Reassure me re: breastfeeding and a c-section

llizzyb · January 2012

I'll be having a c-section due to pre existing hip and pelvic issues. I'm totally okay with this mode of birth and not that worried about the actual c/s procedure or recovery. My huge concern is that it will hinder breastfeeding. I'm looking for positive stories of women who successfully bfed after a c/s. If you were one of those, what go you feel contributed to your success? Any tips for me?

cottonlily84 · January 2012

I hobbled my butt down to the NICU and nursed my daughter every few hours. When I got back I would pump too. I had no problems related to the c/s with breastfeeding at all. My milk came in great and even though she was early she nursed well. I never even understood what people's deal with worrying about the incision and BFing was. It was never an issue.

llizzyb · January 2012

cottonlily84:
I hobbled my butt down to the NICU and nursed my daughter every few hours. When I got back I would pump too. I had no problems related to the c/s with breastfeeding at all. My milk came in great and even though she was early she nursed well. I never even understood what people's deal with worrying about the incision and BFing was. It was never an issue.

I probably should have clarified. I'm not concerned about the incision. I'm more worried about the effect a scheduled c/s might have on milk supply and the delay in getting to bf due to c/s stitching, immediate recovery, etc.

marissaw5 · January 2012

DS was an unplanned CS so I did labor for 36 hours before the c-section. However, he was in the NICU and I didn't even get the chance to try breastfeeding till he was almost 24 hours old. Even then he was on an IV so he had ZERO interest. (and the dang nurses kept giving him formula and binkies despite my requests not to) I thought for sure that it wouldn't work out because I knew we missed out on that critical time period, but I continued to pump till he was interested. Probably at about 36 hours old he decided to give it a try and was eating like a champ by the time we left the hospital. Then my milk came in the morning after getting home from the hospital and he was in heaven and eating till he passed out!

Oh- and he breastfeed successfully till 14 months old when I finally convinced him it was time to be done!

Brooklyn2577 · January 2012

I nursed both my boys after my c/s. I think starting in the recovery room is what really helped. Use the nurses to your advantage while you are there. I nurse DS1 for a year and DS2 is still going strong at 7.5 months.

cmrand4 · January 2012

I had a planned c-section. It took a long time (2 hours) to get my blood pressure stabilized since I was in shock ( typical, I guess) so it was probably about 3 hours until I breastfed for the first time. I was worried about it but it was totally fine. DS took to it right away. I was too tired to put much effort into it that first day but everything went smoothly from then on with nursing. I went on to nurse for 11 mos. GL!

Newkid2012 · January 2012

I had an unplanned c/s. I was able to nurse her as soon as we got into recovery and she nursed like a champ. We went 15+ months and never had an issue :-)

BrandiGreen · January 2012

I had no issues at all breastfeeding my LO after birth. I could have tried very shortly after my c-section while in recovery, but I couldn't stop shaking, and was afraid I would drop him. So, I waited until after his bath and check up and they brought him to me in my room. The lactation consultant came in and helped and he took to it right away! We breastfed for a year and would have went longer, but I got pregnant again and my milk dried up. Good luck.

honkytonk_kid · January 2012

I had a scheduled c/s the day before my due date. We're still BFing at almost 13 months. Not a single problem to speak of.

If I had any advice, it would be to wait as long as possible for your c/s. If there is no concern for the health of LO or mom (as it was in my case- LO was just breech) I would wait at least until your due date (esp for a first time mom) or until you go into labor on your own. I know that many women DO BF successfully after scheduled c/s at 38, 39 weeks, but IMO it's just that much harder if your body wasn't necessarily "ready" to start BFing, or worse, if LO spends time in the NICU.

Nurse ASAP after delivery, and as much as possible for those first few weeks. Just park yourself on the couch with some books, netflix, and snacks Everything else can wait!

Good luck!

jcameron2010 · January 2012

I had no issues with breasfeeding at all. I don't remember a lot from my unplanned c section, but I think I got to breastfeed my son within an hour or so. All the nurses were helpful in getting him to latch when he was crying and I didn't know what to do. The only trouble I had was some pain, sometimes I just wanted to cry because it hurt so bad. But your nipples toughen up, and everything gets better. We have been going strong for 8 months now. My c section never inhibited our breastfeeding. I hope all goes well for you and that you have little trouble BFing.

islandlife · January 2012

I had twins by c-section and was still able to breast feed. I didn't get to try until the day after they were born. I did need to supplement with formula for a while but I eventually got them onto all breast milk.

pitterpatter129 · January 2012

I did have a lot of issues with breastfeeding and my milk was slow to come in (10 days), BUT we are still going strong at 13 months now! So, if you do have issues, don't give up!! Find a LC at the hospital and get support. I'm so happy I didn't give up, as I love our special time together breastfeeding and all the good things it provides LO.

Jenny952 · January 2012

Me! And I wasn't able to start bf her until the following day. She had to go to the NICU for surgery, so I was pumping and holding her skin-to-skin until I could start bf. It took a couple times for us to get the hang of it, but she's now 2 months old and it's going great.

I would make sure you get lots of skin contact and have some patience if baby doesn't latch on right away. It does sometimes take some practice and getting to know each other. There was 1 night where she would not latch and I had to feed her out of a syringe and then pump.

annabelle.27 · January 2012

I had no problems breastfeeding. Actually, scratch that- I had a problem with over-production that caused some pain when bf-ing ("forceful letdown") but I'm sure it had nothing to do with the c-section and it seems to be the opposite problem from what most people worry about.

I don't have any real advice- I didn't do anything special, just latched him on and went at it. My milk came in on the fourth day or so, which is within the normal range.

MrsCali_Bride · January 2012

It's definitely possible. I'm still nursing my twins five times each per day nearly 10 months after my c-section. Have a supportive pillow, be prepared to nurse on demand (more times than you would ever think possible), drink lots of water and ask the LCs in the hospital to help you as much as you need it. Good luck!

manbearpig31610 · January 2012

I've been very fortunate to have both of my girls born healthy (no nicu needed) so I was able to bf less than an hour after their births (while still in recovery). Both have been bf pros. They latched right away and knew exactly what to do. Check your hospital's policy on bfing in recovery. At my hospital I just had to be able to lift my legs slightly (which I was able to do 30-45 after surgery) and I could sit up in bed and bf on my own. Had I not been able to do that they would have had nurses help position the baby and help me hold them. So, I still would have been able to bf it just would have been a little more complicated. I don't remember how long it took my milk to come in with DD1 but with DD2 it was in when I woke up the morning of day 3. When the placenta detatches your body gets the message to start producing milk so wether your baby is born 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late it won't matter. Your milk will come in the same regardless. The best thing you can do is nurse, nurse, nurse. Don't supplement, if you can help it. Frequent nursing is what's going to bring your milk in so if you supplement you're just setting yourself up to have problems. I supplemented with DD1 and it took much longer for my milk to come in. When it did come in I struggled with low supply that took months to correct. We were able to overcome it but it could have been so much easier if I just did not supplement. I learned my lesson and bfing DD2 has been a breeze.

iris427 · January 2012

I had a c/s with my daughter and I breastfed her for 2 years. We had some issues in the first few weeks, but they had nothing to do with my c/s. I think I was successful at BFing because I learned a lot about how to make it work and because I was really stubborn about sticking to it even when we had problems. I also had a lot of supportive family and friends. My husband was very supportive and that helped me keep going.

My advice:

--try the football hold so you aren't putting pressure on your incision while you nurse

--keep up on your pain meds!

--drink lots of fluids

--don't be afraid to ask for help, as often as you need to

ILoveRunning · January 2012

Check out kellymom.com

https://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/concerns/c-section.html

(sorry not clicky).

momhardy · January 2012

You can do it, just set your mind to it! I nursed both my boys for a year after c-section. Awesome! I loved every minute of it! No worries about a c-section! Make sure you drink plenty of water that helps your milk to come in. You can also get mothers milk tea at a health food store that will help your milk supplie. I always keep in on hand when I'm nursing and when I feel my supplie is low I sip a cup of tea! Works like a charm! Good luck!

Daisy22 · January 2012

I've had 2 c/s and BFed both with no problems. The first time I was in recovery within 30 minutes and within 45 minutes the nurses were telling me to do skin to skin and try to BF with DS1. I really think the skin to skin we did quite a bit those first few days really helped. DS1 had really low blood sugars b/c he was so big and I still was allowed to do skin to skin and BF within 45 minutes of him coming out. With DS2, it took a little longer to close the incision due to scar tissue but I still had DS2 doing skin to skin and trying to BF within an hour of being born.

I also pumped for about 5 minutes before trying to nurse for the first few weeks. With DS1, the LC suggested I do this b/c he was so big and I really needed my milk to come in asap so I wouldn't have to supplement. It worked for him and for whne I had DS2.

pepomntpat · January 2012

I had an unplanned c/s and I am still nursing DD nearly 14 months later. I had no BFing issues related to the c/s. I think what contributed to my success was part luck-I had no major roadblocks-and part pure stubborness on my part. FFS, something was going to go my way! LOL!

Best of luck to you! I would just suggest nursing often, watch the baby and not the clock and when in doubt nurse.

magdalina.h · January 2012

I BF'd for 13 weeks. Then I switched to EP because of his awful latch. My supply was/is great and I nursed him shortly after birth.

shouldbworkin · January 2012

With my first, there was a little getting used to the tenderness of the incision at first. Don't be shy about loading up on pillows, bringing your boppy and asking for help. You will need to be BFing often, so ask someone to help you get comfortable and bring you the baby while you have help available. after a couple weeks, it gets easier. the 2nd time around was a breeze.

SarahP15 · January 2012

I had an unplanned c/s and didn't see my son for several hours. I tried to feed him in the recovery room but I couldn't get him latched. I tried to nurse him in postpartum and the RN couldn't help me get him latched. I saw a LC the next morning and she helped with the latch (so he hadn't eaten much by this point, despite many tries) and he started nursing great. Here we are 7 months later, still going strong (even though I'm currently pregnant again!)

It will be okay if you don't see your LO for a few hours after recovery. As soon as you can, nurse and do so on demand thereafter. Good luck!

Mama Jan · January 2012

i BF'd both my older boys for about 13mo. Both were c/s and my milk came in around 3-4 days pp. I nursed both of them in the recovery room so there was only a very minimal delay.

I had c/s #3 two days ago and my milk is already in so I don't anticipate any hindrances to BF DS3.

Honestly, I've not talked to any women IRL who've had trouble with BFing as a result of a c/s.

GL!

akayf · January 2012

My DS had to go to the special care nursery and got fed by IV for the 1st 2 days. I pumped and they gave him what I pumped. On the 3rd day, I was finally able to start BFing. He latched on perfectly. If I hadn't gotten so sick and wound up in CCU, we would still be BFing today. I tried to pump to matain my supply but it was too much(I was very sick). Then I wound up needing to go on meds that you couldn't take while breastfeeding. So my issues were not related to the c-section itself....we were BFing without any problem other than a little pain if I held him a certain way and he pressed on my incision. When the LC came to see me, she said it looked like we were doing great and other than suggesting I use the football hold so he wouldn't lay on my incision, she had no advice.

So even if you don't get to BF right away, you can make BFing work. And on a side note, I had issues BFing my older son and he was a vaginal birth. I got to try BFing him right away. Unfortunately, he was tongue tied and I had inverted nipples so we failed. I wound up EPing for almost 8 months with him.

vette_99 · January 2012

I had an unplanned c/s with DS and I did have supply issues for a couple of weeks (I had to supplement for that short time), but with the help of a great lactation consultant, I was able to nurse DS until he was 13 and a half months!

My best advice to you is to make sure all of the nursing staff knows you plan to nurse and don't let them try to bottle feed your lo (they kept trying to do this with DS). If you are struggling, ask to see the lactation consultant, mine had lots of tips and brought me a nipple shield to help DS latch (which we used for a couple of months). For some mothers, it comes easy, for me it was hard but well worth all of the effort! Good luck to you!!

Foutzie44 · January 2012

I also had a planned c/s (turned into semi emergency since I went into labor early and was. 7cm when I got to the hospital) I had made it very clear I wanted to nurse as soon as possible and did have the opportunity to nurse DS in recovery....we had no problems , he is now 8 months and breast feeds like a champ!!

Definantly let them know your wishes beforehand, take the nurses and lc's help and good luck!!

Mrs_MBed · January 2012

My girls each ended up in the NICU (3 days and 23 days respectively) and I was able to BF them for over a year each (19.5 and 24 months). DD1 was nursed from when she was about 12 hours old and was slightly hard, as I was a FTM and not really sure what I was doing. The lactation consultants were amazing and incredibly helpful.

DD2 was a bit trickier as she was born at 33 wks 5 d, so I didn't actually start nursing her until she was about 2 weeks old. Prior to that I was pumping for her bottle feedings. Again, the lactation consultants were incredible. I "knew" what I was doing, but DD2 didn't, so it was nice to have that support and help.

So my advice - make sure the nurses/staff know you want to nurse, ask to see a lactation consultant. Also, don't give up. It is hard at the beginning, but it gets easier.

I also did not have any problems with my incision while nursing. More often the girls would kick me there when I was just holding them. LOL

Ardmhs83 · January 2012

I had a c-section and EBF my son for 9 months! The section didn't mess with my nursing whatsoever. You should be fine. Let the nurses know that you are going to nurse and to not give a bottle and they will bring the baby to you as soon as he/she needs you. Good luck!

Angela814 · January 2012

DD1 was an unscheduled c/s after failure to progress. She was 10 days late. She latched on and nursed well from the start. My milk came in on day 3 or 4. She was almost back to her birthweight when we left the hospital. She nursed for 3 years 2 months.

DD2 was a scheduled c/s after hoping for a vbac. My OB didn't feel I could have a successful vbac past my due date (based on the reasons I had a c/s with DD1). DD2 was 2 days late. She also nursed well from the start. My milk came in on day 2. DD2 didn't gain weight quite as fast. She was back to her birthweight at 2 weeks. She's still nursing at 18 months.

I think part of being successful was that I nursed both girls often in the beginning, every 1-2 hours during the day for the first couple months. I nursed on demand for the first 3-4 months. (They each kind of put themselves on their own schedule shortly after 3 months when they started daycare.) Also, make sure you get help from a LC in the hospital if you need it.

skio · January 2012

I BF'd DD about an hour after she was delivered. We had no issues whatsoever and she is still nursing beautifully at 10m. She has never had or needed a drop of formula.

Tips: Just relax and roll with the punches. Your body is meant to do it when you have a baby and it doesn't matter how the baby comes out.

Jcrab · January 2012

DS was CS at 37 weeks with no signs of labor but he was in distress and needed to be out. All of that should have made it take longer for my milk to come in but I had no troubles at all. DS was a good nurser and I started pumping by 18 hours old as well. My milk was definitely in by day two and I was super engorged. Maybe did a good LC before birth so you know you have support easily available when you have questions. Determination is a huge factor in success. You can do it!

RumbleLina · January 2012

I went through 3 hours pushing ending in a g/a c-section so I wasn't awake for 3 hours and I never had a problem BFing. I was going through an emotionally tough time though so I resorted to pumping and syringe feeding until he was probably two days old. I was a pumping fiend...which also probably resulted in a huge over supply.

ETA: Use the hospitals lactation specialist as much as you can! I saw mine a bunch of times for questions and clarification.

hopkins5 · January 2012

No problems here, after an unplanned c/s. I nursed as soon as I could and she's still going, at 15 mos.

nugget0411 · January 2012

oh i totally breastfed perfectly after DS was born - via c/s. my milk came in right away and he fed like a champ. in fact i was extremely engorged and it was really painful for me but we got it down eventually!

just a tip would be to bring a pump to the hospital...it's controversial but it can either help bring in your milk or relieve you of some pain of over engorgment!

good luck!!

and ps....regardless of delivery style - your milk will come in if it's going to come in

Five_letter · January 2012

I had no problems at all with bf-ing after my c/s

mommytoconnor · January 2012

Having CSection will not have any effects on your ability to breastfeed your baby. Medications that you get prior and during may make your baby a little sleep for the first 24 hours or so, but that's about it. I would recommend that you stay away from Stadol, which is a pain med as this makes infants very sleepy. They typically don't give this during csections, but just so you know.

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