Anyone else feel like they are in shock ?

[Mrs Doddy]

I knew that It wouldn't really hit me that I was having a baby until she was here, I feel weird, in shock and not really myself, jess is two weeks old on Monday and everything is odd, leaving the house is a chore and I just go into a daze. I had gas and air for labour but nothing else and I don't feel like I've bonded with her, h does the feeds as I'm expressing as she won't take to the breast( she will only feed lying down so he's not even getting cuddles as such although we both make an effort to do this at other times)

I'm quiet tearful too

is this normal ? If so when will I feel like my old self ?

 

[BethK]

I felt the same and the doctor gave me anti depressants, although I didn't take them and around 5 weeks it was so much better. Was better when I started baby groups and met other mums. I cried every day for the first few weeks.

Now we bond more and more every day.

Sending lots of hugs!

 

[bumptobe29]

i think this is normal. i love jayden to bits (2 weeks 3 days old) but some times i have bad days and look at him and altho i love him it doesnt feel like hes reallly mine yet x

 

[Seity]

Sounds like you could have a bit of PND. It might be worth talking to your HV about it.

 

[Mrs Doddy]

I think that because she won't breast feed this is upsetting me and also the position she feeds means we don't get much contact, there's no way I'm going on any pills. Will see how I feel in a week guess it's still early days with everything

 

[GingerNut]

Oh, pet, don't worry - it gets better. The first few weeks are very surreal and hard, but you do start to find yourself again in a while : ) Hang in there, and if you don't feel right, or think you're not coping, have a chat with your GP - they're there to halp and will be able to help if you need it. But the crying and feeling strange are pretty normal, I think - your body's going through all sorts of hormonal changes after the pregnancy and they affect you in all sorts of ways.

 

[PepsiChic]

is there a reason she wont breastfeed? like inverted nipples or something? Theres lots of help with breastfeeding and i really thinky ou should persist at it, it will help you bond with your LO so much.

theres multiple things you can do to encourage feeding from the breast, like skin to skin, hand expressing some of the milk onto your finger and putting it on her tounge, using a nipple shield, and just persistantly trying to get her to latch, using your fingers to squeeze the nipple into her mouth, holding under your breast with one hand and her head onto the breast with the other etc.

it is hard the first few weeks, exhaustion and stress and dealing with a flod of emotions and a whole new experiance that your body and mind just went through is NOT easy, but it does get better, wait till the 1 months mark, you'll see a complete difference!

 

[Mrs Doddy]

is there a reason she wont breastfeed? like inverted nipples or something? Theres lots of help with breastfeeding and i really thinky ou should persist at it, it will help you bond with your LO so much.

theres multiple things you can do to encourage feeding from the breast, like skin to skin, hand expressing some of the milk onto your finger and putting it on her tounge, using a nipple shield, and just persistantly trying to get her to latch, using your fingers to squeeze the nipple into her mouth, holding under your breast with one hand and her head onto the breast with the other etc.

it is hard the first few weeks, exhaustion and stress and dealing with a flod of emotions and a whole new experiance that your body and mind just went through is NOT easy, but it does get better, wait till the 1 months mark, you'll see a complete difference!

No reason that I know of- in the hospital they managed to get her to latch on which she did for about 5/10 mins but that was it, I've tried skin to skin She thrashes around and cries and ges really stressed she tries to pull herself away she does lick the nipples and must be able to associate the taste with the breast milk I give her from the bottle.

I'm going to a bf cafe on Monday x

 

[PepsiChic]

the main problem i think is that they get nipple confusion the bottle requires a completely different sucking motion than a nipple. its a lot less work.

I really recommend a nipple shield, its like a mix between a bottle and a nipple, and i think Boots sell them, if not amazon do, also amazon sell a little tool called a Latch Assist. It makes the nipple very erect and really easy for baby to latch on.

good luck!

 

[Nats21]

Aw sorry you're having a tough time. I can relate, I had the baby blues for a couple of days and just felt really tearful (if it lasts you might want to see somebody though as it could be PND).

Callum wouldn't take to the breast either, he had his first feed and then just wouldn't afterwards (he was in the neonatal though and was bottlefed so he just got too used to it). I'm expressing and FF as I was too shattered to exclusively express and I wanted to spend more time with him.

Its hard at first what with exhaustion and all the emotions, but it does get better.

As for leaving the house it gets better, for our first few outings we just did little walks to the park etc and it was great just to get some fresh air and to get out, when shes a little older too consider going to baby groups as these are a great way to get out of the house, we're starting baby massage next week which I'm really excited about.

Hope you feel better

xx

 

[Odd Socks]

i felt a lot like you did. i hated the first 2 weeks, because bella wouldn't breastfeed at all, even the midwives couldn't get her to feed, & she'd just scream for hours on end.

things did get better (we started her on formula as bella would scream if she came anywhere near my breast, though for a while i combined formula with expressed milk), because of all the issues we had with breastfeeding, my favourite feed i ever gave her was the first bottle feed.

i think it's so difficult, you never imagine you'll find breastfeeding hard, i don't think they prepare you for the problems at antenatal classes, so when you do experience problems, you wonder what the hell you're doing wrong. & you feel like a failure.

BUT YOU'RE NOT! Keep going, whatever you decide is right for you & your baby, & your partner will be the right thing.

*hugs*
xx

 

[Kel127]

I know exactly how you feel. Connor wouldn't latch, and I spent so much time pumping I felt I couldn't properly bond with him. I would cry whenever I fed him a bottle. He learned to latch at 6 weeks, so don't give up. Breastfeeding may still be an option for you. It does get better.