Breastfeeding second baby- some questions

[littlelamb]

I exclusively breastfed dd until she was 10 months and apart from sore nipples for a few days at the beginning and two bouts of mastitis (not nice ) it went really well. Beause she had to start nursery when she was only 10 weeks old I expressed from the beginning and also introduced a bottle in the first week, which she had no problem taking. Number 2 is due in 2 weeks and I am stressing out that I won't find it so easy this time. When I was pregnant with dd I leaked quite a lot of colostrum, but haven't at all this time. Will this mean I have a harder time establishing a good supply? I also wonder if expressing from so early on made things earier in the long run? There is no such pressure this time around, as I'm not even sure if I'm going back to work and if I do it certainly won't be so soon. EVen so, I would like to express just so I can have some milk stored should I need it for whatever reason. I suppose the big thing I am wondering is, if I found feeding dd very easy, will it neessarily be the same this time around??

i've found it easier 2nd time round. had an eaiser time than you first time round. this time, sorer nippples due to larger baby in the first few days, but supply met demand much more sensibly this time. the growth spurts have been much more doable too. tis like the norks have some kind of retained knowledge from last time

good luck with labour and adjusting, i love having two, hope you do too!

bf whilst moving about is a lifesaver when you have other kids to look after. bf with your baby in supported in one arm.

Thanks Merryberry. Do you think thats why I haven't been leaking this time around? My body remembers that it doesn't have to?? I am worried it means I will have a hard time getting things going.

I didn't have as much engorgement either with dd2 - in fact I didn't get the milk as arrived experience I just saw the poo was changing in colour iyswim!

I would get a basket for your dd 1 so she has some special toys to play with when you are feeding the baby. You fed well 1st time round and there shouldn't be any reason why you can't again. I struggled with my 1st but the second was a breeze. Good luck!!!

It won't necessarily be as easy second time around, but it has been for me. And I've been less leaky this time too.

could be little lamb, could be. sounds like us who've posted so far have all noticed a more, fluent? finetuned? something like that...bf experience second time round.

also knowing from experience it can be done and knowing what a joy not bothering with bottles is after a few weeks really powers you thourhg any problems.

yes, dd is nearly 4 so do you think some special toys are needed? She is very much into role play atm, and because I have horrible spd she pretty much plays around me, being some princess or another while I pipe up how lovely she looks, etc. She has been incredibly good because she knows I am in pain, but I don't know how patient she will be when it is not just me sitting down, but me and the baby, iyswim? She didn't really feed for huge stretches at a time, being happy to be fed for about 10 minutes each feed, but I know some babies do take much longer. I will have to practice the one handed feed! I know you can get slings that you can supposedly bf in. Does anyone have any experience with these? I have a babybjorn for going out with, as it was the only thing that didn't hurt my back with dd, but that is not at all bf friendly.

Exactly Merryberry. I just hope I am not expecting too much, with it being so easy last time around, I am not really prepared should anything go wrong.

sorry to hear about spd.

re: post of 1027 all i can say from my epxerience is relaaaaaax! stop trying to work too much out in advance. i did the same and all my worries were utterly unneccessary, you just can't tell what your needs post-birth, baby needs and child needs will be until you get there. you've done your homework (you know about different slings you know about MN, you know about kids reactions etc etc etc) so you know where to go to get help to cope with the changes, whatever they are, when they come.

really enjoy your last days alone with dd, being her sofa audience is fine with kids isn't it, they sure have your attention! rest yourself, soon you'll probably start going into yourself more for the birth, let what will be after be after!

littlelamb - probably not but my ds was 3.5 when ds 2 was born and I did find that he was extremly jealous. He would go for a poo when I was feeding, jump up and down on the sofa right next to me, say 'cuddle' and grab me round the neck everytime I fed. If I were to have another I would defintely talk to the first dc to prepare him for the feeding. We talked about where he was going to sleep, the fact he was growing mummy's tummy, the clothes he would need, all the things ds 1 could teach him being the big brother ect ect but we never mentioned mummy would be feeding him and this is why, I think, he reacted so badly.

He loved him in every other way, just not when I fed ds 2.

i found it easier second time round. i bf ds1 for only 5 months as he was weaned at 4 mths so i just kind of followed all the other mums and started ff when weaning too. (this was nearly 10 years ago)
i bf ds2 for 16 mths ds2 is now (23mths)and only stopped as he wasnt interested anymore. but i expressed for him to as he went to nursery also. anyway, i do have a bigger age gap so didnt have to worry about keeping ds1 entertained whilst feeding.

i used to leak lots with ds1 but hardly at all with ds2, so i didnt even have to wear breastpads a lot of the time.

I did make a point of telling DS in advance that babies feed a lot. He doesn't seem to mind my feeding DD (although I have had to master the art of the combined feed-DD-cuddle-DS manoeuvre).

Same here PAL, DD&DS knew beforehand that babies need a lot of food because their tummies are so tiny they can't fill it up as much as grown children. I also made a big deal out of the fact that they were once babies and talked lots about it, now they love to watch DS2 and ask about what they did when they were his age, intrigued rather than resentful, it's lovely.

little lamb-about slings- so far mine have been brilliant for continuing life with toddler! The easiest one to get to grips with for feeding (IME)is a ring sling. I had a tomy carrier when DD1 was small, and it was so uncomfortable and no way could that thing help me! DD2 is currently in ring sling so I can be on here. It isn't brilliant for bad backs, but while you LO is really tiny (well, I'm not hurting my bad back yet with 9lbs) its not too bad, but I use it as 1.5 hands free rather than totally hands free. The weight is only over one shoulder, that's why not brilliant but I really recommend you try it, esp if you'll be feeding sat down mostly, and its much more comfortable than just using an arm!
For proper hands free time I use a Moby stretchy wrap, which has taken some practice, but is excellent for carrying with true hands free. I'm still a little nervous about feeding, but that's more because its ideal if you feed from the top, but I'm more an up and under girl- but I can feed hands free. Moby is really supportive, good for bad back and growing baby (again, in my experience)