https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:22:11 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761907 Sun, 05 May 2013 11:56:42 +0000 Lindsay05 761907@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Fighting through that initial pain of starting breastfeeding and actually stopping breastfeeding once it became a battle. The battle left both LO and I in tears so stopping made us both so much happier! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761847 Sun, 05 May 2013 11:06:33 +0000 mamimami 761847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Refusing to give formula in the hospital. One nurse was really insisting. "Look at him, he's hungry!" Finally I told her if my pedi agreed it was necessary I'd say OK. I think we both knew that was not going to happen. I seriously think that nurse was getting incentives from some formula company. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761785 Sun, 05 May 2013 10:08:24 +0000 runsyellowlites 761785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: Oh he agreed it needed to be done bc it's severity would cause issues with her speech, he just refused to do it before she was 8 months old &amp; needed general anesthesia to have it done because there was "NO WAY it would affect Breastfeeding". It was infuriating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761729 Sun, 05 May 2013 08:28:12 +0000 autumnlove 761729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Supplementing with formula the first few weeks before EBF. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761670 Sun, 05 May 2013 07:32:10 +0000 regberadaisy 761670@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Being OK with supplementing allowed me to breastfeed and I have no regrets.<br /> Sticking through pumping at 4 different jobs, 2 of which were/are in bathrooms! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761668 Sun, 05 May 2013 07:29:19 +0000 hilsy85 761668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hired multiple LCs, and continued to press for some solution to the pain, rather than just accepting that it was "normal soreness" (it wasn't--LO was lip and tongue tied, and I was having vasospasms). And sheer force of will--I had no idea how important breastfeeding would be to me until people kept telling me to stop and just use formula. </p> <p>@runsyellowlites: I cannot believe an ENT told you not to have it clipped! That's craziness! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761624 Sun, 05 May 2013 06:14:06 +0000 lavender 761624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Making small goals helped me get 9 mths of bf </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761602 Sun, 05 May 2013 02:19:45 +0000 sunny 761602@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A lot of support from my DH and seeing a LC everyday for a week while we were stuck in the hospital. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761599 Sun, 05 May 2013 02:14:33 +0000 jetsettermomma 761599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Declining a pacifier when DS had to be put under the bili light. The nurses were really pushing for it ("He will need soothing and you can't take him out to hold him!"). They looked at me as if I was the cruelest mother ever. </p> <p>No expectations. My mother never breastfed me or my 6 other siblings so I had no idea if I could or not. I had resolved to try my best but also not to stress out over it and just go with the flow. </p> <p>But most of all, incredibly strong support from SO :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761556 Sat, 04 May 2013 22:50:13 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 761556@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LC home visit at 1 week PP, no formula in the house, and sheer stubbornness! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761531 Sat, 04 May 2013 22:19:47 +0000 Running Elley 761531@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't last longer than 3.5 months but I couldn't recommend finding a good LC enough!!! It made such a huge difference! We wouldn't have lasted half that time without her. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761522 Sat, 04 May 2013 22:10:13 +0000 shopaholic 761522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So far sticking through it despite the painful and huge nipple cracks, thrush, and over active letdown issues! Also, I never set any goal for BFing for myself beyond the initial colostrum days. I think it's been good that I don't feel like "oh I just HAVE to get through X long of a time." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761492 Sat, 04 May 2013 21:33:36 +0000 T-Mom 761492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: but you still did great, remember that! 8.5 months is fantastic! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761486 Sat, 04 May 2013 21:27:50 +0000 runsyellowlites 761486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>#1 was finding Kellymom.com!!! I seriously don't think I could've gotten through the tongue tie &amp; multiple protein intolerances without her site! Specifically her post "Are Mothers Supposed to Love Breastfeeding 24 hrs a Day?". Everything from average weight gain ranges to bottle feeding tips" I still use her site for the toddler nutrition info!</p> <p>#2 Not having formula in the house! We had so many issues before even knowing about the intolerances that I actually went looking for the hospital sample one night (a couple premade things) I had no clue where DH put it though so P &amp; I had to just figure it out!</p> <p>#3 Getting P's tongue tie clipped AGAINST the recommendation of our pedi &amp; ENT who swore it wouldn't have any affect on Breastfeeding! That was bull &amp; things go do much better when we clipped it.</p> <p>Without those things I don't think we would've made it the almost 13 months we have!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761482 Sat, 04 May 2013 21:23:03 +0000 cascademom 761482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Getting a Brest Friend pillow helped a lot, DH's support for bf as long as I could, longer than our daycare thought I would, knowing when it's time to wean. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761481 Sat, 04 May 2013 21:19:59 +0000 78h2o 761481@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ree723: That's great advice.</p> <p>What's helped me the most has been going to a weekly breastfeeding support group meeting. And being stubborn. Really stubborn. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761478 Sat, 04 May 2013 21:19:06 +0000 aprk 761478@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not giving up. It took 20 days for our first successful breastfeed. Prior to that we had been practicing and I was pumping and giving bottles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761476 Sat, 04 May 2013 21:14:44 +0000 irene 761476@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T-Mom: Tell me about it. I blame our nursing strike / breastfeeding failure toward the end (8.5 months) on me putting LO on a feeding schedule, which I highly regretted, and started giving him bottles of pumped milk at 3 months while I could have just breastfed him as we had a nanny and I was working at home anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761424 Sat, 04 May 2013 20:34:27 +0000 oliviaoblivia 761424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Stumbling upon a phenomenal LC that made things so from miserable to fantastic in two hours. Finding a very pro breastfeeding paediatricians office that has all docs trained in lactation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761420 Sat, 04 May 2013 20:32:11 +0000 T-Mom 761420@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Feeding on demand and not stressing about putting LO on a schedule was the best thing I did. I made those mistakes the first time around and didn't make it very far. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761397 Sat, 04 May 2013 20:04:22 +0000 Koolbreeze 761397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Having no formula to turn to really helped. None in the house so I didn't have a choice but to breastfeed. And my SO helping me until we got the hang of it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761395 Sat, 04 May 2013 20:03:48 +0000 Kemma 761395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a midwife who told me that I didn't want to supplement with formula in the first week post partum, my milk was still coming in and I was an emotional mess but she was dead right and I'm so pleased that I listened to her (although I was pretty pissed about it at the time!)</p> <p>The other thing I did was seeing two different IBCLC's, one at three weeks who helped me with positioning and the other at six weeks who diagnosed Miss A's lip and tongue ties. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761389 Sat, 04 May 2013 20:02:22 +0000 immabeetoo 761389@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Putting baby to the breast super often the first few days got my milk in fast and let me avoid engorgement while establishing a good supply. Gel nipple pads an lanolin from the very start prevented any tears or scabs. Biggest thing was sharing my research and goals with my husband. He knew the whys so he could remind me when it was stressful. I also had him with me for the lactation consultant appointments in the hospital and at home so he could help me remember their tips and help me position in the very beginning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761373 Sat, 04 May 2013 19:46:16 +0000 Ree723 761373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm glad I broke my breastfeeding goals down into small, manageable pieces. My initial goal was to get LO the colostrum. That worked fine, so then I aimed for 6 weeks. It was painful in the beginning but I held on to that six week mark, knowing I could quit then and have given LO a great start. Once six weeks came along, things were much better and I decided to aim for three months because that's a good amount of time to BF and get the antibodies. By the 3 month mark, all was going well except for the occasional blocked duct and mastitis so I figured I could go for six months, which had been my big goal from the start. By six months, I was loving it so much I decided to aim for a year or when I got pregnant with the next, whichever came first. Ten months in and we're still going strong.</p> <p>For me, I know that if something appears to be a monumental task, I'm more willing to just not do it. BF'ing for six months sounds like ages away when your LO is two weeks old,feeding around the clock, and every latch on feels like razor blades to your nipples, but six weeks isn't that far away so it's easier to persevere. Now that we're so close to the one year mark, my goal is to get to a point where we can go straight to cow's milk and avoid formula altogether. Almost there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761370 Sat, 04 May 2013 19:42:28 +0000 travelgirl1 761370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Used a nipple shield. It really helped her latch and, although I didn't realise it at the time, saved me from a whole world of pain! Once we weaned from it I realised how goo,d that nipple shield had been, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761359 Sat, 04 May 2013 19:24:56 +0000 autumn865 761359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Support from DH and never letting myself give up or consider FFing even through all the problems we had in the first three months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761358 Sat, 04 May 2013 19:23:37 +0000 irene 761358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MsLipGloss: in-home LC visit for us too! I edited my original post to include that. Makes a huge difference! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761350 Sat, 04 May 2013 19:18:26 +0000 MsLipGloss 761350@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In home visits from a LC after we got home from the hospital. </p> <p>Unyielding support from my DH. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-was-the-one-thing-you-are-glad-you-did#post-761340 Sat, 04 May 2013 19:03:03 +0000 irene 761340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Now looking back, there are actually 2 things I was glad I did:</p> <p>1. We had a painful beginning, and I started having DH gave LO bottles while I exclusively pumped when LO was a week old. At our 1 week well visit, our pediatrician persuaded me to put LO back to the breast exclusively because if I continued to pump exclusively, my supply would start declining as the pump is never as effective as the baby. He was right.</p> <p>2. We had a 3-hour (!) in-home appointment with an IBCLC when LO was 1 week old. That made a HUGE difference.</p> <p>These are the 2 things that made breastfeeding possible at all for us! What about you? </p>