How easy did you find breast feeding 2nd time round??

[Jojay]

I'm pregnant with my second baby.

I breast fed DS successfully for several months, but it was tough to start with -sore nipples, incorrect latch, etc etc.

I'd like to think that I know what I'm doing a bit more this time, but is it still likely to be tough to begin with??

I found it alot easier just because I had more confidence.

welll....was still very sore, but as I knew what to expect, and how long to expect it for, I found it easier as I had a 'goal' in mind IYGWIM to be the day that I would suddenly realise I was loving it all over again.

and, DH also knew the right things to say to help, and the right foods to get me and the right way to sit etc if I needed an extra hand.

AND

as I had done it before, I KNEW I could do it, so the fear/uncertainty etc was not as strong.

i still found it tough the second time, and did get sore nips etc, however i found it much easier to acccess the help/advice i needed 2nd time round and didn't hesitate to contact bf councillor cos i knew it could be resolved, and it was. we are still bf'ding 14 months on. good luck, and keep the phone numbers for nct LLL etc handy

It was easier because like the others have said i knew what i was doing and when the latch was right. I did still get scuffed nipples despite feeding my 1st son for 12mths. I think each child moulds your nipple to their mouth which causes some sore skin at first but after that heals - no problems.

Hope that made sense

Not so sore, don't know why. I expected to not do it for so long due to having to look after DD1, in fact still going. No pressure from dp this time. He's never said he wanted to give a bottle, never even mentioned me stopping. In fact, his lessened interest across the board second time round made life a whole lot easier

Not sure you want to hear this but I found it harder physically for second time round for the first couple of weeks - but I knew I could do it & knew it would get better, so we got through it - settled in fine & fed for 9 mths.

My first didn't latch properly and we had lots of problems in the first few weeks which we overcame and I fed for 8 months.
This time although I got very sore I knew what to do and that it would get easier we are only 8 weeks on but still going strong.

I had more confidence the second time round to tell people
No he doesnt need a bottle
With my first I BF till he was 7 weeks and then gave in to the health visitor. With my second I lasted till 8 months and he had had a lot of problems, was under 2 different specialists for his weight and skin and never slept unless he was at the boob. I dread to think how ill he might have been if he had had formula.
I am now PG with DC3 (very early days) and really looking forward to doing it all again.

I found it a lot easier. But then DS2 had a better arrival (no SCBU), and was latched on within an hour of his birth. My supply was better. And 18 months of breastfeeding meant my nipples were much less flat, second time around.

That's good to hear some positive stories -thank you everyone.

It sounds like sore nipples are pretty much inevitable to begin with, and I can live with that - lots of toe curling, and you're right, I know where to go for help now (Mumsnet!!), should we need it.

My second was a piece of cake to breastfeed and I didn't get sore nipples (so not inevitable!). I had an easier birth so not so knackered, knew what to expect from bf and ds seemed to know instinctively how to latch on. He didn't lose any weight at all, and fed for 2+years

So a success story for you. Good luck with it

A veritable piece of piss.

Quicker feeds, easier baby. Result!

Ten times easier than first time. First time had everything, cracked nipples etc was in agony. Second time no problems at all. Hoping third time is even easier in a couple of weeks!

Oh much much easier from the off.

Had a much bigger baby who was a natural feeder which helped, she didn't get jaundiced so was awake and feeding a lot more which brought my milk in a lot quicker.

I was much more confident to put her to the breast as much as possible in the early days. Nipples still got a bit tender though but only for a day or two.

I was a total expert with my first but, strangely, found it harder with my second. DD2s palate and mouth seemed harder and less comfortable, like we were not so compatible physically, iyswim. Also there were the non-stop interruptions and noise from DD1, I don't think poor DD2 ever let go of the nipple spontaneously, she was always being unlatched so i could attend to something.
I didnt have major problems with either one tho and fed DD1 till she was 17 mo, DD2 is still going strong at 19 mo.

Much easier for me, thought my nips were going to come off first time round a bit sore but fine the second.
Good luck!

i found getting started (first week at least) first time round really really hard.

second time was an absolute breeze - baby just seemed to know what he was doing, thought id cracked it.

third time round had difficulties again, so finally realised it wasnt my 'fault' . got his slight tongue tie snipped and all was well. in retrospect, i think that was the prob first time too. think there ought to be much more awareness/a national strategy to deal with it tbh. is v regional atm.

much, much, much easier.

though thank god ds wasn't my first as i had to quite actively teach him how to latch on and encourage him to feed as he was very lazy and i wouldn't have known how to do that with my first.

the major differance was that even when it was tough or i was sore or he was cluster feeding for hours at a time, this time i knew from experiance that it gets better and is so much easier after the first few months.

ds is 21 months and still bf-ing morning and night

Both times I found the first 10 days or so extremely painful, but I think that's because both times my milk came in so over zealously that my breasts were like rock hard footballs and difficult to latch. After a week or so production settled down to match demand and it was all ok.

Generally though second time round was a breeze, I was much more confident in all respects (whether out and about or at home) and found it so easy, and soon mastered the art of simultaneously reading a book to my toddler perched on my lap with the baby!

Glad I found this, day 4 with dd2 and in agony. boobs HUGE (new stretch marks already ), dd2 not hungry enough for them (big feed barely makes a dent on their mind-boggling turgidity and can't seem to get her to get enough nipple in her mouth. any tips?

god she's SO GORGEOUS, though. that little lip-smacking milky trance face!

much easier, and agree with others, more confident to stick to my guns. 'is that baby feeding AGAIN' well, yes, he's only 2 weeks old.

my 2yo ds1 had me in tears tonight when before bed he 'breastfed' all his dolls and teddy bears. MIL said it was bizarre (ds1, not my tears). sadly didn't get beyond 4month bf him, but going well with ds2 at 4months now.

also suggest
special bf toys to amuse dc1 whilst chained to sofa
lots of lansinoh - I'd forgotten how sore it was at first but blimey it is worth it.

Much, much easier.

I found it a bit painful early on with DS1 but fed him easily for 16 months.
Even easier with DS2 and fed him for 20 months.

Scampmum, express to relieve the pressure. Freeze the milk for future use. I used special bf freezer bags you can buy from Boots.

In some respects was easier - wasn't as shocked by the frequency, wasn't as tired and worried about quanitites, length of feed, frequency, everything.
This was a good thing, because ds was less easy to feed. Mild tongue tie and whereas dd never turned down the opportunity for a feed, ds would only feed when he wanted to - there was no "well I'll just feed him now, before long car journey/a meal/whatever". Was completely on his terms. But by then I was well used to feeding whenever and wherever so wasn't as freaked out by having to feed on the hoof.