C-section and breastfeeding

skits_1 · September 2011

Is it harder or different to breastfeed if you've had a c section? I have heard that your milk comes in later, is this true? Any BTDT moms have tips for first timers? I really want to be successful!

lilydeven · September 2011

I believe my milk came in 2 days later. It was hard for me because of the incision and holding and positioning baby made it hurt. Even with a boppy pillow. But, it eventually became easier, as the pain from the csection subsided. Good luck to you!

disbride061103 · September 2011

My milk came in 3 days pp after my 1st section and 2 days after my 2nd section. My one recommendation would be to try the football hold. It will keep pressure off your incision. GL!

pepomntpat · September 2011

Mine came in on day 4 and we did not have any issues. We are still going strong with the BFing. Do not go in thinking you will have problems. Just take it a day at a time!

newbmom347 · September 2011

My milk started coming in on day 3 but unfortunately, I was not successful with BFing. DS had to spend 5 days in the NICU and due to issues with his sugar, was introduced to formula and a bottle right away. I think this really messed us up. It was also really hard for us to find a comfortable position while he was in the NICU because not only were we limited to positions because of incision but he had an abundance of wires all over his body that got in the way of everything. All of that being said, I know lots of ladies that had a c-section and were able to breastfeed. My sister had two c-sections. Her experience with first born was similar to mine but she had no problems with her second. GL!

ILoveRunning · September 2011

I successfully breastfed (and still am) after my unplanned c/s. Things were a bit rough at first (mostly because I labored for so long), but we got the hang of it thanks to the help of a lactation consultant.

My advice-

1) Bookmark kellymom.com. The site is great and gives lots of helpful advice. Check out her section on c/s https://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/concerns/c-section.html (sorry I can't make it clicky)

2) See if your hospital will allow you to nurse within an hour of birth

3) Make sure to meet with the LC at the hospital, and review latching, different holds, etc. Also make sure to have the number of a CERTIFIED LC that you can call at home if you have a problem. Finding a LC at 2am can be very stressful.

4) Relax, don't try to be supermom. Your only responsibility should be to sit some place comfy and nurse, nurse, nurse. You will want to nurse at least 8 times a day, preferably 10-12.

Good luck!

iris427 · September 2011

My daughter was born by c/s and I breastfed her for over 2 years. My milk came in at 5 days postpartum and we had no c/s-related nursing issues. So you can absolutely breastfeed successfully after a cesarean.

A difficult birth, whether cesarean or vaginal, can delay your milk but even that does not mean you can't breastfeed. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Sometimes the incision can make it harder to find a comfortable nursing position. Football hold is a good way to nurse without putting pressure on your incision. HTH!

MDmama519 · September 2011

My milk came in on day 3 post-op. BF'ing was difficult because of the incision. A pillow (or a boppy) made a difference.

kb2bkk · September 2011

My milk took 5 days to come in. DD was also tongue tied so I was pumping and supplemented with Formula until my milk came in. She had no problems making the transition once my milk came in, with the exception of the use of a nipple shield. Now she feeds like a champ, and will take a pumped bottle from DH. Haven't used formula since day 6 - but don't regret using it to help keep her satisfied.

Ardmhs83 · September 2011

lilydeven:

I believe my milk came in 2 days later. It was hard for me because of the incision and holding and positioning baby made it hurt. Even with a boppy pillow. But, it eventually became easier, as the pain from the csection subsided. Good luck to you!

This.

lilylow · September 2011

I gave birth at 1:50 PM on Friday and my milk came in Saturday night while I was sleeping. I woke up soaked and my boobs were HUGE.

g00dg0llymsm0lly · September 2011

Breastfeeding was the easiest part of the whole experience for me personally; the only thing that was able to happen both naturally and successfully. My milk came in in less than 48 hours. All you can really do is nurse often and as soon as possible; mention that you do NOT want them to give your baby formula right away, so that when they reunite you in recovery he will be hungry.

jonnygurl76 · September 2011

my milk came in 4-5 days after, and DD was fine up until then with the colostrum. i BF for 12 1/2 months with no problems so i would say we were successful!!

magdalina.h · September 2011

I had both boys on a Monday and by Wednesday my milk was in.

neya28 · September 2011

newbmom347:
My milk started coming in on day 3 but unfortunately, I was not successful with BFing. DS had to spend 5 days in the NICU and due to issues with his sugar, was introduced to formula and a bottle right away. I think this really messed us up. It was also really hard for us to find a comfortable position while he was in the NICU because not only were we limited to positions because of incision but he had an abundance of wires all over his body that got in the way of everything. All of that being said, I know lots of ladies that had a c-section and were able to breastfeed. My sister had two c-sections. Her experience with first born was similar to mine but she had no problems with her second. GL!

I had a similar situation w/ DS and I ended up pumping almost the entire time in the hospital and then starting bfing when we got home. He has a major hatred of the boob since he's had the bottle that whole week in hospital. However I figured if i don't give him a bottle eventually he'd have no choice. So we ended up going over his feeding time by like a half hour (i'd offer boob and he'd yell for 30 mins before accepting it). It was a struggle for the first couple of months but then he did fine and we bfed for a year.

lite-bright · September 2011

My milk came in on day two, but it was my second child and I went into labor (water broke) first. With my vaginal birth for my first, my milk didn't come in until day four.

I also brought mother's milk tea to the hospital with me for my second birth, and drank a cup several times a day.

The only real difference in nursing was that it was easiest to nurse side-lying, and DD2 would kick right at my incision. I had to constantly block her feet and it was very frustrating and kind of painful.

But we're still nursing now, at almost 18 months, so we got through it.

sbuxsweetie · September 2011

My milk came in on day 4. I only ended up BFing for 4 weeks due to several different issues, but I don't know if they had anything to do with the c/s or not. DS was born 3 weeks early and had a very dainty latch, so I think that may have been the biggest problem. Even when we started bottle feeding, we had to buy preemie nipples because the "size 1s" just ran right down his face.

shouldbworkin · September 2011

My milk came in really late with #1 - like 5 days after I gave birth. I nursed every 2 hours and then offered a bottle. It worked fine until my milk came in and didn't affect my supply at all. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but the boppy and lots of pillows helped. I had no problems the 2nd time around and my milk came in the day after I gave birth. It was much less uncomfortable to nurse the 2nd time around too.

stacinsean · September 2011

With DS my milk took five or six days to come in and I was so concerned about not doing things "right" that I stressed myself out and BFing didn't work (also had high BP and was on meds, had to supplement for jaundice, so those factors didn't help either).

This time, with DD my milk was in around day 3 or 4 and she was a great latcher. I also BF her within a couple of hours of delivery which helped for sure. Good luck!

Holly520 · September 2011

My milk took 4 days to come in. We supplemented 1 bottle a day until that point because of crystals in her urine. After my milk came in, it has really been boob only.

Mrs_MBed · September 2011

I had c/s with both girls and was able to do extended bf'ing with both as well. I had them both on Monday nights and my milk came in by Friday. DD2 was born at 33 wks, so she spent her first month in the NICU and started off on a bottle, but with the help of the lactation consultant was able to transfer her to exclusively bf.

I did not have any problems with them on my incision, but they both had amazing aim with their kicks. I would recommend asking to see the lactation consultant while you're there and see if they offer bf classes for after the baby is born. The hospital I had DD2 at held workshops every Thursdays for new moms.

Hope that helps! GL!

TanyaKM · September 2011

I didn't have any problems breastfeeding after my c-section. My milk came in very fast -- about 48 hours after the surgery.

Jen&Peter · September 2011

I have not had a problem BFing any of my 3 boys. I have had 3 scheduled c-sections. My milk came in 3 days after my c-section with each delivery.

ak1234 · September 2011

I bf'd my first for a year. I am currently nursing #2. My milk came in on day 3 for both. I did supplement will formula, but I had HUGE babies. With #1, I have him an ounce twice at the hospital. With #2, I gave him like 10 ml 2-3 times to take the edge off of his ravenous hunger, and then would latch him on and let him nurse as long as he wanted.

Neither have had any nipple issues (other than not wanting a bottle after being ebf!). My hospital was *extremely* bf friendly. They never offered any formula or pacis (you had to askf or them) and I was nursing within an hour both times.

Corey-chick · September 2011

My milk came in the 2nd day, pretty normal I assume. The only difference is finding a comfortable position to sit in for the first weeks. In the hospital, I utilized 3 or even 4 pillows tucked in all sorts of places to find a comfortable position. It was that way at home the first week too, After 2 weeks, I was down to 1 pillow and my boppy.

annabelle.27 · September 2011

I don't think mine took any longer, but I did go through labour, so that might impact it.

MeghanF13 · September 2011

My milk came in right on time, and I had absolutely no issues with BFing (BF'd until 22 months). However, I did have to do the football hold in the beginning because doing the cradle hold put pressure on my incision and it would hurt a bit.

Soon2BMrsN · September 2011

We had a bit of a rocky start, but I don't think it had to do with the c/s. I experienced a lot of nipple pain because of flat nipples and it took some time for DS to latch properly due to a slight tongue-tie. We supplemented in the hospital, but were able to drop that when my milk finally came in on day 5.

Then we went on to nurse without issues for 16 more months. You can do it!

eesome · September 2011

Mine came in at day 3, and has been a success so far.

capulet · September 2011

I had an unplanned c/s and ultimately had no trouble BFing (I nursed DD for 21 months), but we got off to a slow start. I didn't even try nursing her until hours later because I was so out of it and she slept a lot. The maternity nurses and LCs were really helpful with BFing the whole time, but she didn't actually latch and nurse until 24 hours after the c/s. So she dropped about 10 oz of birthweight (born at 7 lb. 13.5 oz) and was slightly jaundiced - the nurses observed her closely for the first couple of days but didn't seem super concerned, and certainly nobody ever pushed formula. She gained most of the weight back by the time we were discharged.

That said, this time around if I have a c/s I will make sure I get to nurse as soon as possible after surgery. The hospital where I'm delivering is supportive of BFing and will respect moms' intentions about feeding, so I'm not worried now that I know what to expect. I think having a supportive environment for BFing can make all the difference, and your hospital's policies are definitely something you should ask about.

I don't remember exactly when my milk came in, but I don't think it was until after I got home, so pretty late, like 5 days? Whatever she was getting until then was enough to put her 6 oz. over her birthweight by the time she was a week old, so I never really worried about it.

Jennairess · September 2011

my milk came in the day after my csection....the nursing staff were shocked (as was I) how fast it came in, its different for everyone....and so far we have had no problems. I also BF my DD for 15 months so not sure if that had anything to do with things coming in faster this go around or not

genekelly · September 2011

My milk came in 4 days later. I don't recall having many problems with positioning either. i mainly did clutch(football) hold while in the hospital but switched to cross cradle when I got home. I found it harder to get a good latch with the clutch hold.

ChiTown Bridget · September 2011

I didn't find it any harder because of the c-section, I did use a boppy when breastfeeding and my milk came in two days later

BiancaLaMae · September 2011

My milk came in 3 days later, literally over night. I BF using the regular cradle hold from the start, just had to use a pillow to relieve some pressure from my belly. And on a side note, I just want to say that BF can be hard and painful for many but don't let it make you give up! Especially after a c-section, it'll be a lot harder. I wanted to quit so many times but I just kept telling myself it'd get better. And it does! It's really good that you want to be successful, that's what kept me going, so I have no doubt you'll succeed. Big Smile

I just wanted to give some words of encouragement! Hope that's okay!

Heather16578 · September 2011

First time mom here and I had an emergency c/s but my milk came in with no problems. I could see colostrum within the first day and then my milk came in soon after. Big tip use the football hold!!! Every other hold put pressure on my stomach so I recommend that hold and use pillows- ones that give and are squishy the boppy at first was to firm. Also sit in a well supported chair when I came home we had to reinforce a chair with firmer pillows for my back and bottom. This made it easier to get in and out of the chair and less pulling on my midsection. Hope this helps

ghdst1 · September 2011

My milk came in 5 days later. But baby was fine. Definitiely talk to a lactation consultant for tips while in the hospital!! Also the football hold was the best way to BF my DS because of my incision.

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