Friday, August 12, 2011

Breastfeeding advice PLEASE


Well hai there! I'm 35 weeks!

My last doctor's appointment went pretty well (other than feeling violated). My doctor told me I'm 1 cm dilated... and she confirmed there ain't no plug in there anymore.

HOLY FREAKIN COW.
I keep getting these stomach/back pains. Jess says its contractions, whatever they are, they are painful. Sometimes, it'll make me stop and just... bend over for a few seconds. Totally not fun, especially since I'm trying to prepare the house for Q.

Its kinda exciting though, knowing I could have him at any moment. My doctor seems to think I won't go to 40 weeks, she sent me home the other day with all my paperwork/records incase I go into labor before our next appointment. Who knows? Jess had Wyatt at 36 weeks. But then there is my mama. She had all three of us girls (yes, there is another sister) EXACTLY on her due date each time. WEIRD.


Sorry for the bathroom pictures. I'm actually feeling pretty today.

Since I'm so close to the end, I've been thinking about "after" Quentin is born. I'm not too nervous, I just know there will be a lot of changes. But what I am curious about is the ole breastfeeding gig.

I'm planning on breastfeeding, so if you have any advice to offer, I would love to hear; (and advice on how to help your husband/boyfriend deal with breastfeeding would be helpful too. Thats what I'm more nervous about to be honest.)

26 comments:

  1. Awe....you're always very pretty! But, that headband is awesome. As for breast feeding...sorry, no advice here from my personal experience obviously, but I love reading about babies, pregnancy, and the whole she bang. I guess you can call that weird, but I'm hoping to be an OB/GYN some day. Anyway, Joanna at A CUP OF JO has some really awesome posts about this very subject. Not sure if you follow her already, but here's the link: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/search/label/breastfeeding

    Hope it helps! :)

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  2. You look awesome!
    I was like a pro breastfeeder- so you can aak me anything- with breastfeeding, there's no such thing as TMI! My biggest piece of advice, would be to get comfy before you sit down to feed Q. Like, make sure your arms are propped with pillows under them, you're comfy in your chair, etc. If you're holding your back straight or anything, you'll just be awkward, and babies can sense that. Do you want more advice ? Cause I could go on and on! Haha

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  3. make a joke out of it, if you think breastfeeding will be awkward with your husband. i used to use my boobs as milk machine guns, and could shoot peppy from across the room. it was the best. i actually really miss having those weapons.

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  4.  ha omg that's awesome

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  5. Omg man. I tell Michael I can't wait to shoot him when he pisses me off! Thats too funny! I'm more concerned about... ahem... other than breastfeeding. 

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  6. AWESOME! Keep the advice coming! 

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  7. You probably feel pretty, because you look so pretty! DUH. 
    Dude, I can't believe you could have Q at literally any time now. That is so insane to me!
    I'm really excited for you guys.

    I obviously don't have any breastfeeding advice yet, but since you're going through it first, you better give me some advice when my time's coming! : )

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  8. OH! gotcha. uhh...i never really had any problems, other than maybe some leakage. if anything, we just laughed about it. i mean, basically after you give birth, any tiny bit of shame you had left has flown out the window.

    you think you could ever get michael to drink some breast milk? now that's always a good ice breaker. ;-)

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  9. I think everyone's experience is different, but my No. 1 regret with breastfeeding was that I let the nurses and my husband talk me into supplementing with formula while we were still in the hospital because they were worried my milk wasn't coming in. It came in the next day, but baby girl already got a taste of how easy a bottle was, so it was an uphill battle to breastfeed from there. If you're adamant about breastfeeding, always follow your gut instinct and never let anyone talk you into doing something you aren't comfortable with. And (believe it or not) it will come naturally. If it doesn't, take advantage of the lactation consultants at the hospital. They will come bearing tools that will make it easier for you. Good luck!

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  10. Oh, and I'm with Deanna on the husband front. He will think it's pretty miraculous that you're sustaining your baby via your milk, and neither one of you will really mind leakage when you're intimate. Actually, you might mind it more than he does. Breast pads!

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  11. I like Deanna's idea about boob guns. :) 

    You're lookin' beautiful! So crazy to think it could be any day. Oh, and expect something in the mail soon! ;)

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  12. Sam! I'm not a pro or anything of the sort but somehow I've figured out breastfeeding and here's what I've found to be life saving in the last 9 days :)
    - The hospital I went to had a lactation specialist check on us at least once a day and made sure everything was going well and she taught me a few tricks, if they dont have one check on you ask if the lactation specialist can come see you..its totally worth it.

    -Keep a HUGE water bottle by your bed- we have a co-sleeper so I can't have anything on my side so at 3am I make my husband hand me my huge water bottle jug thing and I refill it at least once a night (the thing is huge but i think something like 87% of breastmilk is water, so drink up!).

    -I think I saw that you're using a pack n play right? or do you have a different bassinet? Keep it as close to you as possible, I kid you not..especially if you err tear during labor (which I'm sending all my positive vibes to you so you dont cause it sucks) BUT if you do, getting up to get baby totally blows the first week so if you can have him close and easy to grab its super awesome. Also, keep burp clothes close as well...not so much for spit up and burping but Reef gets all wild while he eats and I was getting boob milk all over the damn place (especially all over me) in the middle of the night but with a cloth handy it was easy to keep it from getting everywhere (sorry I know TMI).

    -Lastly, nipple cream and nursing pads- gods greatest gifts.

    And I think once your hubby sees you give birth the whole nursing awkwardness will be a thing of the past :)

    (sorry for like THE longest response EVER)

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  13. I was more nervous about breastfeeding than labor, but then I didn't have any problems with it at all. It almost surprised me how easy it was. I know it's not smooth sailing for everyone, but I had read so many horror stories that I think I overlooked how natural easy that it can be! As for the man issue.., I  don't think it changed much at all. I usually feed the baby right before bedtime anyway, so that may have alleviated any 'surprises.'

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  14. Cool. These suggestion will definitely help me. I have my pal pen a couple of feet from the bed. But I'm not afraid to wake Michael up and tell him to get Q. haha Oh and Jess made me get the "necessities" like nursing pads the other day. 

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  15. sweet :)

    oh and one thing that I never knew about (apparently I missed this page in all the preggo books i read)...when you first start breast feeding you can get some crazy intense cramping that feels like contractions. Its because when you breastfeed your body releases more oxytocin..anywho..I had no clue and was sooo not prepared for it and i got some pretty gnarly ones when I was in the hospital. so just an FYI because I wish I would have known about it :)

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  16. Yea, I think someone told me the cramping is your uterus going back to normal size, and breastfeeding helps it go faster. Oh the mysteries of our body! 

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  17. Meg @ Kitschy SuburbiaAugust 12, 2011 at 8:30 PM

    Don't give up.  Don't expect it to be perfect and without any issues right off the bat.  It really takes practice - for you and for him!  I didn't have any trouble, but I've heard lots of women who have. 

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  18. With breastfeeding don't get too worked up if it doesn't go to plan straight away and remember it takes a day or two before your milk comes through. When it does your boobies get bigger and harder and painful and then its all okay. My lil man took to breastfeeding well but I always said if it wasn't going right I'd find other alternatives like pumping the milk or eventually formula and I breastfeed till he was about 1 years old. 

    Have some nipple cream and nursing pads ready for when you leak. Get some pillows or cushions to make you comfortable and relaxed whilst feeding.

    I could tell my boyfriend was a little bit jealous and left out over the breastfeeding, so if I expressed a bit I'd let him feed the lil man with the bottle, but we made bath time daddy and baby time as it gave him something to feel involved with and gave me a break.

    Hope it all goes well for you and you look really pretty in your photos above. I wish I had looked as good at 35 weeks pregnant.

    Tan x

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  19. I think you look very pretty too!!  Oh my GAWD!  You are nearly having a  BAMBINO!

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  20. DO NOT GIVE UP. The first month is/can be very difficult but once you and your baby get the hang of it you'll be cruising down easy street. FIND YOUR LOCAL LA LECHE LEAGUE AND GO TO A MEETING BEFORE YOU HAVE YOUR BABY. Get a name and number of  a leader or two so you have someone to call if you have issues.  The nurses at the hospital had me and my son latched all wrong and for a MONTH i suffered excrutiating pain.... until I called a LLL leader and she showed me how to do it- PAIN FREE. we kept it up and we're going on 8 months now. DONT QUIT, DONT GIVE UP

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  21. WOW you look really good! Seriously. You do look pretty here! OH MY GOODNESS I bet your water is gonna break like today! lol I am thinking you are having contractions. Congrats. How exciting for you and your family! Your so lucky to have a sister so close!

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  22. use lansinoh! slather it on.. i would rub it between my fingers to soften it up and just kinda pat it gently on the sore hooters/nips. The baby can eat straight through it and it's also a great chapstick. It seriously saved me from the painful cracking and stuff. also sometimes mamas don't produce enough milk & supplement with formula. That's what I had to do- BUT-  i never quit nursing and at 3 months old I finally had enough milk to stop supplementing so don't ever give up- you can do formula AND breastfeed and it's awesome... just don't ever quit unless YOU want to!

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  23. oooh and when it came to man lovin time (so hard on them to not be the center of attention anymore) My only issue was my boobs being a bit tender... so just tell him to go easy... be gentle... & get ready for how far it shoots out... I mean it.. no matter how many times ppl say it can shoot across a room it will be amazing once you see it. Woah. in the begining bras stayed on 24/7 not only to help with the pressure of milk being in but to stop me from getting DRENCHED in milk--- which also makes you smell sour!! AHhh breastfeeding. It's great I hope it goes well for yoU!

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  24. whaaat. u feel pretty cuz you ARE. duhz. my advice on breastfeeding is to just DO IT. seriously. i never put pressure on myself or worried about my supply or anything. i just fed corbin. and it worked out. maybe i got lucky and would have never had issues even if i worried about it all the time but yeah. so not to worry you BUT the shiz hurts. the first few weeks i would bury my toes into the floor, assume with position with the my breast friend pillow (WAY better than the boppy btw) and have ryan lay him down and i would just cry for the first few minutes because it hurt so bad. but i knew it was a small price to pay to have a long bf relationship with corbin. plus, ITS FREE! and quickly becomes second nature. i never understood why people spent a ton of money on nursing tanks and bras either. (i did have one nice nursing bra for the beginning and it was nice having a soft material on my sore nipples)  but i just used regular tanks i already had and just pull them down or up. hhhmmm... what else. i dont know but let me know if you have any questions or anything! you have a good advice giver in jess too though! :) i cant believe how close its getting. so excited for you. i had corbin at 38 weeks nine days and was 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced when i went in. cant wait to see baby q.

    end longest comment ever.

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  25. I didnt read all these comments sooo it may already be mention butt It hurts like a bitch! I cried and cried every time she fed. I bled. My nipps were sore and cracked. It hurts. It's hard. Its frusterating to think your baby may not be getting enough food. It gets better. 2 weeks almost exactly she latched on and it just didn't hurt any more. It takes a toll on you physically and mentally. It's a full time job. But it's also a great way to bond. Good for little Q and helps you lose weight! My best advice is hang in there it gets better! 

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