So without further ado, here are a few ways that breastfeeding has been different for me with a second baby:
MASTITIS/CLOGS: I still got mastitis a few weeks after Gideon was born, which is what happened with Sophie too. I think establishing a supply and figuring everything out initially makes it hard to avoid sometimes, but this time luckily I knew exactly what was happening and was able to get on top of it right away. I got antibiotics and started taking sunflower lecithin regularly for a few weeks, and I’m so happy to say that I haven’t gotten it again! I did feel a clogged duct coming on one other time but felt like I knew what to do to prevent it from turning into mastitis (warm compress, extra pumping/nursing, more sunflower lecithin).
LATCHING: No nipple shield for us this time! I used a nipple shield with Sophie for almost 6 months and it was brutal. It made it really hard to nurse at night and in public, but I couldn’t seem to get her to latch without it. I would always try to get her to latch without it first and then grab it, but that was so frustrating so I really just stayed committed to the shield because in many ways it was a lot easier. One day she just figured it out, but it really did take months.
With Gideon I used it for a week or two but I found that the lactation support here was much better than I had in California. Our pediatrician automatically made me an appointment with the lactation consultant at Gideon’s first checkup and it made all the difference. After two appointments, she had us nursing without the shield and it has been so nice.
PUMPING: Because I’m not working right now, I never really have to pump, which has actually helped my supply so much. When Sophie was about 4 months old I went back to teaching Pure Barre, so I did a lot more pumping. I remember constantly stressing about pumping enough on top of nursing her and wondering if I was going to be able to maintain my supply for a year. I even took a bunch of different supplements that were supposed to help increase your supply. This time around I haven’t had to think about it, which was a big relief.
Gideon and I pretty much just nurse exclusively and he will only sometimes get a bottle if we are on a trip or if I have somewhere to be and Rob needs to feed him. It’s hard sometimes to be the only person who can feed the baby but for me it was really worth it to not ever have to think about my supply, or have pump parts and bottles taking over the kitchen counter. Now that he’s older he’s eating some solid food and I do leave him with the nanny a few times a week, but I really only pump at night and then occasionally during the day if I’ve been away from him.
I know some people who pump and bottle feed exclusively, and I did that for three or four months with Sophie, but I personally find nursing to be a lot more straightforward and definitely prefer it.
GEAR: A few things I used this time around that I didn’t the first are this nursing pillow and this hand pump, which works just as well and sometimes even better than an electric pump (plus it doesn’t include the mental block that I feel when it’s time to pump and I feel like I have to stop everything I’m doing to get all hooked up).
NURSING IN PUBLIC: I used to pump and bring bottles if we were going to be out, but this time around I just don’t care about nursing in public. We don’t go out very often but I have nursed in coffee shops, at lunch, at parks, friends houses—if Gideon is there and hungry, my boob is coming out!
