2nd time mom...nervous about BFing

bleu928

I nursed DS for 11 mos and for some reason I m still very nervous about BFing this LO. I feel lke I've forgotten everything!!  Plus, it was a tough go at first with DS with cracked nipples and him ingesting my blood, etc. it was awful but I'm so glad (and proud) to have kept going. We went through lots of biting stages too...I'm feeling so overwhelmed!  I wasn't even this nervous before DS was born! Ignorance was bliss!!  Support please?!?

katlizabeth

I don't know if this is true for everyone (because, obviously every baby is different) but it was 100% easier for me to nurse #2 than #1.  She was a better sucker, but also I think I knew what to expect (it will hurt, but not forever), I knew how to get a baby latched, I knew how to position a baby, etc.  Hopefully you'll have the same experience I have had! 

Indiechixor

Oh I totally feel you. Actually, we're like 2 days apart!
DS only lasted 4 months EBF, before my work schedule interfered with my Pumping. I'm very nervous that it's going to happen again, and also rather nervous.

I plan on changing a lot of what I did wrong last time, and I'm anxious that I'm not going to last past 4 months again.

lanbob

You will be fine mama. It will be all good once you start again. I worried about it all 3 times. At some point it all worked out. 

LuckyBride06

UGH I'm so worried!!! I'm not so much worried about not knowing what to do, I'm just not looking forward to the beginning newborn stages where they want to nurse very frequently, they fall asleep on the boob, engorgement, weight issues, sleep deprivation, etc. It was SO stressful with DS, but I made it through and I EBF'd for a year!! I'm so proud!! I'm just thinking it'll be harder this time too b/c I have a toddler who needs my attention too. How am I going to spend 30mins-1hr nursing a newborn every 2-3hrs?!?! AHHH

Sunshine987

katlizabeth:

I don't know if this is true for everyone (because, obviously every baby is different) but it was 100% easier for me to nurse #2 than #1.  She was a better sucker, but also I think I knew what to expect (it will hurt, but not forever), I knew how to get a baby latched, I knew how to position a baby, etc.  Hopefully you'll have the same experience I have had! 

This!  Every baby is different, but it'll come back.  My second baby was a natural, but I think part of it was that I wasn't as nervous as the first time.  I knew a bit of what to expect and was just more relaxed about the whole birthing experience.  Still scary because it can be so different, but not quite as unexpected as the first time.

The nurse said that my baby could suck the paint of the fence at about 1.5 days old, so I just started to relax and let him do his thing.  It is truly amazing what our bodies can do.

Sunshine987

katlizabeth:

I don't know if this is true for everyone (because, obviously every baby is different) but it was 100% easier for me to nurse #2 than #1.  She was a better sucker, but also I think I knew what to expect (it will hurt, but not forever), I knew how to get a baby latched, I knew how to position a baby, etc.  Hopefully you'll have the same experience I have had! 

This!  Every baby is different, but it'll come back.  My second baby was a natural, but I think part of it was that I wasn't as nervous as the first time.  I knew a bit of what to expect and was just more relaxed about the whole birthing experience.  Still scary because it can be so different, but not quite as unexpected as the first time.

The nurse said that my baby could suck the paint of the fence at about 1.5 days old, so I just started to relax and let him do his thing.  It is truly amazing what our bodies can do.

ETA: don't be afraid to try something new.  With my first DS, I used the boppy pillow and seemed to struggle.  With this baby, I didn't use the boppy and have just used a regular pillow and it seems to work much better.  Not sure if that's why it was so hard with my first or not, but try some new/different things if you want!