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I thought the same thing. But sometimes it is harder than you think. I believe going into it with compleate comfidence helps a lot. I had very few problems with b___stfeeding. The only thing that did cause problems was the soreness in the begining. I really thought about quitting. I have been doing it for three months now, and it is the most wonderful thing and it is no longer painful. Good Luck!!

It's only harder at the start, in no time it's a piece of cake. Also, I think part of why it's harder then is you worry more with nursing.

I think the most important thing is to be willing to stick with it. Also, get a lactation counselor at the first sign of trouble. The main problems are a bad latch (which causes nipple pain) and, like Mom2 said, that you worry more. Specifically, is baby getting enough to eat. As long as baby is growing, generally all is well. After the initial phase, though, it really is SO easy. Plus, some babies/moms never have any problems. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst (get a # for a lactation counselor and some lansinoh gel : ) Good luck. You can do it!

Like someone else said, it's only hard at the beginning. The first two weeks are the most challenging, the first few days is when most people give up. I had a wonderful lactation consultant who I went to see twice in the first couple days after I went home from the hospital. And even if you are latching on correctly, you will still be very sore at first most likely. Don't think just because you are sore you are doing it wrong, you might be or might not be. It's totally worth it to get through those first few days, because it's so good for baby and such a nice bonding experience. Good luck!

I got very sore, cracked nipples to begin with because my baby wasn't latching on properly. I had help from a b___st feeding counseller when he was 3 weeks old and it was simply down to my positioning. She showed me what I was doing wrong and we've had no problems since! You do have to be willing to perservere though, especially if you have a very hungry baby like mine who is feeding constantly!!! It's definately worth it though, I just kept reminding myself of all the benefits to him and me that b___st feeding gives. Goodluck.

So the milk doesn't come in for a few days? Is the Colostrum enough or will the baby be miserable the whole time?

Colostrum is meant to prepare a baby's digestive system for b___stmilk. Babies are born with extra fat to tide them over the first few days until the milk comes. All of baby's sucking should be at the b___st for at least the first month. Yes baby sucks a lot, but by doing so it ensures you will have a ample supply of milk.

I had flat nipples so my son would not latch on and screamed. Eventually we got it down and I'm glad I stuck with it.

It's hard at first, but just stick to it - also, trust your instincts. A lot of problems are caused by too many people interfering. I've been b___stfeeding for 3 months now, and it's a snap.

I was pretty must convinced I'd formula feed but once I tried b___stfeeding at the hospital I just loved it. Let me tell ya, I sometimes put b___stmilk in a bottle for the b/f to feed the baby and the time it takes just to warm it up she's already crying and it's sooooo easy to whip your b___b out and feed!!! Especially in bed when you're too tired to get up sometimes. Pumping isn't hard either. My biggest complaint is the soreness at first but I must admit it's not as BAD as everyone made it out to be. I never take tylenol or anything for it. Just sort of uncomfortable. Get a good nursing bra and some Lanolin cream and you'll be fine. Try wet cold cabbage leaves for soreness relief also or hot tea bags. I heard that helps. I sometimes feel like a 24 hour feeding machine but she's only 3 wks old and I was told it tapers off a bit as they get older. Pumping is easy too. Get a nice double pump to keep your milk supply up and freeze some of it so your hubby can bottle feed her. My daugher gets a bottle once in a while when he wants to feed her and she does fine with it. I got lucky too cus my daughter had no problems b___stfeeding or latching on like you hear about.

I would actually advise against the tea bags - I've heard that they can actually dry your nipples out, and make cracking issues worse. Also, if you're only going to pump occa__sionally, you don't need an expensive double pump; I rarely pump, so all I have is an Avent Isis manual; I pump one side and nurse the other, but only when I know I'll be away from my baby - like this week, I'm pumping, because I'm going away for the weekend (shopping in Paris, how exciting!) and leaving the baby with her dad.