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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

help please sister having caesaran on Monday and really wants to bf

40 replies

Snarf02 · 23/02/2008 17:24

hi my sister was hoping to have a natural birth but her baby is breech and so she is having a c section on monday (baby will be 39 wks and they have said a very good size), because the baby is early she is missing the 2 nct bf workshops she was going to have before her due date. She really wants to bf but is more anxious about it now because of the caeseran. I have bf(still bf second) both of my children so can give her some advice but i had nice natural labours in a birth unit and had lots of bf support so the early days will be quite different to what i had.

If you have any advice for her to help with the bf after a c section it would be really great

Thanks loads

OP posts:

ahundredtimes · 23/02/2008 19:35

I had three CS. I breastfed ds2 pretty much immediately, and also dd. Is this her first baby? I fed them lying down.

Other good tip for a first timer is perhaps to have a cushion or a pillow or something to support the baby, and give her something to lean on.

I don't remember not holding any of them for 24 hours!

ahundredtimes · 23/02/2008 19:35

To lean on, when sitting up I mean, which is what I did with DS1.

bandgeek · 23/02/2008 19:38

I had a c-section with dd and bf for 11 months!

In fact, I was more successful bfing her than ds, who was a 'natural' birth

betterhalf · 23/02/2008 19:45

I had a c-section, didnt do bf workshops and have successfully breastfed from immediately after the birth. I've had no problems with it all, other than on the first one or two feeds taking advice from excellent midwives on correct positioning and latching on. The first few days I fed baby by lying on my side due to the c-sect and after that was able to breastfeed in the usual way.
I wish your sister all the best for the c-section and hope she succeeds with the breasfeeding.

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 23/02/2008 20:05

I had an emergency section and tbh it never crossed my mind that BF would be a problem. All I needed to do was make sure I had pillows over my scar so it was cushioned from the baby and I fed for months with no problems.

I hope all goes well with the birth.

fishie · 23/02/2008 20:06

i had a cs, didn't manage to get ds latched on for 5 days, but it was ok in the end, still feeding more than 2 years later. she should find out exactly what support is available in the hospital and maybe contact a local bf counsllor who could be on standby in case of problems. it will more than likely be fine, but i wish i'd had better support right after the birth. mw may claim to be able to help but not have sufficient training.

oh and i was able to pick ds up straight away and out of bed dressed 24 hours after cs (not that it is a race or anything!)

Original poster

Snarf02 · 23/02/2008 20:19

thanks these stories will make her really happy, thanks so much

OP posts:

macdoodle · 23/02/2008 20:27

I had vaginal delivery with DD1 and BF though struggled...DD2 now 8 weeks and was c section for breech and BF started well and she is doing brilliantly now - it is hard initially but more the lifting baby than any other reason....the ward was so busy I was lifting babe out of crib next to bed within few hours just had to get bed high enough and hoik her over though it did hurt ....found I tended to just sit and do nothing except feed with DD2 as I couldn't really clean cook iron etc so was forced to just sit and BF

twospecialgirls · 23/02/2008 20:30

i had 2 c sections and had no probs breastfeeding just make midwife aware that you want to feed the baby straight away and she will hand her over ,your arms are still free to move so she can just do it although i would suggest her dp or dh stand and help hold the baby as your sis may not be fully with it , im sure she will do great good luck to her xx

chocolateshoes · 23/02/2008 20:41

I had c-section also for breech baby & b/fed DS for 14mths. he was put to breast immediately whilst still in theatre. I didn't go to anu NCT classes. As has been said the lifting is hard. She could ask a midwife to show her how to feed on her side. Aslo in the hospital they should have some cribs that sort of attach to the bed and are open at the side so she doesn't actually have to lift the baby up & over to her, but can slide baby accross the bed to her IYSWIM.

She should tell the midwives her concerns when she goes in so they know to help her latch baby on.

Best of luck!

susiemj · 24/02/2008 10:08

Sorry - I haven't read the whole thread but I've just had a c-sec and am bf.

One thing that greatly helped me was to take an extra pillow to hospital. If you lay it beside you in the bed and put the baby on it it makes bf much easier on the scar. I did the rugby ball hold. I've got one of those long maternity pillows but I think any sort would be a benefit.

I did have a tricky patch waiting for the milk to come in and babe got dehydrated. I was encouraged to use formula but another time I would just bf REALLY frequntly. I was feeding every 3 hours. I would do two hourly from the beginning if it happened again.

Bf happily now though!

ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 24/02/2008 10:20

After my cs the mw put ds to my breast in recovery.

Your milk can take longer to come in because your body hasn't gone through the motions of giving birth. This is normal, and I would encourage your ds to put the baby to the breast really regularly - even if the baby doesn't seem that bothered.

After a cs you are more likely to suffer from thrush of the nipple because of the IV anti-biotics you are given after the op. Tell your sis to keep an eye out for this and get it treated asap.

A great bf'ing cushion is a must!

Get out of hospital asap!

Take her pain medication bang on time until the end of the course. If you take them once you can feel pain, that it too late. Being in pain is not a great feeling when trying to bf!

belcantavinissima · 24/02/2008 10:45

she can def bf after a cs! i had a planned cs too and ended up with a gen anaesthetic ... woke up a while later in recovery room to find ds2 latched on next to me and sucking happily . in fact he was my only cs baby and he was the best feeder i had right from the start

Alfie72 · 24/02/2008 22:01

Your sister's experience is similar to mine, I had a C section as my baby was breech. My advice is try and get the baby latched on as soon as she can in recovery. Make sure she gets lots of help lifting the baby out of the cot to her whilst she is in bed. Try and see a breast feeding consultant if she has problems whilst she is on the post natal ward- they are a god send and my top advice is see a breast feeding consultant/ go to a local breast feeding support group through her GP / local childrens centre/ NCT class ( you can still go after the bubba arrives ) and tell her perseverance pays off- it seriously does... I am still feeding my LO 6 m onths down the track :O

Poledra · 24/02/2008 22:13

I had an emergency cs with GA, and bfed with some top-ups initially. Would thoroughly recommend a good v-pillow to lay over her lap when feeding - keeps the baby off the scar. In fact, I used my when bf'ing my second child (vaginal birth) as I found it lifted the baby up to the right level for me. It took me a while to be able to lift the baby out of the crib and get into bed with her, but was a v good excuse for getting dh to get up in the night, lift the lo and bring her to me .

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