I currently only have 6 more weeks to go until Dakota Carrie Anne makes her grand appearance into this world, so I figured it would be a good idea for me to get some advice from people who have already done this or who are doing it. I'm only 19 years old, I have a decent job for someone my age, great support system, my own car, and a little bit of savings. I'm not with the baby's father, and that is another whole long story that I'm not going to get into unless someone is interested in knowing. I am seeing someone else, yes, he knows I'm pregnant (not that you can really hide it). He's a great guy and I really don't want to lose him.
I do plan on breast feeding and no one in my family has ever done it so tips on that will be greatly appreciated. If someone could also give me a way to save money on anything baby related. I pretty much have all of the big stuff that I need (crib, stroller, carseat, etc.). I just really wouldn't mind if you guys could give me some words of wisdom or something.
Thanks,
Sarah
First hello and welcome. Second congrats. I am Jessica and I am 23. My daughter will be 3 this November. Her name is Lorelai. I have no advice on Bfing or saving money on baby stuff. Bfing is already a huge save. You can always try cloth diapers if you want to save money.
Expect the unexpected as far as the birth. Be aware of all possibilities as far as birth so you won't be scared of disappointed if things don't go as planned.
It really great you are going to breastfeed! You need to know that health professionals (OB and pediatricians especially) don't know much if anything about breastfeeding or the breastfed baby. They may give you poor advice and despite good intention may unintentionally sabatage your breastfeeding relationship. Always check reputable sources before following their advice (Kellymom.com and the breastfeeding moms group are great resources!)
So to get you on your journey nurse as soon as possible after birth, ideally in the first hour. Encourage baby to open their mouth wide by touching your nipple to their lips. Once open pull baby into you quickly. You want the nipple and 1 inch of areola in babies mouth. When baby sucks it should not be painful if latched correctly, you should feel a gentle tugging sensation.
Baby will nurse almost constantly in the beginning to bring in your milk which can take up to 6 days, but baby only needs colostrum until then. No supplements! Trust your body. You both are learning so don't worry if you don't get it right away.
Baby will lose weight, up to 10%(12% if you have IV fluids us normal.) Nurse frequently and by 2-4 weeks baby should be back to birth weight.
To know if baby is getting enough:
Diaper count, Day 1-1 diaper, Day 2-2 diapers, etc... You want a increase of 1 diaper for each day of life until day 6 when you look for 6+ diapers. A poopy diaper=2 diapers.
Weight gain, baby should gain about 1 pound a month.
Good luck to you!
Thank you so much for all of the tips, I am seeing a breast feeding counselor since I don't know how aware my doctor is about breast feeding since she has never had a baby of her own. How do you know when your milk comes in? And the diaper thing definately helps me so much! Thank you. :)
Congrats! I am 18 with a 5 week old son who I had at home. I too have a great support system but the baby's father is involved. I totally recommend breast feeding. It is really hard at first, but since you don't have anyone around you who has done it before you should look into finding a class that could help. Search for local La Leche League meetings near you and contact the leader and see if they could help! Getting a good latch is very important in the beginning, if you don't get a good latch it could hurt really bad. It hurt a lot for me at first but I just kept thinking that this is whats best for the baby, and its FREE! I had a hard time because I felt like my son wanted to eat all the time, which he did. But thats completely normal, they have to build up your milk supply a lot in the beginning so it can be sort of difficult. Please feel free to message me if you want more advice! I've got a lot of knowledge and help with this sort of stuff and I'd be glad to help you out :)
Welcome to the group and congrats! My name is Innocence, I'm 20, married 2 years, and have two kids, a 4 year old son and an almost 2 year old son, I am also pregnant with boy/girl twins, due January 7th. I'm currently nursing my almost 2 year old, and I suggest that you read as much as you can about breastfeeding and look into a lactation consultant, they are very helpful. Check out the breastfeeding group on here, they are pretty awesome with advice and resources. Good luck!
opinions please :)
Do you smoke?
- Sarah.Parrish92
on Jul. 6, 2012 at 11:07 AM