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?

Yes, it was very easy both times. Both DC latched on with no problems and never had a bottle, in fact I never even bought a bottle or any powdered milk.

I found it painful and used shields until flow was established, I think that was about 3 weeks. We had heard in prenatal class that the first few weeks were tough but worth getting past it.

It's just the luck of the draw. My son latched the second he was placed in my arms. I had to navigate swollen lumpy boobs and learning how to stave off mastitis in the first few days, but other than that I had no problems. Never needed the lansinoh that I bought in preparation (makes for good lip balm in the winter though)

If it had been a real struggle I prepared myself beforehand that I would switch to formula if need be.

First child it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done for the first 3 months and then it became a lot easier.

second child was a lot easier from the start but did have peeling skin and leaky breasts for the first couples of months but no pain and he got sufficient.

Yes, dead easy but there was a dedicated breast nurse on the wards to help if there were problems
She was marvellous - a wise old Granny to us all.

Yes, it was easy. When people talk about " establishing breastfeeding" I don't know what means. With DC1 we needed help in the hospital and DS was really sleep so fo the first 48 hours we had to keep waking him up but after that it was just lift top, latch, feed, done. No cluster feeding, very little pain, no leaking.

DC2 hurt more because I got nipple thrush but once that cleared it was fine too.

By the 3rd baby it was a breeze and it honestly broke my heart when we finished at the end of her 1st year as I knew I'd never do it again. But I wish that midwives prepared you for how tough the 1st few weeks are to get established.

Breastfed three babies, with the 1st the first 6 weeks were tough. Nipple pain, made to express at hospital and give top ups, found getting a good latch hard. Sore on back. After 6 weeks it was fine.

After a dodgy start the 2nd tore out his feeding tube and breast feed like a natural, never any soreness, no mastitis, nothing.

The 3rd had tongue tie which wasn’t diagnosed for quite a few weeks. I was breast feeding, giving a top up bottle then pumping with each feed (I didn’t feed on demand more like every 3/4 hours). At 3 months everything settled down and he fed to 15months like the other 2.

there was the general discomfort I guess with all of them of having full breasts if they didn’t feed regularly, nothing worse than wanting to wake your sleeping baby so your breasts stop aching 😂 but once that all settled down it was fine.

i think luck has a lot to do with it. If I’d had my 3rd first I may have given up. Experience can help but it won’t necessarily make it easier!

I have heard of “toughening” up your nipples…no idea if it works. A hard towel and rub!

For the person asking about biting… some babies won’t. Some will but generally learn not to. The first time it happen you may well react with a scream/screech/squeal…after that just be prepared, when it happens again remove baby with your fingers by breaking the suction and repeat as often as necessary till they stop! But don’t react loudly or excitedly again or it may become a game!

Isn't it only painful if they latch incorrectly?

Ie they're not actually meant to latch ON the nipple - which is so sensitive - but instead theyre meant to open their mouth wider so they latch on the areola (painless) and nipple goes to back of their mouth, but isn't sucked on.

Anyway, it was only painful for me if I got this bit wrong and latched them to the nipple teat rather than the areola.

I've breastfed both my daughters and plan to breastfeed my third. The first couple of weeks I found difficult, getting the right latch and being confident in the whole thing. My nipples were sore for the first couple of weeks yes but lanolin cream helps a lot, and rubbing milk on your nipples too after a feed!! I breastfed my first for 6 months and second for 10 months.

Unfortunately not. The latch can be perfect but nipples can get sore and painful purely from so much sucking on the area.

My experience has been similar to yours, the first week or so was tough but I don’t regret a thing and would do it all again. There is a lot of support out there. I contacted ‘breastfeeding together’ a few days after my DD was born and they had an instant messaging service and even offered to do a home visit to check my latch etc. they were lovely.

I agree the support has been exceptional. There was nothing (or nothing offered) to this level with my first a decade ago.

It wasn't easy with either of mine to start. Pain, frustration, visits to HV etc.
That said, once established it was great, and a million times easier than I imagine formula feeding to be.
Definitely worth persevering through the pain IMO!

DC1: Total nightmare. Would not latch after birth so I had to hand express colostrum and then use a nipple shield when my milk came in. I switched to pumping as she was falling asleep at the breast and barely getting any milk. I then had recurrent mastitis. Great improvement direct feeding after a tongue tie release at six weeks, until we went away for Xmas ten days later and missed some of the stretch exercises. Tongue tie reattached and breastfeeding returned to being agony. I just persevered on in pain until her mouth got big enough that the TT didn’t really matter.

DC2: latched immediately after birth. Shredded one nipple during the night two cluster feeding. I used a nipple shield for a couple of weeks to allow it to heal until baby rejected the shield. Breastfeeding is initially a bit uncomfortable but pain usually resolves after nipple is stretched out in babies mouth. I think I’m struggling more mentally with breastfeeding this time around. It’s hard to always be the one feeding the baby and I feel restricted. I keep contemplating using bottles but to be honest it would probably be more work for me. I’m on maternity leave so with baby most of the time during the week. Breastfeeding makes you sleepy at night which is a massive plus for someone like me who struggles to get to sleep.

Following with interest, due second baby soon.

This was me too. Really really hard. I would say one of the hardest things I’ve done.. the thought of going through it again puts me off having DC2 to be honest. I felt like I’d failed and two years on I still do. In fact I felt so guilty I gave it up that I removed all processed food from our household diet after comments from my mums friend who works in big pharma/nutrition. I don’t think I’ve gotten over the whole thing tbh and my child is long out of it all..

So painful in the beginning! Thank goodness for nipple shields and cream! I'm glad I carried on through those tough bits. We're now 2 years, 2 months into breastfeeding. I'd like to stop but it's his comfort. Has never taken a dummy.
I assumed it was tough for everyone at first!

It hurt for the first few weeks but I never used any creams etc. My baby is now 2.5 months and it’s easy now. So much easier than my first where I combi fed although he latched well too. I’m so lucky not to have to deal with bottles etc. it’d be a pain to leave the bedroom and makes it harder to get back to sleep.

No/minimal nipple pain both times, hardly needed cream but hlad I had it.

I found it very easy with my second baby, latched fine from birth, supply was perfect, not much cluster feeding and she slept wonderfully.

First baby had a more traumatic birth and I had huge difficulty latching her for several days, an oversupply that made her ill, she had reflux, colic, clusterfed for hours and hated sleep. I fed her for longer than my second though! (years)

I tend not to talk about my breast feeding experience as it was very easy with all 3 DC and I didn't have any of the issues other mums have had (slight over supply with first DC that saw me shooting milk into the sink to ease pressure for a couple of days) no cracked nipples, no need for creams etc.

I didn't pump and fed on demand from minutes after birth, all bigger babies too and gained weight nicely

I think I am an outlier but yes it can be easy

Fed 2 babies and had absolutely no problems and not a moment's discomfort.

BF may be natural and normal but if you have never done it before and perhaps don't know anyone else who has, it's definitely worth spending some time learning about it in advance. I made sure I read everything I could about breastfeeding before my first child was born as well as attending a breastfeeding workshop. I think that definitely gave me confidence.

We had a really tough time with it. I've had cracked and bleeding nipples and mastitis along with slow weight gain. Ive also had thrush and it seems i have reynauds too. Was in so much pain for the first 6 weeks I couldn't wrap my towel around myself when I got out of the shower. Severe tongue tie was found when I went to a private lactation consultant which had been missed by everyone else. Instant relief when that was corrected but as I was in such a state it took a good 3 weeks to heal properly. We are 10 weeks in now and only just starting to find it easier.