Breastfeeding a large baby after a c section

[Ginandshinythings]

Hi there
Bit of background, my first baby was born at forty weeks, emcs and weighed 10.8! I was unable to even consider breastfeeding as my recovery was just awful.
I'm due my second in June, hopefully an elective c section and I would like to try breastfeeding. However, I'm concerned if I have another big baby, will I produce enough colustrum / milk in the early days to satisfy them?
I understand having a c section can make your milk come through later, and I hate to think my lo will be hungry.
Would you top up with the ready made bottles until supply came in?
Any advice greatly welcomed.
Thank you 😊

Colostrum is super concentrated milk so it will probably be fine. Obviously you will need to see the baby is. Milk is produced in demand, if you start topping up with milk then your body won’t produce enough milk.

I had a big fish baby, 9lbs 4. My colostrum just didn't come in after C-section, I was really dehydrated and had lost a lot of blood and everything just dried up. So my son had formula the first couple days but I kept trying to breastfeed him all the time. Eventually when I got home on day five I managed to start breastfeeding properly and persevered but it was really tough.

I breastfed my 9lb 15oz baby after an emergency c section. My milk came in the next evening. All was fine and i am currently expecting another big baby, by elective section this time. I didn't get skin-to-skin immediately but did in the recovery room. I just kept him on the boob comstantly after that!! Good luck OP

I should add i had colostrum for him immediately- they don't need the actual 'milk' for a couple of days so long as they have colostrum. If you are concermed about not producing it you can harvest it bedorehand. I would ask your midwife/HV for advice on whether this is necessary/how to do it.

Mine was 9lb10 and breastfed in the recovery room and onwards. We did mix feed after the first few days until maybe 10 weeks or so because his latch and his sleep were both terrible so it gave me and my boobs a break! But in terms of supply it was absolutely fine.

Colostrum production is basically triggered by the placenta detaching and your boby will take it's cue from the baby suckling as to how much milk to produce. Both mine we Cs, although emergency, labour can also trigger milk production. My milk came in about 48hrs pp both times. Both babies were 75centile, so fairly hefty. I found being in a hospital bed really helpful for positioning to start with.
Your best bet would be reading the Millie Hill book.

doadeer quite an achievement nursing a fish!!

Ha I meant ish not fish 🤣

I had a big baby (10lbs 10oz) born by C-section and we didn't manage to breastfeed. Part of that was other issues but part of it was my milk took 5 days to come in.

I had a 10lb 4oz baby by c section in 2011 and she was starving. I breastfed constantly whilst I was in hospital but it got to the point after a few days that my milk hadn't come in yet, and I felt like she was just too hungry so I asked the midwives for a bottle to give her. They made me feel pretty awful about it and I had to sign all sorts of things, but they gave me the milk. As I had with DD1 I continued to Bf DD2 (gave the very occasional top up) for the next 7 months, and we didn't have any issues.

I would try harvesting colostrum beforehand so your baby can be topped up with that rather than formula if necessary.

Colostrum is enough for the first few days until your milk comes in so I don't think that you need to worry about that. If anything a bigger baby will have more stocks of calories on board and they often have a stronger suck so that should be in your favour. It might feel odd , the baby not getting much in the way of volume but just persevere with putting them to your breast. It is the way nature intended and it works. Obviously if you or DC are unwell that changes things but with a planned section you will hopefully be alright.

Thanks so much for your replies, really helpful to talk to others experiencing the same.
Can I ask, those of you who harvested colustrum... When did you start collecting it?
Thank you.

I had my first baby by ELCS in May - she was quite small so slightly different to your question but she latched on straight away and we bf with no issues. I also harvested colostrum (as I wasn't sure if the CS would delay my milk supply starting) from about 37weeks. You only get a few drops at a time but it's still reassuring to have a few syringes in the freezer!

I imagine it's very different with an EMCS but I think my planned CS helped with bfing because I was (relatively) well-rested and prepared before she arrived.

I had a 9lb 3 baby EMCS after a exhausting long labour. Didn't get skin to skin but he fed for about an hour afterwards.
Most HCPs I saw said 'ooh you're going to struggle to feed that one'. My milk came in on day 3.
Never had an issue really, he never had formula and never liked a bottle much.
Second baby was VBAC, 10lb. Same story pretty much, milk came a bit quicker I think.
Just plan to have as much skin to skin as you can and every time they whinge, put them on the boob. It works on supply and demand. If you do top ups, you may struggle to increase your supply and always have to do them.

My DD was 9lb7 born by EMCS and DS was 9lb6 by ELCS (two weeks early). Managed to bf both, although the start with DD was hairy. I do think an advantage of Bf bigger babies is that they have great big mouths to get a really good latch! I think it was our saving grace with DD, she never struggled with the size of my nipple and made a great big O with her mouth.

I had a section for my first and vaginal deliveries for the next ones. I didn't notice any difference in when my milk came in. Do you have to have another section ?

I've been harvesting colostrum for the last 2 weeks - am now 39+5. Seen a huge increase in volume in that time and wish someone had mentioned it to me before my ELCS with first born. I struggled to get started then - possibly due to him having TT but I always wondered whether CS was linked. Speak to midwife and they can give you some info and syringes.

@Dowermouse

Colostrum production is basically triggered by the placenta detaching and your boby will take it's cue from the baby suckling as to how much milk to produce. Both mine we Cs, although emergency, labour can also trigger milk production. My milk came in about 48hrs pp both times. Both babies were 75centile, so fairly hefty. I found being in a hospital bed really helpful for positioning to start with. Your best bet would be reading the Millie Hill book.

Colostrum is produced from approx 20 weeks gestation as part of lactogenesis stage 1, delivery of the placenta and the resulting drop in progesterone results in your milk coming in (lactogenesis stage 2) 3 to 5 days after birth. Lactogenesis stage 3 is where milk production is solely driven by the removal of milk from the breast and occurs at around 6 weeks after birth. This is a really good video to watch before your baby is born abm.me.uk/how-lactation-works/&ved=2ahUKEwjBi9n9y6vuAhX1oFwKHfUmC00QtwIwAHoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw00OafwsNDHeSREAb4XSRKO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=abm.me.uk/how-lactation-works/&ved=2ahUKEwjBi9n9y6vuAhX1oFwKHfUmC00QtwIwAHoECAMQAg&usg=AOvVaw00OafwsNDHeSREAb4XSRKO

No problem BF my big first baby after EMCS. They were given one of those small bottles of formula each night we were in hospital on the midwife’s recommendation because it was so hot in there. But I had no supply issues.

For me the bigger problem was physically holding a big baby with zero core strength. My back was agony which was so frustrating having had no back pain whatsoever during pregnancy! It was so much easier with DC2 who was born average in weight via ELCS. Again no problems with supply.

Had no problems feeding a bigger baby after a section - he was so big he nursed well and was strong and alert from the start, so the feedback loop was strong to produce more and more. My second was even bigger framed but skinnier and sleepier as he was born early, so he had less chub - I had him on the breast pretty much constantly to get my supply up in the first couple of weeks.

I also had the problem of holding both my kids at first with stitches and no core strength so I used to do the football hold with the baby on a stack of pillows by my side under my arm, my elbow on the arm of the sofa and my hand behind his head. Also, nursing lying down in bed was a godsend (we made a sidecar out of an IKEA cot).

My first was 10lb3 emergency CS and breastfed. My midwife told me to expect a weight loss in the first week as natural- but he was fine - never been as hungry or as thirsty as I was the first few months . What I would say is be kind to yourself- if you breastfeed great - if you don't formula is fine. Good luck and all the best.

Again thank you everyone some really great tips here and it's so lovely being able to chat to others experiencing the same.
To the poster who asked about having the section, although it hasn't been signed off yet, I saw a private consultant about six months after my first because of vaginal pains possibly linked to the forceps they used first. He recommended to have an elective next time, said the whole situation could of been avoided if the baby's size was taken into consideration earlier. Saying that, I'm bloody terrified! Sometimes it's worse knowing what's coming, but I cannot go through the recovery of over twenty hours labor, pushing, forceps and then a c section, my poor body.

@Ginandshinythings

Hi there Bit of background, my first baby was born at forty weeks, emcs and weighed 10.8! I was unable to even consider breastfeeding as my recovery was just awful. I'm due my second in June, hopefully an elective c section and I would like to try breastfeeding. However, I'm concerned if I have another big baby, will I produce enough colustrum / milk in the early days to satisfy them? I understand having a c section can make your milk come through later, and I hate to think my lo will be hungry. Would you top up with the ready made bottles until supply came in? Any advice greatly welcomed. Thank you 😊

Get yourself some good quality breastfeeding support. It’s a myth that big babies drink more (or need more) breastmilk than smaller babies - it’s often the other way around! And in the early days just putting them on the breast as often as possible will give them as much as they need as their tummies are tiny and only start growing when your milk comes in at the 3-4 day mark.

Has the reason why your last baby was so big been address? Obesity, pcos, and diabetes can all impact breastfeeding so it’s essential you get good quality support early.

I hope whatever the birth all goes well. I had an emergency section for my first and it was assumed I'd have a second. I didn't want it and ended up having two VBACS. If you can avoid another serious operation I would advise it. Scans are notoriously inaccurate but maybe ask if you can have one to see how big the baby is looking.