[DeeEast]

My next door neighbor, who never BFed, told me this weekend that one of her good friends is pregnant and wanting to breastfeed. Now I have successfully breastfed my singleton and my twins (still BFing the twins riight now as matter of fact), but it was most definitey not easy for me.

How much of the truth, i.e. nipple pain, etc. do I tell this woman to encourage her, yet not discourage her?

 

[lactivist]

I would point her in the direction of unbiased resources such as LLL, Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Dr. Sears books etc etc. I would keep your personal breastfeeding challenges to a minimum unless she specifically asks you how it went for you. Breastfeeding often goes really well with no pain and no trouble, no reason it won't for her. If it doesn't having resources and support available is the best solution.
Wendi

 

[chickieleighc]

I am generally pretty vague about the difficulties common in the first weeks of nursing. I tell people, "It was pretty hard for the first weeks, while we were both still learning, but now I can't imagine doing anything else. It's so easy!" I usually mention how easy it is to feed him in the middle of the night. "I hardly even wake up -- I just roll over, and he's fed!" Sending her in LLL's direction would be a great idea. I went to a meeting toward the end of my pregnancy, and it was a great experience.

 

[*clementine*]

I think the only reason I was able to stick with breastfeeding so easily was because my sisters had told me everything to expect. When my nipples bled I just remembered them telling me how awful it was for them too and that it only lasted a week. I think knowing everything really did help me. I was really commited to bf though and I know some people aren't....so in that case I don't know.

 

[Music-mommy]

I think if you focus on the nutritional aspects and other beneficial aspects of BF, find her some resources that is far better than talking about how it feels or how hard it is for the mother.

Talk about how much healthier BF children are, how they have natural immunity, bond better to their mothers, are quieter more content, etc.... there's tons of info on the LLL website.

Tell her to get the book "The womanly art of Breastfeeding"...

 

[Benji'sMom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeEast My next door neighbor, who never BFed, told me this weekend that one of her good friends is pregnant and wanting to breastfeed. Now I have successfully breastfed my singleton and my twins (still BFing the twins riight now as matter of fact), but it was most definitey not easy for me. How much of the truth, i.e. nipple pain, etc. do I tell this woman to encourage her, yet not discourage her?

"Some soreness is normal because baby's breastfeed so often, but real pain is a sign of bad latch which can be corrected." That way she knows that it's not supposed to hurt, like so many people mistakenly believe, and if it does hurt there are ways to fix it. Honestly I had some blisters for maybe 2 weeks with my first and no problems at all with my second, so it's not like everyone is going to have a HORRIBLE time, even in the beginning. So I guess there really is no "truth" about pain, experiences can be so different.

 

[zinemama]

For the love of God, keep her away from The Womanly Art! Maybe it's just me, but when I was having a rough time, that book got on my last nerve.

I would pass along a copy of Janet Tomaso's "So That's What They're For" (rev. 3rd ed.). It is the perfect book for someone who has never really thought much about breastfeeding yea or nay. It takes a humorous, but informative approach, does not shy away from the fact that there may be difficulties at first, and makes it all seem very normal.