Breastfeeding second baby after failing to with first: advice and experiences?

[Goldendoodlelover]

Any advice for breastfeeding second child when you weren’t able to successfully breastfeed first time?

Long story short I am 30 weeks pregnant with my second child and really keen to try and breastfeed again, but it was a bit of a disaster with my first. DS1 was born at 36.5 weeks, very sleepy and jaundiced, and had a terrible latch and I found it excruciating. By day 5 he had lost too much weight and so I was put on a horrible triple feeding plan by the midwives, but he still wasn’t putting weight on well - I BEGGED everyone I saw to assess him for tongue tie but no one on the NHS would. I did eventually find a private lactation consultant who diagnosed him with a tongue and lip tie and said the nipple shields were probably affecting his ability to transfer milk and so just to exclusively pump for a while. Anyway by the time we got the tongue tie sorted I was absolutely exhausted from triple feeding and just desperate for him to put on weight, and he seemed so happy with bottles that I decided to just stick with that - I continued pumping for a while but tbh I always hated pumping, it made me pretty housebound and I had to do it so frequently to maintain any sort of supply - it really was the worry of both worlds!

ANYWAY I feel much more informed and prepared this time around, but I’m still nervous because a) I’m having a c section (which didn’t affect my supply last time but definitely made lots of positions rather uncomfortable) and b) I have a toddler now as well which will make cluster feeding trickier.

Any advice / positive stories / tips or tricks for those precious - but potentially very difficult - early days?!

Keep this handy - they’re open 24/7 for help and support

https://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk

tongue tie is genetic so also have the number of any help for that you might need if your hospital isn’t on the ball.

Ask/insist on help in the hospital. So many mums get put on a triple feeding plan and aren’t told how to stop! No one can keep that up forever.

Id also suggest locating your local Bf drop in now. They will be only to happy to help and then you’ll know where it is if you need it.

Watch some videos on attachment. They can be quite helpful. It’s really common to be more successful second time :! You’ve got this!

My advice for what it is worth is:
Mind over matter, you can do this!
Remember the power of oxytocin, think about love and how much you love your baby, which will help stimulate your milk supply.
Plan and research some comfortable breastfeeding positions, the rugby hold perhaps?
Aim for a deep latch too.. and find a local IBLBC (please excuse me if I’ve got the acronym wrong), spending the money on a home visit if you need it is a great investment. I paid £150 5 years ago and she was a lifesaver.
It takes roughly six weeks to establish your supply, so worth aiming for that long. It gets easier.
Good luck.

DD1 had jaundice, and tongue tie, my milk never really came in and she was triple fed from week 1, fully off the boob by 3 months. I spoke to my midwife about my anxieties and got really lucky either way the care I received in my second pregnancy, including a community support worker coming to my house to support with expressing colostrum in the final weeks. DD2 is 15 months and stubbornly refusing to be fully weaned - she’s been EBF the whole time. But, without the crazy hormones and with the benefit of hindsight it’s also helped me appreciate the advantages of formula feeding DD1.

I followed some great midwife/feeding social media accounts to flood my algorithm with positivity, and practical support. I also researched the number of a local lactation consultant who could do tongue tie divisions whilst pregnant, so was able to have her out super quickly. Good luck!