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[readynwilling]

honestly - i think we all say we want to pump so DH can give a feed... and really by the time you get the milk, make the bottle, settle the baby, you could be half done a breast feed. J has never been a long nurser... when newborn it was 15 or so minutes total, and now its only 5-6 (she doesn't mess around LOL) and it takes several minutes to warm the bottle. DH gets to bond with J by doing other things like playing, bath time etc etc. he does enjoy feeding her solids now, which takes the same time no matter who does it.

I would buy the cheapy manual pump, see if its worth it to you, and if it is, then fork out for a double electric. i have a double electric (medela brand) and it takes 10 minutes to pump a feed, i can't even get a let down with a manual.

Also wait the 5-6 weeks till supply is established before introducing a bunch of bottles (i think the odd one would be fine) but don't wait tooo long to introduce a bottle if you want to eventually do so, i waited till 5 months and J wont take one at all luckily she likes her straw sippy cup now.

 

[membas#1]

yeah medela is the way to go if you are gonna do some serious pumping I pump twice a day for work, sometimes 3. I have the medela pump in style and love it. but if I didn't have to pump for work and i just wanted to pump the occasional amount for someone else to feed LO i would hand express or get a cheap manual pump...but if you want to do some pumping to freeze milk or if you will need to pump for work down the road, then get yourself a good electric pump

 

[1hopefull]

Hi.

My son is 11 days old. I feel like we have a good start on BF but i am still having pain. I have had the lactation consultant and the hospital and my doula check the latch, and they say it looks great (as his position on my body). but i am still having nipple pain. its not with every feeding and my right breat hurts a lot more than the left. today my nipples look perfect, no red marks, scabs, peeling tissue etc. usually i am uncomfortable during the start of a feeding but it subsides (is this normal?). but the right side hurts during and after the feeding today. it is like a burning kind of pain.

i guess i am just wondering how the feedings should feel at this point. should i have any pain? what about discomfort? i wonder if i am being a whimp at times but i did have a natural delivery so i know i can handle pain now. maybe i just have sensitive nipples.

sorry for the long post. hope i make sense

 

[Maggs]

Is it just initial latch on pain or does is last the full feed? I had the initial 10 second pain for weeks and everyone said our latch was perfect. Someone had suggested to me that it was just him drawing the nipple far back into his mouth. Make sure you get it far back in his mouth when you latch him on. My lo just grew out of it as he got older and his mouth got bigger.

 

[Lauki]

I think my nipples were sore for about 2 weeks. But I'm not sure if this should happen or not.

Does the uncomfortable feeling in the beginning last about 10-15 seconds? If so it could be the letdown of your milk. I still have this with some feeds and this is totally normal. I know it's my letdown becuase Sophie will be sucking first for a little bit, but not swallowing yet. Then the discomfort starts and all of the sudden she'll start swallowing. I hope I'm correct with this!

 

[lisaf]

I had the pain throughout the feed and burning after, even thought it must be thrush at one point. It turned out to be tongue tie in my case (4 people had checked my son and said he didn't have it)...is the nipple on the more painful side flatter than the other? It can make it harder to get a good latch.

If the nipple is damaged, it's not always visible and will be more sensitive. Some nipple pain is common for the first 10 days or so.

 

[Lawhra]

Has tongue tie been checked? It could just be your nipples still getting used to feeding. 11 days is still quite early on.
Sometimes the latch can look right from the outside but may be slightly off, make sure baby gets a nice big mouthful of nipple and areola.
Air your nipples when you can.
Do you use a nipple cream? Lanisoh Lanolin cream is good.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I agree with the above. Alex's latch was perfect and I still had nipple pain. Think of it as forming a callous. It takes some time for your nipples to toughen up .

On a side note, when Alex is teething particularly badly, he will still bruise my nipples! Ouchies!

 

[ablacketer]

it could also be cracked nipple. Ive found that if i have a crack on the flat surface I often cant see it unless Im looking for a crack.

try lanolin and nurse in a different position from that side for a day and see if you feel better

 

[1hopefull]

wow thanks for all the replies!

i usually get pain for the first like 15 seconds or so. didn't realize that could be let down. it is very intense but goes away.

then i have pain that lasts the whole feeding and feels like burning. my entire breast hurts. it JUST happened on my LEFT side this time.

lisaf- how did they tell he was tongue tied? did it happen on every feeding? this isn't consistent. (BTW where you on a clomid thread forever ago?)

i have the lanolin which seems to really help. last night i was brave and tried a different position for my left side (and now it hurts when i do our regular position). so i am not sure if i should try different positions or just stick with the one that seems to be easiest to get him to latch.

he seems to get a bunch of nipple and areola (at least the part between the nipple and his lower lip) into his mouth. he has the fish lips too. i do have a tough time getting him on because he fights me with his hands. i have to either pin them down under his body or grab a sleeve with my teeth to hold his arm away from the boob (that must look funny)

thanks again for the tips. it sounds like nipple pain is still common at this point. LLL says it should not be but hearing from you guys makes me feel like we just need some more time to work this out. i just hope the discomfort doesn't last this whole experience. i want to enjoy it.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I used to have DH come hold Alex's hands out of the way so I could get him latched on. It doesn't last long. I can't even remember when he stopped doing it, it happened so suddenly.

 

[lisaf]

Lol, ditto on needing help keeping the hands out of the way. Can you swaddle for feeds or do you need him naked to keep him awake to feed?

Yep I was on a few clomid threads
For me, I noticed my son never really stuck his tongue out past his gums, which is why I had everyone check him. Then one time I had to avoid feeding him for a bit (long story) and he finally stuck his tongue out and the tip went heart-shaped. I got a referral to an ENT doc and even he said there wasn't a tie, then I mentioned the heart shape and he checked again and found a subtle tie.
It hurt every time I fed though. If I didn't have flat nipples it might not have been an issue.
We also had an upper lip tie too (no fishy lips until we got it fixed). Again, if I had more prominent nipples it might have been workable

 

[cheese lover]

If its a burning sensation throughout the feeding and after it might be thrush. do you have a phone number to call for your Dr.? They might be able to diagnose it over the phone if it is that or at least recommend that you come in so they can look at it.
I experienced quite a bit nipple pain and some damage at first as well. It's like riding a bike, when you first start your rear hurts because its not used to that pressure but if you continue biking day after day the pain goes away.

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

Hi ladies I know Ollie isn't here yet but I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice of latching (Struggled last time), the inital feeds, tips on establishing feeds, support that can be found etc. I know I havn't had him yet but I really want to be prepared this time because I want to bf this little man more than anything x

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Awww! Congrats!!! It's so exciting expecting a LO.

Be prepared for cluster feeding. Newborns feed almost constantly. Just think, it's getting your supply up and letting your body know to produce milk. It doesn't last forever though

As for latching, this is what I did: I put the edge of my areola against Alex's lower lip with my nipple pointing towards his nose. He was a self-latcher, but I had to make sure my nipple was on the roof of his mouth and his tongue was down. Make sure to get as much of your areola into his mouth as possible .

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

Thank you hun. Very excited and actually excited to Bf this time too! People look at me as If I'm weird when I say that though :S. Also when a newborn is feeding if they come off the breat after a few minutes do I try and offer the breast again or does that mean they are finished? How do you know when they are coming off because they want a break or because they have had enough for the time being? x

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I think it's just trial and error, to be honest. You'll start to recognize and distinguish the signs

 

[lynnikins]

keep offering the breast till they flat refuse and wont open their mouth newborns can slip off the breast easily if they take a pause

 

[Lilly12]

Thank you hun. Very excited and actually excited to Bf this time too! People look at me as If I'm weird when I say that though :S. Also when a newborn is feeding if they come off the breat after a few minutes do I try and offer the breast again or does that mean they are finished? How do you know when they are coming off because they want a break or because they have had enough for the time being? x

Try burping and then put them back on, if they refuse then they're full
And don't worry about what ppl say/think, you're doing what's best for your baby, that's all that matters!

 

[Maggs]

The midwives at the hospital will help you with latching and you can ask for specialist lactation midwives if you need extra help. Also look into the breastfeeding network to see if they have a group in your area. You can go visit before your baby is due and ask any questions, get any information from them. At my local group, they have books you can loan out about breastfeeding. If you have a breastfeeding antenatal class available, I'd suggest attending that. And watching the breastfeeding DVD you get as well.

Be prepared the first few days to do nothing but sit and feed your lo. Have snacks and water and tv remove nearby. I found a nursing pillow was great because your arms and back get sore sitting at an awkward angle for hours. My lo really did most of his cluster feeding around 6-9 weeks old. He would be permanently attached to my boob from about 7/8 until whenever he went to bed. And if he wasn't, he screamed. Just means you can sit and put your feet up and your husband/partner has to look after other children, and cook your dinner

Invest in some breast pads too. I use the lansinoh ones but I've used the Asda's Little Angels brand and they work just as well.

You may experience some initial latching on pain. Or at least I did. Because his mouth was so small and it took my nipple some toughening up. The latch was perfect but those first 10-15 seconds made me grit my teeth.

And if you have any questions or you start to feel down about breastfeeding, come on here and ask! You can get reassurance that it's all normal. Because those first few weeks, you are bound to think something is wrong with the way they are nursing if you aren't used to the behaviour of a breastfeeding newborn.

Take care & good luck!