Help me please.

[ready2bamum]

i am so desperate....was released from hospital y-day after a 5 day failed induction resulting in emergency csection. Baby born on 2nd June 9lbs 14 ounce...so 4 days old. Hes georgeous, i am in awe of him, and i want to BF him but this is extreme agony. I basically fed him non stop in the hospital, all day and all night, whenever he wanted the boob he got it. Result, extremely cracked and painfull nipples. Prob a lot to do with trying to get the latch right (this is my first). Anyway y-day i am ready to throw in the towel, the thought of him waking up for a feed is filling me with dread..but the thought of giving him formular kills me to. So i persevere and today i am rewarded with my milk comming in which seemingly is satisfying him more....but OMG...OUCHHHHHHHH......my boobs are so hard and sore, more so now...so again i am feeling like i want to cry with agony during feeds. Little one wants the booby all the time and can be on the boob for upto an hour at the time. He hardly ever comes off on his own, i always have to break latch and this is also painfull. Questions......

Is this agony normal....it literally takes my breath away...what can i do to help the pain in my boobs and nips.

How long should a feed last...i am thinking an hour per boob is too much..so when should i take him off...surely sucking would encourage more milk, and he's not just doing it for comfort?

Should i give him a dummy instead of the boob every now and again at night to sooth him...or when im changing him etc..

What would a good routine of BF a new born look like..i mean should i let him sleep for as long as he likes or wake him...and only let him have a good long feed at night????? in the hope that it sends him to sleep for longer.....???????

I am honestly sooooooooooooo confused.....i look forward to my bed at night and then suddenly remember....you may never sleep again...i have had 1 nights sleep since the 29th when induction began....i am so tired, i feel on the verge of meltdown. MW says keep going and all what i am experiencing is normal..i sit here as my baby sleeps on the sofa and my boobs ache in agony....what can i do. Please help.xxxxxxx

 

[purplepower]

Hi

I didn't want to read and run, I am fairly new to all this myself so some of the more established BFers may be able to advise you better.

You are doing really well and it is good that your milk has come in, it is good for the baby to feed so long to start as this is what will up your supply, I found that my boobs were really swollen the night my milk cam in but the LO soon kept them empty! I would get yourself a comfy area on the couch or in the bedroom with lots of drinks and snacks, magazines, dvds etc. Have plenty of skin to skin and let baby feed.

It is worth getting the latch checked by MW or at a BF group locally. Lasinoh cream is amazing for the sore nipple as is a little bit of breast milk squeezed onto them.

If Lo is staying on the boob then make sure he is actively sucking, rub his feet, his ears, strip him to jis nappy to keep him awake, my LO used to fall asleep in the early couple f weeks.

If you are breaking the latch, make sure you put your little finger in the corner of his mouth to break the seal or ouch!!!

I would let him sleep but I don't think it is recommended to let them go longer than 3 hours in the day and 4 hours at night (I think this is what I was told). You may already know this but you need to time feeds from the start of last feed to the start of the next, so if he feeds at 7 then he will be due at 10. This gets a bit confusing when the baby is cluster feeding as this can go over a couple of hours.

You are doing really well though, the fiirst couple of weeks are really tough especially being so tired after the birth.

 

[purplepower]

You could call these people too.


National Breastfeeding Helpline:
0300 100 0212

 

[Nervous_1]

Having a hot shower or bath and then expressing a little bit of milk can really help with the pain of engorgement, or just pumping a little bit til your boobs feel nore comfortable.

Other than that, follow the advice from purplepower! Wish I'd been that clued up at 5 weeks in

Take things really slowly, I found setting mini goals, even just to get through the next feed, really helped me to succeed. Yes it's really difficult now but I promise you will be so chuffed when you get your first bf milestone, and it truly does get a heck of a lot easier

 

[wishingonastar]

Hey hun

Pain - yes, many (inc me) experience severe pain at start...with isabel this lasted 6 wks as I didn't get latch corrected til she was about 2 wks old so lots of damage done to nips...ouch! With emily was sore for couple of days (partly as I didn't initially latch her right as I forgot you need to teach a newborn and partly my nips just needed to toughen again). With isabel I cried when she latched for the first wks.

Lansoinoh is your friend (£10 in boots, free on prescription). Squeeze onto finger, rub between fingers to warm then spread on nipples generously before and after feed and any other time you remember. Air your nips for 5 to 10 mins a few times a day too to heal

Ring your local surestart to find out where local BFing group is and make sure you go asap...I dreaded it, bit the bullet and went but it was fab...so friendly, not embaressing as they were professional and I even went back with emily just for a general catch up as felt so welcome there after isabel! If you can't get support as no local groups ring la leche league and ask if any supporters are local and if not they'll help over phone

Set yourself mini goals and reach those...eg at my darkest most painful time with isabel I would give it til the eve then reassess if I wanted to continue...I got through it and fed her til my milk dried up through pregnancy so mini goals helped!

Engorgement (if boobs hard from too much milk) can make it difficult for baby to latch as well as painful for you...hand express for 10-20 seconds per boob to drain a little but don't express longer else body thinks LO is feeding ans that much milk is needed

Length of feed varies greatly depending on how fast your milk comes out...my boobs chuck out milk the equivalent of a freeflow or open cup beaker so emily drinks fast through lack of choice...my friend describes her letdown and flow as a stage 1 newborn teat and her feeds can be 40-60 mins. If LO is actively working boob (chin moving not just lips) and if you can hear/see swallowing leave him...if he's just kind of nibbling he's using as a dummy and its up to you if you leave or unlatch him (by sliding little finger into corner of mouth). Problem is newborns fall asleep a lot during feeding then wake up frantic with hunger so you have to try to wake him during feeds if he hasn't drunk long before dozing. As a guide they feed on average for 15-20 mins and after that long you know they've had the fore and hind milk

Hope I've covered your main points

 

[2016]

Got to dash off to bed in a minute but thought I would say:

- For the first couple of weeks I would personally wake LO to feed every 2-3 hours and then let them sleep as long as they want overnight.
- A dummy isn't recommended for the first 6 weeks...but saying that it is better than giving up BF altogether.
- I had very painful cracked/bleeding nipples. Use Lansinoh/Kamillosan nipple cream before and after each feed and before and after you bath/shower. It's safe to feed LO with this on your nipples. Until then gently rubbing a bit of breastmilk on your nipples and letting it dry helps too. Try not wear breastpads constantly and let your boobs air sometimes.
- I was very painfully engorged when my milk came in and found cabbage leaves worn inside my bra or a cool gel pack worked wonders to reduce the swelling. Hot showers etc. will have the opposite effect and could make you feel quite sore.
- You know the say "sleep when the baby sleeps"? Well that is what you need to do to get through these early weeks. Limit the visitors if you can and just sleep, eat and drink as much as you can. Don't turn down any offer of help. Let people run around you while you do the most important job - feeding your baby.
- There is a major growth spurt coming up at 7-10 days and another at 2 weeks. Just when you think things are settling down a little, LO may start to go feeding crazy again. Just go with it and feed as much as LO wants. I would personally break the latch though if it's been an hour and you are exhausted.

Hang in there hunny it will get easier I promise. xx

 

[jessshakespea]

i am so desperate....was released from hospital y-day after a 5 day failed induction resulting in emergency csection. Baby born on 2nd June 9lbs 14 ounce...so 4 days old. Hes georgeous, i am in awe of him, and i want to BF him but this is extreme agony. I basically fed him non stop in the hospital, all day and all night, whenever he wanted the boob he got it. Result, extremely cracked and painfull nipples. Prob a lot to do with trying to get the latch right (this is my first). Anyway y-day i am ready to throw in the towel, the thought of him waking up for a feed is filling me with dread..but the thought of giving him formular kills me to. So i persevere and today i am rewarded with my milk comming in which seemingly is satisfying him more....but OMG...OUCHHHHHHHH......my boobs are so hard and sore, more so now...so again i am feeling like i want to cry with agony during feeds. Little one wants the booby all the time and can be on the boob for upto an hour at the time. He hardly ever comes off on his own, i always have to break latch and this is also painfull. Questions......

Is this agony normal....it literally takes my breath away...what can i do to help the pain in my boobs and nips.

How long should a feed last...i am thinking an hour per boob is too much..so when should i take him off...surely sucking would encourage more milk, and he's not just doing it for comfort?

Should i give him a dummy instead of the boob every now and again at night to sooth him...or when im changing him etc..

What would a good routine of BF a new born look like..i mean should i let him sleep for as long as he likes or wake him...and only let him have a good long feed at night????? in the hope that it sends him to sleep for longer.....???????

I am honestly sooooooooooooo confused.....i look forward to my bed at night and then suddenly remember....you may never sleep again...i have had 1 nights sleep since the 29th when induction began....i am so tired, i feel on the verge of meltdown. MW says keep going and all what i am experiencing is normal..i sit here as my baby sleeps on the sofa and my boobs ache in agony....what can i do. Please help.xxxxxxx

I am only a little way further on than you so I can't really give good advice other than to ask your midwife if there is a infant feeding advisor at the local hospital you could get advice from. Ours has been brilliant for giving us information, advice, checking latch and helping us through pain and problems.