New...Have A lot of Questions

[shardae]

Hi my name is Shardae and I am 6 months pregnant I decided to breastfeed my daughter. No one that I know has ever breastfed so all the information you can give me will be great! I have started reading books and will attend a breastfeeding class next month but I still have a lot of questions. What is the best birth control method while breastfeeding? How soon do you start it? I was leaning more towards the Mirena IUC. Is there any preparation i do while I am pregnant to prepare for breastfeeding? How do you know when the baby has had enough? How do you know when to switch breasts and do you even have to switch at each feeding? When I return to work I will use a breastpump I guess it is suggested to pump every 3 hours, I have an 8 hr shift so I guess I will pump twice...how many much do I pump is there a minimum? How long should you breastfeed(at what age)?

[KerryS]

Welcome!

Birth control - the Mirena is a good method, but I would wait until your milk supply is well-established (6-8 weeks) and you know that you don't have any problems with low or marginal milk supply. There are anecdotal stories of Mirena affecting milk supply, although it's not a problem for most women.

You do not need to do anything to prepare for breastfeeding.

All the mechanical information about breastfeeding, you should be able to learn by reading a few good books. I would recommend "The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers" by Jack Newman and "So That's What They're For" by Janet Tamaro.

If you work an 8-hour shift, I would recommend pumping at LEAST twice. If you can get a third session in there, that would be even better. When I worked an 8-4:30 job, I would pump at my morning and afternoon breaks (10 and 3) as well as at my lunch break.

How long you breastfeed is up to you and your baby. Most organizations recommend breastfeeding for at least 1-2 years, and then for as long after as the mom and child want to continue. Many women choose to continue breastfeeding for 3 to 4 years, or even longer.

[Jmom1010]

Kerry pretty much covered it all. You may want to see what kind of lacation services your area has too, that way you can have someone in mind if you run into trouble early on.

[SingingMom]

The baby will know when he has had enough. You just feed him when he makes a peep and you will be fine. It gets trickier when you have to go to work, but come on back here and we'll help you get the pumping going- but you really don't have to worry about that right off. Are you going to have at least some maternity leave?

All you have to do to get started is nurse that baby. As soon as possible after birth, nurse that baby! And then nurse him (or her) again as often as the baby looks or sounds even slightly interested. Don't worry if the baby doesn't seem to be getting much. They don't need much for the first couple of days and can be sleepy- but the more you nurse, the easier it will be for you both to learn how and to establish a good supply. Also, nursing frequently seems to help reduce engorgement. Don't worry about it, just nurse.

Many hospitals have nurses with some breastfeeding experience, and, better yet, there may be a Lactation Consultant who can come by and check for problems and give you tips.

You can also look for a La Leche League meeting in your area. Going to a breastfeeding class is a great way to get started. You could also find yourself a tube of Lanolin cream and try out nursing pillows, although everyone doesn't like them. Decide for yourself; you can get by perfectly well with a couple of plain old pillows.