scared to breastfeed

[lindseyyyy]

I'm due my DC2 any day now. My DC1 is 15 months & I didn't even attempt breastfeed him.
Real talk now: how hard is it?
To give some context my DC1 was an angel, only waking for feeds & sleeping thru at 9 weeks so that's my only experience/expectation. How different/stressful will breastfeeding be?

I have some stretch marks on mine, but they should fade once I stop. AFAIK it's pregnancy that makes your boobs sag, not breastfeeding.

No one in my family has breastfed in three generations, so I've had to be quite strong minded as some people have been quite negative about my breastfeeding. I've had to smile, nod and ignore quite a bit! Having a good support group and DH onside have both been a great help. Especially the support group if you don't know many people who've breastfed, as having others around you doing the same helps you to think of what you're doing as normal.

I think it varies massively.

I didn't have any pain or cracked nipples. A little discomfort with DD's latch at first, partly as she had lip tie.

I had oversupply, which was inconvenient at times (leaking through pads etc). I found getting local support helpful in the early days. I found BF quite full on in the early days but I suspect it is just because being a parent to a newborn is full on! I soon came to appreciate not having to get out of bed to do night feeds, and not having to lug about feeding equipment/go home early to prep feeds.

I BF for 2.5 years. My breasts are slightly less firm than before, but not saggy. I don't know if it is pregnancy/ageing or feeding that affects them, but I'm fine with how they are. I think genetics plays a part - my mum bf three kids and is still pretty firm in her seventies.

I'm 26w with my second and planning to BF again. When it works it is amazing!

I have 5 DCs aged 7yrs to 3 weeks and the only thing I have noticed difference in feeding is that boys seem to have a stronger suck than girls. The main problem is that until your milk comes in (roughly 5-8 days after birth), the baby is sucking cholostrum which there isn't very much of. If you have a boy, chances are, he will try to suck very strongly for not a lot and this can cause very very sore nipples. Nipple shields aren't as useful as they make out to be (some people get on with them but I've not met a mum who's used one who has liked them) so it is a case of buying nipple balm and waiting until the day you can get him back by spraying him in the face with your presurised milk!! Again, something rarely mentioned. The let-down after the baby latches on (in my case) seems to be super presurised! I swear I once sprayed the arm of someone sat at the table next to me once (oops lol). If the baby comes off the breast, you are at significant risk of flooding everything around you, you may find yourself frantically fumbling around, trying to get that nipple back into the mouth of your baby...... Not easy if this is breast 2 and baby has had his or her fill!!
Layer up is one of the best bits of advice I can give you. Make sure your under layer can be pulled down under your breasts and your top layer is loose. Matalan do some nice extra long sport-type tops. This means that you don't have to buy so many breastfeeding tops. Don't be afraid to feed your baby anywhere! You can always pop into another room or round the corner to latch on, but once the baby is on, feed anywhere. If you have layered up properly, no one will notice. Feed in front of a mirror to see what other people see.
I expressed on demand for 6 weeks for my SCBU baby girl, then breast-fed my boys for 4 weeks before I got mastitis, then breast-fed my 2nd DD for 4 months and we are on week 3 with my 3rd DS. And yes, you can mix feed if you are at your wits end. As long as you do breast-feed along side it, you won't lose your supply. It's when you replace breast with formula, you'll find your supply goes down. Supply will also go down if you are not eating enough. You effectively have to eat an extra portion of your biggest meal over the day to compensate. Fluids are also important, fresh orange juice is perfect as it has sugar and vitamin c although, don't drink too much, don't want anyone going 'glow in the dark' or overdosing on vit c

I had "electric let down" for the first few weeks, a kind of sharp shock feeling as the milk gushes out. It faded relatively quickly. After that it was OK.

The one challenge was as I was doing night feeds etc it was quite tiring. I pumped after she was 2 months old, one feed a day, which helped with that. Mine took a bottle luckily. :)

Upside: she hardly cried as regardless of the issue a quick 'bubboo' calmed it and I could then deal with whatever without thrashing/screaming, zero food costs until solids, no washing or prep, feelings of reassurance re antibodies and such like.

I was very fortunate with BF.
Nothing more than a blocked duct in 7 years of nursing (2 children).

I say, give it a go, nothing to lose.

Boobs wise, mine were small and now they are gone smaller.

Thank you ladies. I'll be re-reading these posts over the next few weeks to absorb your tips (no doubt in the midnight hour).
I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about it now. I also feel it'll be a good way to keep the visitors at bay a bit & for me to be more in control of the baby.