Will I fail again?

[Joshjunior]

Had really bad BF problem with DS1 i.e. no milk produced. He ended up in SCBU on a drip for a week with severe dehydration. Now 34 weeks and once again no change in boobs at all during pregnancy. Is it worth even trying again? BTW on thyroxine, ? a link.

Yes it is worth trying again Joshjunior. Thyroxine is not a problem with breastfeeding. It is important that you have good support this time round. It might be a good idea to make contact with a breastfeeding counsellor before you give birth. Is there a breastfeeding workshop you can go to run by the midwives? Learning as much as you can about correct attachment of baby is important, so that you know the signs of a good feed.

Great advice from mears - could you go to a bf talk? best wishes xxx

yes I managed ok breastfeeding first baby but still learnt loads at breastfeeding workshop before second baby arrived

well worth going along if you can find one

my advice to anyone would be give it a go

I definitely think it's worth trying again.
I breastfed my 3rd & 4th children. With no 3, I had dreadful time, very painful and got really bad masttitis - ended up fevered and throwing up in the toilet in the early hours of the morning, sobbing and shaking for about two hours terrible - gave up after that.
Was very, very uncertain whether to even try with no 4 or just to put her onto the bottle straight away as I had with nos 1 & 2. Decided to give it a try and it was a completely different experience. Absolutely no problems, no pain, no mastitis dd3 fed like a dream and is still going strong 21 months later

I had real problems feeding DS1 and gave him a bottle at 3 weeks although carried on offering the breast until 13 weeks (not very often and couldn't really say I was mixed feeding tbh). When DS2 came along it all just seemed to work properly and I fed him exclusively until 14m!
Good luck

Please do give it a go. I had huge problems with DD (expressed every feed for 4 months while going to BF clinic three times a week, 9-5, bit like having a part time job!). She did get it in the end, and I BF her till 7 months (would have like to have done for longer, but there you go). Had DS 4 years later, and was quite nervous before he was born, but I didn't have any problems BF him - maybe I'd learned so much spending all that time at BF clinic I had a better idea of what to do. So I'd definitely say give it a go - and wish you all the best with it.

ds1 - absolute nightmare, ds2 - few problems, much better feeder and didn't hurt me. Completely different experience 2nd time round, really surprised me, hope yours is too!

My friend had real trouble with dd and ended up expressing for a year, with her ds it was a different story and they both took to it like ducks to water.

I really struggled to feed ds, ended up mixed-feeding at two weeks, with mostly bottle. It upset me desperately, and I'm sure was a contributory factor to my ending up with PND. Next time around I managed to breastfeed dd until 23m. It's a matter of suppport and self-belief. Oh, yes, and technique. And did I mention support? The NCT Breastfeeding Helpline was an absolute godsend. I spent many hours crying on their 'shoulders'.

Have long talks now with your dp and anyone else (mum, MIL, HV etc) who you will look to for support, about how you are going to spend your mornings - or even days - in bed or on the sofa, feeding. You will need, at least for a few weeks, someone to help with your ds, any housekeeping etc, while you concentrate on yourself and your baby.

I also prepared by cooking too much food at every meal in the last weeks of pregnancy and freezing portions in foil containers, so that all I had to do was sling a couple in the oven and our lunch was ready - no preparing and no washing-up. Makes a real difference.

And as for boobs, well mine have never changed at all during pregancy. They just get tender and touch-me-not. Then, weeks after the milk has come in (and this happened both times, whether or not I fed exclusively), they zoom up several sizes. Even so, they don't increase as much as others' seem to.

ditto prettycandles re arranging help in advance

ds - battled to feed (even though boobs got big and seemed very full). Ended up mixed feeding until 7mo, then ds refused breast

dd (now 8weeks) - a few minor issues at first (getting used to each other, I think) since then, I've "drowned" her - as too much milk squirts into her mouth and she coughs and splutters. If she comes off the boob, it squirts on her face and up her nose (I've got to "rescue her" and stem the flow with a cloth). During pg my boobs did not feel like they had changed at all. This is totally OPOSITE of what I had with my first child. BUT with dd - I did tell people in advance that bf was a priority for me. When people came to visit and see dd, dh asked them to bring dinner (I was a bit ) - but they were happy to help. Housework has been hit-and-miss (my mum has been doing my washing for me!) but it has been totally worth it.

Oh - and don't even think about expressing in the early days/weeks. But if you go to a bf clinic in advance, they'll give you all the tips

GOOD LUCK. A bad first bf experience does NOT mean a bad second one. In fact, I think I learned a lot of what not to do (based on how things did not work well with ds), and did quite a bit differently second time around.

NCT Breastfeeding Line: 0870 444 8708 8am-10pm everyday. You don't need to wait until there is a problem to call them .

Thanks everyone - have an independent midwife this time as such a bad experience last time, she is superb, very laid back and is keeping me in check re nerves at the thought of BF. Hope all will go well now.