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[MiissMuffet]

It's been 6 weeks since I started bf and it's been tough. I was hoping things would start getting better around now but it doesn't seem like they are. Since day 1 DD has always been constantly hungry. Everytime she comes of the breast, within 5 minutes she's rooting for more and never seems satisfied.

I am quite large up top so I think that's the root of my problems because I think DD is only ever taking in the nipple which means she's not transferring the milk efficiently. I'm so sore from the 2 hours she was on me this morning and I have a toddler who also needs attention. If this is going to take ages to sort itself out I think I'll be switching to formula.

Is there anything I can do to make things better?

Thanks.

 

[Sue Dunhym]

I could do with some support. My LO is 9 days old and wants to be at the boob constantly. I've had maybe 2 hours off today and facing another sleepless night. I think her latch is ok, although it could be better. I'm hoping this is just a growth spurt phase.

I have very big boobs and my nipples were flat which meant we struggled enormously in the beginning. She just would not suck at all, and I had several days of expressing/cup feeding hell. So I am pleased she has now got the hang of sucking. I just wish it wasn't a near-constant need. Other than using a dummy/pacifier (whch I really don't want to do) I don't know what to do. I just want to be able to put her down for a few hours to sleep!

 

[TigerLady]

That sort of constant feeding is all too normal in the early days. It is completely exhausting.

There are a couple of things you can think about:

-- Do you know how to tell comfort sucking from drinking? If you can and she is just comfort sucking, then you don't have to let her do that. If she is comfort sucking and won't be calm without it, then consider a pacifier. I know you said you didn't want to... BUT, they can be a life saver for moms with babies with a strong need to suck constantly. I have had 2 of those. And have used pacifiers for both of them. Neither had nipple confusion as a result. The only criteria I had before giving them a pacifier was 1) they had a good latch and seemed to have the hang of feeding well and 2) were gaining weight.

-- Can you break long enough to express? If you express a few times through the day to build up enough for a feed or two, then you can turn baby and EBM over to OH or someone else to give you a couple of hours of rest.

-- Do you co-sleep? I'll be honest and say that is the only thing that gets me through those sleepless nights. In the early weeks with both kids I literally slept with them on me. They would nurse and doze off, I would leave them on my chest in a secure fashion and doze off myself until they stirred again. After a few weeks of that, I moved on to nursing side by side. My DD now sleeps swaddled right next to me and I barely wake to feed her at night (I wake so little that when I get up in the morning I am not even sure of the exact number of times she nursed in the night.) My guess is your baby is not constantly sucking the entire time, but dozes then wakes to eat again. But, if you try to put her down, she wakes and wants held again? It can be hard to tell the difference at first between wanting held and wanting fed. If she just wants held or to be close to you, co-sleeping might be an option. There are safe ways to do it, just ask if you are interested.

That would be my main advice. Life is hard for new breastfeeding moms! You are doing a great job so far, especially with your early challenges. You will get through this, too. The thing to remember is that you won't die from lack of sleep (seriously), so you CAN get through it. And it won't last forever. She'll get better about sleeping within the next few weeks or so.

 

[Sue Dunhym]

We are not co-sleeping because she does eventually go down. She went down for 3 hours last night! But I have to let her fall asleep on my chest first.

It seems to be mostly a closeness thing. She is defintely getting enough to eat as we have plenty of wees and poos. She not even sucking on my right now, just being held and chuntering, occasionally grmbling to be put on the boob, which I do, then she falls asleep again.

I will not die, this is not the end of the world, it's just so dauntingly endless.

 

[quaizer]

Im in the same boat as Sue, but mainly during the night. Jssica seems most sleepy during the afternoons and is sucking pretty much from 10pm onwards. We did bathe her much later last night and this seemed to help her fall asleep easier.

I would love to know more about co-sleeping as at the moment things are very strained with my 2 older children as Im so tired. I would also love some one to one support as I remember the early days breastfeeding my boys and think all women benefit from the experience of other women in the same position.

Just wanted to say thankyou for any advice or support you can offer xxxx

 

[CocoaOne]

Sue - you're definitely on track for the first growth spurt (usually 7-10 days). It will get better, then worse again (another one at 3 weeks). Try and ride it out - it is utterly exhausting having someone SO dependent on you, but I promise it gets better Just do what you've got to do to get through it.

Quaizer - feel free to PM me of you like. The most important thing about co-sleeping is to make it safe. Remove pillows and don't put your LO under the duvet. I used to put my LO in her sleeping bag, I'd get under the duvet and then put her on top of it. Basically - you can do it however is comfortable to you. Some just lay baby next to them, some have babys head resting on their arm, some have baby in a cot next to the bed with the side down. Try the natural parenting forum too - there are usually some good threads in there x

 

[Sue Dunhym]

Thanks for your support. The "endless" feeding lasted 2 days and she is now feeding and going down a lot better. The feeding sessions can still be quite long, but nowhere near what they were. So you were right, it did get better!

 

[layneeleigh]

I am in need of some education on breastfeeding as this is the frist time for me. I will be a stay at home mom so I will be able to do so when necessary. I also plan on pumping after a few weeks. I also didn't realize that you get sore,bleeding etc.

 

[CocoaOne]

I am in need of some education on breastfeeding as this is the frist time for me. I will be a stay at home mom so I will be able to do so when necessary. I also plan on pumping after a few weeks. I also didn't realize that you get sore,bleeding etc.

Hi

Not everyone has problems hun. I was a tiny bit sore for a few days (highly recommend Lansinoh - slap it on constantly!) but never had bleeding or cracked nipples. The worst bit was probably the engorgement as my milk came in, but the would have happened if I'd FF too.

My first suggestion is to ask your MW if they have a BF education class that you can attend. My local SureStart centre did one. They also have a BF group where BF mums go and take their LOs, just like a normal mother & baby group, but everyone BFs and new mums or pregnant woman can go along and have a chat and ask questions.

Read as much as you can- so you're armed with knowledge. Your milk supply regulates after 3-6 weeks and your boobs go soft and 'back to normal' - a lot of women assume their milk has dried up, especially as it coincides with the 3 or 6 week growth spurt where LO is acting very fussy and hungry, so they stop BF and switch to FF. But if you know what to expect, you can take it in your stride! Kellymom.com is fab for all sorts of articles and advice

One other thing - babies are born with a layer of fat to keep them going until your milk comes in, so even if it seems as though your LO isn't getting any milk, they are fine! As long as they are having plenty of wet and dirty nappies, they are usually fine. It's common for BF to lose weight at first and then gain slower than FF babies (not always the case though) so weight gain isn't usually a good indicator on how well it's going.

And finally, you can pop on here and ask for advice any time of the day!

Hope that helps, rest up until babba comes x

 

[Piperette]

I was wondering if someone can please help. I am breast feeding, but have noticed that recently LO started to fuss a bit at the breast. He drinks for a few minutes (maybe 5 max) and then starts pushing the nipple out with his tongue. I wind him inbetween, but he doesn't gp back on the breast again after, maybe only for 2-3 more sucks.

I have given him a bottle of EBM earlier (140ml), which he drank. It took him about 10 minutes to empty it without any fussing. When I feed him during the night, he seems to feed easier and with less resistance (approx 10 minutes).

Having done some reading up recently, I believe that I have a forceful let-down, which I suppose would explain his behaviour.

What can I do to make daytime feeds easier?

How many times a day (and night) and how long for is "normal" for a baby to feed at his age? I know all babies are different, but if I can get a rough idea.

Thanks for your help. I would happily accept the help of a BF Champion.

 

[Lara310809]

I wish I'd known about this thread when my LO was born - I lost my milk when my mum went into critical care unit just after LO was born, and there was nobody where I live that could help me

I will definitely pop back if I have problems with feeding a future baby. You ladies do such a good job

 

[veganmum2be]

does anyone have any advice on what i can do to stop using nipple shields?
i started using them because my nipples were agony as hes never had a good latch despite numerous midwives trying to help it work.
but now he wont feed without them. and its fustrating because i dont want to be having to sterilise and faff about with shields for the rest of breastfeeding.
i've gone down from the large shields to the small and just getting him to feed of the smalls was bad enough, i offer the breast without a shield most times but he just searches and fails then screams until i put the shield on.

i'm actualy scared to feed him without a sheild because i remember the pain, and i dont think his latch has improved at all. but if i can do it without it hurting i so want to stop using them...i just dont know how to go about it now

sorry for the essay! but if anyone has any advice i would so so so so! appreciate it.
xx

 

[CocoaOne]

Veganmum2be - try this link, lots of helpful tips x

https://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/wean-shield.html

 

[CocoaOne]

Piperette - has he always been this way, or is it a recent thing? Because it's unlikely that you would have developed a forceful letdown after feeding for a couple of weeks. But you can try feeding lying down or lean back when feeding - this slows the flow of the milk a bit (as it has to travel against gravity)

It could just be that he's gotton quicker at taking your milk (my LO went from 10 min feeds to 4-5 min feeds around 3-4 months), or he could be entering the distractible phase, or....... It could be the 12 week growth spurt. How long has he been doing it?

Length of feeds are totally random. My LO fed (and still does) for 5 mins, but iknow others that still feed for 20 mins at 8 months. Frequency- my LO usually goes 2.5-3 hours and was probably feeding every 2-2.5 hours at 3 months.

X

 

[cdj1]

does anyone have any advice on what i can do to stop using nipple shields?
i started using them because my nipples were agony as hes never had a good latch despite numerous midwives trying to help it work.
but now he wont feed without them. and its fustrating because i dont want to be having to sterilise and faff about with shields for the rest of breastfeeding.
i've gone down from the large shields to the small and just getting him to feed of the smalls was bad enough, i offer the breast without a shield most times but he just searches and fails then screams until i put the shield on.

i'm actualy scared to feed him without a sheild because i remember the pain, and i dont think his latch has improved at all. but if i can do it without it hurting i so want to stop using them...i just dont know how to go about it now

sorry for the essay! but if anyone has any advice i would so so so so! appreciate it.
xx

Hi there!
I just wanted to let you know that I am in the same situation as you and I too started using nipple shields as nursing without them was pure AGONY despite being shown how to get the baby to latch on etc. but I obviously never did it properly because it continued to hurt, so anyway I had been using shields up until yesterday when I decided that it was best that I weaned him off in case he got too used to them or one day I needed to feed him and I didnt have the shields with me...
So yesterday afternoon I just forced him to feed without them. In other words I did not give him the option to feed with them. He did scream blue murder for a while but eventually he was so hungry that he did feed without them. And today, a day later, he is now completely happy to feed without the shields....but now I am back to getting pain in my nipples again, I am pretty disappointed that it still hurts...I am obviously still not positioning the baby properly
I would also be interested to know if anyone has any advice about this for myself too! Its really hard. Thanks.
xxx

 

[CocoaOne]

Cdj1 - I realise I'm just about to repeat things you've already tried, but there might be something that helps

Important info for positioning baby
- hold so head and spine are in a straight line and their belly is against you. No twisting of their body
- wait until baby opens mouth REALLY wide- quickly bring LO to your breast and try to get their bottom lip against the bottom of your aureola. With your free hand, try squishing your breast a bit flatter so LO can take as much into their mouth as possible. A common misconception is that women try to aim their nipple into the middle of their baby's mouth, whereas is should be pointing up slightly. A lot of info says that the baby's nose should be opposite the nipple, but I always find that hard to judge.

I hope some of that helps. Have you asked your HV about Tongue-tie? That's a possibility if latch seems ok but you still have pain x

 

[PreggyEggy]

For people trying to wean off nipple shields and finding it still hurts - I'm in the same position. I guess I just never learnt to position her correctly, even though everyone has said she's latched on perfect. I feel a bit like I'm back to square one, it's awfully tempting just to keep on with the shields!

One thing I find that's helped is that I read in a La Lache League handout I got from a Baby Cafe is that you shouldn't be lifting your boob up to stuck it in their mouths...and I think that's where I've been going wrong. My nipples are quite droopy I guess, haha, so I have to hold her much lower then what I have been. Since I've stopped doing that and I've managed to have a few pain free feeds, so I guess it's a matter of getting the hang of it now. Maybe some of you could try doing the same?

Can I get some advice? My baby has been feeding a lot the past 2 days. I've lost track of how many times and when, but it's at least a few times an hour. Now and then she'll go maybe an hour without a feed, but most of the time she's on and off on and off. At night time she's going maybe 2-3 hours though. I'm pretty sure that's normal...but she's been throwing up pretty badly since she started doing it. Since yesterday, she's been sick 3 times and brought absolutely loads up...I thought maybe it's cause she's feeding so much she simply doesn't have room for it? And if that's true, then why does she keep feeding? She acts like she's starving 10 mins after she's fed!

 

[GossipGirly]

hello just dropping by for some more advice on nipple shields and supply. I have to use them not for pain but as my nipples are flat and LO cant latch, although she did initially in delivery suite but nothing since.. I offer her the breast only at most feeds but she still cant take it Iv even had a breastfeeding support lady out who couldnt help get her to latch I would really like to wean her off but Im just glad she is feeding, but they are giving her wind and the sterilising/falling off is annoying.

I also think that my supply might be failing she is having wet and dirty nappies but I cant seem to squeeze much milk from my breasts and have tried pumping a little after feeds incase shields are hindering supply but get a little under one ounce from both breasts, baby sleeps most of day waking for feeds but always seems hungry and through the night just wants to suck for 5 hours until we both fall asleep about 5am with her on my chest.

Is there anything I can do differently, what am I doing wrong? sorry for long post x

 

[TigerLady]

For people trying to wean off nipple shields and finding it still hurts - I'm in the same position. I guess I just never learnt to position her correctly, even though everyone has said she's latched on perfect. I feel a bit like I'm back to square one, it's awfully tempting just to keep on with the shields!

One thing I find that's helped is that I read in a La Lache League handout I got from a Baby Cafe is that you shouldn't be lifting your boob up to stuck it in their mouths...and I think that's where I've been going wrong. My nipples are quite droopy I guess, haha, so I have to hold her much lower then what I have been. Since I've stopped doing that and I've managed to have a few pain free feeds, so I guess it's a matter of getting the hang of it now. Maybe some of you could try doing the same?

Can I get some advice? My baby has been feeding a lot the past 2 days. I've lost track of how many times and when, but it's at least a few times an hour. Now and then she'll go maybe an hour without a feed, but most of the time she's on and off on and off. At night time she's going maybe 2-3 hours though. I'm pretty sure that's normal...but she's been throwing up pretty badly since she started doing it. Since yesterday, she's been sick 3 times and brought absolutely loads up...I thought maybe it's cause she's feeding so much she simply doesn't have room for it? And if that's true, then why does she keep feeding? She acts like she's starving 10 mins after she's fed!

Most likely this is the 3 week growth spurt. The feeding pattern sounds totally normal for a growth spurt. The only thing that sounds a little less common is the spitting up. However it is likely for the reasons you think. She'll keep feeding because her instincts are telling her she needs to increase your supply because she is getting ready to grow and will need more milk. The only way to increase supply is extra nipple stimulation.

It should only last 2-5 days (more likely 2-3) and then settle. If she continues bringing everything up, or if it gets worse, consider seeing a doc to rule out tummy problems.

 

[TigerLady]

hello just dropping by for some more advice on nipple shields and supply. I have to use them not for pain but as my nipples are flat and LO cant latch, although she did initially in delivery suite but nothing since.. I offer her the breast only at most feeds but she still cant take it Iv even had a breastfeeding support lady out who couldnt help get her to latch I would really like to wean her off but Im just glad she is feeding, but they are giving her wind and the sterilising/falling off is annoying.

I also think that my supply might be failing she is having wet and dirty nappies but I cant seem to squeeze much milk from my breasts and have tried pumping a little after feeds incase shields are hindering supply but get a little under one ounce from both breasts, baby sleeps most of day waking for feeds but always seems hungry and through the night just wants to suck for 5 hours until we both fall asleep about 5am with her on my chest.

Is there anything I can do differently, what am I doing wrong? sorry for long post x

you are not doing anything wrong, hon.

TBH, I don't have a lot of advice about shields because I've no experience with them. However, I do have loads of experience with pumping. What you describe is fine. Some ladies can't get anything manually expressing even when full. Also, 2 oz after a feed is pretty good. That is all I get ... and when I pump at work (meaning when DD skips a feed from me and gets ebm at home instead) I get 9 oz. Your supply sounds good.