I nursed Kate for 15 months, so when Sam was born I felt like I at least knew a little bit about what I was doing… but of course, since he was a different baby, he presented different challenges. I thought I would share a couple of things that worked for me this time around.
When Sam was really tiny, we had trouble with a shallow latch. He just wasn’t getting on there enough, and that lead to all kinds of fun problems like plugged ducts and mastitis, and contributed to his frequent nursing (more on that later). Anyway, of course I Googled it, and found something called a “deep latch technique.” This method helped a lot and I would highly recommend it.
And back to the frequent nursing thing…. Sam nursed all.the.time. Like non-stop. So once again I googled it, and found out about block feeding. Block feeding is basically nursing from one side for 2-4 hours at a time, so the baby gets the more fatty, more filling hind milk. This really helped us and Sam would sleep for longer periods of time after he filled up.
Nothing ground breaking, I know, but these two tips really helped our nursing relationship, and anything that makes breastfeeding easier works for me!
What breastfeeding tips do you have to share??
For more WFMW tips, head over to Rocks in my Dryer!
I just weaned my 2nd son recently. I’ve never heard of the block feeding thing. Thats an interesting idea. Breastfeeding sure has its ups and downs. Thanks for sharing tips on such an important subject!
Great tips! Thanks!
With #2, I used my thumb to “press” her mouth and lower lip open wide. I did this from day 1, and probably did it for 2-3 months after her birth, just to make sure she got it. This probably isn’t “proper” breastfeeding procedure, but it really worked well for us. After not being able to nurse #1, I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of nursing #2. Or upcoming #3, either.
I tried the block feeding thing with my daughter when she was spitting up a lot. I had read that the heavier hind milk would help her stop spitting up… and it did!
Another tip is that if you’re having any kind of trouble, there are free resources in your community that can help you. Either community nurses, la leche league, other moms, and I’m sure many others. Don’t quit just because it is hard. It is so worth it to continue through the hard stuff. A lot of women who WANT to breastfeed quit because of lack of support. But the support is out there. Google it!
Oh, and your doctor is often not the best resource. I’ve heard of many doctors quickly wanting to switch to formula, instead of helping moms problem solve… including my own doctor. Most doctors don’t actually have much training when it comes to breastfeeding. Fortunately, I had a nurse contact me just when things started getting bad and she helped us with dropper feedings until my daughter could figure out the latch.
Good luck moms!
Thanks for your help. I plan to breastfeed my baby who is due in 5 weeks! I’ve taken a class at the hospital, but I still feel like I am going to have some issues. I just can’t remember everything. I’m so thankful for the internet and friends who have breastfed.
I just recently weaned my almost-10-month-old daughter – oh sadness! We were some of the very very lucky ones and never had problems – but thank you for the tips. I know things could go very differently with #2!
I don’t really have any tips – but I do have a question. Sorry if this is tmi – but where in the world did my boobs go?!? I thought they might get saggy after nursing, but no one told me they just totally freakin dispapear! Pre-pregnancy I was a full-A/decent-B cup, during pregnancy & nursing I was a C/D — NOW I’m barely an A! Good god this sucks.
Does anyone know where they go? Will they ever come back? Will it get even worse next time & by time I wean my second, will I be totally flat chested?
Did this happen to you?!?
My husband says I’m a breastfeeding expert. We have five kids, all very close together (the oldest is five!) and they’ve eached been exclusively breastfed from until 6 months, then very _very_slowly weaned. Yes, they’ve overlapped. 😉 So, my advice is to just stick with it. It really is the best thing you can do for your baby. My first born and I didn’t get it down for two-and-a-half months! It hurt and I cried, but we stuck it out and now we’re so glad we did. 🙂
I used the deep latch technique with both my girls and it worked well for me. I really only used a cross cradle hold so I could get them to latch on better. It also helped since my breasts are rather large.
I’d also recommend getting to know a lactation consultant (one who is a certified IBCLC and not just a nurse on the maternity floor). You can search for one in your area by going to http://www.ilca.org/ and entering your ZIP code. It can make all of the difference in the success you have as a breastfeeding mom. Having the extra encouragement from someone who knows what they are doing is wonderful, and most that I have come in contact are so eager to help a new mom out.
I SHOULD be a breastfeeding pro. I have 3 children and the oldest is 3. I was not able to nurse the first two for longer than 3 weeks. They would “wrestle” me before I could get them to latch on and were often too hystarical by then to nurse properly. My daughter actually lost 30% of her birthweight the first two weeks. 🙁
Well, the third time is a charm. Emily is 5 months and I am still nursing. Like you, I feel like I am feeding her ALL THE TIME. I’ve never heard of “Block Feeding” but I think it might help. I’m also having issues with let-down, so she get’s frustrated with me sometimes.
Thank you for sharing.
I am going to be a new mom in Jan. I am having my first! YEAH! I am planning to breastfeed but have never heard of block feeding. I am a little nervous after reading and talking to people about it since I thought that it was a natural thing, hense it just comes naturally. If you have more sugesstions I would love to hear them!
One BF tip I have… I had a LOT of milk, and when my son was a newborn it would choke him when my milk would let down. It was flooding his mouth! So my LC suggested that I sit him up on my knee, facing me, and nurse him that way. So, the excess milk just drained out the sides of his mouth. Plus, gravity of the milk flow wasn’t such an issue. But, it was tricky because since he was so young his neck was pretty floppy! But I just fenagled it some how and nursed him until 9 months. My milk flow regulated after about the first month. I think that very “different” position really helped.