Hellobee Boards

My advice would be to feed on demand for the first few weeks, and at least every 2 or 3 hours like @mandb36 said. I tried too early to get my DD on a schedule and I don't think I ever got enough supply up. I fed on demand with DS to establish supply for at least the first month, and everything worked out great.

Don't give up if its something that is important to you!!! Know that even if the beginning is bumpy, it can get better if you keep at it and keep trying! I can't tell you how many times I would say "I'm going to try for one more week" or "two more weeks" and how those little goals helped me push through.
Another thing that helped me was feeding every 2-3 hours in the first few weeks, and pumping for at least 10 minutes after every feeding. I really think that helped my supply.

I'm only 4 weeks in, but I've had pretty much every problem in the book (tongue tied baby, mastitis, thrush, cracked/bleeding nipples). The biggest piece of advice I can give you is that if it hurts when you breastfeed in the hospital (and it's not just a soreness/newness, but legitimately hurts to the point where you have to bite your lip when LO latches on, or if your nipples come out of LO's mouth looking different from when they go in, aka, they're elongated or lipstick shaped), make an appointment with a lactation counselor as soon as possible. The longer you breastfeed with a painful/poor latch, the more damaged your nipples are going to be and you set yourself up for a whole host of other issues. along with that, if you do have cracked/bleeding nipples, let them heal!! Even if it means pumping and giving a bottle.

Also, make sure your husband is fully on board with your breastfeeding. I could not have gotten through the first two weeks without my husband being super supportive and letting my cry on his shoulder countless times.

Finally, don't feel bad if it's not easy, and if you don't love it right away. I hated breastfeeding for the first 3 weeks (and am only now starting to feel even slightly positive about it) and that made me feel really guilty at first.

I second what Hilsy said! Beware the tongue tie. If your nipples are cracked and bleeding and baby has poor weight gain, consider a tongue tie. It's not always obvious. My LC thought he had one, but my pedi said he did not. The LC sent me to a breastfeeding specialist MD who confirmed and treated it at 2weeks old. Everything was sooo much better after that was resolved. It gets overlooked often.

Don't.give.up!
It's way harder than all the parenting books make it out to be:/ but its so worth it:)
I pump now but still: pumping is tough but I do it to ensure my child receives the best nutrients I can offer!

Only one month into BF here. But I would say start getting help with latching right away. I always had the nurse with me to help me get my baby latched on. It was so awkward at first. I didn't know how to hold him or get him on the breast. I never got sore nipples. I also started putting nipple butter on while in the hospital and would manually extract colostrum and rub it on my nipples. I don't know if I just got lucky with a baby with a good latch but BFing was never too painful for me. I attribute it to getting help right from the start. It's also important to have good support. And expect it to be hard. It's not as easy as all the books make it sound.

Don't expect perfection from the start (or maybe ever) and get a lot of help. My nicu baby wouldn't nurse for her first five days. So I pumped and got my supply going, and she never had a drop of formula. Then with a little help she got it and now is still boob crazy at 14 months. Also, try not to fear too much. Besides the trouble getting started I've really not had any trouble breastfeeding. Lots of women get lucky and find it pretty easy. You could just as easily be one.

Don't expect it to look like you expect. My girl NEVER went as long in between feedings as other babies and still doesn't. It isn't a problem for me. Do it how you want to. If you want to nurse to sleep and nurse in public and drink a beer once in a while do it. Or don't, but forget the pressure to do it someone else's way.

And just think - your breastfeeding relationship will likely be one of the most powerful things you've ever experienced. Like all I parenting it is hard but he rewards are ten fold the effort.

The hardest thing for me was getting used to how much time it took - my LO would eat for 40 minutes every 2 hours in the beginning. It's a lot of pressure on you, so make sure your DH is on board and takes care of diaper changes, getting you food, etc. It does get better after 6 weeks or so.

Giving myself mini goals was the only way to keep me going. I first wanted to make it through 6 weeks. Got there and then decided to go for 3 months. We made it to that point and now I'm in the process of finishing by 6 months so we're starting to supplement with formula.

I agree with what other mamas here are saying: feed on demand, it takes so much more time than you can possibly imagine but it won't be that way forever. You will literally be feeding every two hours - including through the night - for the first few weeks, which makes it hard to get anything else done, but it's worth it. Have your husband/friend/mother/etc. help with everything else, house cleaning, cooking, laundry, dishes, diapers, etc.

- Take it one day at a time, don't focus on the long term, just get through what you need to do each hour and day. And don't have any expectations, just go with it and focus on nurturing and growing your new baby.

- Make sure you have somebody to look after you while you look after baby. I told my DH that he needed to cuddle me more and make sure I have everything I need so that I could do the same for our Baby.

- Only 5-10% of women will medically have low supply, bf'ing is all about supply and demand - the more Baby feeds, the more milk you'll produce.

- I had a midwife tell me that bf'ing is 75% the mindset of the Mother - if you can push through the first 6-8 weeks then you're setting yourself up for a great bf'ing relationship.

- Know that just about everything is normal and that you're doing a great job!

My advice would be to try everything you can. Make use of lactation consultants, breastfeeding support groups, etc. But if breastfeeding doesn't work out, don't beat yourself up over it. I had every intention of exclusively breastfeeding, but my milk never came in, so we had to supplement and ultimately switch entirely to formula. I was completely unprepared for the idea that even if I tried my very hardest, it might just not work out. It was a devastating psychological blow to me when I realized my body just wouldn't feed my baby, but I what I found is that she is entirely happy with her formula, and she doesn't know any different. So yes, use all of the tips that people have suggested, but also don't drive yourself crazy with trying, if it just isn't working out.

Don't worry unnecessarily! Some people have problems but others don't! Don't stress until you need to I was worried after hearing so many horror stories but aside from a little soreness the first couple of weeks, I had no problems.

I've been nursing DS for 21 months now. We are in the slow process of gentle weaning right now.

Before he was born my goal was to EBF for 6 months and nurse until 2 years. I read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and took a lactation class as part on my birth class. We had the card of a lac consultant on hand but I had several friends who could help with the minor questions/concerns I had.

I tried to have as natural a birth as possible, though I did end up with some interventions. We did lots of skin-to-skin in the hospital and when we got home. He was an eager nurser and would nurse for hours at a time. People will say every 2-3 hours, but it can last for 1-2 hours each feeding.

DH was great about taking over and bringing me food and water. And lots of visitors brought meals too. I basically just got comfortable and relaxed (TV, laptop, book, water, snacks) and nursed him all the time.

After some time it will slack off and investing in a good carrier will help you to nurse hands-free. I also made sure that all of my clothes were BF-friendly. I just put away anything that I couldn't comfortably nurse in.

I have really loved nursing for as long as we have. It's been awesome to be able to comfort and nourish DS through ear infections and teething pains. I had a rough pregnancy and difficult labor, but breastfeeding has been my favorite part of motherhood so far.