Forum Breastfeeding

BV for the 2nd child

4 replies

Appelsien
Hi everyone,

I'm currently 23 weeks pregnant with our second baby. I had BV with our first one and it was a total disaster; it didn't go well at all, and I really want to avoid that with our second. I know you can't force it—if it doesn't happen, it doesn't—but this time I really want to do everything I can to make it work. I sent an email to La Leche League, but apart from recommending a book and a few websites, they didn't tell me much. Do you have any tips on people or resources I can consult to get a really good start? We live in Belgium, so the Netherlands is a bit far to seek help there. Thanks in advance. Best wishes.

Replies

  1. Appelsien started this #2

    Thank you so much,
    It’s true that hospitals try to encourage breastfeeding, but our hospital isn’t recognized as a baby-friendly hospital, and they don’t fully support it. As a result, every nurse who came to my bed told me something different. I still didn’t have any milk, so I had to start supplementing with bottles. The rule was to latch the baby first, then give the bottle, and then pump to kickstart production. One morning, someone came in and said, “You don’t need to latch anymore; just start pumping.” By then, I already had a bottle ready. I was completely overwhelmed. After talking with my gynecologist, the nurses did start trying harder, but after five days, I went home still not having established breastfeeding. Someone from the 13th-month program came to our house, but after three visits, we told her not to come back. I felt really down every time she left because everything we were doing wasn’t working—it was really hard to hear. So we continued with a little bit of breastfeeding and then a bottle (by then, using formula because I didn’t have enough milk to breastfeed and then pump). I stuck with this routine for 2.5 months. We stopped because the pediatrician and I agreed that he was crying all day and his weight wasn’t ideal. I felt like a huge failure, and now I really want to do everything I can to make sure it works this time...

  2. N. Coppola #3

    Hey Appelsien,

    you really don't need to feel guilty at all! It was more due to the nursing staff; you were completely distracted because every nurse said something different, and you had just become a mom, without any experience—that's totally normal, right!!!

    I also really had little milk!!! In the end, I pumped every 3 hours and not much came out either! Only once did I manage to pump 90ml and I was super happy, but that only happened once. Some women just have a lot of milk, and there are some who have almost none!! After 1 month, I started giving formula, okay?

  3. trotsemama #4

    Hi Appelsien,

    Wow, what a history with breastfeeding. I personally don't think it's right that the hospital didn't support you. It seems like they were working against you. There's a very informative Dutch site: www.borstvoedingnatuurlijk.nl. To stimulate your milk supply, you can start pumping towards the end of your pregnancy to get things going. Once your baby is born, put them to the breast right away (you don't have to do it every minute). Don't get discouraged if your baby doesn't latch on immediately. They need to learn, and they have enough reserves for 48 hours. In the beginning, you'll notice that your baby sometimes wants to come every hour. That's not a problem. You need to get used to each other, your production needs to kick in, and your baby needs to learn how to drink. The first two weeks will be the hardest. Your baby won't have a rhythm yet and will come very often. Your breasts need to get used to it, so your nipples might become sore. If they get too sore, you can use nipple shields. Once those two weeks are over, it's the most beautiful thing. If you don't have enough supply, you can also get medication to stimulate it.

    Hopefully, this helps you, and if I can help you further, feel free to send me a private message

    Best, Trotsemama

  4. Appelsien started this #5

    Thanks for your responses...
    I have to go to the OB/GYN on Tuesday and will definitely ask her about it. I know she probably won't be able to tell me much, but maybe she can refer me to someone.
    Greetings

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