BF after csect

hello! congrats on your upcoming new arrival to the family! I would tell you first up not to worry too much and go with the flow ok? cause babies all react very differently and sometimes what you plan doesn’t necessarily go through.. 1) I think you can do both! usually how i like to do it is DL in the day and pump and bottle feed at night (so that my husband can help feed and I can rest at night) 2) the pain recovery process is very different for all. for me, I am a second time mum and I have had two csecs - I have had very smooth recoveries and they were all better by a week.. my pain threshold isn’t very high so I was pleasantly surprised by how fast the pain went away! most importantly, rest and do your best not to overstrain yourself.. don’t carry heavy stuff and just try to take it easy! take your painkillers prescribed by the gynae as those are BF friendly! 3) i pump every three hours - more diligent at the start. around 3 months or so I start to drag my night pumps so I get a bit more sleep.. so 3 hours throughout the day and my last pump at midnight till the next morning around 8-9am

Actually to be honest if you wear a binder all the time, BF wouldn’t hurt at all. In fact sometimes you’ll even forget you had a c-sect when you hear baby crying for milk. The only uncomfortable feeling is to get up or sit down, other than that it really doesn’t affect BF. Place baby on a breastfeeding pillow or a normal pillow to help elevate to your breasts. I was also EP and DL during my firstborn. Always have a bottle of water with you everywhere you go to keep the milk supply consistent. Stash your milk in quantity of 60ml instead cause sometimes baby will drink more, sometimes less and you don’t want to throw away any balance milk. Just make it for milk bath instead. Can also pour BM and keep in food cube tray with a cover to add with baby purée or for teething. Do power pumping when you have the chance at least once a day. 20 mins pump 10 mins rest (drink water) 10 mins pump 10 mins rest (drink water) 10 mins pump

i did a mix of EP and DL at the start, i pumped every time baby takes a bottle. i also did mix feeding at the beginning as my baby had jaundice and my supply was still low, so i pumped whenever he took formula to help build up my supply. i have since switched to EP, and i pump every 3 hours. once your supply has been established, you can start to stretch out your pump hours. i’m going to back to work in a few weeks time and have started to stretch my pump schedule to 4 hourly, soon 5 hourly and 6 hourly. do this slowly to give your body time to regulate :) get help from husband or family if you can with other chores at the beginning and focus more on your recovery and feeding your baby. use a pillow to support baby and make yourself comfortable if you are DL! a binder is also very very important for csect recovery. compression socks and painkillers were also helpful for me! all the best mummy! :)

1) I initially mix feed only because I was worried about having low supply but after 1-2 months, I solely DL for over 2 years. 2) Football hold BF position is the best to avoid contact on wound. I use a firm pillow to support baby and my arm. TBH, actual pain for me lasts for 2 weeks then the pain is manageable provided you are being safe and careful in moving around (getting up sideways from bed etc). Ab binder is a life saver. Besides helping tucking the flabby skin, it helps to put some pressure and control the pain when getting up, coughing, sneezing or laughing.

Mum, do not be stressed. When you see your little one. You will be able to bear every pain. That is motherhood. I went through 2 c-sections for my kids and I breastfed both of them for a long time. https://sg.theasianparent.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-c-section-recovery-care-tips