Breastfeeding/lactatation

The doctor told me with each baby you will get more milk, and trust me you will probably overflow this time cause I had 50% more with my son and with my daughter(my third) I had a septuple spray of breastmilk and still do a lot. My poor angel gets so much she almosts chokes I actually got to cover up and then let her keep eating.

Dear A.:

I am hoping that this website can help you find someone in your area that will be able to assist you in your second breastfeeding endeavor. I know that I initially had trouble with my son nursing, because he had difficulty latching on. These people were of great help to me (although I did find some of them to be rather militant I.E. "nurse until your child wants to stop"...there was a woman I spoke with who was still nursing her 5 year old)]
But, I would still recommend them my son nursed until he got 4 teeth then I called it quits as it began to hurt and I ended up with mastitis.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/
I wish you the best of everything with your new arrival, and as another Mom said, water, water, water...It does wonders.

Congratulations & Best of Everything,

J. T

You can email or call your local Le Leche League leaders. They will talk to you for free. You can also attend a Le Leche meeting which is held once a month. There are also lactation counselors you can talk to but sometimes they charge.

It does take a little bit of time for your milk to come in unless you have a pre-existing condition that prevents milk from being expressed or produced. Ususally if you had a breast reduction in the past, it can make it hard to breastfeed. Otherwise, it's really rare for women not to be able to do it. The main thing is patience. The more you breastfeed, the more milk you will produce.

Hi A.,
In the beginning, no milk will come in, it will take a little bit of time for your milk to come in. At this time your baby just needs your colostrum, which is just the clear yellowy substance that you may start leaking towards the end of your pg. You may think that your baby needs more since he/she will constantly be trying to nurse. Don't worry, that doesn't mean that he is neccessarily hungry. Newborns often just want to comfort suck. When this happens, just let your little one suck away because this will stimulate your supply. My advice is to get some nipple cream or lanolin (because your nipples will get sore), talk to a lactation counselor, and just have patience while your milk comes in. Good luck and enjoy breastfeeding your little one.

Hi A..

First, I want to tell you that breastfeeding is not easy. It is something you have to learn. That being said, once you learn, it IS easy! I will try to explain. I was lucky, where I delivered my son, they have the most wonderful lactation consultants that come to your room to help you immediately. Unfortunately my son ended up in NICU the first day and I had to pump. So when I got him to my room, it was the middle of the night and I just was left to my own devices. I knew I wanted to breastfeed and tried, but I didn't think it felt right. The nurses all told me I was doing great and that he was feeding. I went to a breastfeeding class while I was in the hospital and saw another new mom breastfeeding and the baby latched on and never let go for 45 minutes. My son was asleep and I was afraid to wake him because that is NOT how our breastfeeding went. So I went back to my room and called the lactation consultant. She came to my room and watched. Then, she showed me one thing....one simple thing and immediately he latched on and never let go! My husband was watching and even asked if she could come everytime I had to nurse, so he could even tell the difference. She said "once you have it, you don't need anymore help". And she was right. He is a year old on Thursday and we are still nursing! So I guess my point is, if you don't feel it is right, don't be afraid to ask for help. Before you have the baby, find a lactation consultant in your area. Look on line. Line up an appointment now for right after you deliver if you can. Get this one started right if this is what you want to do. It is a fantastic relationship!

Oh and the one thing she told me was to make a "nipple sandwich". Here is the analogy she gave me: imagine eating a triple decker club sandwich. It won't just fit in your mouth, you have to squish it down first. It is the same with the breast. you have to squish it so that it goes deep inside their mouth. Use the thumb on top and the next two fingers on the bottom and squish so that it goes in easy. Use your other hand to guide the head onto the breast. You should feel deep tugs if you have it right and they shouldn't pop back off. They will stay on the duration of the feeding. On and off is a sign that it is not quite right. You should be able to get most of the dark areola in thier mouth. Also, don't look at a clock. Let them nurse as long as they need. When they come off, burp, then switch sides. Don't listen to the 20 minute thing. Some babies are more efficient than others so ignore the clock. But at first, it should be every 2 hours from the START of a feeding. Everyone should get milk. At first it will just be colostrum, then your milk will come in. You will know, you will feel like you are going to explode. It will settle down eventually though, not to worry. Also, as a warning...those first few weeks of nursing can be painful. Don't give up. It goes away. Your breasts have to get used to being sucked on constantly! Two things help, lansinoh and soothies. Buy two pairs of soothies and put them in the freezer. Put them on right after nursing and then put the new pair on after the next time and freeze the first.

Let me know if you have any other questions, hope this helped! Good luck and wishing you a safe delivery!

Hi A.,
I have nursed both of my children and found that it is really important to get support from other nursing parents. I'm not sure where you are delivery or what hospitals are in your area but I delivered at Kennedy Hospital in Washington Township. They have a support group that meets weekly - I loved it because they also have a scale where you can weigh your child before/after and see how much he/she is taking in. That was especially reasurring as I was worried that my daughter (first one) was not getting enough to eat. There is also a Le Leche sponsored group that meets the first Monday of every month - the one I used to go to was in Blackwood. Suzie - who used to have it at her house and worked as an LC at Kennedy for a while before she had children - was a great influence for me. She goes to these meetings and is a great resource. I would recommend going to a meeting before your child is born and talking to them about the problems you had the first time. They will have ideas/suggestions that will help you this time. Good Luck! If you would like more information on the support groups, please let me know and I can get phone numbers for you.

K.

Hi A.,
How long did you try to nurse? It took me four weeks to finally get the hang of it. How did you come to the conclusion that yu had no milk? remember, during the first few days, only colustrum comes out because that is what the baby needs. And if you use a pump, you will get a lot less than what the baby is able to get out of you. I thought I was starving my daughter until I nursed her at the doctor's office after she was weighed. They weighed her again and she was 6 oz heavier! Have you tried a lactation consultant? Some caan be overpowering and rather militant, actually making feeding your child harder, but I found a good one out of Pittsburgh called the Breastfeeding Helpline. I'm pretty sure the number is ###-###-####. I know that Iposted it for someone else before...If that's not it, send me a message and I will look it up for you. Another thing that works to help stimulate production is changing the position of the baby. It helps all of the milk glands work more efficiently. You can also try mother's milk tea. It is available at many health stores (I got mine at GNC). It has a very unique taste that you have to get used to. I was also told to try a supplement called fenugreek. It is supposed to work well. I never tried it, but Ihad heard this from more than one source. Above all, drink more water and take a multivitamin. Many will tell you to still take prenatal vitamins...two children's chewables work just as well. If you don't have enough water, you won't make enough milk. ASnd if you don't have the proper amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet, your body pulls it from your bones in order to put it in the milk.
I have a lot more info if you would like to message me. I went through a terrible time to try to nurse (4 weeks to get her to try, and another two to get the hang of it). My daughter still nurses, and she turned 10 months yesterday. Also, it will seem that you are not making enough milk each time your child goes through a growth spurt. Let the baby nurse very often. This will help to build your milk supply. There are a lot of pamphlets floating around that tell you when each growth spurt is. I kept one on the fridge and one in my bedroom to remind me.
I hope this helps you. Congratulations on your new addition, and a pat on the back for considering nursing again, especially since it didn;t seem to work right for you the first time.

I nursed my 3 year old daughter with no trouble. When my 9 month old son was born he seemed like he was latching on really good. But he wasn't. He was a 10lb.4 oz baby. The nurses in the hopsital were very helpful. He was too hungry so he wasnt calm enough to learn how to latch on and when he finally did since my milk wasnt in yet my colostrum wasnt enough. So in order to get him to latch on I put formula in a syringe and gave him some to settle him down. Then I would coax him by putting some formula on my nipple so when he was sucking he got sme of that and also was helping my milk come in. Once it came in he nursed like a champ. It was very frustrating in the begining for me and it took almost 6 days until my milk finally did come in. The pediatrician had said this was something "normal " with bigger babies becuase they arent being satisfied ~ that was part of the reason for the formula as well. They did commend me for trying so hard ~ they said most people would have given up within the 1st day or 2. Good Luck! Remembre every baby is different maybe this one will nurse easier for you. By the way I also had 2 c -sections.

L.

I also wanted to add that there are classes out there for expecting Moms on Nursing. I went to one at Babies R us and it was free. I think the hosptial has one as well. Another thing is be patient ~ it does take time . The baby will sense if you are stressing when nursing and that could interfere. Also I got a boppy the last time and it made things so much easier with have my csection. Depending on which hosptial you deliver they will also give you the Lanisol cream, if they dont bring it ask for it. It is costly and they have it there anyway. PLus a little goes a long way!

I am nursing my baby girl and fortunatly I have not had any problems but when I decieded to nurse I had no one to turn to for advice and support since no one in my family has breastfeed. I found some very supportive people at the mothering.com site go to the following website and click on discuss. Membership is free. but there is a breastfeeding thread there and you can chat with hundreds of moms worldwide. I sure they will be helpful www.mothering.com/discussion/
I also found that the La Lache groups are helpful, you can look them up and find a group around you. They will even send someone to teach you how to nurse properly. they are a bit liberal and they are breastfeeding activists so just becareful.
Good luck to you and your family!

Hi A... My name is beckie mom of 2 one boy (camron) 5yrs old and one girl (serenity) 11 months...The best advice would be talk to your pedeatrician most have lactation consultants who can give the best of advice... As far as my advice Water water water.. Before I had my daugheter I got into the routine of drinking a glass of water every 3-4 hours and cutting out a major amount of caffiene in the begining. When you have you beautiful daughter and begin nursing remember that when you lactate the first day or 2 (maybe 3) it is colostrum which is a sticky clear fluid... Drink a 4-8 oz glass of water every feed. It helps the flow during lactation.. Thats what worked best for me... You are doing the best by trying and remeber to talk to your pedeatrician. Hope all works out well for you and congratulations on your pregnancy.. Good Luck!! Beckie

I would seek out a lactation consultant. Try to contact La Leche League or something like that. Sometimes the nurses in the maternity ward don't know much about breastfeeding. I luckily had a class before I had my son otherwise I may have given up. The nurses in the hospital told me that I didn't have enough milk for my son. Since I had a class beforehand I knew that wasn't true and I didn't give up. Don't get me wrong, I have heard about some great nurses that are very knowledgeable but the majority are not experts in lactation. They are experts in labor and delivery. Talk to someone that knows about lactation. Babies R Us does monthly seminars on Breastfeeding. Go to one and talk to the woman that is presenting it. Good luck. I hope things work out for you.

Hi, A.. Congratulations on your pregnancy. I have four kids of my own (2 sets of twins) and have breast-fed all of them. Each child is completely different at breast-feeding (which is very apparent when there's two on you.) The one thing I noticed with myself in the beginning is that I needed absolute quiet to get my milk to "fall". It was almost as if I needed to go into a medidative state. But once my milk supply was estabished, which took a couple weeks, I could do it sitting in the front seat of my car with my shirt around my neck. (...yes, once that actually happened.)

One other thing I remember is that it can take several days to a week before your actual milk comes in after the baby's born. Before then it's very hard to tell if anything is happening. Don't give up and just try to relax. If after a week, you still aren't seeing any milk or even collestrum, try supplementing with high-fat formula while still trying to breast feed.

With my second set of twins, my daughter was "a weak sucker". At two months she'd gained almost no weight and was still in newborn diapers even though she'd feed for 40 mins at a time. My son on the other hand would get his fill in about 8 mins flat. Complete opposites. At two months I stopped breast-feeding my daughter and switched to high-fat formula. She gained two pounds in two weeks. Now, she rules our roost! I continued breast-feeding my son until he was 1.

I hope you gain something from this, that maybe it's helped in some way. Remember, you're not alone and trust in yourself and in the hospital staff. Since you're having a C-section, they'll have you in the hospital for a little while afterwards, try gaining some insight from the professionals while you're in there.

I wish you good luck and easy recovery!
M. -36

Hi, A.,

Go to a breastfeeding class before you have your daughter if you can. I went to one at the hospital where I had my son. You'll learn positioning, how the milk glands work, how often baby eats, and potential roadblocks you might encounter. We also got a tour of the breastfeeding resource center at our hospital, which was great because when I did have some problems after my son was born (engorgement with milk not coming out), I knew where to go for help. Breastfeeding can be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's so worthwhile. Good luck!

You've got tons of great advice here. I've nursed both of my children it was hard at first for both, and I was sore, but it all worked out great and it really is MUCH easier then bottles!!

I just want to say congrats on actually wanting to try again when your first go around wasn't the greatest experience for you!!! That alone makes you the greatest mother in the world!!

Hi A.,

I was told to breastfeed more at night because a certain hormone is increased at that time and causes you to produce more milk. Hope this helps.

A.

There are so many questions that I have for you before I could even attempt to give you any good advice. My best suggestion is to contact your local La Leche League leader, available at www.lalecheleague.org and/or to contact the lactation consultant at the hospital you plan to have your c-section. Having a c-section can make it difficult, but should not be impossible to breast feed your child. It is very rare for a woman to be completely unable to breastfeed. It does take several days for milk to come in, sometimes up to 5! This is okay as the baby does not need it right away. Breast milk is best for your baby, so I really hope you are able to succeed.

J.

A.,
Your breasts will start to produce colostrum in the last month or so of pregnancy. That's all you will have for the first 3-5 days after delivery... and no it doesn't seem like much. It's NORMAL. I've heard of a lot of women being told (By Doctors) they don't have milk or not enough milk to satisfy a baby. Make sure you're taking in plenty of fluids and letting the baby nurse those first days. That colostrum is the best thing for her and the suckling will encourage milk supply. Both of my children were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months without a problem. Worst case scenario, I have heard of doctors prescribing Reglan to stimulate milk supply. Check with La Leche League and see if your hospital has a lactation consultant you can talk to about it. Really the only thing I know of that can affect the ability to produce milk (other than poor nutrition) is breast implants.

Good luck!

A.-

I think the fact that you want to attempt to nurse your daughter is very commendable. Some women would choose not too because they felt defeated the first time. Definitely try to nurse your daughter. I have heard many woman say they couldn't produce milk their first pregnancy but were able to do it the second time around. Just stick with it and invest in a breast pump if you haven't already. Pump after each feeding to convince your body to produce more milk for the baby. Drink lots and lots of water and continue to take your pre-natal vitamins. Stay positive and I am sure things will work out for you. Some women take longer for their milk to come in so be patient. If you have to supplement too that's okay. I supplement once at night before I put my daughter down which allows me to get a few extra hours of sleep. Good luck in March and keep us posted on how things worked out for you. Take Care!

M.

A.,

Contact your local La Leche League group and get yourself well informed on the "how to's" of BF. They should be listed in your local phone book,(try the blue pages) or
www.lalecheleague.com.
You'll meet very supportive moms and professionals who can give you all the knowledge, and resources for a successful BF experience.