Is BFing painful 2nd time around?

Hi,

I BF my DD for two years and it was wonderful (except for the first 6 weeks!). Baby #2 is due in 3 months and my question is, will my breasts be as painful n tender the first few weeks as they were the first time? Or are they now "toughened for life"? Just need to psyche myself up for the possibility (and possibly dust off my breast shields)!

My DD was born same date as yours :) was breastfeed for 15 months. I had my second 4 months ago. For me the milk coming in was painful / uncomfortable, but not as bad as first time and it all happened alot quicker. Milk was in by 48 hours. I did have nipple pain and it did take a couple of weeks for them to toughen up. But again not nearly as bad as with the first. Also, I had completley forgotton how hard it is to feed a newborn as opposed to a toddler who just jumps on and off ;)

Goodluck with the birth and feeding.

I found it painful while they toughened again. However I found my experience meant that I broke incorrect attachment sooner, and didn't do damage to my nipples from inexperience. So while they still needed to toughen up, second time around was a lot smoother because I didn't have as much of that uncertainty. There was still a bit of a learning curve, because my babies were so different, and fed very differently, but my previous experience certainly helped. xo

Thanks for the feedback - so attachment should not be such a problem (which often cuases sore nipples) but there may be some tenderness - that's Ok - at least it wont be as bad as the first time - nevertheless will grit teeth for a little while (and get out my shields for sure!)

yeah I found it a bit sensitive while he learned what he had to do and they toughed again, but not toe curling like the first time.

I'm so glad to read this as I too was worried about reliving the horrendous pain I went through for the first 3 months with DS.

Hopefully with your bfing knowledge (especially about attachment and other potential issues) then 2nd time around will be easier!

But as with every bfing experience, a lot depends on the baby and mother team, and since this will be the first time your baby has bf, there may be different things to manage that may or may not have occured first time around.

I would think though that all you know about correct attachment now and how you dealt with the issues you had with your DD it will make for a smoother journey and probably help you sort out any issues you do face more quickly.

The first few weeks are certainly the hardest with bfing for most mums, and it is usual to have some discomfort while your nipples adjust. However, it really shouldn't be painful enough that you are dreading each feed or having toe curling pain.

One of the best ways to get the attachment working well right from the start is to use Baby Led Attachment. You might have heard of the breast crawl - well those instincts that lead the baby to attach by himself stay with the baby for the first months after birth. So many mums find that placing their baby skin to skin on their chest (and it does also work when clothing is worn) and allowing him to find the nipple and attach himself, works well. This way the attachment is usually really good, and it also hones the baby's sucking instincts so avoids a lot of the common bfing problems.

This can be done lying down or sitting up and leaning back in a chair. There is more information here - Australian Breastfeeding Association - Baby-led attachment.

Best of luck with it. Remember also that if you are having problems that the ABA's 1800 mum 2 mum helpline is there 24 hours and is answered by trained counsellors who are mums themselves.

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I've also wondered about this. I had inverted nipples when I started feeding DS, will they be inverted next time around, or will the work DS and I have done to draw them out mean that I don't have the same problem?

Mine were :( I BF DD1 for 2.5 years so was really hopeful (or maybe that should be naive LOL) that 2nd time around would be better, but nope. I had attachment problems too, but knew to get onto them faster than first time, so things did improve quicker.

All the best, I hope things go well for you :)