10 days into breastfeeding...

[MelliPaige]

Cons: It's so hard..sometimes I just want to give up and give him formula..but I feel guilty for feeling that way, too. It's so hard. I pumped yesterday and daddy fed him and it was a beautiful sight, but I also feel so guilty for pumping instead of putting him to the breast since he's still so young and the experts say not to do that until 4-6 weeks old. My boobs are so big that I can't just latch him on, I have to hold him and my breast the whole feed or it falls out of his mouth and he gets mad..This makes it hard to nurse at night and I'm so scared to nurse in public..

Pros: he is always so satisfied after he eats and it feels good knowing I did that for him.
My supply is amazing, I have an over abundance and he always gets it everywhere, which is adorable.
It's so easy to calm him down when something makes him mad (like having to pose for pictures or getting a diaper change.)
Its doing him a lot of good, at birth he weighed 6 pounds 13 and a half oz...when we left the hospital at three days old he weighed 6 pounds 8 oz..and at his check up at 9 days old he weighed 7 pounds 6 oz
I can feel a strong bond forming between us.. He unlatches to look at me sometimes, even if its just for a second..even if its really just to burp lol
Sometimes his little hands reach up and just hold or pet on my breast, which I love.

Any advice or support for a FTM trying to breastfeed? Does it get easier?

 

[keela]

It feels like it will never get easier. You will think you'll never be able to feed in public, or that you wont ever be able to just pop it out and feed him. It will always be a production.

Then one day you will be nursing him look down and realize you got this. It gets easier day by day, but you wont realize it at first.

Celebrate the small things and remember that you are doing an amazing thing. One day it will be so easy and simple you will wonder why you ever thought it was difficult.

I never thought I would make it past those first few weeks, but around 12 weeks I realized that it had gotten a bit easier. At 4 months I felt like I was almost a pro, and by 6 months there was no stopping us. We are still going strong at 17 months.

 

[kayaker]

I agree that it absolutely gets easier. It was really hard for us at first as Jake did not feed well. I also had to hold his head and my breast to keep him attached, and it was too hard to feed him at night lying down. So I always got out of bed to sit in a chair, and although it forced me out of bed, he fed better so my sleep was in fact better because if I tried to do it while lying down it seemed like a never ending process of me drifting off and then him unlatching and me waking again to help him. If I got out of bed and made sure he fed well he would sleep again for a good time period.

It was hard for me at first nursing in public because I wanted to use a drape and it was difficult to get him attached with the limited visibility. But once we both got some experience at it we can do it with ease now. In the beginning I found it easiest to have my partner help "shield" me so that I could see better without the drape fully on until after he was attached and then to put the drape over afterwards as it was easier to keep him attached then to get there in the first place.

I also pumped from the beginning as he did not feed well and needed to be supplemented. In my case it worked out great as he has never had any hesitation to take a bottle, but I know for many it can be a problem to introduce a bottle too early. We used (still do) the Dr. Brown's Premie nipples that are truly slow flow, so it still took him 30 minutes to get through a bottle.

So I would say hang in there - you are already experiencing some of the wonderful moments, and in the not too distant future it will not be hard anymore. You can do it!

 

[Maxy1]

I agree that it does get easier. DS and I BF until he was 22 months and a lot of that decision revolved around just how easy it was. I was basically too lazy to get my head around doing bottles and formula and stuff and I found going out so much easier with my portable, totally ready to go at the right temperature and right consistency milk. I also just used DH as my main 'shield' while I got everything ready and discrete. I never quite mastered how to get a latch without getting everything out and checking it was going well before covering up.

The first few weeks are the hardest. LO's mouth is so small, the nipple seems so big, everyone is learning the best positions to hold and be held and be comfortable and be able to last 30 minutes. But it is just up and up from there.

I understand the pull to bottles though too. I am prego with number 2 now and can see that DH is wanting to be more involved this time round and help with the feeding and get that bonding time too.

 

[jessicatunnel]

I'm three weeks in and felt the same as you the first two weeks or so. And still do occasionally. It was really hard for us with sore nipples, weight loss, jaundice, and my supply dropping significantly in my left breast resulting in my pumping after every feed and taking herbal supplements to up my supply. It's SO much easier now at three weeks. Even a million times easier than last week. Each day gets just a little bit easier and I'm so glad I'm sticking to it.

I still haven't nursed in public. I've gone out to the car every time he's needed to nurse as I'm just so shy! We went out to eat the other day and he needed to nurse and I kept putting off nursing him in the restaurant and finally just went out to the car. I'm sure one of these days I'm just not going to be able to make it to the car and he's going to want it right then and there. People keep telling me bf ing in public the first time is nerve wracking but after that it's so much easier!

 

[Jayneypops]

I could have written this thread! Im just over the 2 week point now and just when I think its getting easier, ill have a really tough day. Yesterday LO cluster fed pretty much all day. I was in tears by 7pm as hadnt seen dd1 all day as she had been with her auntie, and I really wanted to give her her bedtime bottle and tuck her in, but dd2 was screaming downstairs with dh so I had to go down to feed her again. I felt a bit resentful which I know is awful but tiredness and hormones make you feel so low sometimes. Everyone tells me it getsa lot easier so im hholding on to that too. I am tempted by bottles I must admit but don't want to give up. Although I am going to try 1 expressed bottle a day so that DH can give her 1 feed in the evening.
If you can do the first few weeks, you will be fine.
Dont feel bad if you do decide formula is the way to go though. Fo whats best for you and your family

 

[MelliPaige]

He's 12 days old now and it's already gotten easier..he's feeding and sleeping longer already (is that normal so early?) and staying up longer stretches, too. Now the hardest part is keeping him awake at the breast...he keeps falling asleep but if I move him he wakes up and wants to eat some more..this happens for up to (or sometimes over) an hour before I really think he's really full...sometimes I think he would be more satisfied with a bottle..I guess we've still got a little bit to go

Also sometimes I give him a pacifier when I know he has had a good feeding but is still rooting, if he wants more milk he won't take the pacifier and I give him more boob time but sometimes he takes the pacifier and falls asleep..would he fall asleep if he's still hungry? I feel extremely guilty for this too.

 

[cautious...]

It gets so much easier. I remember thinking at the start that it would be much easier to switch to formula.....after about 2 or 3 months I realised Breastfeeding is actually SO much easier. Especially when my friends had to get up in the night to make bottles and prepare more to go out.

We had loads of issues in the beginning, I cried on the phone to the health visitor regularly and desperately wanted to give up. However we persevered and I'm still breastfeeding a year on. This would have been unthinkable in the beginning. I'm so pleased I carried on, it's one of the best things I've ever done.

Good luck! The thing that kept me going was everyone telling me that it gets easier!

 

[Mrs Bee]

Sounds like you are doing really well the first few weeks are difficult and all those cluster feeds tire you out.....but I'm now almost 11 months into breastfeeding and it's been amazing, I always thought I'd wean at 12 months but now I'm going to let her self wean as for feeding in public, I just did it....the more you do it the easier it gets.... Like it feels like everybody is staring at you...but usually they aren't all the best xxxx