breastfeeding after c-section?

[divershona]

I'm planning on breastfeeding after having my little boy via c-section, now i know that when you're in labour there is a hormone that's released that triggers your milk to come in, now that i won't be going into labour i'm concerned about how having the c-section will affect my ability to breastfeed.

i struggled to breastfeed my daughter after having her naturally, partly because i feel we were separated for so long after birth (almost 4 hours) and because of the lack of support in hospital and when i got home. I had a very low supply which ended up drying up and i felt like a failure for not being able to breastfeed.

has anyone got any tips on how it would be best to establish breastfeeding after c-section? and how to keep the milk supply up. I know that skin to skin is important and i will be doing that as soon as possible after he's born.

 

[Banshee]

I have breastfed both my boys after c sections. I guess the first bit of advice is to get started as soon as possible. With ds1 I had a general anaesthetic so we were a but delayed but with ds2 they were literally in the recovery room asking if I wanted to start feeding him. Personally I decided to wait til I had stopped wanting to be sick and my blood pressure had evened out (lol) but as soon as I was on the ward we had lots of skin to skin time and I started feeding him.
Don't be afraid to ask the hospital staff for help as well. With ds1 I was afraid to begin with and he'd been put in his bed and I couldn't even reach him to feed him without help! With ds2 I made sure that I just asked for help when I needed it.
Just let LO feed as often as they need to. Sometimes in the early days it feels like all you will do is feed but that's normal to establish supply.

 

[blinkava]

I would tell your doctor that you would like to have your baby with you in the recovery room so that you can establish breastfeeding and skin to skin.

The hospital where I delivered is very big on breastfeeding, so I didn't even have to tell them that I wanted my son with my in the recovery room, he was there waiting for me and I began breastfeeding right away.

Also pumping has helped me not only develop a milk stash but with my supply.

 

[AdriansMama]

No matter how you give birth it takes a couple days for your actual milk to come in so as long as you feed baby as often as they want your body will make more to keep up with the demand like pp said just make sure the doctors know you want baby to come in to the recovery room with you so you can breast feed asap it was just over an hour before I got to see my son but we still established breastfeeding very well so it is very possible

 

[Jarenk]

I'd make sure you state that you want to exclusively BF, that you do not allow anything other than sugar water if LO has low blood sugar, and that you want baby in the room with you. Do not be afraid to ask for help getting baby out of the bassinet. I was "naughty" (according to some nurses) because it was hard for me to get baby out so I left him in bed with me. I would sleep without my gown on so baby could feel my skin. After two days, my milk came in, full force, and he was born c-section. I am also a holstein, and the same thing happened with my first. Both were c-section.

good luck!! Just because you cannot BF does not make you a failure. Some women just cannot BF, for whatever reason. The only thing you can do is try and keep at it. Lanolin is your best friend!!

 

[chistiana]

Hi dont be afraid. I gave birth to my dd via emcs prematurely so not only did i not go through a normal vaginal birth but my dd was taken to the nicu and i didnt have her with me for 4 days. However about 3 hours after the section i started pumping like crazy. And even though she was too small to feed properly we ve been exclusively breast feeding for almost 10 month now! Just allow your baby to bf whenever he wants and stop worrying... Anxiety is really bad for your supply. And pump pump pump if you cant have him on your breast for whatever reason

 

[iwantabub]

Hi ladies... im also concerned about this aswell but my hospital is great with bfing...

Is there anything I can do before ds comes to help my milk come in once he arrives?

 

[Lil_Pixie]

My son wasn't interesting in feeding when he was born. He had a quick 5 min feed when he was about 4 hrs and that was it till he was about 12 hrs and he fed like a pro from day one. As pp said just make sure you feed whenever baby wants to for as long as he/she wants to and your body will build your supply. My milk didn't come in till day 4 and I had a big boy and everything was absolutely fine

 

[blinkava]

Hi ladies... im also concerned about this aswell but my hospital is great with bfing...

Is there anything I can do before ds comes to help my milk come in once he arrives?

There really isn't anything you can do before, I would really stress to your doctor that you want to exclusively breastfeed and you would like it if your baby was with you in recovery. Skin to skin is the most important part!

 

[Saki]

I wasnt able to have skin to skin with my son but the nurses here encouraged me to get the colostrum (which i think you make early in 3rd tri?) out of my breasts using basically a syringe but with the needle end cut off - i hope that makes sense! We didnt have access to a breast pump at that time & they said this method was better in the early days anyway.
My LO couldnt suck either (i later found out the pethidine injections they gave me for pain/sleep most likely affected his ability to latch because it can come out in the breast milk he was fed via tube) and for a couple of weeks i relied on pumping and giving formula at night because, basically i was bullied into it by mil who wailed 'he is starving!' at every oportunity. He wasnt btw, after the initial NORMAL weight loss he has been gaining steadily ever since. It was 2weeks later that i was in the hospital alone with LO (dh & mil had gone out to get formula-ha!) that my son managed to latch and drink well and has been ever since

So i guess my advice is persevere, pump or manual squeeze the colostrum out and dont give up if you dont want to. Make sure you get advice from those you trust and give your baby time to 'find you' and learn. And whatever happens, dont feel guilty if you dont get the perfect start you dream of, everything will work out
Good luck hun x

 

[starzz]

I pumped in the hospital and also used a 5french feeding tube on the breast with formula to supplement until my milk came in. Hospital also told me that helped for LO to associate breast with food
Good luck!

 

[marley2580]

To begin with, it is not a labour hormone that triggers your milk, but the release of the placenta. My best advice is to take your baby into the bed with you as soon as you're in recovery and lie on your side and let them find the nipple. the hardest thing about BF after a section (in my experience) is the whole picking them up, sitting upright, getting them latched on etc etc. because you can't move for the first couple of hours and can't get out of bed till the next day. If you take the baby in bed with you then you only need to get comfy and get the baby latched on. Beyond that, I'd say follow all the usual advice for establishing BF - skin to skin, feeding on demand etc. and remember they need to bring your milk in, so just let them nurse all night if that's what they want (all mine did this on nights 2-3).

 

[kimmie_kisses]

They told me my son had low blood sugar when he was born. I couldn't wake him to nurse and I was having my own complications. Had I been better informed I would have insisted he stay with me. I was not able to BF til he was about 21 hours old. Don't let me story scare you though. Everything worked out just fine. He BF til he was about 10.5 months. Just don't worry and trust your instincts. Keep LO with you as much as possible.

 

[Solstyce]

I had an emergency c-section with my first. We were apart for several hours. I was completely out of it as at first they were giving me general anesthesia, and then stopped and did an epidural instead. So I was half asleep. I remember throwing up for hours and being in a room pretty much by myself.

I told the hospital that I wanted to breastfeed. I was only 24 years old, and a first time mom. However, the hospital respected my wishes! I remember that my milk didn't come in for 2-3 days, so we were just latching on while in the hospital. I think my milk came in when I went home on the 3rd day.

To make a long stroy short, my daughter was exclusively breastfed and never touched a drop of formula! I breastfed her for 19 months in total! She breastfed exclusively for 6 months, before I introduced cereals and baby foods.

I had a second c-section with my next daughter. This was a planned c-section, so I spent more time with her after the delivery. She also breastfed without any problems! I breastfed her until she was 9 months old, and then I did half formula/half breastmilk because I was working, a single mom (thanks to my husband leaving me when I was pregnant with her- another story), and I got sick with the flu so my milk supply diminished.

Anyway, with my next child, I am going to have another c-section, and I will definitely breastfeed.

My sister also had 2 c-sections and she breastfed both her children too! She had her first DD 7 months after I had my first. She actually called me from her hospital bed crying because the nurses were trying to force her to feed her daughter formula. I told her to tell them no way and that her baby would be fine for the first few days until her milk came in. She got the nurses to back off, and then she was able to breastfeed.

Just make sure you stick up for what you want and know that the baby will be ok until the milk comes in!

 

[Annie77]

With my first (emergency section at 38 weeks) my daughter was very sleepy and we struggled to get her to wake sufficiently to latch on. The hospital gave me an electric pump and I expressed colostrum as well as trying to latch her on every 3 hours. It was hard going but we got there. I was expressing so much that I didn't get the usual 'big boobs' feeling when milk came in - it was just the liquid in the pup changed colour!

With my 2nd daughter, born by elective section at 41+2 she was put skin to skin in recovery and literally climbed down to my breast and latched herself on! It was amazing to watch and so primitive in nature.

 

[Mrs Bee]

I had an emergency section and we breastfed straight away in recovery... They did all the tests on me very respectfully to not interrupt my skin to skin breast feeding time, it was amazing, the midwives helped latch baby on and she began to feed right away... My milk came in on day 3 and my boobs were HUGe haha so I think the hormone releasing wil happen anyways... I'm now 1 week post Partum and breast feeding is going so well... I'm just feeding on demand and just hoping that our breast feeding journey continues like this!

All the best for your section xxxx

 

[ispeakinsongs]

Don't worry, I also had an emergency c section and had no probs breastfeeding whatsoever xx