Was initiating breastfeeding easier/new challenges second time round?

[garden321]

Hi, I wanted to ask whether people found it easier to start breastfeeding the second time? I went on to have a very long successful EBF first baby but the first weeks were an absolute mountain to climb and baby did not latch well for days, pain, weight loss etc etc. is it more instinctual the second time round in terms of knowing how to place baby, or is it just that every baby is different and has its own challenges? Thanks

I definitely found it easier second time around, but also each baby is different. It helped that I knew what it should feel like, could recognise mastitis early, and had a few “holds” that I’d learnt. But baby 2 fed in a different way I think. It was a while ago, he’s doing his GCSEs now 😁

Thanks. Gah I had forgotten about the mastitis. The things our brains blank out… lol

I had a similar experience to yours with DS1. With DS2 it was pretty much instant, I think I had the technique down already and my milk came in quicker, which helped in those first days.

I found second time an absolute breeze. First time was similar to you, weight loss, triple feeding hell. But went on to feed for 17 months. I stopped when I was about 12 weeks pregnant with second. And whilst there was some work getting latch right/ comfortable positions (you forget how different is it feeding a newborn when you have fed a toddler!) but weight gain was good and honestly it’s been great. I’m sure every baby is different, but I think knowing what it’s meant to feel like helps massively. Good luck!

Ha ha yes, my last memory of breastfeeding is a toddler walking over, talking to me and wrestling me with muscles!

So much easier. First baby I really struggled. We didn't get a "golden hour", she had a slight tongue tie, I had bleeding nips, we had weeks of shields, slow weight gain and hour long feeds.

Second baby she was back to birth weight before we left the hospital! I had so much colostrum she was sleeping 6 hour stretches and still gaining. She was a great little feeder.

I'm breastfeeding my second and it has been quite different

My first was good for the first week, we had to strip her down to wake for a feed and latch but she did fed ok but then she started with feeding aversions and screamed through feeds, we had latch issues, fast letdown reflux and eventually diagnosed with severe silent reflux and food allergies at 18 weeks and breastfeeding nearly broke me several times. I made it until 10 months but it was more of a chore and often felt trapped as she had intermittent bottle refusal as well as breast refusal due to the allergies and reflux.
My second had a 100% tongue tie identified as soon as he was born, couldn't maintain his blood sugars for the first 36h and he slept for 12h at a time with nothing waking him so he had to be given formula as he wouldn't latch. Once he did wake I could only feed him in one position and it was painful. We had his tongue tie cut on day 8 and he has fed brilliantly ever since. I have a good supply and the fast flow meant that he didn't have to work too hard to get the milk and only lost 6% on day 5. I think if he had been my first it would have been a harder journey and I probably would needed formula top ups beyond the first 36h.

If I had had my first second I would have picked up her allergies and reflux much quicker and that feeding journey wouldn't have been as arduous or I would have moved to formula earlier and before breastfeeding utterly broke me. I'm 3 months into breastfeeding my second and would really like to breastfeed for as long as I can.

Feeding my two was very, very different but when you have the second one you already know things like the BFing Helplines numbers, where the BFing Support groups are and who you know who is going to be supportive.

I actually found the second time much easier. I’m not sure if it was because I had already fed one baby or because I’d read Babycalming before DC2 arrived.

My first pregnancy was twins - I breast fed them both and it was relatively straightforward. My second pregnancy was a singleton but he was much more difficult to breast feed. Knowing I’d done it once definitely gave me the confidence to persevere.

Both mine were pretty easy to breast feed but second was probably easier in some ways because I was just more relaxed & confident.

Simple the second time round.

Your nipples will hurt again like the first time. So my advice is to use an emollient on your nipples from around day two. Don’t let them get cracked and don’t let them dry.
It’s easier in the sense that you may know what a successful latch looks like and how to burp a baby but in reality it is the same. My second child had a shorter tongue so it was harder. My 3rd and fourth were similar to my 1st.

Each baby different. Different latch, different pacing, different demands.

But more confident that my body was capable second time around.

Second time - currently 5 months in - is far easier. For me it’s had its bumps: tongue tie (cut), clicking latch, carpal tunnel, flu, c-section injuries to avoid etc. But I’m more confident and patient this time around. I gave my baby time to learn how to latch; and I “indulged” myself in a breastfeeding pillow which helped (I was too stingey first time). Also baby has been an absolute unit since birth so we’ve had plenty of wriggle room in terms of weight, I haven’t been monitoring it at all really beyond does she have enough wet nappies.

I found it harder the second time. Dh started his paternity leave when my waters broke but dc2 wasn't born until 4 days later so he had to go back to work when dc2 was only 10 days old. I found it so hard trying to establish breastfeeding while also looking after a toddler as well. We watched a lot of spring watch and the wiggles if I remember rightly.

IME, it was all down to the baby

DC1- latched on with very little guidance, fed like a dream, had gained rather than lost weight at day 5 check! Fed with ease for 2 years

I was 100% expecting the same with DC2. Nope...

DC2- shambles. She really, really struggled to latch, lost a lot of weight. We saw a lactation consultant, went to breastfeeding groups, and it took a good 8 weeks before I could stop combi feeding and start exclusively BFing

I think it was a bit easier second and third time around but still challenging. But the biggest difference for me was that whereas first time around I had people telling me that it would get better, with subsequent babies I had the personal experience of it getting better. Psychologically that made a huge difference to me because knowing that there was light at the end of the tunnel made the initial difficulties easier to handle.