When breast is not best

[hshucksmith]

I had a terrible time breastfeeding as my milk just didn't come in, so now we are FFing

I wrote a short something on my blog about when breast isn't best:

When breast is not best ~ blog post

I've had a few emails come through from random people just telling me they didn't feel so guilty about making the choice not to BF (I had to) due to BFing issues, so thought I'd share!

 

[rachelleigh]

Wonderful post, thank you for sharing your story!

 

[HappyHome]

((((Hugs))))) such a well written blog post. You should send it into pregnancy magazines to help expectant mums realise what can happen

 

[Perplexed]

That's very well-written. Thank you!

 

[megrenade]

Just curious, for those whose milk didn't come in.. were you induced and/or have a c-section? I've read that can really have an affect.. or a traumatic birth.

 

[Celesse]

Just curious, for those whose milk didn't come in.. were you induced and/or have a c-section? I've read that can really have an affect.. or a traumatic birth.

My milk was late to come in both times.

DD (18% weight loss) was a c-section, non latcher and as a FTM when I was given a breast pump and not showed how to use it I just didn't so very little initial stimulation. Milk didn't start coming in until day 5 and took a lot of effort to get the supply above a trickle. Took until DD was 4 months until my supply was enough to exclusively breastfeed.

DS (14% weight loss) was a PPH, sleepy baby, taken ill at day 2, readmitted day 3 and tube fed for a while. Milk started to come in day 4 but again was very slow to come in, starting as a trickle. I was then taken unwell (from 12 days to 25 days pp) and had a very low supply. At 4 weeks he was pretty much bottle fed, by 8 weeks he was exclusively breastfed thanks to a lot of pumping and domperidone.

I'm already speaking with the lactation midwife re the new baby as I'm fully expecting another slow start to breastfeeding. I've also stockpiled domeperidome ready and waiting.

I think some people have to work much harder at their supply than others, Some can bounce back from c-section and birth trauma, others have to work much harder to get supply up to scratch.

 

[megrenade]

My milk didn't come in until Day 3 after delivery. I thought it was normal for it not to come for a few days, sometimes even close to a week?

 

[kerrie24]

Mine didnt show up till day 6 with my 10lb5 baby which was back to back,overdue ,quick birth and the trauma of getting stuck in the birth canal.I thought that was normal too.

 

[Celesse]

Definitely normal for milk to come in late. I think what was more noticeable in my case was how low the supply was after it did come in, especially with my first. I was expecting super boobs, instead I got rationing!

If DD had been suckling at that point, even inefficiently I could quite easily have thought it took 2 weeks or more to come in. Never felt full-not enough to feel a difference in boob size before and after feeds, never leaked not once and nowhere near enough to sustain her. And told this by enough midwives and later health visitors.

 

[teal]

My milk didn't come in until late day 6. After emergency forceps birth, episiotomy and seperate 4th degree tear, 3 hours in theatre being stitched up. My son lost 12% of his birth weight and then was a very slow weight gainer.

I was advised the delay in milk coming in was normal after a difficult birth.

 

[Iveneverseen]

Just curious, for those whose milk didn't come in.. were you induced and/or have a c-section? I've read that can really have an affect.. or a traumatic birth.

my milk came in, I had so much of it my son couldn't latch on.
I had a section. x

 

[Foogirl]

I had an early birth via emcs. My milk came in at about day 2 with hand expressing and by day 5 I was pumping about 100mls every three hours.

 

[hshucksmith]

Just curious, for those whose milk didn't come in.. were you induced and/or have a c-section? I've read that can really have an affect.. or a traumatic birth.

I've given up trying to express now as I wasn't getting anymore than 1 feeds worth per 24hrs of pumping every 2-3hrs and I felt so exhausted from expressing in the night that I could barely function during the day.

My labour was trauma free, intervention free... 2hrs 50mins from beginning to end, and 1hr 4min of it was placenta!