Susan: BF is not that scary as it seems. =) Honestly it is about getting the baby to latch on well and go from there. Take a lot of fish, I think that helps with milk production and if u find it tiring to feed sitting up, you can get a special cushion to help. I remember (and this is all a little hazy becoz it has been 8 years) that around the end of third month, I was feeding Kae by lying on the bed on the side. The tricky thing is, as Princess Diamond pointed out also, when they start having teeth- they can nibble- esp when they fall asleep once feeding, they can really clamp down hard. ^.^" I kinda got used to it, I'd massage Kae's jaw and rescue my tit from his ivories. =)
To be honest, feeding directly is really better than pumping and storing if you can afford the time because when u feed from the breast, the first part of the feed quenches the thirst and later on the baby gets the cream and the fat which is the best part of the milk. Pumping and storing might not get you to that part of the milk because the body identifies what to do when the baby suckles. It is all very wonderful. In fact, your body knows instinctively when it is the baby's feeding time.
Also note- if your first feed is on the left side, next feed will be on the right side. Don't switch from left to right in one feed.
Because Kae BF for 3 years, he hardly had stomachaches, colic, etc. The BM is very good for their stomach. He was really healthy compared to the child a friend of mine who was on formula and had to see the doc a lot.
BF is a great way to bond with the kid. Kae and I got very close over those times and he is 8 but we are still very close. =)
Kae never took to the bottle or pacifier and we saved a lot of cash on buying formula milk and bottles and sterillisers, etc etc etc.
I remember really sweet moments where Kae would be feeding, look up at me because I purposely made a funny face to humour him, giggle and continue feeding.
Another memory- Kae slept on the same bed as us then. When he was able to crawl and all, he would automatically latch on and feed when it was time. He never woke me up very much. I would be lying on my side and he would "root", find the nipple and feed. Lol. He was quite an amazing feeder in that way. (^.^)V
