ELCS and breastfeeding concerns

[amyboo]

I'm currently 37+5 with my first who's been in a footling breech position for weeks now. So, I've been booked in for an ELCS on 29 March. Not really what I was hoping for, but it's apparently the least stressful option for me and baby.

Anyway, I have several panicky concerns about having an ELCS. One of them is that I won't be able to breastfeed. I've always planned to breastfeed and was really hoping to make a good go at it, especially as here (in Belgium) you get kept in hospital for 5 days and get good support from midwives and the lactation consultant. My gynae said there should be no adverse effect of breastfeeding caused by the CS, but I've read a few things about people saying it took longer for their milk to come in etc than with a normal delivery. I was hoping to get sorted with breastfeeding while still in hospital, so that I can fall back on the support of the midwives etc...

Can anyone share their experiences of breastfeeding after a CS? Will it be affected because I can't hold baby straight after the birth? DH will be able to hold him, but they said that I won't be able to until they've stitched me up....

Wow - thanks for all the positive and supportive messages. It's good to know that so many of you have been through an ELCA and have managd perfectly fine to breastfeed - that's really been my biggest concern about the whole thing so far.

Belgo - I'm in Brussels and will be delivering in Clinique Edith Cavell. The gynae reackons I'll be in for around 5-7 days. The midwives all seem great, so I'm hoping they'll give me enough support to get breastfeeding established well before I come home. DH will take 2 weeks' paternity leave after I'm home to help me out, so he can help lift baby out of the crib, etc. I might take the advice to invest in one of those cushions though - I wasn't sure they'd be valuable, but I hadn't thought about protecting the scar, etc.

Thanks again everyone for your advice. It's really helped calm some of my fears.

I had an elcs and my milk came in on Day 3 - and how! Also agree about the abdominal pain subsiding significantly on Day 4.

In hospital I was a bad mummy and used the blanket like a hoist to lift him out of the cot because it took so bloody long to get out of bed, pick him up and get back in with him to feed. But still quicker than the night staff coming to help!!

I have had an EMCS with DD1, first feed was in recovery room so about 1/2 hour after birth. I was lucky in that I found BF pretty easy really, fed DD1 for 14 months.

DD2 ELCS, first feed in recovery room again, still BF at 8 months.

I have to say that the BF thing is (I think) unconnected to the birth - as I had a really easy time of it while friends who had vaginal deliveries struggled, as did another friend who had a ELCS. Latch, whether the baby will open it's mouth, stuff like that is unrelated to the method of birth IMO.

As for the section - take all the pain relief you are offered and you will be better able to pick the baby up and so on. Don't be brave and not take stuff, there is really no point and it can do more harm than good IYSWIM.

All in all I have to say that after a horrible time after I was induced with DD1, I love CS, both of mine have been fine, straightforward, easy recovery and BF baby no probs. I am sure you will be the same good luck!

Breastfeeding pillows are not all equal, the one I got was cheap and rubbish. Hopefully someone could recommend a good one.

I got quite an expensive on from john lewis and couldn't get on with it at all.

In the end I was most comfy using a cushion from the sofa.

I would say best to try with pillows/cushions and stuff first, and if none of that is comfy then think about spending £££ on a special one.

The only thing mine has ever been used for is when DD1 was a benappied toddler she liked to rest her head on it while having her nappy changed not sure we've really got our moneysworth there!

Hi amyboo I had an elective at Cavell (gynae Von Lennep) in 2002. The baby (like my first) was not particularly interested in feeding at first - totally normal - but gives you time to recover a bit. I do remember the slightly crab like sideways movements off the bed to get her when she did start showing interest but all was fine - and as I recall I later got a home MW visit and even the loan of a daisy the cow pump machine. Found that you had to request these things more than in the UK, where I had my first, but if you did request then they were provided.

We later switched to kind & gezin (is that spelt right) as DH Flemish, and we got more MW/HV visits from them (lovely woman who had spent part of her training in Whitley Bay "I found the English hard to understand sometimes" !!). Cavell puts you into the paediatrician circuit and though the one we had was lovely I found it far easier just to go to k&g sessions for vaccinations etc (free) rather than paying a paed. every time and claiming back from the Commission.

Hope the hospital isn't as boiling hot as when I was there. Oh and maybe you can confirm for me whether the posh anaethetist lady who comes and visits you in advance is dripping with gold jewellery - DH said that was impossible but I swear she was...

Hi bellissima - thanks for your comments. They told us at the maternity visit a few weeks ago that home MW visits were possible if we requested. Good to know that they can help with feeding afterwards if necessary. We've just gone with the paediatrician recommended by my gynae. But, we hope to change after leaving the hospital, as we don't really live near to Cavell, so none of their "accredited" paediatricians are in our area. I live really close to an ONE clinic though, so I was hoping to do vaccinations etc through them.

I was in Cavell last week for an ECV and it wasn't at all hot - in fact, it was almost the opposite! They did a complete refurb of the maternity ward last year though, so maybe it's changed a little...