Dh and I have been talking about breastfeeding. I've seen a couple good sites but alot of it is "generic" so I still have questions.

1) What is baby supposed to eat untill "your milk comes in"? .. I mean if it takes a couple days does the baby just not get to eat? ... This is one I'm having issues with....

2) With the boys I woke them up every two hours to eat untill they got big enough to wake up on their own ...Do they refill that fast? LOL

3) Would it work to pump and bottle feed? Dh has always taken some of the night feedings so I can get some sleep to ...

4) How do you tell how much they are eating?


5) Is it hard to find small cute nursing tops? I have only found two stores that sell maternaity cloths and they are both expensive.... is hard to find nursing clothes to?

I can think of more when I'm not writting LOL I'll update if I think of something else.

1) What is baby supposed to eat untill "your milk comes in"? .. I mean if it takes a couple days does the baby just not get to eat? ... This is one I'm having issues with....

The baby nurses on Colostrum.They are very happy and eat plenty! Colostrom is so good for the baby.It is the perfect food for those first few days!

2) With the boys I woke them up every two hours to eat untill they got big enough to wake up on their own ...Do they refill that fast? LOL

Yes,they are constanty refilling:)

3) Would it work to pump and bottle feed? Dh has always taken some of the night feedings so I can get some sleep to ...

I never pumped,but I know many Mama's here can help you with that!

4) How do you tell how much they are eating?

I could never tell how much they were eating exactly,but my babies get quite chubby.Babies will eat until they are satisfied.I just let them nurse when they feel like it and as long as they want to.


5) Is it hard to find small cute nursing tops? I have only found two stores that sell maternaity cloths and they are both expensive.... is hard to find nursing clothes to?

I don't wear nursing tops,but I know Motherhood and Motherwear online have really cute small ones!

I am here if you have any more questions,feel free to PM me! Best wishes! Breastfeeding is AWSOME!
:thumbsup:

1) What is baby supposed to eat untill "your milk comes in"? .. I mean if it takes a couple days does the baby just not get to eat? ... This is one I'm having issues with....
They get colostrum. Colostrum is called 'liquid gold' because it so full of nutrients and antibodies. You'll produce this until your milk comes in, and the baby will get full even though it may not seem like much (babies stomachs are only the size of their fists). As long as (s)he's having as many dirty diapers as she is old, she's fine: 1 the first day, 2 the second day, 3 the third day, until your milk comes in.

2) With the boys I woke them up every two hours to eat untill they got big enough to wake up on their own ...Do they refill that fast? LOL
Yes, your breasts will 'refill' that fast. :) Ah...behold the power of the boobies. lol

3) Would it work to pump and bottle feed? Dh has always taken some of the night feedings so I can get some sleep to ...I wouldn't recommend it until your supply is well established (about 6 months). Otherwise you could create supply issues.

4) How do you tell how much they are eating? You don't. As long as the baby has 6-8 wet/poopy diapers each day (after your milk comes in) (s)he's getting enough. :)


5) Is it hard to find small cute nursing tops? I have only found two stores that sell maternaity cloths and they are both expensive.... is hard to find nursing clothes to?
Not at all! There are tons of places that make really cute nursing clothes. :) http://www.onehotmama.com/ is a really good one. :)



HTH. :)

1) What is baby supposed to eat untill "your milk comes in"?

Your body starts to make the most amazing stuff called colostrum at about 5 months of pg..it is liquid gold! It is full of everything a newborn needs, immunity boosters beyond breastmilk, stuff to prepare the gut for digestion, it is awesome! The baby will get colostrum only for 2-3 days until your milk comes in, and then it will be breastmilk. babies are divinely created to be ready for that small bit of time without large amounts of liquid to digest, in fact digestively speaking, it is probably better! it is normal for babies to loose a bit of weight in the first days, but gain that back by the end of that first week typically.

2) Do they fill up that fast?! Ayup! Milk is made continuously, and when the nipple is stimulated it will be let down from the mammary glands up in your breast, and come down the ducts to be massaged (not really sucked) out of your nipple. If the baby wanted to nurse every hour, or every half hour, your body would eventually meet that demand! pretty groovy!


3) Would it work to pump and bottle feed? Dh has always taken some of the night feedings so I can get some sleep to ...

Pumping is a godsend to mama's,,but I absolutely encourage all of my mama's to not start offering another sort of feeding (even EBM) for at LEAST 6 weeks. Babies need to get good at nursing, and love that booby, or they are at risk of nipple confusion, or finding that it is so much easier to get that milk out of the bottle (less work and just sucking) so that they decide it is all they want. It is ideal for it to be all mama, and even no pacifier if possible, for that 6 weeks at least


4) How do you tell how much they are eating?
By watching for wet and poopy diapers, and seeing a happy pink chubby baby!


5) Is it hard to find small cute nursing tops?
There are lots of nursing clothes out there now, but you know what, you totally don't HAVE to have them. In fact I didn't until I had my third child, and that was just a luxury. You can get pretty good at nursing discretely with normal clothes..

I can think of more when I'm not writting LOL I'll update if I think of something else. [/B][/QUOTE]

You've gotten some great information here, but I highly, highly recommend going to a La Leche League meeting before the baby comes. They're incredibly helpful. I think every mother that has come and then had her baby has mentioned how helpful it was to go beforehand. Kids are always welcome, so take the boys with you.


Colostrum is the first milk, and its very important that a baby not get anything other than this in the first days as that lays down their immune system and your milk supply. A baby's stomach at birth is only the size of your thumbnail. So the few teaspoons of colostrum they get at a time is great! Also, it may be helpful to remember that this is the way babies were designed. It wasn't to get a full 2 oz serving of milk right at birth or shortly after, but to get a few tsp. and gradually get more. Much like after a major surgery for an adult. If you haven't eaten in some time, they insist you start small, with minute amounts and work your way up.


Your breasts will actually refill as the baby is emptying them. They're never completely empty. The more the baby nurses the faster you'll produce milk. Its a wonderful supply and demand system.

It seems like your concern is sleep at night and not pumping for work, etc.? Your dh can still help quite a bit at night, even if you don't pump. He can get up, change the baby's diaper and bring the baby to you in bed. You can nurse the baby, he can burp, and take the baby back to bed. Alternatively, if you're comfortable the baby can sleep with you and you'll soon find that you nearly sleep through the nursing sessions.

It's not hard at all to find cute nursing tops, but many mothers find they don't really need them. If you wear knit tops you can just pull them up. If its a button down, you can unbutton from the bottom, just as far as you need to.

Good luck!

Originally posted by SoonToBe4
I highly, highly recommend going to a La Leche League meeting before the baby comes. They're incredibly helpful.

I second that AND it is the greatest support system through your journey!

LLL :thumbsup:

You got some great advice. I just wanted to add that you shouldn't feel pain, cracked or bleeding nipples. If anything like that happens, call a LLL leader or latation consultant.

I've been blessed with strong nursers & have never had any problems. I use the nursing as the best excuse to sit down with baby, relax, & have a drink of water (lots & lots of water is necessary), you get to eat a lot & lose weight fast!

jumping back in with more time to say that you should attend lll mtgs WHILE PG, BEFORE baby gets here, so that you have a support system in place for the middle of the night when you're clueless, frustrated, exhausted & postpartum~so many moms wait until they're in the midst of a problem or bf crisis to attend, and it's many times too late due to all the BAD advice they've gotten elsewhere & mistakes they've made before attending.

GO! GO NOW!

GET THEE ARSE TO LLL!

Originally posted by Bluemoonjo
3) Would it work to pump and bottle feed? Dh has always taken some of the night feedings so I can get some sleep to ...



you've already gotten great advice from everyone. i just wanted to add that learning how to breastfeed laying on your side is the best thing ever!!! i couldn't figure it out with my ds so i had a nice big reading pillow next to my bed and i would use that to keep myself upright while he nursed (plus the boppy under him). then around 12 or 16 weeks i finally figured out how to nurse laying down. i started to practice during the day and it finally "clicked" i started getting much more sleep then. :)

I would say the second week is the hardest. The first week you're in love with the new baby, you're running on pure adrenaline. Into the second week, you'll probably have sore nipples, you'll be coming off some crazy hormones, etc.

I'll disagree about the no pain thing. In that second week, you probably will be a bit sore. Your toes will probably curl in the first minute of a feeding. If it doesn't get better after a minute, definitely check the latch. Usually by the end of that second week, your nipples are toughened up a bit, and you're not hurting anymore.

I'd be hard pressed to believe anyone who said that nursing never hurt them :) Just know that it will pass, push yourself through the first 14 days, and keep in contact with LLL or other groups that can help you.

If you have a tough time, check to see if your insurance will cover a home visit with a lactation consultant. DD did not want to latch on, and it was a real battle of wills our first week. I gave up a home nurse visit in order to get a LC visit, and it made a huge difference in helping to get my DD nursing.

I third (or fourth?) the LLL suggestion. Start going now! You'll be SO glad you have people to help you (IRL) once baby gets here. :D

Here's the link to help you find a group in your area. If you don't see one that is close enough, there is an online chat meeting almost every day.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/Web/Missouri.html


http://www.lalecheleague.org/chat/chat.html