Help, feel like a crazy person

[firefly15]

LO is 2 weeks old, I'm feeding on demand but think I'm about to go crazy. The nights are not too bad, he'll sleep for a few hours and then have a good feed and go back to sleep. the days are so hard though from about 10am he refuses to sleep more than 10 minutes at a time unless it's on me. As soon as I put him down he starts screaming and looking for more food. He has fed today virtually every hour and from 4.30 to now he has been on and off the boob non stop. To make it worse he's also getting really bad wind so am trying to burp every time he falls off the boob and between switching sides but am worried that maybe my let down is too fast or something? Why does no one warn you how HARD this is before hand?

 

[jaytee146]

whether you're ff or Bf the first few weeks have their issues and after that you still have hickups every now and again. i felt just how you did at two weeks but it got better. my seven week old still doesn't sttn but she wakes for a feed on a good nite and goes back down. i still have bad day's\night's but my first few weeks were Hell! i wanted to quit so many times. and like you people told me it would be difficult but i still wasn't prepared for what i faced. Keep going I get major encouragement from here and a friend who had a lo before i did told me she struggled the first few weeks\months of ff finding the right one ect. you will do wonderfully well hang in there!

 

[Lownthwaite]

LO is 2 weeks old, I'm feeding on demand but think I'm about to go crazy. The nights are not too bad, he'll sleep for a few hours and then have a good feed and go back to sleep. the days are so hard though from about 10am he refuses to sleep more than 10 minutes at a time unless it's on me. As soon as I put him down he starts screaming and looking for more food. He has fed today virtually every hour and from 4.30 to now he has been on and off the boob non stop. To make it worse he's also getting really bad wind so am trying to burp every time he falls off the boob and between switching sides but am worried that maybe my let down is too fast or something? Why does no one warn you how HARD this is before hand?

Having a newborn is hard in the begining whether you're FF or BF - it's the way you see the situation and how you deal with it that counts.

It's totally natural for your LO to want to sleep on you all the time. In the wild a newborn has to stay with its mother 24/7 to ensure it isn't eated by predators. Now we know you live in a house, not the jungle and we know that there isn't a tiger waiting behind your sofa to eat your new baby the second you leave the room - but your baby doesn't know this!

You're focus at the moment needs to be just feeding your LO and establishing a good milk supply. Your baby knows how to do this and that is why he wants to be on you all the time. It's totally normal. I'd get comfy on the sofa, some favourite magazines, good films, some snacks and drinks. Don't worry about the house work. It can wait - and I'm sure your OH, family and friends will be more than willing to help with it whilst you feed LO and recover from the birth

If you're struggling to eat and drink during the day then get your OH to make you a packed lunch the night before. Things you can eat with one hand are the best - sandwiches, pasta, salad etc. That way you don't have to put him down to make food.

Try carrying him in a sling too, some you can even feed in. That way you can get out and about and do housework yourself if you feel like it.

Make sure you're winding regularly and that your latch is good to stop him swallowing air etc. What is making you suspect fast letdown?

Just remember you are doing amazingly and providing your baby with the best start in life.............I can't tell you it'll be easy but it will certainly be worth it!

 

[firefly15]

Thank you! I was wondering about fast let down as sometimes, not always, he latches on and then recoils almost as if slightly choking. He also seems to gulp really quickly in the beginning so either fast milk or he's a total piglet!!

 

[Lownthwaite]

Thank you! I was wondering about fast let down as sometimes, not always, he latches on and then recoils almost as if slightly choking. He also seems to gulp really quickly in the beginning so either fast milk or he's a total piglet!!

Could be a fast let down - chocking at letdown is a sign but I wouldn't worry about it being an issue as at 2 weeks your milk isn't at all regulated yet so it may very well be something that gets better with time once your supply regulates and LO becomes more efficient at feeding.

To help for now you could try letting the milk down into a flannel for a moment or so just to take the initial speed and power off the milk to make it easier for him to handle.