C-section at 39 Weeks

[mcginnis822]

I am scheduled to have a C-section on the 17th of this month. What I'm worried about is my milk not comming in immediately after. How can I help myself? What can I do to help bring my milk in for my LO? Didn't breastfeed with first LO, I pumped but she was born the day before she was due. But milk supply was already in by then. If I'm leeking already does that mean my milk is already in? Please help....

[surfinrn&mom2mason]

welcome and congrats on your impending arrival!!

As the PP said, having your baby room in with you so that you can nurse on demand is optimal. Since this is your second child, your breasts will probably begin to fill sooner than they did with your first (approx 2-5 days).

You have liquid gold-colostrum. Watch your LO for signs of rooting: open mouth, lip smacking, sticking tounge out, if you stroke the cheek, they turn towards your finger and try to latch before they get to the point of crying. Try to nurse as soon as possible after the delivery and get your LO under your gown skin to skin-good for you and your LO.

Breastfeeding should not hurt, if it is does get help asap. If you have a LLL group near you try and sit in on a meeting, make some contacts and a lactation consultant is also a fantastic resource. Many mamas nurse in the "football" hold initially after surgery to keep the weight of the baby off the abdomen, but once your pain is undercontroll, try different positions to get comfortable. Using many pillows/support devices is very helpful.

Is it possible to breastfeed after a cesarean birth?

This is a great video that shows how to hand express, and what a latch looks like, but as I said above if it hurts, stop the feeding and relatch.

HTH and keep us posted!!!

[@llli*bstmama]

fyi I had a c section and my milk came in on day three. my lo roomed with me and was on the breast at least every two hours. Having a c section should not delay your milk from coming in as long as you do not substitute for anyreason. colostrum is all the baby need until then. Dont worry you are not starving him/her. Her new body is expecting the colostrom and needs this nutrient for important antibodies and passing the first meconium stool. Good luck and congrats!

[@llli*jewelsf]

one thing I would suggest is that if your LO has to be separated from you for any reason (for instance, my LO had jaundice) ask immediately for a pump to be brought to your room so that you can start pumping for him or her. i wish i had gotten the pump sooner in my situation.

j

[Pegasus]

My milk came in day 4 PP and by day 5 DD2 gained 6oz, by two weeks she was 2oz heavier then when she was born. I had a planned c-section with her at 39 weeks.

[mcginnis822]

Thank u all. I really appreciate the advise. As far as not having a c/s I don't have a choice. One the hospital that I am delivering at will not do vbac. Second is that when I had my first one they had to do an emergency c/s and the way they cut me ensured that I wouldn't be able to do vaginal. If I tried it could kill us both. So don't have much of an option there. I talked to my doctor about how long the procedure would be and how long recovery was and she said surgery is 30 min and recovery for me would be at least an hour because I am also have my tubes tied. So as soon as I am able I will have baby Mia brought in to me to feed. How do I know that she is getting enough to eat? With my oldest I pumped and I could measure what she ate. But how will I know how much she is getting?

[Pegasus]

How do I know that she is getting enough to eat? With my oldest I pumped and I could measure what she ate. But how will I know how much she is getting?

With Mary she would fall asleep during nurseing at the hospital, so I figured she had enough, when we got home and my milk came in when she pulled off and refused the breast I figured she had enough. You will know she is getting enough with her weight gain. But if you want to know how much she is getting you can weigh her right after nursing.

[Thomas's Mum]

I had a c-section at 38 weeks 3 days and had no trouble at all with my milk coming in. In fact, we had no trouble nursing, and he had to be separated from me for several days due to some unforeseen medical issues. I second the recommendation from a previous poster to get a pump and pump consistently if for some reason you're not able to be with the baby. The pump was a lifesaver for us, and it truly did save our nursing relationship; without it, and since I couldn't feed him at first, it would have been nearly impossible to breastfeed.

I used the football hold (and it's still the easiest for me, I guess because it's what I'm used to) at first, and while I was tender over my incision for a few days, after about a week I was fine even holding him over my stomach. So don't worry that just because you're having a c-section it will mean you'll have problems. And if you do have trouble, get in touch with a lactation consultant as soon as you can to figure it out. And you can always come here for support--there were days I didn't think I could keep going, but these forums were very helpful.

Congratulations on your new baby!!

Paula

[JManon]

How do I know that she is getting enough to eat? With my oldest I pumped and I could measure what she ate. But how will I know how much she is getting?

With breastfed babies you end up checking that they're properly latched and swallowing and after that its all about the output. What goes in must come out eventually, KWIM? I'm going from memory here but I believe its 6-8 wet and 2-3 dirty diapers at the beginning. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

[JManon]

During the first day or two, it is normal for a baby to have only 1-2 wet diapers per day. Once a mother's milk does come in and becomes more plentiful, the "6-8 wet cloth diapers" and "5-6 disposables" every 24 hours comes into play.

Knowledge is power. Knowing the pros and cons of as many different situations can be very important and reassuring.

That's it! I couldn't remember the number of dirty diapers.