Newborn Constantly Nursing / Don't Want To Give Up Again!

[zilla]

When DS was born 2 years ago, he did not take at all well to BFing. I tried for weeks and it was so stressful for both of us and never worked and we gave up.
Due to this, I wasn't going to BF DD and we FF for the first 3 days but then when my milk came in I decided to give it a go.
Yesterday and today were the first days of proper BFing. Yesterday we mixed with FF and today I've tried to just BF.
Out of the entire day (so 14ish hours since we got up) , there's probably only been 2 hours when she hasn't been nursing. Is this normal?! My MW said I need to keep on with it to keep my milk supply coming in but I'm dreading when OH goes back to work and I'm constantly attached to the sofa for 12 hours a day when I have a 2 year old to look after and entertain, I don't know how I'm going to do it.
DD was latched on for hours, within 15 minutes of coming off she was screaming again, but when I tried to latch her on, she didn't even try and just kept trying to latch on and then pushing me away, then trying to latch on again - what am I doing wrong?

 

[Literati_Love]

She is probably going through her first growth spurt and working on getting your supply up. Hang in there! Although newborns can often nurse quite frequently for quite a while, this initial "nursing constantly" should calm down within 24-48 hours so hang in there. Doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong. It all sounds normal!

I'm not sure about the latching then pulling off. Could just be part of the 'witching hour' or perhaps your dd was just tired and wanted to comfort suck but didn't like the milk coming out?

 

[mandaa1220]

The nursing so frequently should calm down. She is trying to get your supply up to meet her needs and once it does, she should nurse less often. It sounds like she is also comfort sucking. My LO does the latch on and off when I'm drained of milk and he's comfort sucking.

 

[reeshy]

The pulling on and off sounds like comfort sucking to me as well. Mine did this too and I eventually just started stealthily slipping a pacifier into her mouth which gave my poor nipples a break. I know lactation consultants suggest NOT using pacifiers, but for me, I had no problem at all (I did it around 2.5 weeks).

 

[noon_child]

It won't last forever but for a few weeks your baby may need you to prioritise breastfeeding to ensure your milk supply. Also babies still like to be constantly held whether bf or ff so a change of feeding style may not make any difference to how tethered you are.

Some people can nurse in a sling and get on with looking after toddlers but for those of us who found nursing hard enough, trying to get a good position with a sling was a no-no.

Is there anyone who could babysit your toddler for some of the day, or even consider paying a childminder till you feel more confident feeding? You don't need to give up on being a mother to your toddler, but just get some temporary support. In a lot off cultures this support comes automatically when family members (Grandmas, cousins, aunts) basically move in to your house to help for the first month or so. When we don't have that cultural support we need to look at the alternatives even if it is a paid 'stranger'. Or if you are really panicking, ask your OH if his employers would allow him to add on any holiday he is owed to the end of his paternity leave?

 

[zilla]

Thank you for your replies everyone.
We've had a few moments where I've been close to just giving up completely but we seem to have turned the corner a little bit the past day or so. We're getting there!
DS went to my Grandmas overnight, which was a huge help and me & DD stayed on the sofa and worked at getting BFing established.
We're not having as many problems with latching on now which is a huge relief, she's still nursing a lot but I love being so close to her and giving her what's best!We supplemented with formula for a couple of days but it was making her sick (not sure if it was the actual formula making her sick or the fact that she was taking in too much like a little piglet ) x

 

[DJMooMoo79]

She was probably use to the fast flow of the formula and now has to wait a little to get her meal. I promise it will ease up, you just have to get her use to the boob. It will take a couple of days but she will ease off a little and feedings will be the normal 2 to 3 hours. I notice little one gets excited sometimes during feedings an will hit and shove me away while trying to feed at the same time, or refuse to latch properly by shaking her mouth around my nipple and fuss. Just in case this happens to you, perfectly normal.

As far as her fighting me, she does want to nurse, just doesnt know how to get from point A to point B. So sometimes I do have to fight her back, (not literally lol) by holding her hands inbetween mine to keep her from pushing back and guiding her head by grasping her neck and bringing her to me with the other hand. The moment shes on, she stops struggling and is happy.

When she has issues latching out of exciting by moving her mouth around my nipple and fussing, I pull her away for a few second for her to calm down and try again. If shes not calming down, I give her the pacifier and wait for her to latch on that before taking it away and trying the boob again. Usually after latching onto the pacifier shes quick to latch on to anything after.

Dont know if this will be any help to you in the future but good luck! Try not to give up quite yet. Everything will even out, the only thing is that it can take some time. Some times its a couple of days, sometimes its weeks.

 

[noon_child]

I notice little one gets excited sometimes during feedings an will hit and shove me away while trying to feed at the same time, or refuse to latch properly by shaking her mouth around my nipple and fuss. Just in case this happens to you, perfectly normal.

Yes it is actually part of newborn babies' instincts. The "hitting" and arm waving are her attempts to crawl to your breast or massage the breast to get let down. The shaking the mouth around, bobbing the head etc. are also natural instincts to get a good latch position and also again get a let down going. Sometimes because we are used to 'holding' and 'helping' babies, this instinct 'fights' against what we are doing.

Some babies are a lot more full of these instincts than others. If you think your LO might be one of these then you could try biological nursing/nurturing also known as laid back breastfeeding. This means using the babies instincts and allowing them to comfortably position themselves and latch.

There are lots of videos online and info on the La Leche League website.

 

[c1403]

First six weeks it felt like dd was constantly feeding. It soon got easier after this and spread out. I even get 5 hours sleep at night. I felt like giving up but kept going, for me it got easier with time. Good luck