Breastfeeding after C-Section

[Jellybaby13]

Hi,

So last Tuesday I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl through c-section (she was breech, this was my worst nightmare).

Anyway, I've had some major problems with trying to breastfeed. I've followed every bit of advice from the hospital and my community midwives. At first the milk just wasn't coming and I couldn't get my girl to latch. A midwife at the hospital said I have 'flat nipples' so I've tried a nipple shield which worked ok to get her to latch but since then I've been told I should be moving away from it so I have been trying to do without.

Midwives at the hospital said the c-section shouldn't affect my milk coming in but my community midwives have reassured me that it is different and slower for c-section milk to come through. I have been able to pump milk now but on both breasts a single pump will only produce 20ml. A lactation consultant gave me the advice over the phone to pump every 3 hours by day and every 4 by night to get my supply in and I do this for 15 mins on each breast but it doesn't seem to be increasing the volume.

Is there any way I can increase volume?

Also, because of all this trouble, much to my disappointment (and has left me with a feeling of failure) I've had to feed my baby with formula to top her up to ensure she's actually getting fed. I've managed a latch with her today (day 5) but there's no way of knowing how much she's getting...plus...due to all the formula she's gotten 'lazy' or just expectant that the milk will just flow like a bottle. She won't suck, just expects it to come and she just falls asleep disinterested until I move her then she remembers she's hungry and bawls her little heart out.

Tonight I tried to pump for longer and when I was done I managed to spill about 5ml all over myself and my bed. I just cried and cried over this. It seems like every last drop of breast milk is just so precious.

On top of all this, I have visitors staying in my house so it hasn't helped with trying to breastfeed and it's gotten to the point now where people don't think to offer to put her to my breast, it's automatic to go for the formula and by the time I know about it she's already finished a bottle.

I'm seeing the lactation consultant this week for an appointment so I'm hoping this will help but I'm just so up and down about all this. It's so hard to keep going but I am determined I want to get passed this point and be able to breastfeed...or at least produce enough to bottle feed the breast milk (second resort).

Has anyone had similar experiences and gotten through it? Does it get better? Any tips or advice anyone can give?!

It's really starting to bring me down now, I feel like I'm failing her as a mother and I feel like I'm losing out on my special time with her.

Thanks for reading such an incredibly long post!

Please get your baby checked for a tongue tie. Sometimes a posterior tongue tie can be hard to see and inhibits the babies ability to latch.
My babies feeding changed dramatically after he had the snip
Hope that helps

You're in a bit of a viscous cycle now as every time she has formula, that's damaging your supply. You need to stop people giving her bottles and shut yourself away with baby, spend a day doing skin to skin and encouraging her to latch on and feed. If she needs formula, then she should have top-ups after a feed, not instead of. And use a very slow flow teat, like a Minbie or a Mam. If you need to use the shields to get her to latch, then use them.

And yes the lactation consultant should check for a tongue tie, although some babies just have trouble latching on when they're tiny until their mouths grow a bit (my DD was one of those). If she is able to latch with the shields, though, just keep doing that. The important thing is to get her on the breast as much as possible. If she starts to fall asleep or stop sucking then try tickling her toes or her midriff, or blowing gently on her face to wake her up. Stripping her down for a nappy change might help wake her up too.

If she's still lazy about feeding, then hand express till you get a letdown and then try to latch her once the milk is flowing.

Oh and I'd recommend cup feeding, not bottle feeding, this early. We cup fed my daughter for a month or so. It can be a bit messy, but it avoids the lazy sucking that bottles can result in.

www.verywellfamily.com/cup-feeding-and-the-breastfed-infant-431970

Congratulations on your precious baby

Giving an alternative opinion, you won’t be failing your baby if breastfeeding doesn’t work out. I stressed myself out over breastfeeding so much when my DS was tiny it ruined my first few months with him. It’s okay to stop if you feel this is making you miserable. If you want to carry on of course do but you don’t have to.

Pumping milk has nothing to do with breast feeding. There are plenty of people who ebf and can never pump. How much formula is she having? I would be tempted to stop it.

Unless they are helpful ask the visitors the leave. Then just breast feed as much and as often as you can.

I can only recommend what's already been mentioned about the tongue-tie. After breastfeeding 2 babies successfully, I couldn't quite work out why it was that my 3rd baby (C-section due to being frank breech) took about 1 1/2 hours to take in a 20-minute feed. We went home from the post-natal ward, the local midwife arrived for her first visit at home & I mentioned the problem with feeding. She looked into my baby's mouth immediately & diagnosed a severe tongue-tie. Long story short, 1 week after birth, my baby's tongue tie was cut and I went on to breastfeed for 15 months (last baby syndrome). I've been very grateful to that midwife ever since

Hi OP, I'm another advocate of checking for a tongue-tie, as this was my problem with my third baby. It was the community midwife visiting me at home, who spotted the situation; no-one at the hospital (where DD & I spent 3 nights after a Caesarean because of breech presentation) had noticed the tongue-tie but it was dealt with when DD was 1 week old & I went on to breastfeed her for 15 months. If you find the nipple shields helpful, maybe persevering for a couple more weeks might help. Good luck; don't feel bad about formula feeding if it becomes necessary, because nourishing your baby is what matters

I had a section and my milk came in heavy on day 3

Sorry, I pushed post too soon on my previous post.

Definetly see what your health visitor and lactation specialist advise. If you do give formula and you haven't got the opportunity to offer your breast, is pumping am more often an option?

My milk didn’t properly come in until day 6 and I had to work really hard to boost my supply. What worked for me was going to bed, loads of skin to skin, breastfeed at least every two hours and pump at the end of a feed so there is a breast milk top up available for the end of the next feed, fenugreek capsules (6-8 per day), mother’s milk tea (pukka), oats, drinking lots of water. This worked pretty quickly once I dedicated myself to it, was an exhausting few days but worth it for ease of bfing now.

Also watch some YouTube videos of deep latch technique.

I struggled after having an emcs with my dd. The difficulty I found was that everyone wanted to help, but they all had different, and often conflicting, advice. I used nipple shields for about 3 weeks as it worked for us.
We did a lot of skin to skin and I expressed a lot, but in the end I found that really stressful, so just fed DD as much and as often as she wanted.
I found our local sure start centre had a breastfeeding support group, and that was amazing. Huge amounts of support and just bring able to talk about what I was feeling was so helpful.
DD was breastfed until she was 2.5 and she'd probably still be going now, but I'm pregnant and I think my milk has dried up now.
Definitely shut yourself in a room with your baby, lots of skin to skin and cuddle time.
Visitors can just fend for themselves / go home!

Tell your visitors, politely, to get lost.

Don't worry about not being able to pump much, I was never able to pump more than 30ml ever. And I'm still bfing at 22months (can't seem to drop that last feed before bed). When DS started nursery I was having to express twice a day just to get him enough milk for one tiny bottle. Nightmare!

Agree with others about dropping the formula and just offering all the boob your wee one can take.

“You need to stop people giving her bottles and shut yourself away with baby, spend a day doing skin to skin and encouraging her to latch on and feed.”

Totally agree with this.

My dd was emcs and then in scbu and tube fed for 7 days. My milk only came in the day before. Apparently can take up to 10 days with c section.

It takes longer for milk to come in with c sections - they’re not entirely sure why.

But honestly the best way to build supply is feed feed feed.

Bf babies naturally lose a little weight initially - that’s normal - is this why you ended up doing the first ff?

It’s a new skill for you both, it takes lots of practice and lots of time to crack it.

What visitors have you got? Are they actually helpful or are they getting in the way? Because if the latter you need to move them on.

I was told nipple shields can inhibit things because there’s stuff in baby’s saliva that stimulates production? There are also cues in the saliva that inform the composition of the milk so that the right composition is created and provided.

I could never pump enough to make it worth doing, but fed dd for 9+ months until milk dried for other medical reasons.

Perseverance is key (but not to great detriment of mum or baby).

Can you see the GP about a prescription for domperidone? Can help increase milk supply. What’s your iron levels like?

Pump: check the fit of the cups/shields. If they are ill fitting that can make a difference to your supply. When you express you could do some gentle compression/massage as well on the breast you are expressing. Cut the time down to 5min each side twice so 5. 5. 5. 5. (20min total) Frequent switching can help with let down. Or do a 20min double pump if you have a double. Cleaning: You don’ t have to sterilise expressing equipment just a scrub in hot soapy water 1-2 times day. Every other time cold water rinse. Good time management can help you feel more rested and more rest can help improve supply

Make sure you are eating well and getting sleep.

Skin to skin with baby can help.

Stick with the shield now you’ve introduced it you might need it for 6 weeks. If it’s helping your latch and reducing stress, go with it until you are in a place you can work on stopping it... baby may find it helpful too

It’s still early days you’ve got this

Some great advice above.

Spend a day or two lying skin to skin with your baby in bed. Let her feed as much as she wants. You need time just the two of you, so I would definitely either ask your visitors to leave or to fend for themselves for a few days xx

Actually I would t rush for the domperidone your only day 5? I initially thought you were 10days. Still super early

Lots of skin to skin. Offer the breast and express as your midwife has told you (20min). If you have been advised to give formula keep that advice. No one here can see your baby or take a proper history.

Would Not

I bf all mine and dd2 (elective section) was slowest for milk supply to come in.

A combination of just sitting with her latched on for what felt like all day and fenugreek capsules really helped me.

Good luck!

This thread is 4 months old! I wonder if the OP did succeed...lots of good advice on here

Just read that back and should have said ‘succeed with breastfeeding’ - don’t want to imply that not BF and using formula is failing or anything xx