Breast is best?

We only just made our NCT class without being late. Turns out Kedgeree takes slightly longer to make than we envisaged (although it was lovely- Yorkshire farm shop smoked kippers - yum and great omega 3 for our developing baby).

Turns out 2.5 hours of breastfeeding is a pretty long time and by the last half hour I really was ready to go. On the whole it was an o.k session. G Kisby remained positive and even showed an interest in knowing where the 'knitted' breast we used for a demo came from. It is probably just me / us but I can't help but want to give some advice on what good facilitation looks like and bring these sessions a bit more up to date. The doll looked about 20 years old and flip charting in groups appears to be the only 'activity'. All this taking place in a slightly cold church hall on plastic chairs means I often feel I have regressed to the early 90's.

Mmmm, my lovely husband has just brought me a large glass of mulled fruit punch as I lounge on the sofa wearing my comfiest maternity leggings and a huge chunky knit.

Anyhow, we did learn something. We were given a pack showing all the benefits to breast feeding as long as possible (something we didn't need to be sold on but good to reaffirm). We also talked through best positions to feed and how best to get the baby to feed for the first time. I thought you had to literally pick up a boob and shove it in, apparently not.
Interestingly if you placed a baby on your tummy straight after birth it would wriggle, using its instincts to get to your boob within an hour. Apparently the best way to start is using that position, you laid slightly back with the baby vertical lying onto you, waiting for the baby to start rooting then it will latch on. It was also reassuring to know that 98% of women can breastfeed, physically, if they choose to.
We were given lots of numbers and contact details for if we need support, but I think it is also imp to note that every baby is different and it may be completely straightforward or a bit of an ordeal but that it is worth sticking with, which we do plan to.

One thing I had completely not seen coming was how often they feed at first. So I am thinking, up once in the night, twice max. Quick go on a boob then back to sleep. I had fully planned to go to our friends 30th birthday parties (both of which happen within a few weeks of our due date) and to get expressing into a bottle asap so I can drink occasionally and get Gaz onto the night feeds.
Apparently this is slightly optimistic (although Gaz is of the thinking that naivety, sorry optimism, is always preferable).
For the first 6 weeks they recommend no expressing since during this time you establish your 'flow' and quantity of milk. Also, it may well be every 2 hours at first. Wo man. How am I supposed to get out and about with those facts looming? On a positive, you can drink 3 times the legal drink drive limit and still breastfeed without it harming the baby - result. Considering I won't have really drank for 9 months I kind of feel twice the legal drink driving limit may have me on the floor?

Anyhow, Mum then arrived to stay for a few nights so it was a quick drive home after I had left a considerable amount of feedback on the form at the end.
Always a pleasure having the Granny over, it even allowed us to justify a Thursday night curry which was great (and involved a toilet trip for me even before we had left the building - I'm not wasting money on milk of magnesia anymore, curry is clearly the answer).

Bring on the weekend...