What is it like having your milk come through?

[coldandflu]

I had a planned c section and think I went into shock.

I'm planning on having another and want to breast feed.

What is it like to have the milk come through?

I think my issue is I have big large breasts and wasn't put in a comfortable position with a feeding pillow and told to always bring baby up to nipple and encourage feeding.

I tried pumping but I wasmt producing anything. I didn't eat or drink properly, I'm usually a big eater but felt I went into shock.

My mum was supposed to help me because she bf us easily but it just diddnt seem to work for me

To this day I still get upset over it. I feel less of a mother and so jealous of other bf mums

Just keep putting baby to your breast in those first few days, then eventually milk will come in. I get a tingly feeling for the letdown for about 5-10 seconds. My breasts also go hard if it’s been too long. The first 12 weeks they were hard quite a lot of the time but then it adjusted.

I couldn’t bf my son, he was born early and didn’t latch. I pumped for 6 weeks until it was too much. I always regretted that I couldn’t bf him or that I stopped pumping. I now have a 5 month old who I am breastfeeding. It has been very difficult though - tongue tie, high pallet and flat nipples. So I had 9 weeks of painful feeds, toe curling pain. I think if it had been my first I would have quit on week 2. I’m really glad I didn’t because it’s now pain free.

Seek out help, check if your hospital provide an infant feeding team? They didn’t exist in 2023 for help with my son but did by 2025. Seeing people face to face helped.

I feed virtually lying on my back for the first few days whilst it was still colostrum. Breastfeeding lady put the hospital bed to about 45 degrees, got me to lie back and lay my baby up my middle. Baby lay there, we chatted. Nearly two hours later, my little one had wiggled over and found the nipple herself, and latched. I basically pretty much stayed like that for 3 days I wasn't well enough to leave anyway, and little one moved over quicker and quicker and my milk came in. Took me ages to learn to feed in a traditional hold that the midwives kept insisting was the right way to do it. I ignored them and carried on as we were. Did involve not wearing any clothes on top really for three days, but what the heck.

I still notice changes every month so I would have noticed if they did change.

Unfortunately I was getting drowsy and sleepy when I held baby
.... Maybe that was the issue as well

Bloody painful!

They aren't supposed to let you leave hospital unless you can feed baby... I just remember someone coming in unannounced and I'm not able to hold baby or see his face properly to know if he was breathing
... Which I think was another reason I couldn't do it

I found it felt quite sore coming in. Like a squeezing sensation, and then heavy.

For me the let down reflex was quite a similar pain to the feeling of tenderness when newly pregnant.

Now I get it when I take my bra off because my post childbirth boobs are several sizes bigger, as is the rest of me😫😁