Third baby, first time breastfeeding.

[Keepingupwiththejonesys]

Hi all, first post but I often take part in other threads.

I'm due to have my third baby on 3rd of February. I bottle fed my other two children but am hoping to breastfeed this time. With my first I had a fantastic experience with formula and had no regrets at all with my decision. Second time around was a different story, won't go into details but by week 4 I really regretted not at least trying the breast but it was to late by then. This time I am going to give breast a go. I'm prepared for if it doesn't work out but I'm determined to give it a good go.

Would just like other peoples experiences, both similar to mine and breast feeding in general. How was it for you? I'm worried that with having two little ones already (just turned 2 and almost 4) I will struggle, but then it could actually be more practical to breast feed. Did breast feeding hurt? I hear different stories, I'm aware it may well hurt but wanted to know what type of pain it is. I'm good with pain but I do think being in the agony some women describe for weeks on end could be a bit much. Anywho, would just be great to get some advice/insight on it.

[Stevefromstevenage]

I had a similar experience. My 2 older children were sick a lot with minor illnesses and then it turned out dd1 was intolerant of cow's milk. I was determined to BF DC3. It was bloody tough for the first couple of months but I would ultimately swear by it compared to the older two based on that one experience (although of course everyone's experience is going to be completely different of course.)

[Penguina]

Bf for me is a dream but was a nightmare to begin with. It was so incredibly painfull for almost 8 weeks. I would dread him waking up because I was so scared to feed him the pain was that bad. Showering was also horrible as was toweling off. But it got better and now I can't imagine not doing it. It is so convenient for me. I have a 17mo dd with severe disabilities and I have managed fine coping with the 2 of them.
I have also gone dairy free as he was very agitated and sick in the early days which is shit but as I can't eat chocolate I've lost l nearly a stone in 7 weeks!

[StrawberryLeaf]

I bottle fed DD1, DD2 is 14 months and still breastfed, it's been an amazing experience, we both took well to breastfeeding, I never had pain etc, just found it a bit tough in the early weeks being her main comfort but husband has been easily able to put her to bed etc for months now.

It's been so good I don't want to stop...!

Good luck, do a bit of reading before hand, Jack Newman website and Facebook video are great, get some support lined up in case you need it, breastfeeding group or phone numbers etc and enjoy the extra calories it gives you!

[fuxxake]

BF both DC so can't compare to FF but no regrets. Both were a bit painful only for first few days for me but yes, the kind of pain where you dread having to latch baby on for next feed. However again for me that only lasted for a minute or so at start of each feed. I would swear by Lansinoh to protect nipples and prevent cracks and sores etc. Use it right from the start whether you think you need it or not. It is relentless though, esp in the first few weeks and harder with other DC to look after too. If you have plenty of support then take advantage to go lie down somewhere nice and quiet and enjoy those long feeding sessions

[LaPharisienne]

DD went on immediately, no pain and has happily bf since then. We are all very happy!

Just wanted to post a positive story

[HopelesslydevotedtoGu]

Something I read on mumsnet that stuck- with breastfeeding the effort is front loaded. The start can be hard work as you establish your milk supply, but later it is so easy- just pop baby on and know they are getting the right amount of milk. Whereas with ff there is work throughout.

The kellymom website is great. Read up on what to expect in advance
kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

It shouldn't hurt. It can be sore at first as your nipples adjust- have some lansinoh cream- but if it really hurts seek advice, there is plenty that can be done to help. You will probably have breastfeeding cafes in your area to get help.

[Laptopontable]

Bottle fed first two.. brilliant experience but wanted to try to breastfeed my third.. it was awful, painful beyond anything I could imagine, constant and felt so claustrophobic. I changed to bottle at just over a week and have never looked back.. I now have a 10 week old that sleeps through the night while the rest of my breastfeeding antenatal group are still only getting 2-3 hours sleep a night and I can leave the baby with my husband or family and have some me time. With the exception of one friend I don't know anyone who enjoyed breastfeeding and didn't think it was painful and incredibly restricting.

[Coconut0il]

It definitely gets easier the longer you do it, DS2 is 14 months now and it's so quick and easy. I bf both DS1 and DS2 and luckily I've never had any pain or problems. The only thing I've found, especially with DS2, is it's incredibly time consuming especially in the early days. This was fine for me as I have a big age gap between the two so I could spend my time snuggled up on the sofa feeding. I think I would've struggled if I had other little ones to look after but maybe not. Good luck with it OP.

[Showgirl109]

I'm breastfeeding DD who is 15 weeks. We both took to it really well, uncomfortable and yes some pain in the first few weeks and time consuming. But now feeds only last 10 mins max and every 3 hours during the day. She has only woken once in the night since 8 weeks. It is restrictive because she won't take a bottle but I have been out for drinks (after she went to bed) and can pop out in between feeds. So I'm not completely chained to her, there is no way I would want to leave her over night anyway.

I can recommend nipple cream from day 1 before every feed to help prevent and heal from the beginning. But I have found it really wonderful.

[1sttimemama1986]

I'm a first time mum and decided to breastfeed. We struggle with baby latching and it wasn't till day 5 he fed from the breast although with the support of nipple shields. This was hard going as they are a faff however without them we couldn't breastfeed at all. Quick labour, baby with infection, both on lots of antibiotics l of which are said to contribute at times to issues with feeding. There is a lot to it but just want to say good luck, be prepared it's not always easy straight off but that doesn't mean it won't be. It took us 12 weeks to transition from shields to breast and it is so much easier not having to carry bottles/formula etc. I love breastfeeding but it's been my biggest challenge since having him and in fact in general. Good luck and despite a tricky start to me it has been well worth it! Xx

[knaffedoff]

Go to an antenatal class to understand bf, it shouldn't be painful but it will be with poor positioning and attachment. I know lots of mums who ff first borns and bf subsequent children. I also hear that it is much easier to bf, once it's established. Go for it, you have little to lose

[SeeTheGood20]

In my experience breastfed babies need training to ensure that they can take a bottle in your absence. Otherwise it will be very difficult to go out without them.
Try to express and give the baby milk through a bottle on a weekly basis if possible, just to keep him/her used to it.
When my exclusively breastfed son was under 1 year old I was tutoring on a weekend and expressing into a bottle for his babysitter. All was fine into I had a 4 week holiday. Therefore for 4 weeks he didn't get babysat and didn't have a bottle. He went completely off it after that and so arranging childcare was very difficult. It stressed me out.
Never had that problem with my eldest as he was fed both breastmilk and formula.

However, that is just in my experience and in the experience of other mums in my family.

[FourToTheFloor]

If I'm honest I think you will struggle in the early days with 2 other young dc beause it does take time to establish milk supply, getting the right hold etc and I thought dd1 took a while to learn to bf but when it all works it's brilliant so I'd encourage you to read as much as you can on the pros and cons so you know what to expect and can keep going when/if it gets a little tough.

Once you've got the hang of it it really is easy and lovely (and dd1 took 3 fecking months to get a 1.5 night feed down to 30 minutes ) Once she did this, and I was literally days away from chucking it in, I finally understood what the whooha about bf was.

[welshgirlwannabe]

Just to say breastfeeding does not always hurt. It can be very straightforward and easy - it was for me and plenty of people I know. I'm not saying this to be smug, so hopefully no one takes offense. It's just that I rarely hear it mentioned. Breastfeeding can be easy, lovely and pain free.

I'd also recommend the book the food of love. It's a brilliant book and Very helpful. Best of luck!

[OhTheRoses]

Why didn't you breastfeed the first two? Just interested.

[FourToTheFloor]

Good point Welsh. I guess I just didn't expect the hard work and had there been other dc I might have given up. I wanted to encourage OP to be prepared for the possible initial slog.

[Sewblunt]

My son was severely tongue tied when he was born. He did not have very much movement in his tongue at all. As soon as my milk came in he could not latch at all. We were lucky that a lovely midwife gave me a nipple shield and I got a quick appointment to have it cut privately. Even so BF was very painful and difficult, his tongue tie was cut for a second time at about 6 weeks but he was still bad at latching. It was painful until about 3 months and then something just clicked and it has been great since then. I'm so glad I stuck with it now but the first few months were tough. I stuck with it because I really wanted to do it. There were times when I was close to giving up and formula feeding but I'm so proud that I have stuck with it. DS is 4 and a half months old and thriving.