I don't think it's a coincidence that my kids (now 14, 12 and 10) have very rarely needed to have antibiotics and have no allergies. All the best!

[Lemmonie]

Breastfeeding can take 6 weeks to become fully established. If you can get to that stage you have cracked it.
Dont be tempted to "top up" before then as you will disupt the delivery.

Breastfeeding is incredibly complex. The mothers body will deliver exactly what the baby requires. ie in the summer the mother will produce more of the fore milk (watery milk) to quench the baby's thirst before the hind milk kicks in delivering the food so to speak.

If the baby goes through a growth spurt, which they do frequently, they will demand more from the mother and the mothers body will then adapt to fulfill the baby's demand.

Just try really hard not to interfe with bottles before the 6 weeks as not only will the supply be affected but you will also expose the baby to nipple confusion which is basically that the baby learns its much easier to get milk from a bottle than the mother and can go off the breast.

Also remember than it can takes days for the mothers milk to come in especially with an inducement. Dont be afraid the baby isnt getting any milk as for the first coupleof days all it will require is the colostrum (thick yellow milk) and it wont need much more than that.

People often like the bottle over breast as they feel they know exactly how much the baby is getting. Dont worry about that. The baby gets enough if it is putting on weight and have poopy and wet nappies.

But good luck and dont be afraid to seek help from breast feeding counsellers if you are concernced. x

[sparkyhx]

my daughter was breastfed for 3 years, (obviously not full time at the end). We tried expressing but possibly too late as she just point blank refused to take a bottle. So I would say both is important for a 'take the strain' and bonding point of view for dad.

[Chilli]

Many thanks all, very helpful. I guess I should get some formula stuff in just in case a) there isn't any from mum, or b) he doesn't fancy it.......so unprepared, it's almost child abuse! Bless Mrs C....she's so scared about the birth.
Fingers crossed 'an all that.

Thanks again.

[h0b0]

Chilli said:

he doesn't fancy it.......so unprepared,

There is a lot of material out there that effectively makes women feel guilty if they are not successful with breast feeding. When my son was born all the hospital staff were trying their best to force him to take breast milk. They even went as far as "smothering" his face in my wife's knocker. He would taste a bit and stop. In the end one nurse suggested it was because he had a mouth deformity preventing him from latching and he needed surgery.

We found out the reality once we got home. We managed to express a bottle for the first time and gave it to him. He immediately vomited as violently as a 4 day old could. It turned out he was intolerant to breast milk and needed formula.

Listen to your child because they are communicating with you from the second they come out (and even while they are inside). Most importantly try and make sure you and your partner do not get hung up on any pressure to be the perfect parent. All that will do is cause arguments between the parents. Don't believe everything you read about "Average Baby". "Average Baby" only exists on forums and your child will be your child. Our son was eating a huge amount from birth and my wife an I made the mistake of believing BS written in books and on the internet. At the quantities our son was eating "Average Baby" would have blow her stomach up. It turns out ours was just hungry. So we should have just fed him as much as he wanted even if "Average Baby" would have been dead.

Find a good doctor. Ours is brilliant and aligned with my view of the world. If you get the wrong one they will try and enforce their beliefs on you as if they were science. Get qualified in child CPR. I can only imagine there is one thing worse than seeing your child go Blue and then Grey because they have stopped breathing and having to resuscitate them. That is not being able to resuscitate them. My son chocked and stopped breathing........Twice. If I hadn't got myself trained he would not have made it.

Read a book called "12 hours by 12 weeks". It will teach you to be a parent and why you have to be a parent instead of a friend. And, if it works you will have a child sleeping 12 hours a night by 3 months old. They will also have a routine and they benefit from one. My son only uses his cot for sleeping in and so (most of the time) knows that when I drop him in he is going to sleep.

Keep adapting as your baby grows with you. What ever worked on Monday probably will not work on Friday. Remember that children are generally simple things even though it is all daunting right now. They cry because they are hungry, tired or need to fart. Its the last one that can be the most challenging. The concept of "Colic" is almost entirely down to trapped wind. If they can not fart it is uncomfortable. There are drops and formulas that can help but work with your doctor on this. Changing formula can take several days and can bring along it's own issues.

Have fun. It will change everything in your lives and there will be times when you think "What have I done!" Always talk with your wife and talk with family. Having kids is the hardest thing I have done.

p.s. he stole my Tonka Truck,

[sparkyhx]

I think its a good idea to get them used to both, but you don't need formula to use a bottle. expressing can also help bring on production of milk.

.....thats subject to wifey not feeling like a cow being milked.

Also don't forget the advantage of extra large fun bags

Edited by sparkyhx on Monday 22 October 18:09

[mattnunn]

In my epxerience (3 kids and assorted friends on low incomes) if you start of with the plan of doing bottle and breast within a fortnight you'll have given up on the breast, I say you I mean your missus.

unless you're lucky and they latch straight on (it does happen apparently!) then breast feeding is a battle of wills for the first few weeks and can range from extremely painful, degrading and tiresome to mental inducing phychosis.

The worst thing you can do is get hung up about it, Eistein was bottle fed cows milk!

Edited by mattnunn on Monday 22 October 18:14

[5MUG]

I also think it's a good idea to do both. When I first started breast feeding my first child it was absolute agony - felt like pins being stuck into my nipples. Hideous. I persevered but also bottle fed for night feeds. This way my husband could take a turn and I could get some sleep. Don't let your wife feel guilty if she can't manage it. Your child will survive on bottle milk just like thousands of others do!

[Chilli]

Guys, this is excellent advice, thanks for taking the time, it's really appreciated. I/ we just want to be prepared, albeit at the last minute. There'll be no pressure on the Mrs....whatever works, well....works. I suddenly thought that if jnr doesn't want mummy, we have nothing else for him to eat. I guess it will be prudent to get a load of formula it too.

Once again, thanks v much for the advice, Really helpful.

[bint]

Gah!! I wrote an essay and have just lost it Means you get less (slightly) waffle and an abridged version;

- My son born 6 weeks early by c section
- Milk took while to come
- I nearly gave up at 6 weeks - feeding took on average an hour plus
- Feeding expressed milk in a bottle is still better than formula
- Electric expressing is the only way to go
- Expressing and bottle feeding solved my sons vomiting (we thought it was reflux) and built up muscles for breast feeding
- Ideally you (or rather your wife) need to join a local breast support group, try La Lech league in case there are where you are
- If not, then my local group recommend kellymom.com for advice
- Human milk is like cows milk regarding storage - 7hrs room temp, up to a week in the fridge (back never door), and 6months in the freezer

I am now 4.5 months in, only the last feed of the day (about 7pm) isn't on the breast as I have to express when I go to bed (11pm) to reduce swelling/soreness overnight as the lovely chap sleeps until 7.30am! It does mean daddy gets to feed him and he is happy taking the bottle from anyone.

I'm happy to answer any questions she has or pass on my local breast counsellors phone number.

[Granville]

don't feel guilty if you can't breast feed or feel it's not for you. The midwifes will push breast but remember it is entirely your choice.

I planned on breast feeding but got a tin of formula just in case it didn't work out and I had at least something in the house to give him. Unfortunately I produced not one single drop of milk so formula was the only option.

Noah is a big boy and is ravenous with feeds every 2 hours. At 11 weeks we have just started him on solids as he is growing rapidly but no longer gaining weight. He is still having as much milk as he wants - currently 5oz every 2 hours but with baby rice or porridge 3 times a day

[h0b0]

Liam was a feeder so at 13 weeks he was drinking 9oz 4 times a day. With using the bottle we were able to cut out all night feeding by 13 weeks which had a significant impact on our quality of sleep.

[SSC!]

I never got the choice. My milk never came in, I had Elise on the Thursday night and home on Sunday and I was adamant she was getting nothing as I most certainly couldn't express. By Monday I spoke with a friend who was a breast feeding councillor as she was not right, she advised me to give s bottle, she took the lot and its stayed that way, as others have said she is not to feel bad if it does not happen.

[nadger]

If possible breast is best. Not just from a health perspective, but also for ease. No lugging paraphinalia about the place, and also it's free!
Having said that, if breast feeding isn't possible or isn't for you don't feel pressurised into it. My missus was determined ours would be breast fed and did so despite suffering a badly cracked nipple. She used to feed Freya whilst in tears. God knows I would have quit, but she was just so determined.
All the best with the little one. It's the most incredible journey!

[172ff]

Real women breast feed ;-)

Just make sure she gives it time. It won't be easy and she will probably have several meltdowns over it. Was watching a documentary with the wife that said that only 3% of women still breast feed after 5 months! 1% after 8.

I'd highly recommend that your oh finds a local support group. Think the wife's was through the nct. They gave her simple advice that saved her from giving up within the frost couple of weeks.

From your point of view you'll want her the breast feed becasuse 1 you can't do it at 3am, 2 you really don't want to be warming up milk and cleaning bottles at 3am and 3 its cheap!

Btw you can feeze breast milk.

Check me! I sound like expert. Didn't know anything about it this time last year.

Good luck with the birth and the pending aftermath.