https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 09 May 2026 02:17:22 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1412224 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:38:00 +0000 rattles 1412224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took a class beforehand and read a good amount of "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding," but I still had a really hard time at the beginning. The things that turned it around for me were an in-home consultation with an LC (FAR better than the conflicting nurses/LCs at the hospital) and regular meetings at my local LaLeche. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1412012 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:45:49 +0000 lamariniere 1412012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had major issues with DS, but a class wouldn't have been helpful. He had a tongue tie and poor latch, I had flat nipples. We struggled for three months before we finally got all the issues worked out and I went on to bf until he was 13 months. </p> <p>DD is 10 weeks old and was a great nurser after the first week. She didn't have a tongue tie and latched properly from the beginning. I'm sure part of the ease came from experience though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411985 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:36:34 +0000 Kemma 1411985@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: yep! My midwife was very helpful but an IBCLC might have picked up A's ties earlier.</p> <p>It took a week for my milk to come in so I want to avoid the delay again (what a horrible week it was!) so I'm thinking about eating more calories, co-sleeping and really working hard to make sure and future LO's have a better latch than Miss A had.</p> <p>@Mrs. Jump Rope: I'd highly recommend checking out the La Leche support forums, the ladies over there are amazing and supportive and I learnt HEAPS just from reading! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411529 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:09:44 +0000 hilsy85 1411529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wish I had met with an IBCLC as SOON as we got home, because I was already in pain. INstead I waited 2 weeks, and that caused enough damage that it took another 6 weeks for me to be pain free. Next time, I will have an appt for our 2nd day home with my LC. </p> <p>I will also have LO#2 looked at in the hospital for a tongue tie/lip tie! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411507 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:01:21 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1411507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i didn't have a good experience breastfeeding charlie but had one that lasted 26 months with olive. what did i do differently? honestly olive just took to it more easily/naturally. but one thing i did with both kids was work very hard to maintain and increase supply with supplements like fenugreek, mother's milk tea, more milk plus and regular pumping.</p> <p>i think having a lactation consultant come to your home is probably the most helpful if you are having problems. have the number of one ready to go so they can come right away if you have problems. in general i found the hospital lactation consultants not to be much help, but the one that came to our house was great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411505 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:00:36 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 1411505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know if I'm the best person to answer because we did eventually get the hang if it the first time around but the first two months were a nightmare. The biggest thing I did differently the second time around was waking Baby Brother up every two hours during the day no matter what and then nursing on demand at night. I think this really helped with supply, early weight gain, and day/night mixup...so basically all the factors that were issues the first time. Also we did not introduce a bottle at all (because with my first we also had nipple confusion for a while). Our very pro BF pediatrician suggested that if I needed to pump then just cup or spoon feed in the beginning, but luckily it wasn't necessary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411482 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:55:06 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1411482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jump Rope: I LOVED my breastfeeding support group. They met twice a week and a LC was there. It totally was the only reason I was able to make it BF a full year. </p> <p>I honestly don't think that a class prior to birth would have helped me except to expose me to things like nipple shields and tongue tie which would have been helpful to know, but we didn't have those issues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411479 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:53:10 +0000 blackbird 1411479@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. jump rope, a friend of mine at work had an under supply the first time and a gross over supply the second time! And she has no idea what she did differently! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411467 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:49:28 +0000 blackbird 1411467@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took a class and while it was interesting, it didn't help with our specific issues. It's hard to BF a baby that can't even breathe properly. Having an LC come to my home probably would have been the most helpful, because just the idea of going to the hospital and seeing one was outside my comfort zone in the beginning. I feel kind of...indifferent about the whole thing, though. It is what it is :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411461 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:47:29 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1411461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@purrpletulips: excellent point, thank you!</p> <p>We had a great latch, but my supply was the biggest issue. Will they be able to help me figure that one out? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411448 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:42:59 +0000 purrpletulips 1411448@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The BF class my hospital offered was a joke. I'd suggest finding a Le Leche meeting near you and start attending even before your LO arrives. That is one of the things that I found to be the most helpful. I took DS to his first meeting at 4 days old because I was having the same problems with him that I had with DD. We went on to nurse for the same amount of time as I did with DD but DS received very little formula supplementation whereas DD was about 50/50. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411403 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:28:56 +0000 T-Mom 1411403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I struggled with my first and vowed for things to be different the second time. The main thing I did differently was nurse on demand from day one. In the hospital I nursed every 2 or 3 hour, even waking my DS up if he was sleeping. After we got home, any time he cried, I would pick him up and nurse him. As he got older, I got him on a schedule, but for the first two months at least, I nursed on demand. This made a huge difference for me, since the first time I struggled with supply issues. I don't know if this would necessarily be the answer for everyone, but it helped for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411393 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:24:21 +0000 Mamasig 1411393@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took a Breastfeeding class and I didn't find it helped. I also saw LCs at the hospital but honestly I don't find that they helped either. I got conflicting info since I saw about 3 different ones. I probably should have seen one afterwards to try to improve his suckle. I'm not really sure what I will do differently this time. Hopefully, now that I've been through it once, maybe I'll be better prepared. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411381 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:20:02 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1411381@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>While I didn't nurse for long with LO, I pumped until I went back to work. I wish I would have stuck with the pumping for a bit longer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411373 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:17:50 +0000 illumina 1411373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I should have dreamfed or pumped when she started sttn and I probably should have offered more frequently during the day to establish my supply. Still, I EBF for 4mths so I'm not going to beat myself up about it too much. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411370 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:17:26 +0000 Mrs. Oatmeal 1411370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The prenatal classes I took with our doula had a BF seminar on the last day. That seminar, combined with doula support after birth, made BF so much simpler than I ever thought it could be.<br /> Don't have advice as far as #2 goes, but I hope it goes really well for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-struggled-with-bf-baby-1#post-1411363 Mon, 10 Feb 2014 10:14:49 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1411363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What do you wish you'd have done differently?</p> <p>I didn't take a breastfeeding class with C. I figured this was natural and I'd figure it out as I go along. I struggled BFing, though, and my milk never exactly came in, either. I did see an LC and went to the breastfeeding center. I also rented a hospital grade pump but never had any let down &amp; was dried up when c was a few months old.</p> <p>Is really like to nurse #2, though. Would taking a bf class help change anything? What else would you have done differently? How can I increase my supply differently this time? </p>