Lactation consultant appointment

[jellybean88]

Last time I couldn't bf ds because I was too unwell and he was sleepy from pethadine, jaundice and bsl oh and the midwives were all so rough and inconsistent

This time I am planning to antenatally express to give me a better chance and because of my high bsl

Tomorrow I will be seeing the hospital LC about antenatally expressing but are there any other things I should ask while I'm there? My breasts & nipples are fine the only thing that concerns me is getting bad PND again and feeling that I won't be able to escape baby If i need to like I could when ff , I'm really sitting on the fence as far as commitment because I'm scared of failing

[Amity]

Have you thought about placenta encapsulation to try and avoid PND?

[jellybean88]

Yeah I did and really want to but unfortunately can't afford it

[Amity]

What about freezing it and putting it into shakes?

[jellybean88]

I don't think I could handle that I don't really drink shakes either

[onthefly]

Sometimes people just freeze tiny little chunks that can be swallowed whole (so you don't taste it at all, apparently). Perhaps someone else could cut a bit of it up for you and pop it in the freezer?

Hope your appointment goes well. Take care

[jellybean88]

I don't think I could handle frozen or in shakes :s

[HotI]

Breastfeeding doesn't have to be all or nothing. If you want to breastfeed but also need to know you can give formula if you need a break, build that into your plan as one of your options. Good luck with your appt tomorrow.

The analytical armadillo recently wrote an article you might find interesting Analytical Armadillo - The Booby Whisperer: Starting Formula Doesn't Have To Mean Stopping Breastfeeding...

[jellybean88]

Thanks that's a great article I was thinking about that but I didn't know if it would make my supply drop I guess I can ask the LC the tomorrow

[Eenee]

I encapsulated mine myself, you could do that? Otherwise an investment worth paying for as for eg if you had to go on antidepressants and use formula those costs would end up equalling more anyway.

Good luck, putting stuff in place now will help you to be on the right track with breastfeeding.

[BellyBelly]

Ive heard women buying the capsule equipment from ebay for encapsulation. You could do it yourself, I believe they can be dehydrated in the oven or you can buy a dehydrator.

[~TT40~]

you can cut it up into little frozen bits and take the bits like a tablet.

It sounds like you have set yourself up well already. AN expressing and seeing a LC AN are fantastic starts. Another option for you is to continue expressing, so if you do feel you can't escape, someone else can give a bottle, but have it a bottle of EBM not formula.
good luck!!

[Eenee]

Or even put the frozen bits inside a capsule (you can get the empty capsules at the chemist)

[RhiChiChi]

I think discussing a thE hurdles you hit with your first time bf will help immensely. Also, don't put too much pressure on an all or nothing thing when trying to establish bf. I was determined to bf the second time around but if that meant my emotional wellbeing was going to be compromised then I wasn't going to continue. I also knew realisatically that it can take up to 6 weeks for it all to even out. So firstly I wanted to feed for longer than I did the first time then I took one day, then one week at a time and hounded that LC and the ABA when I felt I needed it, which was almost every day. So make sure you keep asking for help when you need it.

[jellybean88]

Thanks I can't swallow tabs anyway,
I will try to do a minimum of 6 weeks and ill try be flexible I think I'll see if I can use the same LC after as well .
I'm unsure to let the middys "help" they were more harm than good last time, I will be in hosp a min of 4 days so won't have visitors and try figure as much as I can out before I'm back home looking after ds as well

[Barb Glare]

Hi
It does sound like you are being much more proactive this time. I wondered if you knew that breastfeeding protects against PND? ABA have a great booklet on PND and breastfeeding. We all wish there were things we’d known and things we’d done with our first. You can’t know what you don’t know, but knowledge is power. You have a very amazing aBA group up your way - see if you can get to one of their Breastfeeding Classes. There’s no failure in breastfeeding - that’s the cool part about it. it’s something you do for you and your baby. There’s no one right way, and no gold star for doing it a certain way, but the feeling you get from doing it is great. It’s worth getting as much info as you can about it and giving it a red hot go

[jellybean88]

Definitely I just assumed it would work last time its silly but I didn't have contact with other breastfeeding mothers so didn't know it could be so hard

I've been wanting to join an aba group but I'm so shy I haven't worked up the courage to do it yet but I do need to do it ds is very all or nothing as well so I want to feel supported if I do a bit of both if 100% bf doesn't work out

[Barb Glare]

Those ABA on the Gold Coast are *gorgeous* - give them a go! Join on the internet and then give the GL a call.