Hello

My name is Sandy and I'm the proud mama of an almost 6 month old. I recently found out that I'm with #2. With my son, I stopped breastfeeding him at 6 weeks b/c he was not gaining weight and we went into panic mode and switched him to a bottle. I did a combo of BM & formula for a while, but one I stopped nursing exclusively, my supply gradually dwinldled until he was on all formula. I have always regretted that decision and would like for baby #2 to be on breastmilk for at least a year. Anyway, I had some questions for you ladies who have BF more than one child.

1. Does your milk come in sooner after you give birth with the 2nd baby?
2. Are there things I can do to help establish a good milk supply right from the start?
3. How often did you nurse your baby after you delivered and were in the hospital?
4. What advice do you have for successful nursing.

so much! I really appreciate any/all info

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Sandy

Hi! Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Does your milk come in sooner after you give birth with the 2nd baby? I'm not sure. With my second child, it didn't come in until the 4th day, which is pretty long, I think. Usually within the first few days after birth, if you are nursing exclusively and not giving any bottles or pacifiers, your milk will come in.

2. Are there things I can do to help establish a good milk supply right from the start? Nurse as often as your baby wants to nurse, at least every two-three hours. Nurse whenever your baby wants to nurse. Don't try to put the baby on a schedule or make him/her hold-out a little longer or wait to nurse. The more you nurse, the more milk your body makes. Also, don't use any bottles or pacifiers at all in the early weeks. Using them can interfere with 1) your baby's desire to nurse and 2) your body getting triggered often enough to make more milk.

3. How often did you nurse your baby after you delivered and were in the hospital? About every hour. Both my kids wanted to nurse a lot. And for long periods of time. I think a part of that was that my milk took a bit longer to come in, though. Every baby is different, so it's hard to predict how often or for how long a child will nurse. But again, every 2-3 hours is probably about average.

4. What advice do you have for successful nursing. Go to a local LLL (La Leche League) meeting ahead of time, before you deliver. That will give you a chance to meet the local leaders and get advice. And after you deliver, if you have any problems or are unsure of anything, you'll have the names and numbers of people you've met who can help you. Even if you don't get a chance to go to the meetings (which I really recommend!), bring the numbers of your local leaders to the hospital with you. Here's a link to the LLL website: http://www.lalecheleague.org/WebUS.html

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First, I just want to say that it is totally possible for you to go the distance this time around!!! Be determined!

1. Does your milk come in sooner after you give birth with the 2nd baby?

I am not sure about this. My boys are 20 months apart and I nursed #1 until he was 16 months, he self-weaned. My milk came in RIGHT away, but I figure it was because I only didn't nurse for 4 months and then had a newborn that was nursing, nursing, nursing. Literally, I am going to say that my milk came in less than 24 hours after birth.

2. Are there things I can do to help establish a good milk supply right from the start?

Nurse, nurse, nurse. Follow the baby and not the clock. Nurse on demand. Don't allow for pacifers or supplements. Also, I want to add that it takes until the baby is nearly 6 weeks of age for your milk supply to fully establish, so it is VITAL to nurse on demand that entire period.

3. How often did you nurse your baby after you delivered and were in the hospital?

As often as they wanted to. The first month definitely no longer than 2-3 hours between the start of one nursing session to the start of the second(you time nursing sessions like contractions from start to start). Heck, the entire first year of both my sons' lives I nursed whenever they wanted to. BM is meant to be the primary source of calories and energy for the first 12 months of life. Anything else is inferior.

4. What advice do you have for successful nursing.

Nurse on demand. Don't listen to outside opinions about nursing on demand. Contact your local LLL for support now while pregnant and then attend meetings with your baby after it arrives. Support is so vital to successfully BFing for 12 months.

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Nancy

I went through almost the same thing with my first. I went back to work and my supply dropped. I decided to switch to formula thinking that would be easier and have always regretted that. Now I'm bfing my almost 5 month old with very little trouble.

1. Does your milk come in sooner after you give birth with the 2nd baby?
With both, my milk came in around the 3rd day.

2. Are there things I can do to help establish a good milk supply right from the start?
Nurse on demand. Both of mine nursed alot from the beginning.

3. How often did you nurse your baby after you delivered and were in the hospital?
I nursed on demand. I don't think either boy went more than 1 1/2 hours between feedings until they were a few months old.

4. What advice do you have for successful nursing.
Trust that your baby is getting enough and that your body will provide that. I think that was my biggest problem the first time. I didn't believe my body knew what it was doing.

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Congrats on your PG! A H&H 9 mths to you! I'm sure you'll find bf much easier the 2nd time around..... you made it 6 weeks the first time and those are the hardest ones!

1. Does your milk come in sooner after you give birth with the 2nd baby? My milk came in a day sooner with #2 and #3 than it did with #1

2. Are there things I can do to help establish a good milk supply right from the start? Ensure a proper latch off the hop and nurse, nurse, nurse! The more stimulation your nipples get, the more milk you will make.....don't worry if it seems like the baby's on you all the time - it doesn't last forever and it'll lead to a better milk supply it the long run.

3. How often did you nurse your baby after you delivered and were in the hospital? I nursed on demand....which sometimes was only 45 min later and sometimes up to 1 1/2 hrs (or 2-3 for nights).

4. What advice do you have for successful nursing. Relax and trust your body....humans wouldn't be here if we couldn't sustain our babies! Don't give in to people telling you to suppliament (bf babies naturally gain slower, on average, than ff babes - but are healthier in the end!). Make sure you have a good latch and definately find some supports. LLL is a good place to start but you may find other bf support groups too - I have with all three and they're a lifesaver.....they can help you keep going when things are rough and answer any questions you have along the way.

Good Luck, I hope all goes well this time around!

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yep- that!- and the baby probably will be on you 24-7- mine was...and it lasted like 2 mos to be honest...but it is worth the initial 'struggle' gl

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