With LO1, my milk took about 4-5 days to come in. (I was induced at 37.5w due to preeclampsia, and he had to be in the NICU for a week.) Now that #2 is on the way, I’m curious what others in a similar situation experienced with their 2nd.
If it took a few days for yours to come in with #1, how did it compare with #2 and beyond? If there was a difference, do you think you can attribute it to anything in particular?
grapefruit / 4321 posts
My milk came in much slower with my second child. It took 4 days with him. With my first my milk was in before I left the hospital. My first was born at 40+1 and my second was born at 37+6. So I think going early resulted in a longer wait for milk. So hopefully if you can make it closer to full term you'll have a shorter wait!
pomegranate / 3438 posts
LO1 was born at 37+5 and it took 5 days for my milk to come in. LO2 was born at 38+5 and my milk came in just over 48 hours after he was born.
grapefruit / 4056 posts
There will always be some outliers/unusual circumstances but usually milk comes in faster with each baby.
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
For sure faster. It was easily 4 days with my first and like 1 with my second. Both born at term.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
Much faster with my second (2-3 days vs 5-6) but my labour was much shorter (12 hours vs 30ish), less traumatic and "natural" plus my GD was well controlled as opposed to undiagnosed with my first baby.
Have you thought about getting in touch with LLL or an IBCLC and talking to them about antenatal hand expression? It's always good to have a plan!
apricot / 315 posts
I asked this exact question a while ago because I was so worried. First time my milk came in on day 6 or 7 (!) But this time round it was in within 48 hours. Such a relief. I had csections both times and the second was at 38 weeks so I think it was just that my body knew what to do. I hope yours is quicker this time too
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
@ineebee: both kids born at exactly 39 weeks
It took 6 days before I got milk with DS1. 4 days with DS2.
I love formula.
coconut / 8472 posts
With LO1 it took about a week. With LO2 it was 2 or 3 days. LO2 was a much more frequent nurser. The first hour we spent together she nursed the entire time.
I think part of it getting quicker was that it was the 2nd baby and part because she did nurse more frequently and longer. When DS was born we had him circumcised and he spent 6 hours after that sleeping. We also had more visitors the first time, making it harder to nurse.
papaya / 10343 posts
#1- 41w2d, induced and labored 18 hours, unplanned c-section, milk came in on day 5.
#2- 39w5d, planned repeat c-section, milk came in on day 5.
I thought it might take longer with #2 since I didn't labor and it was earlier.. but nope.
nectarine / 2317 posts
Same as @Mae: milk came in day 4 or 5 with both. But I had breastfeeding and supply issues with dd1 and no issues with dd2.
nectarine / 2243 posts
God I hope mine comes in faster. It was almost 7 days with my first (41 weeks)
I'm going to try a lot of self massage post birth...I got majorly engorged which hindered flow
pear / 1737 posts
Baby 1 it was overnight on the evening of the 3rd day/ so the 4th day basically. Emergency c, 42 weeks.
Baby 2 gradually was coming in on the third day, 40 weeks. It was a much quicker process though, I could feel it coming in and it was gradual and more pleasant. I attribute that to knocking back tons of water and a bbay who nursed a lot more often than my first- both at night and during the day. My first was only nursing twice a night from day 3.
papaya / 10343 posts
@Banana330: I have had low supply with both. With #1 I did have post-op complications (the incision in my skin re-opened and took 8 weeks to heal) and was told that might affect things because my body was working so hard to heal. I did ALL THE THINGS and nothing helped. With #2 I had worse post-op complications (both outer incision and the incision in my abdominal wall opened, requiring a second surgery, and I'm still not healed at almost 4 weeks pp). I haven't done any special pumping or anything to try to get supply up. Just nursing like normal and things seem about the same as last time. *shrug* not doing all the crazy stuff this time, especially since I have more significant healing issues.
nectarine / 2317 posts
@Mae: I still can’t believe it happened! I hope you can recover soon. I’m a pretty slow healer too and only now at 7w pp am I closed up.
I was shocked at no supply issues this time. I wonder now if dd1 had a feeding problem that affected supply rather than an actual supply issue.
coconut / 8483 posts
Milk came in like day 2 with baby 2. I was engorged and baby was back to birth weight when we left the hospital. I had a scheduled c section at 39 weeks.
With my first it came around day 3-4. Vaginal birth, lost a lot of blood.
pear / 1580 posts
Thanks, everyone for sharing your experiences! I can’t believe how much I forgot about those first few days - I just remembered that LO1 was super tiny and weak, and refused to nurse the first week and a half, even with the help of awesome NICU nurses and LCs. So basically I was pumping, and not even as regularly as I should’ve been.
I’m hoping then that nature, my knowledge and possibly a better initial nurser will help move things along more quickly next time. Also I think I will look into LLL and finding out what more I can do in advance.
Thanks again! Keep the stories coming!
papaya / 10343 posts
@Banana330: could be! I will say nursing is going a lot better overall this time. I think LO2's technique must be better or something bc it was just increasingly painful with LO1 until I quit nursing to EP at 9 weeks. With LO2 latch is still painful but otherwise it's fine, which seems pretty good/normal for 4 weeks in.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Both times my milk didn't come in till we were home. DD1 was induced at 39 weeks; DD2 came on her own at 37 weeks. I was nursing DD1 at the start; I pumped for DD2 at the hospital since she was in NICU. So to me, it seems like it was just my body!
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
Faster with each baby, all vaginal births around 38 weeks.
DS1 - gave birth early Thursday morning. Milk came in Monday morning.
DS2 - gave birth late Tuesday night. Milk was in Friday night.
DS3 - gave birth late Tuesday night. Milk was in Friday morning, maybe even Thursday night.
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