Breastfeeding question for TTMs

BabySeaTurtles

With DS, BFing came fairly easy for us. His latch was good, I never had supply issues, only had a clogged duct once that resolved itself quickly, and nipple pain for a week or two. So I consider myself one of the fortunate on that front. My question is if BFing went okay for first baby, is it about the same for second baby? Obviously latching, tummy troubles, etc. could vary between babies, mostly I am concerned about supply and nipple pain.

moomee

I think it really depends on the baby. I had different experiences with my previous three, with my third being the toughest. Only because he was extremely colicky. 

MississippiCatfish

I know that it can really depend on the baby, but my experiences were quite similar.  I was very fortunate to have great experiences overall, but I did battle the exact same hurdles both times:  oversupply, forceful letdown, and excess lipase.  But really, those are all things that have to do with mom more than baby, so that probably makes sense? Both of my babies gained weight at the same pace (1 lb a week for the first 8 weeks...) and both liked to cluster feed in the evening.  I'm anxious to see if this one follows the pattern!

Latina211508

I'm pregnant with my fourth baby. I had great experiences breastfeeding my first 3 children with no problems. But every baby is different and your supply can be different after every baby as well. 

camusoh2011

I just had my third and fourth babies and it has been about the same as last time. There's a learning curve while you get used to baby, but I am nursing two (one with a slight tongue tie) and have had zero nipple pain, cracking, so on. Everyone and every baby is different though.

BabySeaTurtles

Thanks ladies. I was sanitizing all my pump parts and bottles and got to wondering if I should stock up on Fenugreek, Mother's Milk Tea and Blessed Thistle. If I have problems I would rather have these things on hand than need to get them but I don't want to buy things unnecessarily either. 

Karen249

@BabySeaTurtles good question! I've been wondering the same thing. 

VitaLuna

@BabySeaTurtles I might ask my MW that tomorrow, as I've been wondering the same thing. I battled low supply the entire time with DD (nothing ever helped) and I'm wondering if I should start out early with the supply boosters, or just wait and see. 

cMichelle0423

Night and day difference between both my LO's and our bfing experiences. Literally, they were completely different. 

I also want to add, while some moms praise the power of fenugreek, I try to tell moms to stay away from it. It can give mom and/or baby digestive issues, and some women end up seeing the reverse effect and end up with a lower supply. The best thing you can do for supply, is nurse in demand, stay good and hydrated, and avoid the "booby traps". 

jordans_wife

I never had supply issues but I was religious in my feeding and pumping schedule with both babies. The difference between 1 and 2 is that breastfeeding was painful the entire time I bf my first baby despite him having a good latch. I had to use a ton of nipple cream and for whatever reason I just had sore nipples. Almost from day one it was different and painless with my 2nd son. I never even had to use the nipple cream. I'm hoping the 3rd will be as easy.

AdventureMama

My second is only five days old but so far she's an amazing BFer, even better than DS, who I had only minimal issues with and nursed for 21 months. So yeah! It was a pleasant surprise that she was even easier!

g8trkim

For me it was a lot easier because I felt more confident the second time. The harder part is entertaining an older child while your nursing. Sometimes I would have to stop abruptly to help DS. Lord only knows how it will go this third time.