Anyone have more success breastfeeding with their 2nd child?

[Sharesinpampers]

Hi, I combination fed DD1 until 11 months but was never confident in my latch or the amount of milk she was taking from BF. DD1 lost too much weight by day 5 and so the formula top ups (always after BF, never instead) was recommended by the paediatrician.

She never had a huge/deep latch on and I couldn't get the duck lips thing at all. My nipples stopped being sore after a couple of weeks so we managed to find something that worked, it just didn't seem right.

I'm expecting DC2 and I'm wondering if anyone didn't really do well first time round but did 2nd time and could share some good news? Also, I know it's not meant to make a difference but I have small breasts. I'm wondering if that affects latch?

Thanks all.

I had every problem under the sun with DD and none with DS. DD had a poor latch, feeding was agony for 9 weeks, over supply, mastitis X 3, nipple blister, etc. DS latched on in recovery and just fed; no pain, fast and efficient feeder.

I don't think breast size makes any difference. Did you get any support with bf last time? I found having someone check my latch and show me different positions was invaluable.

Me!

First time was terrible, my first didn't latch on and I gave up in frustration after expressing for a month.

Second time I was ready.. I read "what to expect .. and what if you can't" by Clare Byam-Cook and realised I have flat nipples which can make latching harder for a baby without a strong latch. I did the exercises and called up the hospital breastfeeding nurse to put her on standby.

To cut a long story short, it all went well in the end thanks to the above book. The hospital breastfeeding nurse never showed up on the ward so that wasn't much help. In the event I went on to breastfeed for many, many months.

Me! It was all so stressful with my first and I constantly worried about poor supply, length of feed, was he full, how often he fed, nothe putting on the TV when feeding so as not to harm him (ridiculous!), etc.

Second child I figured i'd just go with the flow and get the box sets out. It was much more chilled. My supply still appeared non-existent and I still suffered mastitis but I decided that this was normal for some and accepted it.

I got to a point where it was enjoyable, which I never thought could happen for me.

Good luck!

Yes! No1 was hard hard work; in retrospect I think she didn't latch well, was fussy screamy and colicky and I think I fed her about 20 times a day till she was 6 months or so. Always gained well and no pain, just bonkers behaviour, constantly on and off. No2 has been an absolute dream. Seems to have read Gina ford in the womb and decided to obey (10 minute feeds every 4 hours from the start). Utterly bizarre. No idea what the rhyme or reason is, but I got more help with latching for no2 and had a better idea myself How to position baby from the 1st experience.

It took me to number 3. I BF dc1 for a week dc2 for 2 weeks and dc3 for 2.5 years. They were all TT as it turned out but BF support was utterly shit here so it was only by dc3 that there was actually a person in the country who routinely revised TT which we then got done.

Me, DS1 struggled to latch, was reluctant to feed and had a complete nursing strike at 3 months. I ended up expressing until 6 months but it was so hard. DS2 latched on perfectly and is still feeding at 2.

Me. I really struggled with Dc1 who had real problems latching on in the hospital. After 4 days they told me to either give him formula or they'd admit him to special care. He was formula fed from then on

Dc2 did it straight away and was bf until I stopped at 6 months.

Yip, my first latched on but would suck. Also lost weight by at five and I was told I either needed to start expressing, ff or wed be readmitted to hospital as she was also four weeks early. I ended up expressing.

Second daughter was born and latched on straight away absolutely no issues. Third child, ds, was the same. Latched straight away with no issues. The first couple of weeks were rough on my nipples with both. I'd curl my toes and swear under my breath for first sixty seconds after latching on but after that we were totally fine.

Me too.

DC1 had top-up formula until from 0 days - 1 week and then from 5 weeks until 5 months old.

Despite worrying about poor supply and flat nipples DC2 was exclusively BF for the recommended time and had breast milk until I decided to stop when he was 13 months old. I don't think my supply was great for him - no leaking, he could probably have had more milk if I had more to give him, but his weight gain was exactly on the 'red book' - 50th percentile line - until he started eating solids, at which it gradually went down and down. He's now 17YO - 6ft 1" tall and a right skinny minny so he obviously wasn't intended to be chunky. So really I probably made exactly the right amount of milk. But it took a lot of determination and ignoring ignorant comments to keep going.

Good luck OP. I'm sure you'll manage.

Have your baby re-checked for tongue-tie if you're having problems - apparently it's very easy to miss - and incredibly easy to treat.

Yes, formula fed baby one after a disappointing attempt at breastfeeding. Formula fed from 5 weeks. Currently feeding baby two myself at seven months, despite us both getting thrush at the beginning. Baby two, I took it one feed at a time and gave myself permission to stop at any point. I read the womanly art of breastfeeding and also use kellymom.com for advice. I didn't know anyone who had breastfed with my first baby so I had no idea what I was doing and of course the first baby turns your world upside down. That coupled with an awful birth ending in an emergency c section was a recipe for disaster for me. Second time round I had an elcs and decided to just stay indoors with the baby and feed and sleep!

I read the womanly art of breastfeeding and also use kellymom.com for advice

Really good advice there from Door plus excellent real life support and do not necessarily trust that support to come from HVs, GPs or MVs although some of those may well be excellent.

Omg - I remember the expressing with ds. I constantly felt under pressure to be have milk in the freezer for no sensible reason so would feed, express, repeat endlessly. I think someone told me it would help with supply. It didn't. It did give me another ridiculous thing to stress about.

I never once expressed for dd. It was much better.

Sorry for the delay in coming back, thank you all so much. Starting to feel that maybe this time it could go better. I also like what you said door about giving yourself permission to stop. I had terrible guilt for not being able to EBF DD1 and she's a happy, healthy two year old now. I need to remember that this time round

I'm another one who has found DC2 much easier. I did BF DS1 but it was a rocky start. DS2 latched on while I was still in the birthing pool and was a fast efficient feeder from day 1, despite (like DS1) having TT. Several people I know said their DC2 appeared to be born 'knowing how to feed'. Presumably it's actually that you have more of an idea second time around! Lactation consultant friend also said that supply is often much easier to establish with second babies so they don't have to work so hard at it- and having lots of milk makes it easier to ride out problems in the early days.

First baby was very prem so expressed for 3 months but he never latched properly. Second baby feeding brilliantly, got it straight away. Use nipple cream to get you through the first week or so and any initial latch issues!

Absolutely.

BF DD1 was very difficult - prem, then couldn't latch well and was always falling off and windy and I got terrible cracked nipples. Eventually at 16 weeks old we found out she was tongue tied and had it snipped.

DD2 - we got her checked and snipped for tongue tie at 12 days old. Also saw a great lactation consultant at the same time who gave some advice on dealing with my fast let down. All went much more smoothly

I fed all 3 of mine but the 1st 2 didn't gain weight well and wouldn't take a bottle either....I gave a huge sigh of relief when they reached 1 and went onto cows milk!! But 3rd baby - wow what a difference. I felt the let down which i hadn't with the other 2 and baby gained weight at a rate of knots. There's no hard and fast rule, it works or it doesn't and I feel really proud that I gave it a go. It seems really important at the time but to be honest, as long as baby is fed well in whatever form, and grows well, nothing else matters.

Yes. I fed ds for 3 months. Looking back I think I had oversupply as constantly engorged and in pain.
Before dd was born I read a lot about breastfeeding and how it works and felt a lot more informed. I fed dd until she was just over two.

Yes - DS was in SCBU for 10 days when he was born and tube fed. I was not well after the birth and wasn't able to express much. I managed to get the BFing going at about 5 days, but it was never enough and combination fed up until 6 months.
Everything was different with DD. She latched on virtually as soon as she was born and didn't really stop until 15 months. The down side was she utterly refused all forms of bottles/cups etc so I didn't have much choice!
Try to relax and follow your body, and baby.
Remember doing what's best for baby is what is usually best for you. Happy Mum helps with a happy baby.
A hungry baby is rarely happy, so if mixed or bottle feeding is the answer go with it. That is not failing - you're doing what works best.