First time breastfeeding/expressing

Hi! I am pregnant with my second and for a list of reasons, I want to try breastfeeding and expressing so that my husband can bond and feed baby. My first was exclusively formula fed because I wasn't comfortable with breastfeeding. I'm a little terrified and could use all the advise I can get with how people found breastfeeding and expressing if I may! Thanks in advance
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I’m 4 months postpartum and have been EBF my little girl since birth. She takes one bottle of expressed milk a day which her daddy feeds her. Breastfeeding is one of the most challenging yet rewarding things I’ve ever done. Please try and be kind to yourself at the beginning as it can be a challenge. It’s a new skill that you and the baby both have to learn. I found a haakaa pump so handy during the first few weeks as I used it to relieve myself of any engorgement and to collect milk on one side whilst the baby was feeding on the other. This can cause an oversupply but it didn’t for me. Please lean on your midwives and ask for all the help you can get from them and your health visitor in regard to breastfeeding, they were a godsend for me. Try all the different BF positions until you find one which works best for you (this took me a few weeks). Just take it one day at a time and eventually it will become second nature to you and your baby. Good luck!

Thank you so much! This is nice to hear, I'll have a look at the haakaa pump like you said

Definitely recommend starting with a haakaa! It’s not advised to pump until your supply regulates around 6 weeks because you can cause an oversupply but a haakaa should collect lots for those first 6 weeks since you’ll usually start off with an oversupply anyway until your body learns how much to make! Just remember to pump for the missed feeds so your supply doesn’t decrease and pace feed the bottles so baby doesn’t develop a fast flow preference

Oh I didn't know that! I'm new to all things breastfeeding. Thank you!

If you desire to breastfeed, I always encourage taking a class. Most issues with breastfeeding can be solved if you know what to do from the go but when you don’t know what you’re doing, many end up sabotaging not knowing. Look up the golden hour and how vital it is the breastfeed within the first hour of birth. Breastfeeding is on demand, not every few hrs. Breastfeeding is VERY demanding, so is pumping so it’s important you understand the demand. It’s not like formula where baby stays full a few hours. Breastmilk is very light and digests very fast so it will feel like your breastfeeeding non stop especially during cluster feeding. Things to research: Cluster feeding Flange size for pumping Nutrient dense diet Importance of sleep for breastfeeding Breastmilk storage Deep latch The various uses of breastmilk Hindmilk and foremilk Have a lactation consultant on standby

Thank you, I'll definitely look into everything you suggested. I didn't get the golden hour with my first so I'm hoping I get it this time!!

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