Joined: 16 July 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 1976 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 3:08pm | IP Logged
Right, the last thread has got me thinking... im 50/50 at the mo for bf bump, but i do have some concerns...
im not the healthiest of eaters, i dont have 3 meals a day and its mainly junk food i have. As i know some of what i eat will go in to the milk i worry it will harm evil child number 3 (EC3 for short)
I don't drink much good fluids, way to much tea and coke, again, that will pass through to EC3
I smoke.. enough said
How will i know if EC3 is having enough milk, its so much easier usin a bottle as you know how much they have taken
Would i have to change what i eat and drink. I wanna give EC3 a good start but im worried i might be making him/her poorly instead of thriving. Does that make sense?? Starting to worry over nothing, lol
Joined: 13 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 8632 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 3:18pm | IP Logged
Well done for considering it Nicki. I'll do my best to answer your questions.
First, smoking. Apparently it is healthier for lo if you smoke and bf than not bf at all. Very little of the harmful chemicals pass into the milk. Same with food, the important thing is your antibodies etc. Your appetite will increase anyway while bfing and as long as you get roughly the right nutrients you'll be ok. I'm not a healthy person by Edward thrived while I bf him. As for drinking, you will drink more, not out of choice but bfing makes you thirsty so you'll end up drinking water or similar!
As for knowing the amount its far easier than counting ounces. Its simple - when lo finishes feeding, lo has had enough! EC3 will not starve!
It will be strange for you as you have had to count milk intake for the other 2 but it really is easier this way! Also you dont have to buy milk, make up bottles, warm them, take enough if you go out, any of that! You'll have everything to hand at anytime of the day or night! I'm not saying it wil be easy (although I did find it so) but it will be very rewarding! Also once lo is around 6 weeks you can introduce a bottle so df and taylor can have a go too and give you a break!
I'll be happy to answer any other questions honey but the way I see it - give it a go!
Joined: 14 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 2357 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 3:20pm | IP Logged
Right in regards to smoking im not too sure, someone on here might be able to say, i'd say sensibly dont smoke about an hour before a bf is due...but it might be different...Curries can sometimes be tasted in the BM but it wont harm EC3! I ate quite a lot of junk too its more convenient sometimes and Liam is fine! I also drank quite a lot of pop...just try and get some fruit n veg into the diet too so you are sure that you are keeping your health up too. EC3 will not gain weight very well if there is a problem but im pretty sure you will be just fine, i ate a lot of calcium enriched food too to be on the safe side!
I'm not sure really wether my advice is good but my experience was still amazing and thats more or less what i did...apart from the smokin as i dont do that anyway!
Joined: 11 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 5994 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 5:41pm | IP Logged
Drinking caffienated drinks you may find that baby sleeps less as cafiene crosses into breastmilk. As for smoking if you smoke you are better off breastfeeding than not as breastmilk protects babies from ashma. You need to try and not breastfeed for 90minutes after smoking then the nicotene is out of your system and breastmilk. It doesn't matter too much what you eat obviuosly a healthy diet is better for anyone than a junk food diet but your body will produce milk regardless of your diet, look at third world countries the women there are starving and still breastfeed their babies successfully. You may find you want to drink more as at the beginning breastfeeding makes you thirsty.
Joined: 12 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 3434 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 5:43pm | IP Logged
right good question nic, you sound very much like me - as for the eating im quiet picky and dont eat as much as i should, i remember the h/v always saying i should be eating more and telling me to eat lots of food with iron in like lots of green veg (yuk), i think drinking wise you would be o.k its only alchol they say not to drink alot of, i also smoke they just said cut down or give up - you may be better talking to you h/v and asking what she thinks good luck luv jue xx
Joined: 05 July 2006 United Kingdom Posts: 2338 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 6:31pm | IP Logged
Hiya Nicki,
I am planning on bf this lo, but the question you raised about not knowing how much milk your EC3 is getting is what is/has put me off doing it again too.
When i had Harry, i bf him, but it seemed like he was constantly hungry and always bfing and i personally prefered knowing how much he was taking, so i could calculate in my own head roughly when he was due again for a feed and he was much more settled on the bottle when i finally switched over. But i would recomend at least giving it a go, even if just for a couple of weeks like i did... it all helps!!
As for your diet, its impossible to change a habit of a lifetime... but by having a couple of extra peices of fruit a day and a couple of glasses of water too will help not only your lo but also things like your energy levels, your skin, hair, nails, etc etc! x-x-x
Joined: 06 February 2007 United Kingdom Posts: 29 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 7:10pm | IP Logged
Hi Nicki
I never breastfed the first four children cos didn't think it would be natural to me and never been well endowed in the nipple dept so didn't think I could. However when number 5 came along something in me decided I wanted to breastfeed (I put it down to insanity lol). I did it successfully for 10 days ( I know, not very long) but I tried and was gutted when I had to give up. She was just too lazy. It was convenient when I went out and she always seemed to have enough. She went 3 hours between feeds so I must have been doing something right. From both experiences I will be breastfeeding again this time round too. there's nothing like it.
As for nutrition, as everyone else has said it's better for baby with regards for antibodies. I'm not a great healthy 3 meal a day person either ( my motto, you dont get skinny by eating says it all) and I love my cuppa's but she's now 12 months and a very healthy bouncy baby, hitting all her milestones.
I'd say give it a try, you got nothing to lose. If it's not for you no one can say you never tried.
Hope that helps and gl with reaching the decision right for you x
Joined: 04 October 2006 United Kingdom Posts: 881 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 7:43pm | IP Logged
Hi Nikki, a lot of people worry that they don't know if their lo is getting enough milk if they bf, but there are several easy ways to tell. Firstly, as Madz said, they will stop when they've had enough! If they are fairly content after a feed, making plenty of wet nappies, have a moist mouth and are putting on weight, then they're getting plenty. These are much more reliable indicators than the quantity of fluid ounces they've taken.
My hv said to me that it pretty much doesn't matter what you eat and drink. Obviously it's better for your baby if you don't drink caffeine, don't smoke, and eat healthily, but even if you don't follow this, the benefits your baby will get from your antibodies and all the other goodness in your milk far outweighs the potential harm. You could always take a vitamin supplement if you were concerned, and this might help the way that you feel too.
The 'la leche league' is an organisation that was set up to give information to people who want to know about breastfeeding, and they have a page of FAQ that you might find useful: http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/FAQSubject.html?m=0,0,3
Joined: 17 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 3775 Gender: Female
Posted: 07 February 2007 at 7:49pm | IP Logged
There are a number of ways to tell if baby is getting enough whilst breastfeeding.
If baby is producing lots of wet nappies and soils at least one to three or more times a day.(Breastfed babies have lovely "explosive" bowel movements, but their stools don't smell of much at all which is nice!)
As breastmilk is a natural substance which is easily digested by the baby you will probably find that they want more feeds than bottle fed babies: formula is a heavier substance made from cow's milk that isn't as easily digested. Breastmilk is a living fluid that provides perfect nutrition, no matter your diet, and it changes according to your baby's needs.
Breastmilk quality always remains high, even if you smoke or your own diet is not ideal (although your energy levels will be better if you eat well and drink lots of fluids- caffeine and cola can cause mega wind in a breastfed bubba).
Breastmilk provides baby with your antibodies. Formula had no antibodies. Even just feeding for the first few days helps your baby's immune system in the big bad outside world!
It is well worth a try, and if you need any help at all you know we're all here to help, as the early days of breastfeeding can be difficult. But when it is established, it it so easy and cheap! No bottles to make up, and the milk comes ready heated!
Joined: 19 December 2006 United States Posts: 620 Gender: Female
Posted: 08 February 2007 at 1:07am | IP Logged
Hi nicki...
i am still clueless while feeding her since its been less than 2 weeks. it hurts sometimes when my nipples are sensitive and she latches on hard right way when shes hungry but in seconds it goes away for me. Im a junky eater and still am and im glad to hear as long as i eat and drink regardless my milk supply comes in and that hurts more than the latching on..im still wondering if mine is hungry cause she is constantly cranky so ill get my answers from madz as well. i hope you do try it though nicki..even though i want to give up because she needs to be fed more often, i feel the bond with her and would never trade the feeling for anything. Best luck to you!
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Topic: breast feeding questions
