Caesareans and Breastfeeding

[~Emma~]

To those Mums out there who have had a caesarean and breastfed while in hospital....

How did you go about it? I didnt breastfeed with DD but I intend on breastfeeding with this bubba. After my last c section, I dont think I could move much for nearly a day and DD was only in with me at night time once out of four nights.

So what happens? Do you room in with bubba and the nurses come in to give you a hand when its feed time? Or does bubba stay in the nursery and the nurses wake you up when its time to feed? :confused:

[Frazzled]

Emma, I had very little trouble bfeeding my son. The nurses showed me the best position to feed him in (the football hold i think) with a pillow. He was with me in my room the whole time from the morning after the caesar once the nurses had me up and showered.

I found that getting up and moving around was so good for my recovery and i took on all their advice - especially standing up straight stright away.

Good luck xxx

[NatLeah]

Hi Emma,
I had a C section and breastfed, my partner or the nurses would usually come and get Izaak out of his cot for me to feed. The only time I had a problem was when the buzzer had come out of the wall.... i thought the nurse was just being lazy and ignoring me ANYHOO you deal with what you have to deal with.
Im pretty sure most hospital encourage you to have your baby in the room with you, the only time they took Izaak to the nursery was when I got the "blues" and couldnt stop sooking... but then I just cried more as he wasnt there ;)
Im sure when the time comes you will do what you find best.

Goodluck
Nat

[MummyCharmzy]

Neither of my DD's were taken to the nursery for anything other than weighing them and doing blood tests and DD1 spent time time under the lights for jaundice. I attempted to bf both of them and each feed would press the buzzer and the midwife would come and help me. Initially I couldnt sit up so was bf'ing lying down on my side, then when i could sit was using the football position with pillow underneath bubs.

[borntobemummy]

totally agree with Kate:yes:

get up and moving as soon as possible and u can always buzz for the nurses to come and help. I had troubles for the first few days due to inverted nipples, so I got a lot of support from the very patient midwives, until I got the hang of it. It was great by the 3rd or 4th day, I was looking after my angel like a pro - it was just soo nice being in hospital with nurses justa buzz away and food delivered to you etc.. I also got special treatment b/c i had the c/s after almost 25 hours of labour!:eek: I got my own room with a nice view too.

[SassyMummy]

For the first day and night after my c-section, I was basically milked like a cow. The midwives would express milk (more like colostrum at that stage) for me (I was exhausted) and then feed it to DD using a syringe. I DID attempt to breastfeed during that first night, but DD was such a sleepy-head, so it didn't happen too much.

However, when I DID do it, I did it sitting in bed (with the top end of hte bed raised) and a big thick pillow on my lap (so I didn't have to feel the weight of the bub on my wound, nor did my arms have to get sore)...

When I finally got out of bed (the next day) I was shown the football hold. That was VERY easy for me...I would sit on an armchair next to my bed (I was in a public hospital btw) and put a pillow between me and the arm. I would rest DD on the pillow, and my arm on the chair's arm and support her head. That was easy...because none of her weight was on me...it was just on the pillow. I also found that it was comfortable to get into...sitting was no big deal for me, but leaning and walking was...using a footstool in that position was also super comfortable.

As the pain subsided, I would lay on my side in bed and lay DD beside me (with the rails up). If she got hungry in the night, I'd just slightly roll over to feed her. I found it easy because it meant I didn't have to take forever to get out of bed, then back in again (I was very slow moving because of the pain). I did this even when I left the hospital (DD was born in Winter so it was okay to snuggle up to her...).

[mum_2_5]

I breast fed my son within 2 hours of his birth and he was a c-section. I had the nurses/midwives help me. Get them to help you everytime to do everything. It's what they get paid for.
My son was with me everyday but at night they would take him to the nursery so I could sleep. They just brought him back to me for night feeds. Take advantage of it as you wont get it at home.
I also agree, after having 3 c-sections, get out of bed asap after the birth. It will hurt but you will feel better in the long run as it can assist with the healing.

[melbryan]

I had a c section late at night therefore I had to get the nurses to give him some food from a bottle. After that and when I was moving around the next day I was able to express colostrum and then started to breast feed and express extra milk. I went tot he nursery for help from the nurses but as I was in for 9 days soon got the hang of it and did it in my own room. I will do it again this time as well. I should be a pro at it by now.

[Terrible2+1cutie]

With DS1 i had him in the room with me the whole time, i fed him with a pillow underneath him to hold him up a bit and off my stomach, a physiotherapist came and saw me to show me how to get up off the bed without too much of a strain. With DS2 because he was in special needs unit for a few days i had to express milk for him so that he was getting a tiny bit until he was well enough to leave the humidicrib.

Catherine

Mum to Blaze and Bailey

[Pixie]

I just had E in bed with me at all times she never went in the bassinet and I was feeding her 3 hours after she was born, I had compplications.

[SilverStarfish]

DD was with my in the room from the time we arrived on the ward to when we went home. I buzzed the midwives to help me get her out of the cot (what are those clear plastic crate things called anyway?) during the first night, but I managed on my own after that.

I REALLY wish someone had shown me the football hold while I was in hospital. DH and I sort of figured it out for ourselves once we got home - it was the only way DD would attach properly at first.

I tried lying down feeding after that and Woohoo! :smiliedance: DD and I both still prefer that postion to anything else.

[kadownie]

I don't remember much- but I mostly expressed in hospy as my bubs had big troubles attaching- I do remember getting the midwifes to help me. I had bubs in my room- which is good for breastfeeding.

I recommend getting some sort of feeding pillow like the Milk Bar- takes the strain of holding bub off your scare, arms and back- much more comfy.

I would get into contact with the ABA- they have a little booklet about breastfeeding after a ceaser I think.

[Briannabear]

I wasnt able to give my DD her first breastfeed until 11 hours after the birth. (there was complications) She had to have a tube feed while in special care.

Once I had her with me I fully breastfed with no problems (apart from basic stuff like learning to attach properly). The nurses had to lift her into bed with me to do it. There was one nurse who was wonderful. She used to come in every few hours on the knocker to check how I was doing and pass my DD in to me if needed. The others I had to ring the bell for when I needed to feed her.

The fact that I was unable to breastfeed for so long after the birth didnt affect my ability to breastfeed her successfully at all. I breastfed for 10 months. The only troubles I had initially was the awkwardness of finding a comfortable position to feed her in that wasnt placing too much weight on my c/s wound.

Oh, and she was kept in the room with me for most of the time. They had to take her back to special care on and off the whole time we were there though.

[tickle]

I didn't get to feed my DD for a while after she was born (I was in surgery for a couple of extra hours with complications). But as soon as I got to recovery I could feed her. I had to stay there for an extra day and a half for monitoring and I made sure she stayed with me. There were some midwives that tried to have her sent to special care, just because it "wasn't the place for babies", but I insisted and eventually got my way. I couldn't stand the thought of my DD being cared for by other people and me only getting to see her to feed her for the first two days unnecessarily. I think those midwives just didn't want the extra work of having to help me with feeding etc.:rolleyes:

[Kaileysmum]

Hi there.
When I had my c/s, I had a bad bleed so I had to be in bed (having a blood transfusion) for the first day. I think the first time I breast feed was around 1.5hours after I had her, it was a soon as I got back to the room from recovery. DD was roomed in the whole time. The midwife would just come in and give her to me, or my dp would when he was there (which was all the time:o ), and Id breastfeed on my side. After I could get up and all that, dd was just breastfeed laying on a pillow.

[~Emma~]

Thanks everyone for your replies...

Guess I will have to wait and see what happens now.. December seems like a lifetime away :rolleyes:

I cant wait :smiliedance:

[mitchsmum]

Hi Emma,

We were very lucky

DS roomed with myself and DH so it was DH's who brought him to me.

I was also offered help to feed in recovery but was a little to numb in many ways.

But I'm glad to say he had his first feed about 1.5hrs after being born.

[littleone101]

I had a c/s in March and I wanted my little guy in with me as much as possible, my first was in the u.s. and I barely had bubs with me which made for a heck of an adjustment after going home THREE :thumbsdown: days later. Anyhow this time he was in with me and for the first few nights when I had trouble moving the midwives had me ring the call bell whenever I needed them to pass him to me. I had time to recover and it was a much better experience overall compared to my first.

[Pixie]

I had a Emergency C/section and had complications my DP bought her to recovery 3 hours after I got out of surgery and she fed straight away, then after that I did the football hold with her, I was in intensive care for 24 hours so the nurses would come when I said I wanted to feed her or they would wake me up and tell me it was time to feed her and lift her to me, on the 2nd day she was in her bassinet with me, but most of the time she stayed in my bed so didn't need to lift her!

[natasha]

DD was with me 24/7 when i was in hospital for my c section.

No one really told me what times I should BF throughout the day,i had sheet of paper that i was supposed to fill in but no one checked it. I had to lift DD out of her little cot thing from the start. I had to buzz the staff to help me BF(get the colostrum) in the first 2 days as my milk hadn't really come in properly and DD wouldn't latch due to me having inverted nips. The midwives milked me for all i was worth! My pore nips!:(
Each time it was up to be to buzz when I thought DD needed feeding, and it was up to me to get her out of her cot ready. It was painful at first but it gets easier.

[Indigosmum]

I didnt have much success in breastfeeding after my c/section as I was only expressing 5 ml at a time or less! sometimes only 2ml. My supply didnt come in for nearly 3 weeks after DS was born so by then I had already opted to formula feed. Although he was delivered around his due date (maybe 1 week early) due to the amount of blood I lost during the procedure and the fact that they never gave me a transfusion my body wasnt in any condition to produce breastmilk.

So yeah dont feel to despaired if anyone else ever experiences such a dilemma. I felt terrible at the time, thinking I was doing something wrong. But only our bodies know what they are capable of.

Danielle - 25 :yes:
Indigo -- 18 Months :sleeping:

[Goosie22]

I had a C/S after a long failed induction the first time, I had a Heamorrage of 1000+mls which I was given 2 bags of blood for in surgery. DS was on antibiotics for GBS+ due to my long induction and membranes being ruptured for 36 hours. I also had residual hyperemisis (morning sickness) for around 2 days. My husband was holding the vomit bowl while I sat up to feed my baby. It was something I had decided to do and nobody and nothing was going to stop me.

My second son was a repeat C/S due to "time of year" I had expressed colostrum (150mls) over the last 3 months of pregnacy incase I needed to give him extra as I was being treated as Diabetic in this pregnacy. And I had a reaction this time to the spinal drugs which landed me in ICU.

I dont think having a C/S is a reason to not have success with breastfeeding.

[clarebear1983]

I had a c/s due to feotal distress and high blood pressure.

I had DS at 10.19 on the friday morning but due to problems i didnt even get to attempt to breastfeed until 6.30pm the next night. As soon as he was born he was cold so when i woke up i got to see him for 2 minutes then he was gone. WHile he was gone his breathing went down hill and he had to be sent to the special childrens hospital 40 minutes away.............

I was given a breastpump but it made me feel like a cow cos it was electric and it hurt and just didnt feel natural. I didnt manage to pump more than about 0.0000000005 mils of colostrum.

Went to Princess Margaret Hospital the next night (painfully) and was given a chance to try and breastfeed DS but he feel asleep a few minutes later (I did notice milk in his mouth so he got something out of it). i just fed him across my belly and tried to avoid my tummy and it didnt hurt too much.

I had to be hooked up to the expresser every 4 hours from Friday until monday when he was brought back (even at night. everytime i saw him we attempted breastfeeding but he always fell asleep) and I never did get my milk until my hubby came in and uttered the words "hes coming back" and then boy did my milk come in!!!!

I always found the most comfortable way for me was him across my belly cos for some reason i couldnt master any of the other holds...............its weird but they just didnt feel comfy....and i found that it didnt hurt my belly too much having him on it.

Because he wasnt with me from word go i dont know how i would cope with picking him up from the bassinette in hospital but i assume that the midwives come and help..............actually its something i might ask at my next visit!

Next time i want to be awake and i am going to endeavour to breastfeed in recovery if all is ok with me and the baby.

[zenifa]

I had an elective c/s a year ago yesterday!!
I breastfeed my DD an hour after she was born and DH was with me in hospital or the first 24hrs, so he would get DD out of the cot for me to feed - using cradle and football hold and I didn't have any major problems - just the usual, trying to get attachment right and waiting for milk to come in etc. I dont' think having a c/s had any effect on bf my DD, as its a year on and we're going strong!!
Good luck with it!! My only advice is, get a good lactaction consultant and see them as early as possible after you get home from hospital ( I waited 3 weeks, with sore cracked nipples and poor attachment)!!! They are worth their weight in gold!!

[sueliz]

Hey Emma

I bf my little man in recovery. I was extremely lucky though as everything with my C-Section, (it was an elective as well), went exactly as it should be and there were no complications at all. My paed even said that because he was such a big baby, (9pd7), if he didn't latch on straight away there was no issues so I also think that I didn't really feel any pressure for it to happen straight away, (that may have been as a result of the morphone drip as well though!). Again though - I was really incredibly lucky as Owen knew exactly what to do from the word go and latched himself on like he had been there before - I think he taught me how it's done!! Afterwards in the hospital I would either buzz for a midwife or DH would get Owen for me and I would feed him by putting a pillow over my lap and him on the pillow or once I was able to get up and about, if I felt comfortable enough I would get him out.
My one big bit of advice to anyone having a C-section though is to take your pain medication on the regular intervals as prescribed if you feel comfortable doing so. I only had panadol and voltarin afterwards for the main part, but because I had been told by others who had gone through it to take the tablets even if I felt fine, my recovery was really good! This way, you take the pain relief before the pain actually has a chance to set in. (If that makes sense)