Breastfeeding question...

[katie05]

Ive only got a few weeks till i meet my lo and suddenly have this urge to breastfeed after intending to bottlefeed again.
Thing is, i tried with my son but hardly had any milk (may be to do with my c-section??). Then when my milk came in at 3 days my boobs were massive and so unbelievably painfull that id just had enough and bottlefed. I remember feeling that i just wanted the milk out and to feel normal...awful i know

My question is does that milk coming in thing happen every week/few days when you continue to breastfeed and is it painfull like when your milk 1st come in everytime?.

Sorry if i sound stupid, hope someone can share your knowledge with me.

 

[purple13]

Ive only got a few weeks till i meet my lo and suddenly have this urge to breastfeed after intending to bottlefeed again.
Thing is, i tried with my son but hardly had any milk (may be to do with my c-section??). Then when my milk came in at 3 days my boobs were massive and so unbelievably painfull that id just had enough and bottlefed. I remember feeling that i just wanted the milk out and to feel normal...awful i know

My question is does that milk coming in thing happen every week/few days when you continue to breastfeed and is it painfull like when your milk 1st come in everytime?.

Sorry if i sound stupid, hope someone can share your knowledge with me.

good on you for wanting to try bf-ing

my milk didn't come in til 4 days after birth. it was painful at first (i used gel pads from the fridge to help ease it) but the discomfort only lasted for about 12 hours.

i only get uncomfortable now if i leave it too long in between feeds and my boobs get very full.

i will say that bf-ing is one of the hardest things i've ever done, but also the most rewarding. looking at my growing boy and knowing that its something i've done that's making him so big, strong and healthy - it makes me want to cry with pride and happiness. that might sound ott, but for all the problems i had at first, i now LOVE bf-ing and wouldn't have things any other way.

good luck hon

 

[LisaJ1986]

Once your milk comes in you'll probably feel engorged and painful for a few days. I remember when mine happened i was so freaked out i had 1 massive boob and one normal one. But that settled after 2 or 3 days and now they're fine. My body adjusts to how much milk she needs and i don't get any pain at all.
The 1st week or 2 is the hardest. Once you get passed that it's so much easier. Your body just needs to settle to provide just enough milk for your baby.
Honestly, breastfeeding was the best choice i ever made.

 

[Sherlock]

I found once it came in about 2-3 days after Galen was born it was fine. They only get hard and lumpy occasionally if he doesn't feed from them. Usually overnight or during the day if he has a big sleep. To stop this happening I express and store for a later date.

Also now the supply and demand thing is more established I find it takes a lot longer for them to get lumpy, but there is more than enough milk for LO without them getting to that point.

I've never found it painful tbh. Its uncomfortable sometimes, but never painful.

 

[trixipaws]

im afraid so, yes. if ur exclusively BFing then ur producing loadsa milk constantly and every 2 hours ur boobs will be like rocks! i didnt find it that bad tbh if they got too uncomfortable i'd either shove them in melissa's face for 2 minutes each (and she was always happy to oblige! ) or i'd hand express a bit. just getting 50mls out each side relieves the pressure enough.

to hand-express put ur thumb above ur nipple, and 3 fingers below, and kinda like how u squeeze a spot press down first, and THEN squeeze ur fingers together. then pull ur boob outwards (just like milking a cow! hehe)

good on u for wanting to try BF- and dont worry if u got no milk for 4 days- THATS NORMAL! so many mums seem to give up coz they think they not producing and its such a shame- proper milk dont come in for 3-5 days but before that ur making colostrum, which isnt as obvious coz its concentrated and doenst leak or blow up ur tits but if ur baby seems happy and is makin wet nappies then they not starving dont worry

 

[KJ]

I think everyone must be different, because I only got the 'freak me out, huge, hard boobs' when my milk came in. I panicked big style, and remember begging my husband to get me a pump (at like midnight!) to help me. It didn't hurt massively, I was just so freaked out and surprised by it.

They don't stay like that forever, it's about 48 hours before things start settling down a bit. Unlike Trixipaws, mine weren't horrible and painful before every feed. Yes, in the early days when bubs is feeding a lot, then they did fill up quickly, but I found I could cope with it infinitely better than the few days after the milk came in.

If you can get over that initial shock and discomfort, then things settle down a lot.

I'm not saying I didn't leak in between feeds, I haven't slept without a bra on for 9 months (still breastfeeding)!! but I found it easy to cope with.

Give it a go if you want to , but I'd say you've got to give things at least a week after your milk comes in before making any decisions. See how you feel then but try to give yourself time to get used to it, it is a major shock to the system when the milk first appears.

K.xxx

 

[valentine]

im afraid so, yes. if ur exclusively BFing then ur producing loadsa milk constantly and every 2 hours ur boobs will be like rocks!

I didn't find this happened to me after the first couple of weeks. You may have discomfort and hard full boobs in the first little while during which time your body is adjusting to your baby's demands (and possibly again during a growth spurt). Its been months and months since my boobs felt full but I have always had plenty milk to exclusively breastfeed my DD.

Valentine Xxx

 

[katie05]

Thank you so much ladies Im going to give it a 'proper' go this time. I just get a bit freaked when people say it was the most 'difficult' or 'painful' thing you have done but worth it. Do they mean 'worth it' because they feel breast is best for thier baby? I would like to think that i could enjoy breastfeeding too you see, not just that im putting myself through an ordeal purely out of guilt for what i feed my child.

Do i make sense? Crikey i waffle.

Also, i cant imagine being confident to feed in front of some people (especially male relatives) but a friend has told me that feeling passes and when my baby needs fed i get my boob out anywhere!

Thanks again.

 

[Sherlock]

I have to say for me its not been the most difficult or painful. I've been, I guess lucky in that I've had no problems and never really had any struggles to BF or had sore or cracked nipples. My only problem per se is that Galen is a demanding feeder but other than that, its been really straighforward and enjoyable.

I also love the bonding feeling I have with him.

 

[LisaJ1986]

I remember i REALLY didn't wanna do it. But my OH asked me to give it a go for a couple of weeks as the 1st bit is best for her. I was terrified of leaving the house in case she wanted feeding while i was out. But now i'm the 1 sat in town on a bench feeding my baby. To me they're just bottles. It's a thing just for me too. After birth it's the 1 thing we do together. I love doing it. No one else can boobie feed my baby and i love that.
I went from really not wanting to, to loving every minute of it.
My mum has tried getting me to formula feed now but i don't want to. I never found it difficult. It was so much easier than i thought it would be. I had no idea why i was so worried about it.

 

[trixipaws]

Do they mean 'worth it' because they feel breast is best for thier baby?

no, we mean worth it because its the most amazing bonding experience u will fall in love with it if u make it past the first 4-6 weeks (which is a bit gruelling tbh, but not painful at all.)
of course breast IS best for the baby, AND for the mother too- but when I say "worth it" i mean that the emotional pleasure i got from it was worth the hard work and uncertainty of the first few weeks.

oh yeah, and read some replies like valentine's, and i think i probably did fill up quicker than average- for some reason i had a ridiculopusly abundant milk supply. i mean i can still squeeze a drop out now- and i havent BF for over 4 months!

 

[valentine]

I have to say for me its not been the most difficult or painful. I've been, I guess lucky in that I've had no problems and never really had any struggles to BF or had sore or cracked nipples.

Me too - it hurt a bit in the beginning (toe curling pain) but my nipples soon toughened up and I got a correct latch sorted (about day 3 or 4) and it was plain sailing from there - no probs at all.

It has been really easy for me to breastfeed and not difficult or painful. Sometimes people mention this as its a massive achievement for them to have overcome their problems and breastfed, it makes them even more proud. Thats not to say that everyone finds it difficult though or if you did, that you couldn't find it in you to work through the problems and persevere. There's lots of experience and support on the Feeding and Nutrition board too - please post for lots of help and advice.

h yeah, and read some replies like valentine's, and i think i probably did fill up quicker than average- for some reason i had a ridiculopusly abundant milk supply. i mean i can still squeeze a drop out now- and i havent BF for over 4 months!

I was telling OH today about a childminder I know who started childminding when her son was 4. She developed mastitis as she was looking after baby twins and her boobs had obviously got the wrong message! She hadn't breastfed for 3+ years!

Valentine Xxx

 

[DebbieM]

Breastfeeding was a battle for me from the word go. I have to be honest and say that I absolutely hated it after the first 2 days til about 5 or 6 weeks. It hurt like nothing I had ever felt before and was very stressful. I was at times, literally tugging at my hair through stress and it's only because I am a stubborn cow that I continued I think.

The thing is though, I am SO glad I did, for myself and also for Luke. Breastfeeding, for me, is the biggest battle I have ever overcome and I would do it all again. Honestly, I would.

The satisfaction I get now from feeding him and watching him grow is something I can't explain. I know that every ounce he gains is from me and the hard work that we have been through to combat feeding!

All I will say is, give it a go. It will most likely hurt. Yes, engorgement isn't fun but it does calm down once you start feeding. If your nipples get sore, use cream, shields, whatever it takes to help and make sure you get support from your MW, HV, friends or even on here. Without the likes of Midna and others, I would have gone mad thinking it was just me having all those issues.

Everyone will tell you this....

"It will get better"

and you won't believe them BUT, it does! Believe it from someone who thought that statement was a load of crap. It's actually true. One day I would love to become a BF support worker of some kind - that's how passionate I feel about it now!!!

And of course... best of luck! We're here if you need us but hopefully you'll be fine!!!

 

[DebbieM]

It has been really easy for me to breastfeed and not difficult or painful. Sometimes people mention this as its a massive achievement for them to have overcome their problems and breastfed, it makes them even more proud. Thats not to say that everyone finds it difficult though or if you did, that you couldn't find it in you to work through the problems and persevere. There's lots of experience and support on the Feeding and Nutrition board too - please post for lots of help and advice.

It's funny you should say that.. Matt and I talk about breastfeeding a LOT because he is so proud of me for overcoming the issues I had a few weeks ago and I told him just tonight that in a way I am glad that I went through all those issues as it would be so easy to just look at others who have problems and think "put the baby to your boob and it will suck.."

Not quite that easy for some

I think going through tough things makes you stronger and perhaps capable of offering more support too in some ways..

 

[valentine]

I think going through tough things makes you stronger and perhaps capable of offering more support too in some ways..

Absolutely, I take my hat off to anyone who has battled through breastfeeding - I think you need a real determination and stubbornness to be so focussed and to ignore all the advice from often unhelpful HVs and relatives. I think you should be so proud of yourselves.

However. although I didn't really have any problems, I'm still tremendously proud of my achievement. Its still not been easy - very tying, tiring and draining at times but the positives have outweighed the negatives thousand fold, and still do!

I'd like to be a peer support worker even though I have had a relatively easy time as I think I still have something to offer as a successful breastfeeder.

Valentine Xxx

 

[katie05]

o.k last question for now.. but do you take something to help your milk come in, in the first few days. Ive either dreamt this or heard it somewhere. Im having a section too so im sure that can make it harder to flow.

 

[DebbieM]

no, theres really no need usually. You can take Fenugreek to boost your supply if need be

 

[KJ]

No, your milk will come in on it's own and believe me, there's plenty of it in the first few days!! Wouldn't want to boost that!!

K.xxx