STM breastfeeding

greenwaves26 · November 2018

any STM really dreading breakfast feeding or trying to breastfeed again? It went super terrible for me last time and I’m really dreading trying again.

oaklandava · November 2018

Yes....same. I was successful at it but my PPD really got in the way and made me depressed even more because nobody could help me with him. So, I am hoping to avoid that this time...

thepicklemonster · November 2018

Yup. I hated it and wound up only nursing for 3 weeks and exclusively pumping for another 3 weeks. My son was mostly formula fed and he is perfect. So I am going to try again but I feel way less pressure this time around. If it works and I somewhat enjoy it, great, if not I know formula is totally fine.

molosmiles · November 2018

I didn't have luck breastfeeding with my first and I was worried when i had my second, but it was much easier with her and we breastfed for 10 months. I stopped due to medical reasons. I'm not sure what to expect with my 3rd but whatever happens I'll adapt! I'm not a big worried about anything it keeping my baby fed however that is.

MrsDho11 · November 2018

Yes. I stressed and struggled with supply until I finally started supplementing at 4 months. At which point I worried that i had been starving her. And it all wound up into my PPD— especially when my supply pretty much completely dried up by 8 or 9 months. Sigh.

Hoping it goes better the second time! At the very least, I’m already medicating for the PPD!

lo987ujk · November 2018

No, I actually enjoyed it last time as I was finally successful. I tried with my other 3 but I was unable to. I thoroughly enjoyed it with my 4th and looking forward with my last one.

kmos816 · November 2018

I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to breastfeeding but am not dreading it. I’m not looking forward to pumping once I go back to work, but won’t feel as guilty as I did last time once I decide it’s time formula. And if breastfeeding doesn’t work out with this one I also won’t hesitate to switch earlier to formula than I did with my first; as long as baby is fed I’ll be happy!

nononorman · November 2018

BF for a year w my first (mostly pumping since I work a lot) and I hated it so much... low supply and always stressing about every drop. But I’ll be right there doing it again, hating it in T-6.5 weeks. Dreading that initial few days of latching and crossing my fingers it’s different/better this time.

sweetyjenj · November 2018

I'm actually really excited for nursing! I enjoyed nursing last time and I hope it goes as well this time. I've heard that each child is different, so while my milk production might still be great, nursing just might not go so well. He might have an allergy, or tie, or whatever. I ended up having overstock last time and was able to stop pumping/nursing at 8 months and still have enough breastmilk frozen to last until 15 months. This time I would like to again make a huge freezer stash so I can stop pumping at work, but continue nursing for morning/nights until he weans more naturally, like around 12-18 months if he (and I) can make it that long. I liked the nursing part, but I HATED the pumping part. I pumped frequently, though, which I think helped keep my supply up strong. I can't wait to get a freezer stash so I can stop pumping and keep nursing. Once he gets to 12 months he will drink whole milk at daycare and I'll just nurse at home if my supply stays ok.

lo987ujk · November 2018

@sweetyjenj I wish I had that much. With my 4th I suceddfully breastfed her for 2.5 years. I did have my period after 6 months though, I think it's because at 4 months I introduced her to solids.

VallieS86 · November 2018

Thinking about breastfeeding again gives me anxiety. It didn't go well with my 1st one and I pretty much completely gave up breastfeeding and pumping around 6 weeks last time. It made me feel like a failure and I'm hoping this time goes better. Formula is freaking expensive so I'd like it to be successful but... and thinking about the nurses hovering over me at the hospital making me feel bad again gives me even more anxiety. Sighs. I hope it goes better and I don't in turn end up feeling guilty if it does because it didn't go better with my first. Bleh.

skilouise · November 2018

I'm a FTM so don't have any personal experience, but wanted to briefly share my IRL BFF's experience. She had a hellacious time trying to BF her first, and after spending tons of time, money, and tears trying everything possible, she switched to formula around 6 weeks pp. She was really anxious about going through that again with her second, but he ended up taking to BF like a fish to water. She ended up BF him for about ten months with no major issues.

ladystout08 · November 2018

I'm trying not to let it give me anxiety. I have flat nipples and my milk took an entire week to come in last time and BFing just never happened. I exclusively pumped for the first 6 months or so before we switched to formula. This time I'm going into it knowing that formula is ok, especially those first few days. I'm taking my pump with me to the hospital and got some nipple shields. I'm going to really try.

kmvisioli · November 2018

@ladystout08 nipple shields made a world of difference for me with DS1. The IBCLC said basically he was trying to latch onto a grapefruit before that 🤦🏻‍♀️ I hope it helps you!

I’m actually looking forward to BFing again, especially since I know there won’t be much other individual bonding time for me and this baby. I had rocky starts with my other three (first because of the flat nipples and latch issue, which led to a supply struggle for a few weeks, second and third just because there were two of them and one was tiny), but made it past a year each time. Hopefully this guy takes to it well right off the bat!

edited for typos

oaklandava · November 2018

@ladystout08 nipple shields were amazing for me. They made the process so much easier...also my IBCLC had said that my son probably went to a bottle the easiest that she'd seen because it's similar to the nipple shield. Dunno if that's true, but I plan on using them again.

sparkymcgeee · November 2018

I love nursing. But it comes with challenges. DD was born just a little early and didn't figure out latching for a good 10 days probably. She would struggle to latch and would just scream. Which made me cry. But she figured it out. At 7w I went back to work and pumped. But I never had enough to feed her BM exclusively. We supplemented right away and I stopped pumping at 6m. I was able to BF until 17m though.
With DS it was about the same. He didn't have latch issues but after I went back to work I still wasn't able to pump as much as he needed. We used donor milk to supplement and then used formula. I stopped pumping at 6m and I dried up at 11 months.
So while I love the bond I have with the baby I learned I am not enough and food is food. You feed your kid and that's all that matters. I don't feel guilty about using formula. I don't feel guilty about not pumping (pumping sucks so much) because food is food and as long as my baby is fed, I'm good.

LeahNicole · November 2018

I'm looking forward to breastfeeding again, however I'm so ready for my body to be mine again. I was nursing my dd1 when I got pregnant, so it just all feels like so much. I nursed until 17 months with dd, and pumped at work until a year. I had so really good experience, and pumped alot at each pump. I am so aware of how much people can struggle with breastfeeding, I almost had some guilt because it went so well for us. Hoping it goes smoothly this time as well.

libertymomrn · November 2018

I nursed my first two until they were a little over 2 years old, and ended up exclusively pumping with my 3rd baby. I’m still planning to nurse this one, but am glad I know the ropes of exclusive pumping now, if needs baby. Every baby and mother is different. One of those really big epiphany moments of parenting happened for me when I ended up choosing to pump for my 3rd baby. My story is here- https://exclusivepumpingmoms.blogspot.com/2015/09/my-story.html?m=1

libertymomrn · November 2018

For me, I thought clogged milk ducts were the most trying part of breastfeeding. Here’s what I wish I would’ve known to prevent and treat them (and prevent mastitis) my first time around-

Avoid Prolonged Pressure on Your Breasts. Wear a soft, supportive bra that is not too tight, and does not have any under-wire or push-up pads. Do not sleep in positions that put pressure on your breasts from your arms, or anything else.
Breast Compression While Pumping. Breast compression basically just invovles squeezing the breasts between suctionings of the pump. I usually wait until after the first let-down, and use both hand on one breast, and then the other. You will want to change the position of your hands a few times, and squeeze at multiple angles to ensure that the breast are able to get as empty as possible. Feel for any firm spots, and massage through them towards the nipple while you pump. The prevents excess milk from pooling, and the fat from sticking to the duct, and blocking it.
Sunflower Lecithin. This stuff is amazing! This is the one I take, but any brand should be fine.You'll want sunflower lecithin rather that soy lecithin as soy can mimic estrogen, which can affect your milk supply, your weight, and your fertility. I take 1200 mg daily for a maintenance dose, and 1200 mg twice daily when I have a clog. Lecithin basically acts as a lubricant, and makes the milk fat less sticky so it doesn't stick together and block the ducts. Also, if you do get a plugged duct or mastitis, I swear by this homeopathic to clear it up- https://smile.amazon.com/WishGarden-Herb-Lactation-Supplement-Breastfeeding/dp/B01DWO8A8Y/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1543375930&sr=8-2&keywords=happy+ducts

jandd2014 · November 2018

I'm really hoping it goes better than it did with DD. She had a hard time latching. We saw the LC probably four times, then tried nipple shields (flat nipples here too). But with the shields she wasn't getting enough milk and quit gaining weight. On top of that, she had a milk protein allergy (which we found out when she had blood in her poop at 4 weeks old), so I had to cut out dairy, eggs, and soy products in order to BF her. After a very stressful first 6 weeks, I switched to exclusively pumping. In the end, I still wasn't able to make enough milk for her to gain weight, so we started supplementing with formula at 2 months. We actually went back to breastfeeding and formula at about 6 months old when she could finally latch ok. I did love the bonding time when breastfeeding was finally going well, but we still weaned at 10 months because I was just tired of the diet restrictions (and was about to start the new school year).

tosh24 · November 2018

I won't lie that I'm not looking forward to those first few months of nursing around the clock. It's a lot of work and I sometimes felt really overwhelmed BFing both of my kids in those early weeks. It was just so hard to still not feel like my own person and be the *only* one that could feed the baby and all those postpartum hormone fluctuations did not help. I am lucky that I never had any BFing issues with latch or supply, so I can only imagine how dealing with those additional challenges would cause a lot of anxiety. I'm definitely glad I stuck it out, though, because once the kids were a little older, our BFing time was sweet. I nursed DD for 14 months when she self-weaned, and I BFed DS for 2 years until I closed up shop (I swear he's such a mama's boy he'd never have weaned himself lol). I also never had to deal with the challenges of pumping since we have a long mat leave in Canada but it seems like that can also be quite overwhelming to feel like you're attached to the pump all the time.

Do you have a lot of support at home for BFing? I really credit DH's support and help with being able to BF as long as I did. He would talk me down off the ledge, he picked up the slack around the house as well as did the majority of the diaper and bathing duty to give me a break. It would have been tough to get through those first 4-6 weeks without his support. And if all else fails, just remember that a fed baby is a happy baby and if you feel like it's just too much for you, it's OK to devise a plan that works for you, whether that's just part time BFing/formula feeding, exclusively pumping, part-time pumping/formula feeding, or straight formula feeding. I hope whatever you decide goes smoothly!

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