Questions & Answers

Congrats to you. I am on my 3rd pregnancy too. I had zero luck breast feeding my 1st. Second was a completely different story. We were successful for 8 weeks! I stopped once I went back to work. I too had a Medela pump as my little Mr. Only wanted to latch into one side, so the pumping helped keep things even. I have heard drinking a ton of water makes all the difference, but I am not a huge water drinker. My lactation consultant recommended taking natural supplements called fenugreek and blessed thistle. Capsules you just swallow a few times a day. This really increased my milk supply which left much to be desired before. Don't be afraid of supplementing with formula if need be. It seems like a lot of hospitals make you feel like it is an unpardonable sin, but it worked for us and made me feel more confident in breast feeding since he was getting enough to eat with both. Just remember that every mom and every baby are different. Kudos whether it is 1 week or 1 year!

Find out if your insurance covers a lactation consultant. I recommend an in home visit over the hospital consultations, or ideally both. They can really help make sure that you know different ways to position, latching techniques, have access to support, etc. Even though this is my fourth time breastfeeding, I am still taking advantage of the consultants - every child brings new questions. :) Good luck - it's a commitment, but it's worth it.

Look into Jack Newmans nipple cream. The mat ward nurse recommended it when I had my son in 2012, and it was a LIFE SAVER! No other nipple cream is like it! It is a prescription cream, and the pharmacy has to make it, but I would've died without it!

I don't want to relate what others had said but I will add that in the beginning my daughter had a hard time latching on so I got a nipple guard. You wet it a little and it goes on your nipple to help baby latch. It helps to bring your nipple out for baby to latch successfully. Also, ensure when first latching that baby pens wide and that most of the areola is in baby's mouth. It will make it more comfortable and I didn't have as much bruising. I used Medela double pump and while at work would listen to a recording of baby crying to simulate feeding time as well as look at pictures. I did this when I had to pump for over nights with my job and was able to fill up approximately 2-3 fill In Zip Lock bags pumping every 2-2 1/2 hours. This was only for about three months then I became a SAHM and breastfed exclusively successfully until my daughter was 14 months , long to most woman I know. Good luck to you!

cabbage leaves will actually dry you up pretty quick, so I would avoid those so it doesn't affect your supply.

Water was a big thing for me, about 5 minutes in i would get incredibly thirsty.
Breast pads for night time, when my milk came in even my maternity bras hurt so I wore a bikini top and cushions of all sizes to prop up any part of me that started to feel uncomfortable while feeding.
Cabbage leaves to sooth them especially when I suffered clogged ducts.
I only lasted 6 weeks for reasons unimportant but I will try again with this baby.

I breastfed my daughter and plan on doing it again this time, i used the Lansinoh nipple cream on the recmmendation of friends and it was great. Boppy pillow was also great, though it is good to have a couple of covers for it for when accidents happen... I used an Ameda Purely Yours breast pump and it worked great, i made that choice because that is the only one where the milk doesn't go through the tubes which makes it easier to clean and less likely to have issues with mould. Also good to have is the nursing cover, there were lots of times i needed to nurse in public or while visitors were over, also as my daughter got older it kept her focused so she would feed as long as she needed rather than being distracted by other things going on.

Don't worry too much about having everything close by, I learned that it is pretty easy to nurse on the move, i used to be able to make dinner/put on laundry with one arm while i held/nursed my daughter in the other! Good luck :)

I am currently breastfeeding my 6 month old and breastfed my son until he was 10 months. I recommend a double electric pump. I have Medela and got it through my insurance for no cost. Your nipples will be sensitive at first, but it goes away as long as baby has a good latch. I would get a little lanolin just in case. I used it with my son, but didn't need it with my daughter. I like the Lansinoh breastpads the best. I found the Target brand Up and Up breastmilk storage bags were the best and didn't leak. I would invest in a cover to use while breastfeeding in public. I like the kind you can wear around your neck. Your supply will be very large when your milk comes in. I pumped with both my kids when that happened and was able to build a nice storage supply of freezer milk for when I went back to work. Everyone says baby will dictate your supply, which is true, but I found that pumping at least once a day helped. Usually in the AM.My best advice is to just relax and take it day by day

I'm going to be a first time breastfeeder too!
I've read that having a little basket near your feeding stations are really really helpful. In the basket some good items to have are:
nipple creams
tv remote (or at least near you on a table or something)
bottle of water
healthy snacks like a little baggie of almonds, crackers, dried fruit
burp cloths
bibs
notebook- to record your feedings in the first few weeks
nipple pads

then just in general (not in the basket)
a boppy-feeding pillow
Medela breastfeeding pump- i've heard they're the best
breastmilk freezer bags- you can freeze breastmilk up to 6 months!


hope this helps! :)