by Angela V 
I always knew I wanted to breastfeed, even before getting pregnant with my first son. It was an easy decision for me because I knew breastfeeding would mean my children were going to benefit from the extra bonding time with me and vice versa and because of the health benefits for both mother and baby. And of course because breastfeeding is also cost and time saving.
I started breastfeeding immediately after my first son was born three and a half years ago. My son was born in the water after a 14-hour long labour, we were both exhausted but he latched on right away and started breastfeeding from day one.
We exclusively breastfed for about 4-5 weeks until I experienced what I thought was a decrease of milk supply, I suffered from over-supply and forceful let-down since my milk came and when my body stopped producing so much extra milk around 6 weeks postpartum I worried that I was not feeling as engorged all the time and my breast were feeling “empty”. We then started supplementing with one bottle of formula a day.
Knowing what I know now I would have never supplemented but I was a first time mom and I didn’t know what breastfeeding felt like without an over-supply. I am glad that I did visit a lactation consultant back then and she confirmed that we didn’t need to supplement. After that I continued breasfeeding him exclusively until he weaned on his own at almost 1 years old.
Introducing the bottle to my first son was easy, but finding the right bottle for him was not. He had no problem drinking from the bottle but he had very painful gas and we had to burp him for hours after a feed. I remember trying many different brands and struggling with gas and colic for months.
With my second son born 12 weeks ago I started breastfeeding right after birth as well. We had a beautiful and short home birth and he was very alert and awake right away. He latched on seconds after being born and he has been breastfeeding since. I experienced the same over-supply and forceful let-down I had with my first son but this time I knew what to expect after my milk levels settled.
The forceful let-down has been difficult for my little one because he can only nurse in a side laying down position. I have spoken to a few different lactation consultants and there is nothing I can do about that other than continue with the positions that work for us and wait for him to get a bit older so he is able to handle my let-down. Very hard when going out in public since it’s difficult to find a bed/couch to nurse him, so I pump when we go out.
I started pumping and introduced the bottle at around 6 weeks and I am happy to say that my baby can drink expressed breastmilk from a bottle sometimes and continue breastfeeding without an issue. This time I tried Playtex VentAir bottles as they are supposed to deliver an experience close to how it feels when baby breastfeeds and help reduce gas. So far he seems pretty content when drinking from the bottle and he experiences no extra gas issues after bottle feeding.
Right now I am happy to be able to breastfeed my second little one and that I haven’t had to supplement with formula. He is a healthy “little” guy who weighted 15lbs at his 12 week checkup. We are co-sleeping and I am up breastfeeding 2- 3 times each night. It is definitively hard work but so worth it in the long run!
Do you breastfeed, are you planning on breastfeeding your children?
Disclosure: I am part of the Mom Trust Program with Playtex and receive compensation as part of my affiliation with this group; however all opinions expressed are entirely my own.
11 Comments on “My Experience Breastfeeding My Two Sons”
Great post! I am expecting and looking forward to breastfeeding my baby!
My mom has 3 kids and only breast fed me. I ruined it for everyone because I was a biter. LOL
I also had an oversupply and forceful let down. Luckily, I had my mum and friends to explain to me that I didn’t need to worry once my supply calmed down, that my son was still getting enough to eat, and I never needed to supplement with him. I now have a 3 week old daughter and I’m back to the fun of way too much milk.. I soak through my nursing pads, and the poor kid ends up choking half the time when we first start a feed. Just typing this I’m getting a let down! Ugh! I love being able to breastfeed, and I know I’m lucky.. but at the same time I’ll be glad when I’m done.
I ebf both my boys. No supplementing. My oldest until 15 month, he weened himself. Currently bf my 13 month old 3 times a day. I think he is going to be harder to ween. Great experiences with both. I had no help with either. My second was a natural he latched on the first try within 30 minutes of being delivered.
I also experienced over supply. Fortunately it calmed down after a few weeks. Breastfeeding is hard work but as you said it is worth the extra work!
I absolutely cherish my breastfeeding experience that I shared with my daughters. Both of my girls latched on right away and we great eaters and I had plenty of milk! I nursed my eldest for a year and a half and my youngest for about a year as I had to go back to work; the best experience of my life.
This is interesting. I didn’t know there were different types of bottles.
I really enjoyed reading this. The same thing happened to me with my first baby. I ended up supplementing, and felt so bad for doing so, but I did need to. I didn’t have a let down, but my milk was not enough to satisfy my son and I was feeding him for hours straight. with my daughter though, I exclusively breastfed her, until she was 22 months! I am proud of myself. She never had a soother or a bottle. It’s so healthy and cost effective, but it’s also so nice to be able to have that bonding time for both of us. congrats on the new addition! 🙂
Thanks for the post,enjoyable read
I breast fed all 7 of my children. Unfortunately there was no help and it was an unusual thing to do at the time. I was told only to feed every 4 hours (not a minute earlier nor later!), baby to be weighed before and after feeding. If baby had taken 10 gr too little (according to the chart) then the 10 gr had to be formula and bottle fed! So in the end I only fed my first for 9 weeks and that wasn’t only breast milk. As time progressed and I had more children, the ‘rules’ also altered. Feeding on demand was brilliant, it usually meant every 2 hrs which is pretty tiring but it worked. The longest I ever breast fed was 12 mths.
I have a strong let down as well. I often feel like I’m drowning my baby.
Just an FYI cabbage helps lessen your milk supply. (google it). It’s just temporary and does help.