Had your scheduled c-section? BFing? When did your milk come in?

yarnymommy · September 2011

I had my c-section on Wednesday and milk hasn't come in yet. Dr is supplementing feedings with some formula since baby lost more weight than he would like. He said it is normal for scheduled c-section moms (baby was breech so we scheduled this) to take a little longer for milk to come in. Just wondering how long that may be.

martinimomma · September 2011

I am not scheduled for my csection (also for breech) for another week, but I had a phone consult with an LC in advance because I was concerned about BF-ing with the csection. She told me that milk should be in between 3 and 5 days after delivery (pretty much on par with a vaginal delivery) and advised frequent feedings at the breast to keep the messages going to your brain that the baby is ready to move on from colostrum (supply and demand type theory). If the baby is sleepy and not sucking well at the breast, she encouraged me to occasionally pump while in the hospital to keep things moving, even if supplementation becomes necessary.

Is there an LC at the hosptial that you can talk to about strategies and alternatives?

magdalina.h · September 2011

1st was not scheduled: had him on Monday, milk was in on Wednesday

2nd was scheduled: had him on Monday, milk was in on Wednesday.

I've never heard that it takes longer for the milk to come in because of a scheduled c/s. It's a hormonal thing

shihtzu51 · September 2011

I also had a scheduled csection with DS for breech. My milk came in around day 3 or 4. DS also lost too much weight so they had us supplement. I'm not sure we needed to - we only supplemented about an once a day for 2 days then stopped. We were able to use a little zippy cup to supplement instead of using a bottle. The nurse was the one who made us start supplementing in the middle of the night because of the weight loss - I should have made them call our peds first but I was still groggy from the pain meds at that point. This time we know more and hopefully won't have to supplement at all.

manda26 · September 2011

I had a planned c/s on Monday afternoon and my milk was in by Thursday I believe.

nic5606 · September 2011

3.5 days until the milk came.

shibby00 · September 2011

Mine was not scheduled, but I had DD at night on Tues and milk didn't come in until Mon night, so 6 days later. GL!

SarahP15 · September 2011

Mine was not scheduled (but that doesn't make a difference) and it took 4-5 days for my milk to come in. BF after a c/s is totally possible so just keep putting the baby to the breast to stimulate milk production and know that your body is producing colostrum already which is very nutrient-rich so your baby will get what he needs.

kcisthebombdotcom · September 2011

Never came in either time.

Leap08 · September 2011

I had her on a Thursday; milk came in on Sunday. Have you been working with a lactation consultant? They had me BF frequently and pump after each feeding to help encourage milk production.

disbride061103 · September 2011

Both my boys were born on Thursdays. The first time my milk came in 3 days pp, on Sunday. The second time it came in on Saturday, 2 days pp.

iris427 · September 2011

You are only 2 days postpartum, well within the normal range for milk to come in for either type of delivery. Mine came in at 5 days postpartum when I had my c/s.

pepomntpat · September 2011

iris427:
You are only 2 days postpartum, well within the normal range for milk to come in for either type of delivery. Mine came in at 5 days postpartum when I had my c/s.

This exactly. And I give a side eye to your doctor for supplementing so fast. How much did your baby lose? It's normal to lose as much as 10%.

JaysonandKristin · September 2011

pepomntpat:
iris427:
You are only 2 days postpartum, well within the normal range for milk to come in for either type of delivery. Mine came in at 5 days postpartum when I had my c/s.
This exactly. And I give a side eye to your doctor for supplementing so fast. How much did your baby lose? It's normal to lose as much as 10%.

Totally agree with this. My milk came in 3 days after delivery.

PhotoCat82 · September 2011

My milk came in at almost 6 days (c/s was at 12:30 am Sat morning and my milk came in very late Thurs night.) It will happen. Put baby to breast as much as possible and do as much skin to skin as possible.

l_elizabeth · September 2011

I had a scheduled c-section with a breech baby too. He was born Thursday at 10am, and my milk came in Sunday morning.

My guess would be tomorrow!

capulet · September 2011

I'm don't remember for sure (it was almost four years ago) but I think my milk came in five days postpartum, after I left the hospital. We didn't really get rolling with BF until DD was about a day old, so she dropped a fair amount of birthweight (from 7 lb. 13.5 oz to 7 lb. 3 oz.) but regained most of it by the time we were discharged, and that was just on colostrum. Nobody ever brought up supplementing. I had an unplanned c/s but I don't think it makes that much difference.

sleeping5beauty · September 2011

I had a scheduled c/s with my son who is almost 2. He was also breech. I would recommend a pump if you have access to one. My son wouldn't latch on and I wasn't really producing milk. I used a pump the day after he was born to see if I could get something going. Then I just started producing like crazy. I was pumping every few hours for the rest of my stay in the hospital.

craxyrae · September 2011

I had my unplanned c-section on Friday around noon, and my milk was in on Monday or Tuesday. LO went from 8lbs 5oz at birth to 7lbs 10oz on Sunday when we were discharged and he was already gaining back by Wednesday and above birth weight by the following Monday. Good luck!

cynth1 · September 2011

My milk never came in. I tried BF for 5 weeks and finally my doc said that we really needed to just stick with formula. She was losing weight, and stopped wetting and pooping her diapers. We knew she was starving and as much as I wanted to BF we realized that it was just not in the cards for us. Hope you have better luck than I did.

nycdueinmay · September 2011

I'm really surprised an LC would tell you this. It is normal for milk to come in later after a c/s because the placenta is artificially removed, rather than naturally expelled like a vaginal delivery. Therefore it can take your hormones a little extra time to realized that it is done with colostrum and time for milk.

I had my c/s just before midnight Sunday night (almost Monday) and my milk did not come in completely until Saturday afternoon. Our pedi also asked us to supplement using the following plan: feed from one side for 20 mins, then from the other for 20 mins. Pass LO off to DH to offer formula while you pump each side for 10 mins. Repeat every time LO is hungry. We did this and to tell you the truth, DD almost never took any of the formula, maybe a few mLs. She gained 11oz from the appointment Friday to the recheck on Monday! Also, when pumping in this schedule, I did not pump any milk out. DD did empty the breasts, but the pumping was to stimulate making more.

I will also warn you that pumping empty breasts with new nips was pretty uncomfortable! But now I am 4.5 months in and still EBFing. Please PM me if you need anything!

Holli0303 · October 2011

I have had 3 c-sections and my milk came in around day 5 with all of them. I had to supplement with all 3 as well. With the first I was heartbroken. They had me feed them with droppers instead of bottles with my first two, to avoid nipple confusion. With my 3rd, there was an 8 year gap in ages, they had this tube that went in the corner of baby's mouth that actually fed the formula while she suckled at the breast. I was also brought a pump in the hospital this time. I ended up exclusively breastfeeding for 15,12,and 12 months, so everything worked out fine after day 5. I wish there was something I could do to avoid the formula with #4 but I don't think there is.

ghdst1 · October 2011

My milk came in 6 days after DS was born. I had emergency c/s.

annabelle.27 · October 2011

pepomntpat:

iris427:
You are only 2 days postpartum, well within the normal range for milk to come in for either type of delivery. Mine came in at 5 days postpartum when I had my c/s.

This exactly. And I give a side eye to your doctor for supplementing so fast. How much did your baby lose? It's normal to lose as much as 10%.

I agree with this- supplementing already might make the problem worse as your breasts might not get stimulated enough. Two to five days is normal, in all births- not just c-sections. I think mine came in on day three or four. No one was concerned.

Remember, too, that a newborn's stomach is about the size of a marble. It's not meant to hold a bunch of milk. Over the course of the first few days to a week it increases in size, which in turn increases the amount of times your baby wants to feed ("cluster feeding"). This will help your milk to come in.

https://www.llli.org/faq/colostrum.html

emma&katiesmom · October 2011

All I've ever had is c-sections... With my first DD I had her on Wednesday morning and my milk came in on Sunday morning (that was quite a thing to wake up to). With my second DD, she was also born on a Wednesday morning and my milk came in on Saturday (the day we left the hospital).

I am not a breast-feeding pro since I usually only am able to successfully nurse in the hospital with help and I end up pumping out of sheer desperation once we get home. This is why I took a breast feeding class this time around... but it sounds like if your baby isn't at the breast every time he/ she needs to feed then your body isn't getting the message to make more milk. The LC at my class said that the baby and mom having skin to skin contact creates oxytocin (hormone) that benefits you both in the breast feeding experiences. Plus breast feeding is a supply and demand situation... if you're not expelling milk then your body thinks it can stop making it.

I'd call your OB and/or hospital for some lactation guidance. I know our hospital has an office that's open 9-3pm for help/ questions that is NOT the same nurses that are helping the new moms - they're there merely for the moms already at home. I hope you can find some help if you want to continue breast feeding.

caffinated_tulip · October 2011

I had my scheduled C section on a Friday, my milk started coming in Sunday, was fully in by Monday evening (and I had the engorgement pain to prove it). We breast fed nearly constantly that weekend, he was a cluster feeder from the get-go. My LC said not to worry about it taking a little longer to come in, it's different from woman to woman. I wonder about supplementing though, if that's decreasing the amount the baby is nursing maybe that can delay it coming in? I'm far from an expert though so I really have no idea, but I've heard that wasn't a good idea to supplement early on.

faith194 · October 2011

I had DS Tuesday night(10:55 PM), and my milk came in Saturday night. He couldn't latch, no matter what we did. I did have to try every hour and a half on the dot, and pumped every 2. The only time I got anything out(before my milk came in) was the first pump. DS drank it out of the cup, and then needed to have formula. It.broke.my.heart! However, I didn't want him to go jaundice. We had to up his formula intake, even though my milk came in, because he lost too much weight(or didn't gain enough back after leaving the hospital). He finally latched 2 weeks later, but my supply suffered.

Good luck!

shouldbworkin · October 2011

my first was unscheduled and it took 5 days. I nursed for an hour every 2 hours and then offered 2 oz. Of formula. The 2nd time around it was planned and my milk came in on the 2nd day. DD still lost a lot of weight though.

HBaylies · October 2011

I had an unplanned c/s with DS and my milk started coming in (as in I could feel the lumps and the weight of it) on the 4th day. I actually first noticed it when I was getting into the car and leaving the hospital. But before thst, those first few days, the baby's belly only goes from like the size of a marble to a quarter, so they don't really need much of anything and the colustrum should be enough. DS was a terrible BF'er and he didn't lose enough weight for anyone to be concerned at the hospital.

ChiTown Bridget · October 2011

My milk came in about 3 days after my c/s.

Mrs. Alice · October 2011

It started coming in on day 4 and fully engorged on day 5. I was also getting lots of colostrum before the milk came all the way in. I was pumping every 2-3 hours.

zordon+wonderland · October 2011

My milk is officially in. I would say it was in yesterday, but I'm not 100%. DS was born Tuesday via c-section, so at six days old, my milk was definitely in. It was hard knowing when, and I kept worrying the colostrum wasn't enough... as it seemed so minuscule... but DS only lost 4oz in the hospital... Breast feeding is one of the most stressful, trying things I've ever done, especially the first 3-4 days.... It gets easier and today at his pediatric appointment, we learned DS is now one ounce short of his birth weight! His doctor said it takes most people 10-14 days to get their babies back up to the birth weight, so I was pleased to overall learn my milk is enough.

Your milk shouldn't take long to come in. It's hard, but doable!

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