Second Breastfeeding
With my first baby, she had a poor latch and lost more than the normal 10% of body weight. She lost 12%. Later I read about how IVs can sometimes result in the more than normal weight loss in full term newborns and can sometimes interfere with breastfeeding. It was part of the reason I was interested in trying an un-medicated birth. I was curious to see if I had an un-medicated birth without any IVs, would my child still have more than normal weight loss. That being said, I nursed my baby after the delivery of the placenta, as well as did skin to skin as I did after my first labor and delivery. Milk came in around day 3-4. There was an obvious differences right away with breastfeeding my first and second. The second time around I was more experienced and my second baby had a strong latch. At birth my second baby was 8 lbs and 2 oz and at the first check up at 1 week and 6 days, he weighed 9 lbs and 1 oz. His pediatrician said by 2 weeks old, babies are usually back to their birth weight not over. I can't help but wonder and believe some of this immediate success with breastfeeding has to do with my un-medicated birth. This time I have 2 long term goals, the first is to make it to at least one year of breastfeeding. If I do make it to 12 months, then my second goal is to breastfeed at least to two years old before weaning.
Even though I breastfed my first child to 30 months, there was still a whole lot about breastfeeding I didn't learn until my second child. For example, some breastfeeding literature suggests moms not pump until at least 6 weeks, because at 6 weeks moms might have developed a strong breastfeeding relationship. Because I had decided to donate milk to mothers in need of breast milk for their babies this time around while nursing, as well as pumping milk for a surgery I may or may not have, I started pumping somewhere around 4 weeks. No more than 2x in one day, pumping only on one breast leaving the other breast for my baby to nurse on and not pumping every day. Another thing through this experience of donating breast milk, I learned breast milk changes throughout the day - so label the time you pumped the milk on the breast milk storage bag. I don't know if I remember hearing that with my first.
Just as I started to feel comfortable that breastfeeding my second baby was going well so far, I read articles from anti-circumcision sources about how circumcision causes issues with breastfeeding. The materials suggest / state that mothers are less likely to be able to continue breastfeeding successfully after the circumcision, because the infant's behavior patterns change after circumcision. I admit reading that did put a small amount of doubt in my mind about being successful a second time in breastfeeding, but similar to the first time I was determined to breastfeed. However, some people say if circumcision is done on the 8th day or passed that than the breastfeeding relationship is usually established and it does not cause breastfeeding issues for all women. Perhaps it was because I had read these articles on how circumcision may affect breastfeeding and because my first baby cried at the breast in the beginning due to a poor latch that the moment my second baby started getting fussy at the breast, I brought him in to get his weight check to make sure it was really gas and not something else. To my relief, at 3 weeks and 3 days, he was 10 lbs and 4 oz. He had gained more weight and was nursing fine. And he continued to grow. By 8 weeks, he was sitting at a very healthy 13 lbs. I stopped worrying after that... well as much as a mother can stop, since the circumcision was done and it could not be undone at that point. At 7 months, he weighed 19 lbs, not far from his big sister who at the time was 28 lbs and had nursed to 30 months. In my case, circumcision did not affect my ability to nurse my son, although it is a procedure I do regret.
Even though I breastfed my first child to 30 months, there was still a whole lot about breastfeeding I didn't learn until my second child. For example, some breastfeeding literature suggests moms not pump until at least 6 weeks, because at 6 weeks moms might have developed a strong breastfeeding relationship. Because I had decided to donate milk to mothers in need of breast milk for their babies this time around while nursing, as well as pumping milk for a surgery I may or may not have, I started pumping somewhere around 4 weeks. No more than 2x in one day, pumping only on one breast leaving the other breast for my baby to nurse on and not pumping every day. Another thing through this experience of donating breast milk, I learned breast milk changes throughout the day - so label the time you pumped the milk on the breast milk storage bag. I don't know if I remember hearing that with my first.
Just as I started to feel comfortable that breastfeeding my second baby was going well so far, I read articles from anti-circumcision sources about how circumcision causes issues with breastfeeding. The materials suggest / state that mothers are less likely to be able to continue breastfeeding successfully after the circumcision, because the infant's behavior patterns change after circumcision. I admit reading that did put a small amount of doubt in my mind about being successful a second time in breastfeeding, but similar to the first time I was determined to breastfeed. However, some people say if circumcision is done on the 8th day or passed that than the breastfeeding relationship is usually established and it does not cause breastfeeding issues for all women. Perhaps it was because I had read these articles on how circumcision may affect breastfeeding and because my first baby cried at the breast in the beginning due to a poor latch that the moment my second baby started getting fussy at the breast, I brought him in to get his weight check to make sure it was really gas and not something else. To my relief, at 3 weeks and 3 days, he was 10 lbs and 4 oz. He had gained more weight and was nursing fine. And he continued to grow. By 8 weeks, he was sitting at a very healthy 13 lbs. I stopped worrying after that... well as much as a mother can stop, since the circumcision was done and it could not be undone at that point. At 7 months, he weighed 19 lbs, not far from his big sister who at the time was 28 lbs and had nursed to 30 months. In my case, circumcision did not affect my ability to nurse my son, although it is a procedure I do regret.
Articles on IVs and newborn weight loss:
Articles on How circumcision might affect breastfeeding
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