Breastfeeding support worker here to help

[claire1983]

Hi guys I am new on here but just to let you know I am a breastfeeding supporter in my local hospital and an fully trained to give advice and help with breastfeeding. I breastfed my own baby and didnt have an easy time I suffered bleedign cracked nipples, poor attachment and little to no support, but I worked through it and fed successfully - you can do it!! I am also going on to train as a Midwife and have joined this forum to try and help out, any questions just ask!

 

[marley2580]

Hey me too!!! I'm a breastfeeding peer support volunteer in my hospital, welcome to the forum.

 

[Angelica]

wow! great to have u ladies on board!!

 

[Baby-Love]

Oh you guys will come in a treat..

I wanted to know want the problem is with my little one?
She'll attach herself to the breast no problem..then she pulls off, rather abruptly and just start to cry or scream blue murder...which this she stiffens up her body. Trying to reattach her she does this chicken pecking motion with her head.
Now I thought maybe my milk supply was maybe not enough. However, due to the amount of wet diapers/nappies and her bowel movements, well it suggests otherwise. She is CONSTANTLY wanting to be attached to my breasts. She'll refuse a pacifier/dummy and won't even accept a bottle - for times I just need some time to allow my milk supply to bump back up for her.
Anyway.. what is her problem? Or doesn't she have one?? I am constantly breastfeeding.. I AM EXHAUSTED. I've become very tired and sometimes rather emotional. I love her to death, and I'd never begrudge her..but I just need to time to recharge. She won't allow anyone else to feed her/hold her.. I'm feeling like a Milkdroid.
I have her attached to me as I type.. PLEASE HELP!

 

[claire1983]

Your baby is still quite young and so she will want to feed quite a lot to increase your milk supply, when she attaches herself to your breast try and hold her into you really close - not so much to hurt her but enough to keep her there - make sure her body is nice and straight and in alignment while she is feeding with no twists in her neck and body as this will make it hard for her to feed (imagine how hard it would be eating off your shoulder!) Are you getting any soreness of your nipples - does she appear to be attched correctly. Remember breastfeeding is a learned skill and it does take time.

 

[Baby-Love]

Your baby is still quite young and so she will want to feed quite a lot to increase your milk supply, when she attaches herself to your breast try and hold her into you really close - not so much to hurt her but enough to keep her there - make sure her body is nice and straight and in alignment while she is feeding with no twists in her neck and body as this will make it hard for her to feed (imagine how hard it would be eating off your shoulder!) Are you getting any soreness of your nipples - does she appear to be attched correctly. Remember breastfeeding is a learned skill and it does take time.

Thank you..

Sometimes they're sore (not cracked), and sometimes the breast part is hot/warm. I have to kinda rub my breasts around the nipple/areola area to stimulate them back to life.. I find it helps with the discomfort in my nipples and they turn white.
After a few minutes of massaging they return to their normal colour. She seems as though she's attached correctly. Most of my areola is insterted into her mouth also...

 

[Margerle]

Does Kaida get winded often when she's feeding? A baby that young can't process burps like you and I can. And they feel it in there, and some (like mine) refuse to eat anymore unless they can get rid of the burp.

I used to have to wind Sharlotte at least every 5-10 mins to make sure she stayed gas free. Otherwise, she'd do EXACTLY as you describe.

 

[Sweetie]

That whole head "pecking" thing sounds familiar...

 

[marley2580]

Have you looked in her mouth to see if she has thrush? the nipple blanching can also be a sign of thrush.

 

[claire1983]

Also if your breasts are hot is sounds like your are getting engorged which can make it difficult for your baby to attach - try hand expressing (or using a pump if neccessary) a small amount of milk to relieve the engorgement so that your baby attaches easier. It sounds like she is attached well though - especially if most of your areola is in her mouth.

 

[KarenLV]

Oh you guys will come in a treat..

I wanted to know want the problem is with my little one?
She'll attach herself to the breast no problem..then she pulls off, rather abruptly and just start to cry or scream blue murder...which this she stiffens up her body. Trying to reattach her she does this chicken pecking motion with her head.
Now I thought maybe my milk supply was maybe not enough. However, due to the amount of wet diapers/nappies and her bowel movements, well it suggests otherwise. She is CONSTANTLY wanting to be attached to my breasts. She'll refuse a pacifier/dummy and won't even accept a bottle - for times I just need some time to allow my milk supply to bump back up for her.
Anyway.. what is her problem? Or doesn't she have one?? I am constantly breastfeeding.. I AM EXHAUSTED. I've become very tired and sometimes rather emotional. I love her to death, and I'd never begrudge her..but I just need to time to recharge. She won't allow anyone else to feed her/hold her.. I'm feeling like a Milkdroid.
I have her attached to me as I type.. PLEASE HELP!

Your not alone.It's exactly the same with mine,so it must be normal!

 

[Baby-Love]

Does Kaida get winded often when she's feeding? A baby that young can't process burps like you and I can. And they feel it in there, and some (like mine) refuse to eat anymore unless they can get rid of the burp.

I used to have to wind Sharlotte at least every 5-10 mins to make sure she stayed gas free. Otherwise, she'd do EXACTLY as you describe.

I burp her, yeah. After each breast, and usually during the time she pulls off. I even bought Mylicon drops for gas relief, as someone suggested maybe she's a gassy baby.

 

[Baby-Love]

Have you looked in her mouth to see if she has thrush? the nipple blanching can also be a sign of thrush.

I can't see any signs of oral thrush as of yet. I will keep a close eye though. Thanks.

 

[Baby-Love]

Also if your breasts are hot is sounds like your are getting engorged which can make it difficult for your baby to attach - try hand expressing (or using a pump if neccessary) a small amount of milk to relieve the engorgement so that your baby attaches easier. It sounds like she is attached well though - especially if most of your areola is in her mouth.

Ok, thank you! I will try it.

 

[Baby-Love]

Oh you guys will come in a treat..

I wanted to know want the problem is with my little one?
She'll attach herself to the breast no problem..then she pulls off, rather abruptly and just start to cry or scream blue murder...which this she stiffens up her body. Trying to reattach her she does this chicken pecking motion with her head.
Now I thought maybe my milk supply was maybe not enough. However, due to the amount of wet diapers/nappies and her bowel movements, well it suggests otherwise. She is CONSTANTLY wanting to be attached to my breasts. She'll refuse a pacifier/dummy and won't even accept a bottle - for times I just need some time to allow my milk supply to bump back up for her.
Anyway.. what is her problem? Or doesn't she have one?? I am constantly breastfeeding.. I AM EXHAUSTED. I've become very tired and sometimes rather emotional. I love her to death, and I'd never begrudge her..but I just need to time to recharge. She won't allow anyone else to feed her/hold her.. I'm feeling like a Milkdroid.
I have her attached to me as I type.. PLEASE HELP!

Your not alone.It's exactly the same with mine,so it must be normal!

Bless you!
I hope things get better for you. If you come up with a miracle cure, let me know! lol

 

[Samantha675]

Baby-love, her wanting to feed all the time is just part of her age, Bren was the same way. There were sooo many days that I felt like all I did was breastfeed, and never got off the sofa. But that will pass, way more quickly than it feels like at the time. Bren is now 12 weeks, and he feeds every few hours and has been doing so for the past couple of weeks. I know a few more weeks of feeling like you are constantly feeding sounds like forever, but I promis it will go by really fast.

 

[Baby-Love]

Baby-love, her wanting to feed all the time is just part of her age, Bren was the same way. There were sooo many days that I felt like all I did was breastfeed, and never got off the sofa. But that will pass, way more quickly than it feels like at the time. Bren is now 12 weeks, and he feeds every few hours and has been doing so for the past couple of weeks. I know a few more weeks of feeling like you are constantly feeding sounds like forever, but I promis it will go by really fast.

Thank you..

However long it takes isn't a problem. I made a commitment with my little girl. No matter how much time/pain she'll have me on tap. It's the least I can do to make her happy.

 

[Margerle]

Well done mama

 

[CK Too]

Ok, here´s my dilemma:

Since starting with breastfeeding, I´ve found it very painful and have ended up with cracked and sore bleeding nipples. I was in tears everytime he latched on (still not sure he latched on properly as my boobs were so huge he seemed to have trouble fitting my nipple and areola in his mouth) - my midwife said I seemed to have more than enough milk and suggested I use nipple shields to protect my nipples for a while - this really helped. I know that these sometimes can cause a barrier and hinder milk production, but I was at my wits end. The nipples are clearing up nicely and are less painful. In the meantime, Sam started to lose weight and it seemed that whatever milk I was producing just wasn´t filling him up at all. The last straw came at the beginning of this week when I had him on me for 5 and a half hours one morning and just couldn´t seem to satisfy him. I went out and bought some formula and he has been guzzling it down ever since and has put his weight back on. My midwife has been really helpful (over here we get daily visits for 10 days), and she has encouraged me to drink herbal teas for breastfeeding, given my some oil to massage my breasts with to encourage milk production and I´ll admit to drinking a glass of sekt in the evenings as that is supposed to help as well. I´ve been managing to express milk in the mornings and evenings and generally manage to get out around 100ml, which he takes out of the bottle no probs.

Now that my nipples are clearing up, is it a good idea to get back in the saddle and try breastfeeding again? What else can I do to up my milk production? I don´t want to give up on this without a fight - I had always planned on breastfeeding 100%, but when he didn´t put on weight at all for about 5 days, I knew I had to do something to satisfy him.

Any tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks

P.S if anyone can tell me how to get rid of my ticker as well, that woudl be appreciated too - baby brain at the mo, I can´t seem to work out how to do it!

 

[claire1983]

The best way to increase your supply is to express or let your baby feed - the more your breasts are stimulated the better, however this doesnt seem to be the problem - if it is that painful it sounds like poor attachment. Is your nipple a funny shape after your LO has fed - if so this is confirmation that attachment is the problem. Your LO needs to get a big mouthful of breast - its breastfeeding not nipple feeding - he should have his bottom lip curled down and should have his body nice and straight as he feeds. If it is hurting - break the seal and try reattching him - DONT SIT THERE IN PAIN. I would try and get him on again as your supply will start to wain. If you are engorged try expressing a bit of milk before you attach him as this will make it easier. Hope this helps