scared

Mommy2Isabella wrote: With baby girls big debut nearing, I went to take a breastfeeding class thursday of last week.

The class was informative, but I am scared to breastfeed. I know it is best for the baby, I guess I am just a little uncomfortable with the thought of holding a baby to my breast! I want to try though, I really do. Sal and I have talked about it, he said he would support whatever I chose, but I was wondering if any of the ladies on here were a little stand offish when they started to breastfeed, or before they even started ??

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

PrairieMom replied: With The Boy I decided I would try it, but if it didn't work for me I would pump or do formula, and felt fine about it either way. I ended up having a really hard time with it. It HURT bad, so I ended up pumping and botteling for a while, then at 5 months finally switched to formula. I ended up going through a huge depression when I switched over tho. I don't really know why, I HATED nursing him, I would cry when he was hungry just out of dread, and pumping was a huge pain in the butt.
Because of the depression last time, I was more determined to nurse this time. so far things have been going wonderfully, even though I had a hard time with it in the beginning. this time I decided to use my resources and talked with a LC and that really helped.

moped replied: I was a bit stanoffish but Iknew that I wanted to BF Jack so after a few rough days of trying to get himt o latch etc it was all good, and I really enjoyed it and the bond is amazing! BUT I am not good with doing it in public, like a mall or whatever, so that was a tough one, I would pump for trips and BF at home - I mean in fornt of friends and family was fine, but not in public

Boo&BugsMom replied:
I felt exactly how you feel, which is why I didn't breastfeed with my son. I do regret not even trying though, which is why I want to try with our next one when we have another. I'm a very reserved kind of person when it comes to that and I didn't like the thought of my own child sucking on them. I have no idea why because it's nature and that's why God gave us breasts to begin with. I hope I can overcome the obstacle when the time does come, but know that what you are feeling is normal and you are not alone.

MyLuvBugs replied:
ITA! Frustration and problems out the wazoo made me so depressed after Lorelei was born. It hurt and she wouldn't suck right, low milk supply...just everything that could go wrong went wrong it seems. But Just like Tara....this time I'm bound and determined to nurse properly. Guess it's my stubborn nature.

There really isn't a lot to be afraid of though. I guess you have to be comfortable with your own body first and fore most. Definately prepare for some pain and a little akwardness at first. It's definately something that takes getting used to doing.

boyohboyohboy replied: with my first son, I had tried,but was to embarrassed to ask for help at the hosp. It hurt and it felt weird at first, so I gave up right away. My son was very sick the first two yrs of his life, it may or may not have been becuz I didnt bf, but i will forever feel guilty about that.
My second son, I was determined, I read a bf book, like it was the bible, and I asked for help in the hosp. I wasnt ashamed or embarrassed this time, and got lots of help. My body was not that cooperative, it took 10 days for my milk to come in, the baby lost weight and I had to use this really weird contraption to feed him but get him to nurse at the same time. Finally when it did come in, I had blocked ducts every week, it seemed one would heal then I got another, he would latch right. I cried constantly and told my husband I wanted to quit, but he told me to take it one more day, or finish this day and see how you feel in the am, and every time once I got thru my own self pity party I would start again, and after 10 weeks, we got along fine. Now I am sooo glad that we did.
My son, has not been sick one day, and he is 7 1/2 months old. It makes me feel so good to know that the antibodies I gave him are helping.
It definately made all the difference having a husband who was so dedicated to helping me get it right, and also that I had made up my mind that I was going to do this.
It did hurt alot though, and using a pump I thought at first, was really embarrassing, but I decided that nothing was going to keep me from doing this, everyone does it right!?!
Good luck, I have to say that there were times also that this board has helped me when I felt that things were just not going right. It helps to talk to people who are for bf and not against it, stay away from those kinds a neg thoughts when you are going thru the hard parts!
sorry so long, but I wanted to share.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I was really scared and nervous too. I knew I wanted to breast feed but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it right or that it just wouldn't work out. But it turned out ok. I had a hard time getting him to latch on for awhile because I had flat nipples, and that was frustrating. I think my nervousness made it a little more difficult too, and it was hard to get into a comfortable position at first. BUT after a few weeks of awkwardness and frustration, I was fine. A lot of women don't even have those problems - a girl I know had a baby a few months before I did and breast feeding just came naturally to her right from the beginning.

Kaitlin'smom replied: oh ya I was not sure I even wanted to try. I was worried that it would not feel right, like it would feel well to be blunt sexual. I was scared but I tried it and it was so NOT what I expected. It was the most wonderful thing I could have done. It did hurt a bit, my nippes did get sore at one point but i used that wonderful Lanisolin and it so helped. We nursed for about 15 months when she gave it up. I never thought I would go that long.

Personally I say try, if it does not owrk out so be it but at least you wont have the regret of not even tring. Best of luck we are all hear for support and if your having problmes there is help out there.

Ashlynn's Mommy replied: I felt the same way. I felt way to uncomfortable to breast feed. And now I regret it, I wish I wasn't so scared. It's the best thing for a mother, and child.

coasterqueen replied: I was completely and utterly scared out of my mind and in the back of my mind I had my escape route, exclusively pumping (EP). I knew that I wanted my child to have breastmilk. I educated myself to determine that it was the best thing for her and there was no way she was getting anything other than the best. Maybe that was 1st time mom thinking, but it's how I felt. I didn't even consider BF until my husband convinced me I needed to do research and give it a try. So I made a deal with him that I would try and if it was not for me I would EP. He was totally fine with that. The entire time I was pg I feared the thought of a baby suckling on my breast. The thought just grossed me out. I was very shy when it comes to my body and I just didn't picture myself doing such a thing. Then I held my precious baby in my arms and everything else just got blurry and mute. It was just my baby and myself and she looked at me and tried to nurse and I knew we were in it for the long haul. That very moment she tried to nurse for the first time I literally felt like the entire room was put on pause and it was only her and I.

Now I had to have an unexpected c-section and my whole entire labor experience was very traumatic for me. It wasn't how I pictured it and I felt like a failure that all the things my husband and I had planned for the birth of our child failed. Those who know me know I do not like to fail. If I do fail at something I will do something else 100x better. Well, that's what BF became for me. There was no way I was going to let my little girl down after my body failed myself and my husband's expectations.

I had the worst time ever nursing Kylie. I was in the hospital 5 days and it wasn't for several days that we couldn't even get her to nurse. It was awful! Once again, I was feeling like a failure and wanted to give up. Well, it was either delusions or something of the sort, but a little birdie told me I had to keep going. I saw lactation consultants on and off for the 1st 9 months of her life, BUT we went on to have a beautiful nursing relationship for 24 months until I was about 8 weeks along with Megan. I also worked & pumped for her for 19 months.

I have had a few problems with Megan but they've been sporadic and I'm wiser now to deal with them.

I'll tell you this. I would never change all the pain, frustration, stress, tears, depression...none of it because it was completely worth it and I know this because I just have to look at my daughters every day and that says it all for me.

I'm not telling you any of this to scare you as far as how BF can be. For some it can be a long road of frustration, etc until they see the light and for others it's smooth sailing the moment their baby latches on for the first time. It's the luck of the draw and that's just how it goes. I'm telling you this to let you know that all your feelings NOW and any future ones are normal and only you and your child can make the decision to start, continue and end such a personal relationship. I believe knowing ahead of time of the potholes you may encounter down the road can help you be more successful with your journey.

and good luck. Please let me know at any time if you have any questions or just need someone to vent about anything.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I think it's normal to feel a bit scared or nervous, because IMO (and I've read this), BF is a learned skill. It's very natural of course, and completey a natural instinct for a baby to root for the breast, but just because you're a female and have boobs, you don't automatically know how to do it, kwim? It takes practice. But I'll tell you this, just like you may feel nervous to even hold a newborn, once it's your OWN, everything seems so much easier! I didn't even know how to hold a newborn before having Wil, but it just clicks as soon as the nurse puts that baby in your arms. BF may go the same way for you! And if not, there is a lot of help out there, so don't hesitate to ask! You'll be fine!

holley79 replied: Jessica I would have never thought in a million and a half years I would BF. I have been going strong for a little over 5 months now. If you have a good LC and a supportive SO it's just flows from there. Make sure you take in plenty of fluids.