Can i breastfeed????

[jarrahsmumma]

hi all,
this has been haunting me ever since not being able to breastfeed my son (my first), i wanted so badly to be able to breastfeed but was not able to due to attachment problems.

i want to know if there are any other mumma's out there who have had the same situation and have been able to breastfeed subsequent children.

any stories would be helpful... also does the ABA help with this sort of thing???

thanks
peace
Natalie

[Briannabear]

Hi Natalie,
I havent been in that situation to know what you are going through. However, the ABA have a hotline that you can ring (for your area) and speak to someone about it. They are there for support for all aspects of breastfeeding so Id imagine they might be able to give you some advice.
I do know of one lady who was unable to breastfeed her first child, but successfully breastfed her second baby. If it is attatchment problems, your next baby might not have the same trouble.
Good Luck! :)

[wattle]

I had all sorts of attachment trouble and nobody seemed to be able to help. In desperation I called a lactation consultant, it was the best thing I could have done. It really made a difference with her coming to my home and seeing where I feed and how. I'd really suggest doing this early on if you can. Hopefully it will work better for you this time.
Good luck.

[ThomasMum]

Hi Natalie, when I had wee problem with my breastfeeding I almost gave up until Joshua found the number one of their counsellors from ABA and she was so GOOD! She did everything to make sure that I kept breastfeeding!
So give them a call, they are ussualy has more than one counsellors in every state so if you dont like one person you can always try the next one :)

Love Peace

ML

[petster]

Hi Natalie

I had a bit of trouble in the first few weeks with breastfeeding... I talked to an ABA counsellor and found them very supportive and helpful. When Eleni was 3 weeks old (and I felt ready to give up!) I went to see a lactation consultant, and it was the best $ I've ever spent! Give it a try, but if it doesn't work for you both, remember IT"S NOT YOUR FAULT!

Cheers!

[Bekster]

Hi. I was in the same situation as yourself. My little boy Blayke would not attach. It would take me 45mins to get him on and we were both exhausted. I gave up and moved on to formula.

When I fell pregnant with my daughter Kaylah I was also haunted over whether I would be able to breastfeed. Kaylah was born at 34weeks and is now 4 1/2mths old and I am still breastfeeding her.

My advice is this....help your milk to come in quicker by expressing. While Kaylah was in hospital I was able to build up my milk supply and by the time I had her solely breastfeeding she was drowning in it. No trauma to my nipples and 100% satisfaction for a little premmie who is happy with the breast and EBM in a bottle.

I've also learnt since having my son that a lot of people recommend a nipple shield at first if having attachment problems. I think the biggest thing is building your confidence and that will flow through to your baby.

Good Luck,

Rebecca...mum to;
Blayke 30/4/04
Kaylah 18/3/05

[xkwzit]

Hi Nel
I had a good 3 months of trouble getting used to bf DD1, we persisted and got there in the end with the help of a lactation consultant (they are worth their weight in gold :) ). She was mildly tongue tied and had a receding chin, I had v flat almost inverted nipples and she couldn't easily get on. We expressed every feed for the first 5 weeks and then eventually, she got on with a nipple shield. After a few weeks of that, we weaned her off the nipple sheild and we were there. I had quite a few huge cracks, but as each healed, my nipples were a little longer and easier for her to latch onto.

I thought I deserved a break with DD2, but she also decided that a bit of nipple re-arrangement was needed (only on one side thankfully) but we didn't have half the problems of DD1 (and I now have nipples that stand proudly erect all the time - never had to worry about "headlight" moments before :D ).

I think that the ABA is great if you just need moral support, or a few ideas to try and make life run smoother. But if you are having serious "technical difficulties" a lactation consultant is a better way to go. You already have passion to succeed this time, just make sure you use the resources that are out there if you get into difficulties.

Cheers