going great, but how do i keep it going strong??

ok, now bub is here, YES she is a boobie muncher!!
but the BIG question is... what can i do and how long can i keep it up for?

bit of back-ground with the other 3, seth, was going great untill 3 months, it just didnt seem to be enough, after 2 or so weeks of being up feeding for 2 hours straight every feed, i had to give up, not only was it phisicaly draining, but emotionaly aswell, every feed i would end up in tears as he would still want more but be to tired he HAD to stop to sleep. he was put on formula at 3.5 months.
Trent, only got to feed him for 6 weeks, i ended up having to have my gall-bladder removed and was hocked up on so many pain killers and in hospital for a week straight there was no choice but to put him on formula.
krystal, went prety much the same as seth, only i managed 4 months befor finaly giving up again, it just wasnt enough.

if i can make it to 6 months, then i will be very happy! but will i be able to last that long?
i am worried that as much as it is going great, that i just ont be enough once she hits 3 months and will end up on formula, not that its a bad thing, but i realy would love to keep it up aslong as possible, is there anything i can do now while we are going good to keep it that way in the future?

i should add i am hopeless at expressing and realy cant do it!

I didn't realise your DD had arrived - congratulations!! She's a cutie in that pic too :)

I'm sure there are many more experienced women that will come in with advice, but all I can say is have faith in your milk and your boobs and your bub! Sounds like you're off to a fantastic start and I'm sure it will continue that way. I hear you on the 3 months crazy feeding mark, we went through it and it was so exhausting, and I got so close to trying something else but we got through it in the end (after many many tears and taking it one feed at a time)

I hated expressing and all it did was stress me out as I could never get much, so I just kept on believing that I had enough milk and let DD lead the way. You will do a terrific job I'm sure :)

oh wow congratulations i didnt realise your little one was here! I have no advice just wanted to say congrats :D

Congrats on the arrival of your baby girl :cheer:

Like Human Bean said, you definitely need to have faith in your boobies and your body's ability to nourish your bubba. It's so hard when we never really know just how much milk your little one is actually taking.

Give yourself a big pat on the back for feeding this far, and for wanting to get to at least 6 months. My advice, take each day at a time, and have small goals. With my DD, I aimed for 6 weeks, then 12 weeks, then 6 months, then 12 months, and we're still feeding now. I think wanting to breast feed is a big part of succeeding. It can be so difficult at times, and if it's something you are not really committed to, then it is so easy to give up.

So in terms of what can you do to help go the distance. Well from what you have said, perhaps co sleeping could work well for you, so your DD could have access to your boobies whilst you are still able to sleep. Perhaps you have comfort suckers, so maybe a dummy could work. Remember as well that your milk is all baby needs for the first 6 months, it is enough, just have some faith. As you are worried about this, maybe ensure that you are having a healthy diet and vitamins if you need. If you are worried about your supply, there are natural herbs you can take, or lactation cookies, and even acupuncture is a great boost.

Good luck hun, I wish much luck and success on your breast feeding journey :hug:

Congratulations on your new little one!

Ah, the 3 month mark! It's really easy to lose faith in yourself and your boobies. Aside from frequent feeding (unfortunately, 2 hourly is not unusual at all), were there any other issues or indications that your supply was insufficient? The best thing to watch is nappies - lots of wet ones means they're getting enough milk, regardless of their feeding behaviour.
If expressing doesn't work for you then don't worry about it.
Usually, once we're up and running, then the system works well. If you keep feeding her as she demands then you should make enough milk for her.

It's great to hear things are going well for you right now. Maybe have a think about what sorts of things might have made it easier for you to continue in the past - more help around home or with your older children, for eg, or co-sleeping if you weren't already.

You have had a lot going on there with your others. No wonder you are worried even though things are going so well at the moment.

I agree with MadB that the 3 month behaviour you have talked about is totally normal and not a sign in itself that there was anything wrong with your supply. If you have time, search through a few months worth of posts on here - you will find lots of posts from mums at the 3 - 4 month mark worried about their supply and/or frequent feeding. There is so much happening at that age - for one thing your supply has settled down to meet demand and you no longer feel full between feeds. It is a common time for a wonder week - a time when the baby's brain is going through a period of rapid development and they seem to need to feed extra often for a few days to fuel this. And as if that's not enough, it's also a time when babies often start to become more aware of what's going on around them and seem too distracted to feed a lot of the time. Luckily they also become efficient suckers too so can get a lot of milk in just a few minutes. All of this is normal and passes.

I know you can do it hun - the best thing you can do is know where to go for support if you need it. We are always here to cheer you on, and there is also the 24 hour ABA helpline - 1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 2 686, drop the last 6 for VOIP). Keep up the great work!!

I think that for you it's incredibly important to remember that you don't have to stop breastfeeding to add in a bit of formula.
If you need a bit of a break at 12 weeks then give bub a formula bottle before you go to sleep for a few nights - but the rest of the time give as much boob as you can - don't stop breastfeeding, just add in a bit extra. And when you're not quite as zonked, take the bottle feed away.
You may also need to get the hang of feeding lying down - that way you can survive the feeding frenzy by dozing while bub sucks!
You can do this - and it looks like bub is going to help!

Thank you all for your support and advice!!
yes i am worried about not being able to keep up with her, i was very upset when i felt i wasnt enough for the elder kids, sort of a feeling of failure, even thou i know it wasnt.
i have a feeling she may enjoy some comfort sucking, she wasnt keen on the laydown feeds, but the last few nights daddy has taken over, and if she wants a feed she had to get use to it! but i woke up each time to her still attached at 7 am! (from df putting her on at 2-3am)

i realy have to enjoy it while it is working, and trust we can both do it!! thank you all for the reasurance!!