Did you find breastfeeding a breeze?

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My sister is due her first baby in August and we were talking about breastfeeding. I'm currently feeding my second baby, it's gone much better than with my first but it's definitely still a struggle. Cracked/sore nipples from the cluster feeding which is toe curling for the first 10 seconds or so of feeding, good latch thankfully, pain of milk coming in etc, it's not the easiest thing to establish especially when cluster feeding is involved or you get engorged.

I think what I'm going through is fairly common and I (maybe naively) thought this was how everyone's breastfeeding journey began and it's tough for everyone initially and eventually gets better. My sister asked if it's the same for everybody and whether she'll need to mentally prepare herself (and stock up on nipple cream) so I thought I'd ask.. is there anyone here who just cracked it straight off the bat? Did it make a difference if it was your first baby or you'd done it before? Has anyone found it genuinely easy straight away?

I found it very easy, no pain, a bit uncomfortable if there was a long gap between feeds but over amazing so easy and convenient.

I was just like you OP. The pain of the milk coming in at first was so shocking! Bleeding nipples 🤦🏼‍♀️ I persevered and fed both my DDs for about six months. But I did mixed feeding from day one … I think that helped.

Yes, I found it extremely easy. I expected to find it hard - I had very small breasts - but it was a doddle from the beginning. No pain or trouble at all.

Dc1 was awful - no pain but baby failed to gain weight, I got very stressed, had to sit feeding almost all day. Eventually I had to combination feed to get his weight up. Dc was diagnosed with tongue tie at 5 weeks (missed by everyone until then), by which time I'd had mastitis as he wasn't getting my milk, then my supply dwindled. I managed to combination feed til he weened at 1, but i felt like a failure.

Had dc2 checked for tongue tie, which was also missed in the hospital but snipped on day 3. Fed like a dream either no pain or issues. Only problem was stopping - literally wrestling trying to night wean at 2.5 years. Bf til 4 ish.

So a mix in my experience. I also think key is support if there are problems, and triple check for tongue tie!

Dd1 - a breeze but fed all the bloody time
dtds - endurance challenge but felt guilty because they were premature so carried on for 6 months through pain and tears.

No, not at all.
So glad I chose to start dcs 2 and 3 on bottles straightaway.
100% the right decision for us.

Breastfeeding was amazing but it also broke me completely

When it was going well it was brilliant. Only one day felt sore that was after an intense cluster feeding session a few weeks in. My depression was at it severest it was something I could do for my daughter when I could barely get out of bed.

The bad side was the reflux and feeding aversions where feeds were a battle and lasted seconds. Food allergies put me on an incredibly restricted diet and I lost 16% of my body weight and collapsed the day before I stopped breastfeeding at 10 months. The weeks when I had no choice but to breastfeed as we were struggling to find a suitable formula plus a fairly severe bottle aversion and I had run out of medication i could take for my depression and still breastfeed were lonely and it felt like a punishment. I ended up spending 2 months in a mother and baby unit as a result. At the time I thought I could never put myself through it again and would never breastfeed if I had more children. Time has softened the lows and lifted the joy and I would do it again... If brave enough to go for more children that is!

I went through absolutely hell with breastfeeding, everything that could go wrong did, the pain was unbearable, and it took over 6 months to get DC to actually feed, but somehow I survived and I still occasionally (about once a day) breastfeed now DC is 2 years old

Breastfeeding was not a breeze for me. Cabbage leaves, ointment, then nipple shields - nipple shields really helped with the pain for the first few weeks.

I was fine with it after then, but always had to use two hands and concentrate.

Oh, I also expressed from a few weeks in, with early milk after the first feed. I used to get loads out. We then gave her that bottle at night. Which was a big help.

I think a lot depends on the baby. My first was ok. She had a really good latch straight away but she would never settle for long at the breast so fed little and often, which was frustrating for me (this pattern has continued ever since- she is 18 now and still a ‘snacker’- really not one for sitting down and taking ages over a big meal).

With DC2 the latch was excruciatingly painful in the early days and weeks (I think he had a tongue tie in retrospect). When he latched on, I felt like my eyes were rolling into the back of my head. There was blood, there were a lot of tears (mine). It got bad enough that DH gently suggested I could consider stopping as it was obviously very distressing for me. I got to the point where I started feeling sick and panicky when he was due a feed because I was anticipating the pain. But I was very stubborn determined and stuck with it and then it all just got easier one day. It stopped being painful (I guess his mouth was bigger by then and/or my nipples were so desensitised!) He would feed really well then and be at the breast for a good long time. My milk supply was plentiful and we went on to feed for 16 months.

Nope, I found it absolutely awful and I switched to formula at 2 months.

I would have liked to BF longer (I pumped for those 2 months) but I had the opposite experience to you - the midwives all told me it would just work and the milk would come in and so when I struggled I assumed my body couldn't do it and so didn't continue.

Edit: actually when I say I would have liked to continue, I don't know if that's true. Formula feeding was much easier, let my DP get more involved and meant we really enjoyed our LO's first months. It's just I felt immensely guilty due to all the (mostly unasked for!) advice/pressure to BF.

I've breastfed two children - not a single issue until it became time to wean (around 18m-2y for both); then I had constant struggles with mastitis/thrush/tumultuous emotions. Baby was born, placed on my breast and latched right away - both times. No pain, no engorgment, no cracked nipples, no blocked ducts or mastitis or latch issues, no tongue tie, no reflux, etc. Smooth sailing from day 1.

I'm TTC baby 3 now and am convinced I can't be so lucky three times.

It was uncomfortable at first but quickly settled down, I read as much as I could on here first (dc now 16 and 8!) which was infinitely more helpful than any official guidance.

I actively sought out the bad experiences so I knew what to be on the lookout for and how to nip any problems in the bud.

I slathered on Lansinoh before and after every feed till my nipples toughened up a bit. I didn't expect it to be all roses and pain free or to get in the swing of it straight away and it wasn't but it was pretty straightforward (I didn't have any real life help as DM and closest friends hadn't fed).

Was a much better experience both times than when I bottle fed my eldest... wind, projectile vomiting, countless types of teats and bottles to reduce wind etc. So wish I'd tried to bf then too. I loved it and would recommend anyone to get fully informed and have a go.

Yes. Very easy. Never had sore nipples and loves every moment.

I put this down to having my first baby and he didn't want to latch on and they kept me in for five days l.

I was persistently badgered by nurses to give up and bottle fees.

I refused and it was only when I had an old Irish nurse who took one look at my son and said "You've got a right lazy devil here!" and she grabbed him and kind of forced him onto my breast so that his nose was pressed into me but his nostrils able to flare to breathe and lo and behold he started sucking strongly.

At first I was shocked and wanted to tell her off for handling him what I thought was quite roughly but then I looked down and saw him feeding and laughed and am forever indebted to her no nonsense approach at getting him to latch on and feed.

It's all in the position and the Irish nurse was absolutely wonderful in showing and explaining it to me.

Her bedside manner was somewhat lacking but who cares, she was fantastic and knew her stuff.

I was worried about breastfeeding as I hate my nipples being touched/quite sensitive! However i never felt any pain, never cracked nipples. Sometimes the latch would need correcting if it didn't feel 100% right. I had a very sleepy baby at first who needed a lot of encouragement to stay awake and feed, but then she turned into a really long feeder, usually an hour each side. Had a short biting phase around 9 months thankfully didn't last long, 3 episodes of mastitis which were painful, still feeding now at 13.5 months but only at bedtime. Babies choice as loves food and cows milk doesn't have interest in feeding from me during the day which I'm happy about at this stage

I’ve found the first few days hard with both kids. I think if she wants to BF she needs to mentally prepare herself for challenges but also plan to succeed. Make sure she can access specialist support if needed. I had a lactation support person help me with number 1 which was invaluable. She can absolutely do this but she might want to throw the towel in so she needs to plan well x

Very easy, I would have done it regardless anyway but I never had any problems

That however can't be extrapolated to anyone else as all circumstances are different

Dc1 horrible for 8 weeks, undiagnosed tongue tie and useless hcp, complete lack of support.
dc2 absolute breeze, still had the cluster feeding though of course.
dc3 really painful till TT cut at 3 weeks, improved after and generally easier after then, though he’s not been the most straightforward to feed, nursing strikes, biting/not latching well when teething etc.

First dc was a struggle to get going and was only easy by 6 weeks. Dc2 fed like a dream from birth

Hell no. Didn't latch til 4-5 weeks. Tongue tie. Not really painful on the nipples but hard on back/shoulders.

Would definitely warn a mum to be friend to read up on positions beforehand and advocate hard for midwife support while in hospital to get established ASAP.

Yes. No problems at all with 4 dcs.

I am aware that it's often really tricky for many women.

EBF each for two years.. fully until 8 months when they started having food..
Also fed my friends baby when she went to back to work.
Never made a bottle or used one in my life.
Didn't even buy any.. fed on demand.. no soreness nothing. More l fed the more easy it was.. carried in a sling so they just fed while l vacuumed etc.

I find it very easy and painless now, but the early days (2-4 weeks) were very painful!

Nipple cream, silver nipple cups and cooling pads for when the milk comes in is pretty essential for everyone from the people I've spoken to about it.

It took a week or 2 to get going. I had good support, a helpful DH who researched correct positioning etc, and a friend who was breastfeeding her second who had great tips. I wanted to breastfeed and had a very positive attitude, always assumed it would work.
Of course there were some hiccoughs, pain on letdown ( everyone has that), engorgement at certain times ( cabbage leaves and expressing helped) and breast shells that meant leakage wasn't wasted! I'd say if you need to give the baby the odd bottle, then do it and don't stress it, just don't do it too often as it affects supply.
Support, hydration and rest are all important in getting it to work. And understanding that a breastfed baby can easily suckle for 12 hours a day some days!