Hi girls,

I am wanting to breastfeed but i am wondering what to get. Are you girls getting some formula in and bottles etc just in case? I have been looking at sterilisers and didnt know whether to get this one with breast pump and everything but don't know if i can be bothered with expressing or whether to wait until baby is born and if i want to express at all i can go out and get one. what do you guys think?

xx

I am hoping to but we'll see how it goes. I have bought bottles and a breast pump for expressing so hubby can feed her too. We bought a cold water steriliser as I dont fancy the other ones.

We will be buying some formula just in case, I dont want to pressure myself if it doesnt go according to plan. I got all my bits during the asda event and it was cheaper than getting them full price. xxx

yeah thats what i am thinking, i am going to asda baby event next week so will stock up on some supplies then!!x

I have just ordered the Tommy Tippee closer to nature kit - which has bottles, steriliser, breast pump, breast pads, teats etc etc for ??59 in Kiddicare. I figure I will be prepared then in case something happens and I can't breast feed.

I am going to try breastfeeding. I have still bought all the sterilisers, bottles, breast pump etc, just inc ase. I figure even if breastfeedng goes well I will switch to bottles at some point and so the money is not wasted.

As Stace25 said the TT starter kits are great, the one on Kiddicare includes a breast pump otherwise Mothercare have a slightly different one which comes with a bottle warmer and travel steriliser - it is also on sale at the moment for ??66.

Hey Bootmaker,

I just wanted to let you know about my experience last year when I had Lo and so with that in mind I will do things very differently this year when #2 arrives in Nov.

I ended up with an EMCS (really not as bad as everyone thinks (for me anyway) for anyone that is worried about the possibility) anyway I ended up with an infection in the wound and had to have a cocktail of antibiotics. As a consequence I wasn't allowed to breastfeed until I could give up the medication. I was desperate to BF so kept expressing everytime Lo had a bottle. I tried with a hand pump but it was such hard work and took forever. Lucily a friend lent me her electric one to try and it was amazing in about 10-15 mins I was finished and ready to carry on with my day.
I had already chosen before I gave birth that I would express and so had bottles in ready along with a steriliser. (I have the Tommee tippee range which I find fab) Lo had awful colic and we tried everything and in the end it was the Tommee Tippee Anti colic bottles that worked a treat but every baby is different.

Basically for this time I have invested in a breast pump ( tommee tippee again which is in the asda baby event next week for half price) I've got new anti colic bottles (my thought is if baby doesn't have colic I've lost nothing but if baby does then Im one step ahead and won't be wasting money on loads of bottles that I can't use like i did last time) I will have formula in (just one box) it could well be a waste of ??9 but then on the other hand last time it was a relief to have it in as the last thing you want to do is be rushing to the shops to buy stuff. Everyone is different but I was delirious for the first few days from tiredness (in a good way) I couldn't stop staring at my little bundle all day and night but couldn't think straight so having it all at hand was fab.
Get loads of nipple cream - I don't care what the professionals say about BF not hurting - for the first few days it gets some getting used too and if baby latches even a little bit wrong it can sting so get it in. I also got some breast soother things that can either be put in the fridge to be cold or hot water to be warm and they are amazing it can be such a huge relief.

Lastly get tonnes of breast pads - I leaked like a tap non stop and these are a life saver trust me.

Hope that helps - if it sounds negative I don't mean it too. Its a awesome experience. I very nearly refused to BF but the minute he was born I just knew I wanted to and it was the most lovely bonding I have ever had.

xxxx

I bf with dd but still bought bottles formula breast pump just in case I started expressing when she was 4 weeks & hubby used to give her the last bottle of the night so i went to bed earlier,I think its worth getting stuff in just in case & have done again for this baby xo

Ok thanks so much for all your advice!just went to have a look at mothercare and the offers have gone!!!!ASDA next week for me!Really feel so clueless about all this ababy stuff.xx

I plan to BF, we have a cold water steriliser like Rosemary, I have 6 TT CTN bottles, a breast pump & breast pads. I am also going to invest in some breast shells to catch milk when my boobs leak & some nipple shields just incase my nipples get sore when feeding.

At the moment I am not planning on buying formula beforehand, I dont want to give up to easily if I have problems to start with but I know I will have family & friends on hand to go & get some if it really is needed. xx

ive planned on BF but if i cant i have steriliser and bottles all ready as i done same with my dd. i have a avent steam steriliser with TT bottles im planning on getting a new breast pump as the one i have atm is manual and im not that keen on it so going to get an electric one. im planning on getting one carton of aptamil formula which i used for my dd aswell nearer to the birth x x

Thanks for the great advice Mini Moo, I just have an electric breats pump & bottles, so hubby could share the feeding experience & was going to use Milton to sterilise, but it never occurred to me that getting formula as a stand by may be beneficial, nor had I heard of breast soothers, they sound like a godsend. xx

Ive got a steam steriliser and a medela breast pump will purchase the Medela bottle that the baby whisperer recomended as its better for combining breast feeding and bottle as it requires the baby to suck. Think i buy some aptamil milk aswell just incase but the plan is if he wont latch on at least i can pump and if he latches on well then i can express around 6 wks for hubs to help xx

I'm planning to breast feed and been recoommeded to get an electric pump so OH (and anyone else I can rope in) can feed lo - allowing me to sleep etc! If I struggle with BF - then at least I can express and feed that way.

I had a TT manual pump to start with, which you can usually get on offer somewhere (I got mine subscribing to baby mag at the baby show).

We also had bottles and a couple of cartons of the ready made milk. My milk was quite slow to come in, so mw recommended topping up with forumla for 2 days so it was handy to have some formula to hand.

I later got the Medulla swing and its brill.

I'm going to breast feed i did with my Daughter right up until she was 1 year old.. Only just got them back they where like golf balls in socks by the time she had finished.

With my Daughter i didn't buy any bottles just a breast pump and some breast pads as i thought if i had bottles in i may well switch to formula which i didn't want.

Any way this time ha ha ha I'm more prepared i have bought... Breast pump and a few bottles which where on offer at Mothercare. Some breast cooling pads which you put in your bra highly recommend these and some nipple cream.

I was told going back 5 years not to use Nipple cream as it can put baby off milk and to avoid Nipple shields too. However 2nd time around I'm doing it my way ha ha ha and crossing my fingers baby latches like my daughter did.