2nd baby, 1st time breastfeeding!

[Pixel]

Hi ladies I'm new (well, returning) to BnB. I have a few questions to ask, and figured this is the place...

First off, I'd like to say, I didn't breastfeed my son (3 years old now). At all. I had a very long labour (48 hours +) with lots of medications, epistomy, ventouse, tear, haemoriged (sp?) blood transfusions, etc and by the end of it all (this is going to sound so horrible) I was too exhausted to even hold my son. I was already scared about BF as I had nobody around me that had done it. My mum bottlefed all 4 of me and bro/sisters, I only had a couple of 'mummy friends' and they'd all bottlefed from the word go, so to me, BF was alien, and I had no idea where to start. I was 18 with my DS and lived in a house with lots of people, stepdad, brother, OH, uncle...etc (another reason I was so reluctant to BF) but this time around I have my own house, and the determination to do it right this time.

So I'm pregnant with #2 (18 weeks) and I really want to BF this time around.

Ok so background check out the way... I just want some advice. What do I need to buy? How long are feeds in the beginning? Is there anyone with an extremely attention demanding child that BF's their 2nd? One of my biggest worries is spending every waking minute BFing and my son missing out on time with me. How often does LO feed? Does it hurt?

Hope this makes sense. Any replies would be greatly appriciated...x

 

[history_girls]

I'm not a bf expert but was in a very similar position to you. DD1 was ff from day 3, I had a 5 day induction / labour experience, totally exhausted, had no antenatal classes. All my family ff babies and I knew no one who bf. I just thought it would be easy to bf. DD1 was one month short of 4 when DD2 was born.

I think the most important thing I did to prepare was to educate myself. I googled bf, read this forum once a week to see what problems might occur, solutions etc... This way when the baby was born I knew a lot more about what to expect.

I also, even though I was determined to bf, was very pragmatic about it. If it worked brilliant, if it didn't never mind dd1 is healthy and happy.I set myself small goals, 4 days, 1 week, two weeks, six weeks, now I'm confident enough to aim for 6 months.

My dd1 was used to the world revolving around her so the baby - however she was fed was going to change that. I made her a special box (a storage file box wrapped up in sparkly paper) with loads of bits in it for her to do on her own or with me sitting on sofa when i had to feed the baby or the midwife was here. I only allowed her to play with the things when I was feeding so she looked forward to it. I put in stickers, colouring with new pens, a couple of new dvds, new reading books, a few cheap toys. She loved it. By week 5 she didnt need the box so much. She does have her 3 hours of free nursery every morning which really helps.

Length of feeds - first 3-4 weeks pretty constant in the evenings, then 40 minutes every two hours ish. Now she takes 15 minutes every 2-3 hours so a lot more managable. I can't believe how quickly time has flown.

Feeding has never hurt me, sometims sore when she had had a massive feeding session.

Hope that helps!

 

[kerrie24]

I am another who,at 17,chose not to bf my baby.

My other 2 I have bf so I will try to answer your questions.

In basic terms,you only need boobs to bf,breastpads are handy for leaks which can happen,most commonly in the first few weeks untill your supply meets babys needs.

Later on you might want a pump,some people dont,I was given one but it didnt work well for me tbh.You can also get things like bf covers,but I find them expensive and faffy,its easier not to bother.

I wont lie,bf has hurt me,in the beginning.Im talking up to 10-14 days,but some women dont experience any pain.Its something you have to wait and see really.You can take painkillers,use heat or cold pads or lansinoh cream for cracked nipples,they all help.Both of mine have been efficient feeders,10 minute feeds every 2-2.5 hours.Somewomen get babies who feed for an hour,but then some bottle fed babies are slow eaters too.

For your other child I would advise that you maybe have books,bubbles,activities you can do whilst feeding(once baby is latched on you only need one arm)
Have a snack and drink ready incase your 3yo asks while baby is feeding.
I find it much easier once you have the hang of it.My sister ff my 1yo niece and it takes so much faffing around,cleaning,preparation,carrying all your powder and water around,finding somewhere to heat bottles etc,as opposed to just lifting your top and feeding.Baby barely needs to cry cos you get to know their hunger que's and you are ready.

Come back if you need any more info,and good luck!

 

[Pixel]

I'm not a bf expert but was in a very similar position to you. DD1 was ff from day 3, I had a 5 day induction / labour experience, totally exhausted, had no antenatal classes. All my family ff babies and I knew no one who bf. I just thought it would be easy to bf. DD1 was one month short of 4 when DD2 was born.

I think the most important thing I did to prepare was to educate myself. I googled bf, read this forum once a week to see what problems might occur, solutions etc... This way when the baby was born I knew a lot more about what to expect.

I also, even though I was determined to bf, was very pragmatic about it. If it worked brilliant, if it didn't never mind dd1 is healthy and happy.I set myself small goals, 4 days, 1 week, two weeks, six weeks, now I'm confident enough to aim for 6 months.

My dd1 was used to the world revolving around her so the baby - however she was fed was going to change that. I made her a special box (a storage file box wrapped up in sparkly paper) with loads of bits in it for her to do on her own or with me sitting on sofa when i had to feed the baby or the midwife was here. I only allowed her to play with the things when I was feeding so she looked forward to it. I put in stickers, colouring with new pens, a couple of new dvds, new reading books, a few cheap toys. She loved it. By week 5 she didnt need the box so much. She does have her 3 hours of free nursery every morning which really helps.

Length of feeds - first 3-4 weeks pretty constant in the evenings, then 40 minutes every two hours ish. Now she takes 15 minutes every 2-3 hours so a lot more managable. I can't believe how quickly time has flown.

Feeding has never hurt me, sometims sore when she had had a massive feeding session.

Hope that helps!

That definitely helps, alot! Thank you for taking the time to reply I love the storage box idea! Going to give that a try myself. And I like the way you took the pressure off by reminding yourself your dd1 is happy and healthy. I need to start thinking that way rather than worrying.
Thank you again x

I am another who,at 17,chose not to bf my baby.

My other 2 I have bf so I will try to answer your questions.

In basic terms,you only need boobs to bf,breastpads are handy for leaks which can happen,most commonly in the first few weeks untill your supply meets babys needs.

Later on you might want a pump,some people dont,I was given one but it didnt work well for me tbh.You can also get things like bf covers,but I find them expensive and faffy,its easier not to bother.

I wont lie,bf has hurt me,in the beginning.Im talking up to 10-14 days,but some women dont experience any pain.Its something you have to wait and see really.You can take painkillers,use heat or cold pads or lansinoh cream for cracked nipples,they all help.Both of mine have been efficient feeders,10 minute feeds every 2-2.5 hours.Somewomen get babies who feed for an hour,but then some bottle fed babies are slow eaters too.

For your other child I would advise that you maybe have books,bubbles,activities you can do whilst feeding(once baby is latched on you only need one arm)
Have a snack and drink ready incase your 3yo asks while baby is feeding.
I find it much easier once you have the hang of it.My sister ff my 1yo niece and it takes so much faffing around,cleaning,preparation,carrying all your powder and water around,finding somewhere to heat bottles etc,as opposed to just lifting your top and feeding.Baby barely needs to cry cos you get to know their hunger que's and you are ready.

Come back if you need any more info,and good luck!

Thank you for the reply, I found it really helpful. I don't think I'll be buying a bump straight away as I plan to just use what I have Will make sure to stock up on breast pads and nipple cream too.

Good advice on having a snack and drinking ready for DS. He has a habit of suddenly wanting a fresh drink/biscuit everytime I sit down or start doing something, so can imagine him deciding he wants a drink when I start feeding #2 haha.

Thank you both again for the replies, that's helped answer some questions in my head about how long LO will feed for and what I need. I've ordered a BF book off amazon, hopefully that'll clue me up a bit more. But that's the main things I wanted to know about how it all works

x

 

[Pixel]

I don't think I'll be buying a bump straight away

Pump*

 

[Flake-y]

The best advice I can give is as soon as baby is born, get them on the breast straight away. Studies show that a delay between the baby being born & the first feed can be detrimental to successful breastfeeding. Then, get baby on the breast as often as possible after that. During the day, if baby is asleep & hasn't fed for 3 hours, wake them up & feed them. Overnight, let them go as long as they want. Although baby might want to cluster feed overnight for the first few days, mine did! The more the breasts are stimulated by baby feeding, the quicker your milk will come in & you'll establish a good milk supply.

You might find a bit of discomfort at first, especially when baby first latches on, but it shouldn't be painful throughout the whole feed. Might be a bit uncomfortable, but your nipples will toughen up quickly & it'll be no prob after a while.

Don't let anyone tell you you haven't got enough milk or there might be something wrong with the milk, that's rubbish. Low milk supply is rare & your milk is tailor made to suit your baby & it changes as your baby gets older so it's always got exactly what your baby needs.

My friend had a box of toys that she brought out for her oldest to play with when she was feeding the baby, that was the only time these toys came out so it kept her distracted while she fed!

As for feeding times, can be variable. An hour isn't abnormal, neither is 15 minutes. You might get days when baby wants to be on the boob all day, you might not. Everyone has different BF experiences!

Once you get the hang of it, it's so easy, you don't even have to get out your bed for night feeds! Hope it all goes well!