|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Breastfeeding Mommies |
| Public online group |
|
|
| |
|
|
Hi there ladies,
i am 24 weeks pregnant with our second baby. He's due in May. I wanted to so badly to breastfeed with our daughter, but had horrible support and gave up after a short while. I still beat myself up over it at times, though she is perfectly healthy and seems to be aspiring to be Mary Poppins (Practically Perfect in Every Way. LOL )
I have Fibromyalgia and had a huge flare up after her birth. The "help" at teh hospital would only come in long enough for her to latch on and then leave. She would of course stop in seconds and they made me feel bad about calling for help again. The only showed me one way to hold.
I am hoping that some of you ladies can give me some ideas that I can either do before he gets here or suggestions on what to do after he gets here to make this a better experience.
Thanks for your time
Salina |
| Posted by Salina on 02/07/2009 10:18 AM
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
You definitely have support here! Although there is only so much that can be done for you in this format. While you are pregnant, I would suggest reading Dr. Sears's Breastfeeding Book for lots of great ideas. Also, try to hunt down your local La Leche League. They can and will help a lot more than the hospital. After all, it is better for the hospital's business if people don't breastfeed, since that means more patients later (can you tell I'm a HUGE cynic of America's sick care system?)
If you have any other questions or just need a cheering section, ask away! That is what we are here for! |
| posted by Indigo Ottyr on 02/07/2009 10:56 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Do you have any suggestions on how to find a La Leche League?
I can use all the support I can get! |
| posted by Salina on 02/07/2009 11:09 AM
|
|
|
|
|
| http://www.lllusa.org/SC/ (assuming the information on your profile is correct) |
| posted by Indigo Ottyr on 02/07/2009 11:11 AM
|
|
|
|
|
The What To Expect book also had a very helpful breastfeeding section in the back, and the WTE First Year has some helpful diagrams for different holds.
Try to get your husband to really support you as well. I know that when I included mine in the process, because he was more awake and sometimes had a better angle on what the baby was doing, he was very helpful. Also, just in being a cheerleader and a protector he really helped me.
Set a standard for when you are OK with throwing in the towel. If you have a limit in advance that you set, then you will have a way of knowing whether what's going on compares to that. So if things are rough and you're just tired, you'll be less likely to quit if you know you didn't get to your limit yet. Or if you do get to the limit that you set and it's not that bad, then you can set a new limit and feel some accomplishment for having done better than you expected and motivated to keep going. If you get there and you just have to give up, don't beat yourself up. You'll have many many more opportunities to show your children how precious they are.
Remember that BILLIONS of women have breastfed their babies in the course of history. That means that MANY will have had the same struggles you have. You are never, ever alone. No matter how weird a problem might seem, or how easy other women might make it look, remember that they probably struggled also.
When I nursed my first two babies, my nipples were raw and bleeding for the first couple of weeks. I couldn't imagine how I was going to do it -- even for the 2nd one, having gone through it before. The books call that sort of experience "not normal," but that doesn't mean it's not common. It just means that you are having a problem that needs to be corrected. Having a circle of breastfeeding moms (here, but also in real life) will really help give you support and strategies for managing all those problems.
Be optimistic. My nipples were a bloody mess (both my first two children were spitting up my blood - ick) so when the third one came along, I braced myself and assumed it would happen again. But it didn't! Perhaps your new baby will be as supportive and accommodating as my third one was. :) Don't assume the worst.
I wish you luck! Hope you find what you need to feel happy and excited about this great gift you are giving you child, and feel good about yourself for making such strong efforts for your first child, even when your health was difficult. |
| posted by Cindy on 02/07/2009 03:58 PM
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
| |  |
| |
|
|
|
