The Breastfeeding Diaries...

This one from Bec made me cry...
I am Bec, I blog at www.beetrootandgherkins.blogspot.com about my children Monty (3yrs) and Blossom (7 months) both of whom I breastfed and this is my story….

I’m not going to deny it. I struggled with breastfeeding Monty. On the day my milk came in I had comedy boobs. I looked like Jordan but without the massive bank balance and pink horse box. I became so engorged with milk that there was nothing for Monty to latch onto and my nipples were cracked, sore, bleeding and painful. I began to dread every feed.

I was in so much pain the midwife suggested I expressed and fed Monty either from a syringe or one of those thimble cups. She also booked me in with a breastfeeding counsellor whilst muttering something about having enough milk for twins.

Engorgement is horrible. It’s like trying to latch a baby onto an apple. No chance. So I dutifully began to express for the first tie and sobbed my heart out as the bottle filled with blood.

The counsellor never turned up the next day and in the end I gritted my teeth, suffered and got on with it, stamping my feet and swearing with every feed. Eventually it got better but I don’t remember enjoying it.

When Monty was seven weeks old I got mastitis. I felt so ill I decided to give up breastfeeding as I was exhausted and just needed the break. In all honesty though I didn’t really know what I wanted. No sooner had I stopped I was so sad and regretted it terribly. So my nine week old baby and I started again.

Sounds crazy? I kept putting Monty back to the breast, literally hourly. I still kept him topped up with formula but made sure I offered him my milk as much as humanely possible to get my supply back. Although I have to admit to keeping the 11pm bottle as he was sleeping through, I wasn’t going to give that up!

I then successfully fed him myself until he was six months old.

Fast forward 2 more years and Blossom was born. And the struggles started again. Although painful, it was easier in a way as having been through it before I knew it would get better and I would get through it. And I did. With a lot of help from my trusty Savoy cabbage leaves, warm baths and cold compresses. Oh and lansinoh, tonnes of the stuff!

7 months on and I’m still feeding Blossom with no plans to stop just yet. I definitely feel its been a positive experience. And in some ways will feel sad to stop eventually as chances are she is my last child.

I guess the moral of my sore boobed tale is, it does get better. And it is worth it. I love that last feed of the day when Blossom is all snuggled into me slowly drifting off into her milky sleep. Contentment that is, right there.

Bras for pregnancy and breastfeeding – a starting point!

This guest post is from bra expert T-J from Bra's for Mums.

Bras! Where do you start? Some women when they get pregnant ignore the changes in their breasts and just carry on as usual and then finally when it all gets too uncomfortable buy new bras. But at that stage they then realise that they could have been comfy all along!

So, we suggest that you get new bras when you start to feel that the ones you’ve got don’t fit any more. Makes sense really doesn’t it? That’s what we do with our other clothing (unless we’re in denial about dress sizes!), so why not our bras?

Our breasts start to get ready for breastfeeding baby (even if you don’t plan to breastfeed, your breasts don’t know that!), when you first conceive. So we usually expect women to need a new bra during the first trimester. We suggest a simple soft bra, usually a bustier type bra, is a good buy at this stage. Women often get tender and sore breasts in the first 12-16 weeks, so a soft bra that you can sleep in is a good investment.

If you get more structured bras (that do up at the back, with a bit more support in them), we suggest you get them towards the end of the first trimester. Maybe after your first scan so you don’t mind too much about spending money now you know it’s really true that you’re pregnant! A rule of thumb for buying a maternity bra at this stage, is to increase the band size, and keep the same cup size, or increase it. You’ll know what’s best for you, and specialist bra fitters can always advise you on what’s likely to last to the end of pregnancy.

There are a few unlucky ladies whose breasts continue to grow during pregnancy, but this is rare. So, the bra that you get at the end of your first trimester should last you to the end of your pregnancy, AS LONG AS YOU’VE FITTED IT ON IT’S TIGHTEST SETTING WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT, to allow for the band to grow with your rib cage during pregnancy.

The best time to get fitted for nursing bras, is at about 35-36 weeks, when your ribs are at their biggest. This way we know that your ribs will get smaller, but your breasts will get bigger – yes, again! You fit this bra on its loosest setting as you would a normal bra. So, the starting point at this stage is your pre-pregnancy band size, and 2-3 cup sizes bigger than you were before you got pregnant.

Always make sure the bra covers your whole breast as anything pressing on the breast can cause blocked ducts, and potentially lead to mastitis, which you really do not want. Sometimes you need to change the style of the bra, rather than just change the size. Ask a specialist fitter for advice on different styles you can try.

Bra fitting is not easy at the best of times, with all styles and manufacturers fitting differently. It’s even more complicated with an ever changing body and breast shape. But, it’s so important to be comfortable. Yes, comfort above style during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Some would disagree, but if you’re not comfy, it can affect your milk let down when feeding, and can also make you feel grumpy about being uncomfortable.

There is so much selection out there of maternity and nursing bras (and you can wear nursing bras during pregnancy if they’re the right style for you. We have older ladies wearing the HOTmilk and Cake Lingerie styles as they want attractive bras without wires!). Some of you will have more limited choice with your size. But there may still be a choice if you use a specialist bra shop.

The bras4mums range caters for the many changes your body will undergo during pregnancy and breast feeding, with your complete comfort in mind. You can be a loving mother and an attractive woman, presenting a stunning cleavage and curvaceous silhouette to be proud of! In a perfectly fitting, functional yet feminine bra you will feel beautiful inside and out! Happy, confident Mums produce happy babies - you and your baby deserve the best!

bras4mums: Supporting you…through pregnancy and beyond
 From comfy to sexy
 Value for money
 Expert bra fitters
 Online shop & support
 Unlimited exchanges

www.bras4mums.co.uk, email: info@bras4mums.co.uk, telephone: 0845 373 3875

Baby Show Earls Court

Just a quickie, we are not going to be exhibiting at the Earls Court Baby Show but the good news is you can still get a Mamascarf from the show. If you want to buy a Mamascarf, you can get yours from the Bra's for Mums stand (C52).

Breastfeeding diaries...

This post is from Amy Shipham. Her story is a reminder that breastfeeding doesn't work out for everyone.

I saw your request on the netmums site and thought i would reply with a different angle on breastfeeding.
When I was pregnant and at antenatal classes, they made breastfeeding sound so easy and so important to the childs development that I thought "why wouldn't you breastfeed?" there was no alternative for me I was obviously going to breastfeed my child.

My daughter was born and we couldn't get her to breastfeed, everyone tried to help me and she would not latch on. I expressed for 2 weeks and gave up.
Trying to breastfeed stressed out Bethany and me, I got PND and bethany was scared of skin contact (from being pushed onto me and having a nipple forced at her), it seriously damaged our bonding and it took us weeks to bond properly after this.
Beth has been perfectly healthy and really seemed to enjoy bottled milk.
I hope to tell my story to other mothers, so they don't feel so pressurised into breastfeeding and so they don't feel like such a failure if they don't. I still believe breastfeeding is better for the child and mother, but it wasn't for Beth! If we have another child I will attempt breastfeeding again, but will be more willing to stop trying if it doesn't work for us again.

Thanks Amy. Don't forget to send your stories to info@mamascarf.co.uk

Breastfeeding diaries...

Today,thanks to blogger Leanne from Second Time Mummy for her guest post.

Breast feeding can be quite a controversial subject: some people love it, some people can't do it and some people choose not to do it at all. The important thing to remember is - it's your decision and no one elses. For me, I knew from the moment that I found out I was pregnant, that I wanted to breastfeed but I was slightly naive in the fact that I thought it would be easy and I'd instinctively know what to do.

When Mister A was born in 2007, I had a few problems getting started. I couldn't get him to latch on properly and I ended up with very, very sore nipples. Not one to give up, I talked things through with my midwife and I found a great lying down position that worked for me and baby. Luckily, once I had mastered 'latching on' in that position that I was soon up and running and knew exactly what I was doing.

Yes it was sore for the first few weeks, especially on day 3 when my milk came through -I actually thought that my chest was going to explode! I managed to persevere and with the help of plenty of nipple cream and lots of support from other breastfeeding mums, I ended up breastfeeding A exclusively for the first six months. I would have carried on for longer but I had to go back to work and so I took the decision to move him on to formula.

For me, my mistake was that I never introduced Mister A properly to a bottle. I only ever expressed milk on a couple of occasions but he never took to it so we gave up. When I came to go back to work when he was 6 months old he would not drink anything from a bottle. Whether he was with Grandma or at the nursery he would not adapt and they ended up having to use a cup and let him sip from it when I wasn't there.

Second time around I found breastfeeding so much easier - purely because I knew what to expect. I knew what had worked for me the first time around and Ellissia and I managed to get in to the swing of things straight away.

I do seem to have a lot more milk this time around and that isn't necessarily a good thing - I'm finding it difficult to get through the day without flooding through my clothes. I'm going to start expressing my milk now and freezing it so hopefully that will mean less embarrassing 'wet patch' moments!

Little E is 4 weeks old today and I'm loving every minute of it - except maybe those 4am feeds - I won't miss those once she starts sleeping through!

My advice to other mums...If anyone ever asks for breastfeeding advice, I always say - express your milk - that way Daddy will have a chance to feed your little one, you'll have a little time to yourself and baby won't have any problems if you are ever apart.

I think the thing to remember is, we are all different, what works for some people, won't work for others. There are plenty of online support groups available if you're struggling or want to find out more about breast feeding and if you can't do it or it's not for you then you shouldn't be made to feel guilty.

I really enjoyed feeding time and although sometimes I felt tired and that I never had any time to myself, I really feel that you bond with your baby during feeding times and that makes me a very happy mummy.

Good luck! x
www.secondtimemummy.com