Didnt produce enough milk to Bf in first PG will I have this in my 2nd pg want to BF

I am pg with child number 2 I would love to breastfeed but am worried I will have the same lack of supply as I did with number 1. Is there was to increase my supply before bubs comes. Any ideas or hints
thnaks

Cakester, it sounds like you had a difficult time with your first baby. Are you comfortable with sharing some more details about that?

Most of the time mums are able to make enough milk, so the reasons why you had trouble the first time would help answer the question about whether it is likely again. There are some medical problems in mum and bub that can make full breastfeeding difficult or impossible, but actually there are not many problems that can't be overcome with the right information and support. It is great that you are asking these questions already because being prepared is going to really increase your chances of successfully feeding this time.

One of the important things to know is that breastfeeding based on supply and demand - so feeding on demand is a key to establishing, and maintaining a good supply. Often things like a difficult birth, separation of mother and baby, or some physiological issue such as tongue-tie in the baby can make it more difficult to establish breastfeeding, but luckily it is not impossible and there are some things you can do to minimise the issues.

If you had a medical issue or similar last time, seeing a private lactation consultant for some advice about what might happen this time would be helpful. Also the ABA run fantastic breastfeeding education classes which run through the basics to increase the chances of breastfeeding success for both first time mums, and mums who didn't have things go the way they wanted the first time. Subscribing to the ABA is also something many mums do - the book you get with your membership is packed full of useful information.

All the very best with it hun.

Cakester, I had alot of difficulty bfing my first too. With my second bub, I was so worried I would end up in the same place I did with no 1, but DS took to bfing like a champ and from that first time he took the boob, I never looked back. He has only just weaned himself at about 4ish weeks shy of his 2nd birthday! The journey with him was sooo much easier and different to the one with DD.
There are lots of things you can do to prepare for bfing, and Mantaray has mentioned most of them. Good luck hun, it can be tough, just try to have faith in yourself your bub and your body. I know sometimes that's not enough, but it's a damn good start!

Thanks for the replies,
When bub was born he went straight to the antinatal unit of the childrens hosp he had a destended bowel. he spent 2 weeks on feeding tubes and being monitored I had lactation consultants at the hosp and I was expressing milk not a great deal maybe 10-20 mls from both boobs. I had tried to BF at the hosp he did attach but I just didnt have enough supply I was also recovering from a ceaser as well and that 2 weeks was pretty stressful. I had tried all I could to BF but it didnt happen he got the first lot of EBM and I was giving him some with a combination with formula. I think maybe stress was a factor but I know both my mum and sister couldnt BF. One of the nurses told me to take fenugreek tablets but I didnt as I think in my mind nothing was going to work. Im just hoping that this time I have a natural birth or a ceaser and bubs is ok

From personal experience it means nothing what happens from one bub to another.

With my first I had a 36 hour labour which ended in a c/section. Bub was fine, but my body went into repair & recover mode & didn't produce any milk.

With my second I had a 12 hour labour which ended in a c/section. Bub was fine, but had to spend a few hours in special care, I managed to breastfeed her exclusively until 8months when she started solids & continued on until she was 15 months old.

Prior to my second birth I expressed some colostrum for just in case. I had something like two syringes with 5-10ml in each. It doesn't sound like much but in the first few days it can be enough. IF you want to do it, try to hand express directly into the syringe so you don't lose any in trasnfer from one container to another IYKWIM. We didn't need it, but it was good to know that it was there as a back up plan in case of emergency.

Good luck!!! You can do it :D

Cakester, what a traumatic time you had with your first bub! No wonder you are worried this time!! Unfortunately a difficult birth and separation of mum and bub due to medical issues make establishing milk supply much more difficult. In the stress of the situation I can well understand that things didn't work out with breastfeeding.

There is some good news for you though. Firstly of course, the birth well might be less complicated this time and hopefully you won't be separated from this baby. Also, if you are, by being prepared with information before the birth, you can put a plan in place to give you a good chance of establishing breastfeeding anyway. Discussing your intention to breastfeed with your medical professionals is a good first step. Also frequent expressing is important - at least every 3 hours at first, and even more often is better. And lots of skin to skin contact between mum and bub when possible (and for baby skin to skin contact with their dad is also helpful if mum is too ill). Also, avoiding having your baby fed with a bottle can help - syringe and cup feeding are better options. If you are worried that you will have complications again, getting your hands on the ABA's booklet on Breastfeeding and Hospitalisation might be a good idea. If costs just $5 and you can buy it from Mothers Direct.

The other good news is that genuinely not being able to breastfeed is generally not a hereditary condition and in fact is not common at all. Sadly for many of our mothers' generation, they were unable to breastfeed not because of any problem within themselves, but because of very bad medical advice that was common at the time - such as timed feeds etc. Milk supply cannot be established and maintained when baby is being fed on a strict schedule, especially 4 hourly, and it's also not too good for the poor baby who has a very tiny tummy (the size of a marble at birth) and needs frequent, small feeds. Luckily we know a lot more about breastfeeding now, so these problems can be avoided, but sadly many mums are still let down by the lack of good information about breastfeeding. This is why joining the ABA and attending a class, or reading the book that you get with membership, can make a huge difference. A little bit of knowledge makes a big difference!

All the best hun :hug:

Thanks again for all the advice it puts me at ease knowing that it may noy happen again and as I am kept well informed It wont be such a stressful time. I will have a look at the ABA and see what they have to offer
thanks again

Heya Hun,

you have had some great advice and I am sorry you had such a difficult time first time round. FWIW I had some initial issues with supply with DD and my MCHN suggested taking Fenugreek which is meant to support BF. I dunno if it worked or not could have been a placebo but I still take it now and we're still BF???

best of luck hun x x x x x

Nae Nae: One of the nurses at the hosp ward did talk about fenugreek but I never went down that path I think I will defiately give it more of a look next time around

Hi cakester, just want to wish you all the best for your pregnancy and beyond!
Getting help from a good LC and the ABA is a fantastic place to start. And BB is always here for online support as well.