Hellobee Boards

@Silva: yes. I considered myself her pacifier in those early days!

@heartonastring: my milk came in the day my midwife weighed my son, and like you said he was super alert so she wasn't worried. Out of all the people I know who supplemented, only 2 went on to have an EBF relationship, all the others ended up formula feeding (which of course is fine, but not what they wanted). It makes total sense - how is your body supposed to get the messages make more milk if there is no stimulation?

I'm a WOHM and was able to EBF for 12 months (my long term goal).

Lots of things helped me achieve this:
- I was incredibly determined to EBF so I was well prepared before birth (DH and I took BF class, I read a lot, we discussed a plan for the hospital and early weeks, I had an LC that I consulted with, I read books, I talked to friends, etc).
- When I checked in at the hospital I immediately told them I wanted to EBF, I wanted to nurse immediately after birth, I did not want formula offered to LO, and I wanted to see the LC first thing in the morning (LO was born in the middle of the night).
- I saw the LC every day I was in the hospital to ensure LO had a good latch and I was feeding frequently enough and for long enough.
- I fed LO on demand for the first 4 months (and was very blessed she cluster fed in the day and slept in long stretches at night).
- DH was incredibly helpful and supportive
- I took care of myself as much as possible to protect my supply (I made sure I was drinking tons of water, sleeping when possible, and eating enough calories).
- I had short term goals and focused on that - 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, a year.
- My employer is very supportive of nursing moms. I reserved the mother's room for the same time every day and planned meetings around my pump times.

I'm sure a little luck also played into it too. I'm about to have LO#2 and I hope to have the same successful experience.

Despite having a successful experience, EBF was one of the hardest things I've ever done (especially the early days).

I'm only about 3 months in, but at this point I consider myself successful because we made it past the difficult newborn period and are EBF now.

But the secrets to our success so far? Formula and luck. So many people push the "don't supplement" logic, but like @locavore_mama: we had a screaming and starving baby that needed to be fed. My milk didn't come in for over a week after delivery and at 3 days old DS needed more than I could provide at that point. Then we had a 6 week bout of thrush that coincided with the worst of his cluster feeding. Being able to opt out of a feeding because I was hurting too much gave the ability to keep going. We're now EBF and I am completely happy that I supplemented.

LO is 16.5 months and still nursing.

For me, I don't think it has anything to do with luck. It is because of dedication, determination, and education.

I took a three-part BFing class while I was pregnant. At the end, they gave us a booklet that reiterated everything we learned in the class. that booklet was very helpful in the first few months. LO only latched once while we were in the hospital, and with the booklet I had a reference for things to try when we got home.

I started going to BFing support groups (sponsored by the hospital and led by an LC) when LO was two weeks old. We still go almost every week. It's really great to see moms with kids of all ages BFing and supporting each other. About a year ago, LO started gnawing on my nipples to the point that there were bleeding gashes. I thought I would have to give up, but with support and suggestions I was able to continue and eventually heal.

The other big help is that DH is very supportive.

Thanks for all of these-this is a great thread!

@locavore_mama: @ShootingStar: thanks for the reminder that formula can also be a tool towards achieving a successful BF journey. This nervous mama-to-be is glad to hear that there are lots of ways to have a successful breastfeeding relationship

@LovelyPlum: Just remember to do what feels best to you. I had a consultation with an LC and I brought up the formula she said the most important thing is to feed the baby.

@locavore_mama: It was a relief to hear it from her. I had her come to the house the day after he refused to BF from me the entire day. Yet he was screaming and hungry, so we fed him ready-to-feed formula we'd gotten at the hospital. I told her about the formula and expected a negative response. Instead she made this new mommy feel so much better.