how much breast should be in his mouth??

[csmummu]

Hey all..

Charlie was born yesterday morning. Feeding in hospital seamed pain less but today for some reason it KILLS! i think its because its mostly nipple hes getting and its only the first min or so that it hurts then it settles in to nothing. so is he just latching on to nipple and pulling the rest in is that why it gets easer after a few moments?

he just doesnt seam to get any of the dark skin in his mouth? Ive been avoiding the left breast because it hurts so much its like im screaming in pain... ive been ready to gove up 36 hours in

 

[asacia]

Sounds like he is 'nipple feeding'. There are some good pictures here: https://www.kellymom.com/newman/a-when_latching.html and at the base of the page is a link that should go to videos.

Almost all the areola should be in the mouth (unless you have very large areolas).

Are you waiting till he opens his mouth really wide before latching him on?

((Hugs)) - you are doing great. This is a new skill for you both, but there is loads of help out there and hopefully you can get through this tough bit quickly.

 

[Lu28]

This really is the tough bit hon, hang in there xxx It should be the areola too, otherwise it will hurt and your nipples will end up cracked etc. A good technique is to sandwich your nipple and areola into a thin line and then shove it in his mouth when he opens up, that's the only way I managed to get it going in the beginning

 

[csmummu]

Gonna have to try that sounds like a plan...

I feel a lot more relaxed about it all now well see how we get on through the night...

 

[Lu28]

Good luck I was worried about being too forceful with her in the beginning but she was tougher than I gave her credit for!

 

[csmummu]

hehe well last night was a bad night LOL but im grinning and bearing it... he just doesnt seam to want to eat... the MW is coming round again today at my request because its just not working... im putting up the the 2 mins worth of agony which then eases just so i know hes eating!!

so when he wakes up i offer him the finger... im guessing MW will frown on this but if he spits it out and cries then i will offer the breast. oh its all so confusing!!! Thank you for your support its nice to have it there.. hubby just wishes there was something he could do other than pass me tissues for the tears

 

[Mervs Mum]

You are right in the worst bit hun. You can see why so many give up cant you. I think it sounds like a combination of things. Firstly if he's not opening wide and taking a good mouth full of the areola (in particular the bottom of it) then he wiont get your nipple far enough back in the throat. The milk ducts are in the areola not the nipple so his tongue and bottom jaw need to work there to extract the milk.

Have a read of this link - it's got some nice simple illustrations too.

https://www.nbci.ca/index.php?optio...5:when-latching&catid=5:information&Itemid=17

The other thing is that your nipples have to get used to being stretched which is why you may have discomfort in the early days and weeks - it doesnt last though and all the girls on here can back me up on that one.

I would say that you need to take heart in the fact that it only hurts at the start of the feed - this means your latch only needs some minor adjusting.

Hand in there honey!!! You have done so well to get this far. I promise you it gets better. You are both learning so give him and yourself chance - it doesnt happen over night. And to your hubby - keep passing the tissues, glasses of water, cups of tea, nice things to eat, taking your little boy and changing him and talking to him while his mum takes a break, taking care of the house and telling visitors to bugger off if they out stay their welcome! All these things are so important - as good supportive hubby is a true god send.

 

[k8y]

Oh, I remember how sore it wasin begining, It really really does get better, But for the first week or so it can be very sore. It is so worth working through, It is the best thing I have ever done and I feel so proud. Keep it up, If you need any support ten just ask any questions in here, The girls are amazing and have really got me through some bad patched feeding. Particularly Mervs Mum. shes a diamond.

 

[csmummu]

Weve had 2 good feeds this morning (well 5 mins at 7am and 15mins at 9:30) i feel so much better.. I think hes trying harder because hes more intrested in getting fed today LOL and not only that but weve been left and right side today and one wasnt particulary worse than the other so win all round!I was even able to notice that I couldnt see any bottom areola it lookd like such a better latch!

Im so glad i didnt send hubby to tescos to buy formula last night! I feel a lot happier today!

 

[Mervs Mum]

Well done honey!! There's nothing 'wrong' with formula but if you want to exclusively BF then giving top ups, especially at this stage, will mean that your body doesnt get the correct signals about how much your baby needs. Ever top up makes them think that the baby is getting enough so the produce less and so the slippery slope starts.

This is the size of your baby's tummy in the first week:

https://www.llli.org/images/InfantStomach.jpg

You can see that it's very tiny so little and often is exactly right now. If you give formula they will often guzzle it down and we mistakenly think they must have been starving when in fact it's the ease that they can get it from the bottle that means they take way more than they need. Your colostrum is thick and full of anti bodies to line his 'virgin gut'. They will protect him from tummy bugs and other nasties.

Keep on going honey - it's only the beginning of a long journey but I promise you it gets easier and given time I'm sure you will love BFing as much as we all do.

 

[mrsholmes]

just wanted to give u , I agree your right in the worse part, I cried through each feed before my milk came in, it does get that little bit easier everyday,

 

[csmummu]

Thanks ladies... he hasnt fed since 9:45 but the GREAT news is im not dreading him waking up for a feed!! I felt sooo guilty last night not wanting to feed him.

so much more content today! That picture has put my mind at ease too!! i reluctently told the MW that i was offering him a finger before the breast to check if he was hungry she ok'd that and said it was fine! again way less guilty!

Thanks for your continued support and checking how i am going it means a lot! Oh and BFing supporter is coming to visit tomorrow weekends suck lol

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

your doing great, bear with it. It gets easier!

I ended up crying through some feeds in the first few days, and I wanted to avoid one breast but persisted and we got there. Once my milk came in it seemed to be easier. I nearly caved in with forumla to. So glad i stuck with it, love feeding him now... it's so rewarding!

And this forum is brilliant

 

[Brockie]

all the girls have given great advice hon, promise you the first couple of weeks are the hardest and it really does just get better all of a sudden!

use plenty of Lanolin cream that will help if your nipples get sore xxx

well done! xxx

 

[csmummu]

Just thought i would let you all know that he had a good 20 minuite feed nearly painless

so so so so happy! tired now though lol.

This forum is amazing! i really didnt think i would come here much now i cant see myself leaving Cant wait to get my 1 month badge lol.

 

[Lu28]

So glad you had a painless feed hon, I was wondering how you were getting on! It really does get some much easier from here and getting that first milestone badge - if you click on the link on Mervs Mum's sig, you can get a 1 week milestone badge, you'll deserve that one!