Trying for number 2, still BF and considering ELCS

[Barbamamama]

Hi! Really want to start trying for baby no. 2 but am feeling a bit confused about a few things.
First up I'm still breastfeeding 10 1/2 month old ds and have not had any periods yet And feel a bit unsure about weaning him just so I can get pregnant again.
Is it possible to cut down feeds until your period starts and then continue BFing whilst pregnant? I have read that BFing can induce labour which could be dangerous in the early days...

Also I had a traumatic birth ending in emergency c section and 10.6 pound baby so was wandering if I would be offered an ELCS... Which I think I would go for, out of fear for the safety of me and baby.

I have registered to do birth stories at my hospital to talk all of this through with a midwife which should help but any advice from you guys would be very much appreciated!

Thanks.

I BF DD1 until she was 3.5. My periods returned at 15 months (I was only feeding morning, later afternon and once/twice at night by that stage. I got PG after my second period (they were a bit less regular!) and carried on BF during pregnancy and after the birth of DS1 I tandem fed for 9 months. BF can make the uterus contract, but it is very unlikely to harm pregnancies - I was worried about this but read something on LA Leche League I think, that reassured me. Had a small drop in supply and it was quite uncomfortable for about hlaf of my PG and then the colostrum came back in at about 8.5 months PG! It was an absolute GODSEND to be feeding after the birth - no engorgement as DD1 would relieve them for me, no toughening up of nipples, DS1 fed beautifully straight away (I think partly because I was so relaxed about it). I had an EMCS with DD1 so requested a CS with DS1 - had to be quite assertive (/take the NICE guidelines with me and not listen to the increasingly ridiculous reasons he gave for not having a CS!) with the consultant, but the midwives were all very supportive.

Hope this is all reassuring! Feel free to PM me with any questions - I am glad I carried on feeding throughout PG. It was quite difficult in some ways for the first month or so as DD1 got jealous and fed more than she had done for a long time, but we worked it out and she soon went back to her normal feeding pattern. The main issue was other people (Mums, in laws etc) raising their eyebrows at me still feeding DD1 at 3, but I ignored them all! Oh and all the rubbish old wives tales about not having enough milk and it affecting your bones etc etc - total tosh.

Thanks for your response :-)
I've just joined my local la leche league on fb so will go along to their next meeting to discuss.
That's amazing you managed to continue BFing throughout - and really reassuring.
My 10 month still feeds at least every 2 hours :-/ I need to start cutting down I think.
Did you find you had bf both of them at once?

Sorry entered to soon!
I'm surprised you had to really push for a CS the 2nd time round. I thought they always recommended that you did 2nd time round. Glad I know that now! What are the NICE guidelines?

Nope, they most definitely do not recommend it - they are very much in favour of VBAC for lots of reasons (not least financial and the hospital figures for CSs...).

nice guidelines are this:
Maternal request for CS

When a woman requests a CS because she has anxiety about childbirth, offer referral to a healthcare professional with expertise in providing perinatal mental health support to help her address her anxiety in a supportive manner. [new 2011]

For women requesting a CS, if after discussion and offer of support (including perinatal mental health support for women with anxiety about childbirth), a vaginal birth is still not an acceptable option, offer a planned CS. [new 2011]

An obstetrician unwilling to perform a CS should refer the woman to an obstetrician who will carry out the CS. [new 2011]
WEblink here: publications.nice.org.uk/caesarean-section-cg132/key-priorities-for-implementation

Yes, I think there needs to be a good 6 hour break between feeds, particularly overnight - this seems to be the key. We had night weaned DD1 and my periods came back a few months after this.

There were a few occasions when I would feed both at once, but these were rare! I quite enjoyed it, though. More often, my DD would have a short feed first, then DS would have both sides and then DD had a short fed at end. Later on, she would have a side and then he would have a side!

DD would quite often snuggle in close while DS had a feed, though.

Yeah I became pregnant when breastfeeding but dd was only feeding once a day - she was 12 months. you will need to cut out the 2 hourlys I think! Not least because if you have a constantly feeding newborn and a constantly feeding toddler all you will be doing is breastfeeding!! nd of course in order to get your periods back. My boobs hurt to much to continue when pregnant.

Re: c section- I too had a large 1st baby and had a c section and this time I am requesting a repeat section. I'm 25 weeks now- will be given my date next week. They seem fine with it x

I had an emergency section with my first due to him being stuck and being in distress. I had an elective cs for my second. My hospital were great and were quite happy to refer me after my 20 wk scan. I was expecting them to push me towards a vb as other people had suggested they would. Hope everything works out for you.

I'm glad other people had less of a fight to get their CSs - I hope your hospital is a good one. My hospital was very good in that they had a midwife speciallly trained in trying to reassure women after CS that their next birth would be fine - she arragned for me to meet the anaesthetist to discuss my worries before the op and arranged for us to be first on the list, which meant I had lots of valium during the op and we had DS1 by 10:30am!! And my recovery was much faster. Good luck!

Thanks everyone, and that's great to know that recovery was faster 2nd time round haggle fish- did anyone else find this?
I forgot to mention that I have night weaned ds so there is a 10 hour period at night where he does not feed, but then in the day it's every 2 hours. Am trying the 'don't offer don't refuse' method but he just cries and head buts me in the boobs!! I need to just keep him a bit more distracted I think...