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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

BFing 2nd time round - easier than 1st time?

15 replies

MangoHedgehog · 18/06/2012 19:01

I remember the hell of establishing bfing with DD 5 years ago... black nipples, the crack that wouldn't heal, pain as if you were passing broken glass through your nips.... oh yes and the double mastitis....

We got through it after a month or so and DD was happily bfed for 2.5yrs. Am now 38wks and really looking forward to bfing the new one - after getting through the hellish stage again anyway. But maybe it won't be so bad this time? or worse?

How did you find bfing the 2nd time round?

OP posts:

talkingnonsense · 18/06/2012 19:06

Ime, much much easier- fortunately as he had to feed quick before toddler ds1 got into mischief!

lindsell · 18/06/2012 19:06

I found establishing bf much quicker with ds2 as I knew what I needed to do so he latched on straight away after birth and has not looked back since whereas with ds1 it took a few days as he was quite sleepy initially and I didn't know what I was doing. Ds2 feeds very well and has done since birth however I have had mastitis twice already and ds2 is only 6wks and I didn't have it at all with ds1. Not sure why and gp no help

I've definitely felt more confident earlier on with ds2.

Hope all goes well with dc2

PeggyCarter · 18/06/2012 19:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rookery · 18/06/2012 19:07

Sorry it was so hellish for you first time round. Toe-curling pain: I remember that. Second time was so much easier, I'm happy to say. I expected it to be agony. DS2 latched on much more easily and I was much more relaxed about the whole thing. All the best and I hope it all goes really well.

PeggyCarter · 18/06/2012 19:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

MangoHedgehog · 18/06/2012 19:15

Puddle wow, tongue tie, upper li[ tie AND dairy and soy allergy! well done for getting through all that.

Oh yes magic Lansinoh - have bought it in just in case - wish I'd had it from the outset with DD

OP posts:

digitalgirl · 18/06/2012 19:17

I found it easier to establish bf second time round. I expressed colostrum and syringed it into Ds2's mouth after his first night. Then by the 2nd night he started feeding properly. Compared to ds1 who never really latched on in the first week as he was too sleepy and had jaundice so was having top-ups. The only problem second time was ds2 had tongue tie which wasn't diagnosed till the 10th day by which point my nipples were blistered and cracked . But if you've had that problem before then you'll be more in tune with preventing it I think. Because I had such trouble getting ds1 to latch on in the first place I was so pleased that ds2 was feeding I didn't care that his latch was bad (until my nipple started bleeding).

jaggythistle · 19/06/2012 03:55

at 2 months with DS2 and it has been lots easier.

mostly because i knew what i was doing and to encourage him to feed often to get milk to come in. he fed really well from the start, DS1 had a tongue tie which was rubbish till it was snipped.

haven't had too much soreness unless i get lazy with the latch.

overall he's done great and put on a pound a week at first!

the other major factor though is changing my expectations and knowing it's normal to feed so often etc. just having confidence!

good luck with new baby. :)

PoppyWearer · 19/06/2012 05:14

Much easier because I knew this time that feeding on one side would be painful due to a problem with my nipple. (Inverted. Had mastitis and then blocked ducts on that side.). First time around I didn't realise and persisted through the pain for 9 months.

With DC2, I tried a few times on the problem side, felt the pain, knew how it would be, and gave myself permission to bf from the good side only and supplement as needed. 10 months on, haven't looked back.

The milk came in very fast second time around. The midwife said I must be mistaken, but DC2 was dribbling milk and getting the milk-drunk look after feeds by day two. I also managed to avoid using Lansinoh or nipple shields - it turned out that all of my problems first time had been on the one side, not on the other!

MrClaypole · 19/06/2012 05:57

So so much easier with DS2!

He took to it like a duck to water and I had very little pain at all, maybe just a day or 2 of mild discomfort. certainly nothing like the cracked nipple hell of feeding DS1!

Did get blocked ducts a lot more with DS2 but easily fixed with a hot bath and some hand expressing.

notcitrus · 19/06/2012 06:23

So much easier! With ds he latched on like a limpet causing bleeding by day 2, and I had terrible pain and then once the latch was sorted, got thrush. After 8 weeks though, it went well.

Dd is 4 months and feeds beautifully at home but does tend to only snack if I'm out. And refuses since 8 weeks to take a bottle, which is a right pain and I'm looking forward to weaning because of that. Though DP managed to syringe a couple ounces into her the other day so I might get an evening out eventually.

marriednotdead · 19/06/2012 06:42

Easier with #2. Had a bit of the sore/cracked nipple thing with #1 and a couple of bouts of mastitis. This was combined with oversupply so they had a very collicky first few weeks.

Second time round, worse oversupply but able to cope as it was my normal without drowning baby

Original poster

MangoHedgehog · 19/06/2012 20:48

Thanks for the reassurance all :) armed with lansinoh and a bit more confidence than last time, hopefully we will be fine!

OP posts:

littlemiss26 · 20/06/2012 14:25

I think it depends on the reason you had problems last time really - if they are something you can identify and can therefore prevent you will probably find it easier. I have fed all three of my children and with all three i had mastitis between 2 and 3 weeks of birth! I also had sore cracked nipples each time, despite being experienced in breastfeeding. My youngest is 6 weeks and this time i tried it without lansinoh to see if that made a difference (I used it loads with previous two boys), it made no difference at all! I think for some people you can have a difficult start no matter what number child it is, but at least you know it is temporary if it happens! good luck

Ihateparties · 22/06/2012 00:05

I think the easier bit is your having the experience and as someone said probably you have adjusted your expectations from what they were pre babies. You could just as easily encounter a problem second time round, you will just have more tools to deal with it and probably deal with it better if something does crop up. Feeding each baby is definitely a different experience.
Good luck and hope for a baby that helps you out with it (by the second and third times my midwives admitted this was indeed the case, something of a departure from what they said first time round! )

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