**PLS HELP- ESP PPL LIKE MARGELE**BF Update

[Angelica]

I went to the bf clinic today & the mw i saw was really nice & helpful.
She said that LO is not latching on properly which may explain why she doesnt seem satisified & why my nipples hurt..

She showed me how to hold LO properly & get her to latch on so she is getting more milk.. we did that & it seemed to work better.

Im going to give it my 101% now & feed on demand as & when she wants.
She does still seem a little frustrated now we are back home tho, when I was trying to put her on the breast she was getting frustrated fighting back at me... any ideas why this may be??

Also how long before the feeding on demand stops & she actually has proper feed times? Obv with forumla milk its different as u have set times from the start...

Any advice is appreciated & thanks to everyone for advising me & making me realise I needed help..

Fingers crossed it works out better now, wish me luck everyone!!

 

[sam's mum]

Glad she's latching on better!! Has she had any bottles? She might be frustrated that the flow is a bit slower than it is out of a bottle and she has to work for it, or it might be that she's trying to keep up with the flow now that the latch has improved. Sam squirms around loads when he's got wind too so you might want to try winding her in the middle of each feed as well as at the end.

Sam's nearly 6 months and I still feed on demand now - he has found his own routine though, and was feeding every 2 hours during the day (but sleeping all night), and it's now every 3 hours since he started on solids (only a bit of cereal for breakfast and fruit/veg in the evening - I wasn't intentionally making him go longer but he seems happy with that). But if he's hungry before that I'll always feed him when he wants it. Once they get more efficient at getting the milk out the feeds won't last so long, so you'll find you have more time to get things done!

Hope it gets better for you now x

 

[Margerle]

Oh I'm so glad for you Angelica! Please stay in contact with her if you have any troubles.

As far as baby still being frustrated - I bet shes just used to feeding the other way.. Give her a day or two to get used to the new hold and latch and I'm sure you'll find it a lot better.



So happy for you!

You're doing great mama!

 

[Holldoll]

I'm so glad! Bella is still feeding on demand. After 2 months she slowed down her eating a lot! She goes 5-6 hours at night and 2-3 in the days, sometimes if she's taking a nap she'll go 4.

 

[Samantha675]

Wonderful news love.

I agree with the flow, she may be wanting it to be faster, so just give her a day or so to get used to it.

It is so worth it!

 

[Angelica]

Thanks girls!

Right so here is my update from this evening

I started bf LO around 7pm.. im pretty sure she is latched on correctly now as i have now seen hind milk from the breast which i didnt before..
However she continued to feed pretty much all evening up until around 11.30 when i decided to give her a bottle of formula ( I had decided before that her feed before bed would be fornula for the moment to help her settle)

She fell asleep twice betwenn 7pm and 11.30pm for a max of 30mins each time...

IS THIS NORMAL?? If so for how long will things be like this where she continously wants to feed as opposed to every hour/2hours etc??

 

[Angelica]

Have been feeding since 10.45am & is still going!
Everytimee she comes off she isnt looking/sounding at all content- in fact she cries!!!

Did u all go thru this?? where do u draw the line??

 

[Angelica]

also how am i supposed to express if she wants to suck for hours on end??

we are going out in a bit for a few hours and i was hoping to have some expressed milk for her to take with us but no luck!!

she has nodded off for a bit now- im sure she'll be up in a few mins- i tried expressing & nothings coming out!!!

 

[Carolyn]

i'm in the same boat angelica, i hope someone has answers for you.

 

[isil]

my hv said doing this in the evening is called 'cluster feeding' and means that the baby is trying to get ready to sleep for the night...so really it's a good thing! Alasdair is 5wks and 4 days now and I think it lasted for about a week with us (it was a long week) but I'm prepared for it to start up again. Like you, Angelica, eventually I decided enough was enough and gave him a bottle only for him to take 30mls of it and be sparko for the next 6-8 hrs! Now he doesn't cluster feed and wakes up every 2 1/2 - 3 hrs through the night. I think I preferred it when he was constantly wanting to be attached in the evening!

I hope you can persevere with it!

 

[isil]

oh oh and (just reread your posts) for all the massive eating during the day I was told not to persevere with it and after an hr - hr and a half just take him out and get him to sleep...I've found it works but I know other people will have different ideas (feeding on demand should be on demand I guess!)

But for me it's all about my sanity, I can't stand feeding for massive periods of time and I know that he's got some food in him (he possetts, has wet/dirty nappies) and from experience now, I know when he is just wanting to keep going for comfort really (again, I know others will disagree). One midwife I saw told me to top him up with formula if he doesn't settle after a good day time feed. It does seem to work but if you don't want to be constantly relying on it, I wouldn't start giving your LO it...we're kind of reliant on it now, which is fine for us - I am happy to mix feed...really really happy! My only issue is that he settles so much better after formula so it makes sense to feed him formula at night but I'd rather breastfeed at night and formula feed in the day but alas...I'm sure it'll sort itself out...

 

[Angelica]

this is getting really really upsetting now
am trying to feed her & she is wrestling with me going red in the face & pushing herself off!!! what does this mean??

 

[isil]

sometimes Ally gets himself into such a state that he does that and then I really just need to stop trying to feed him and either put him down for 5 mins or walk around with him (basically try to settle him a bit) and either try again or he'll fall asleep anyway. I'd ask the breastfeeding lady you saw about it though. I know it can be really distressing when they do that.

How are things today?

 

[Angelica]

i breastfeed her this morning at 6 & after 40 mins of what i think was good sucking she feel asleep & stayed asleep till 9am!
I was feeling more positive- however then I bf again at 9.30 and an hour & half later she was still not satisified so i had to give her formula as we were getting ready to go to a wedding & i simply couldnt sit there bf any longer!

gave her another fornula feed at the wedding (3.30pm)

Now we are back home i bf her again from 6.15-6.40 & she feel asleep didnt appear to want any more milk or be woken up again.
I have noticed that when i get her to latch on now her mouth is open much wider & if it isnt i take her off & get her to latch again.
If she stays asleep now for a while then does that mean BF is improving? If so why was the 9.30am feed not successful??

 

[isil]

glad the formula worked for you

I know that with Alasdair sometimes when he's quite sleepy he'll feed and fall asleep but won't take as much as he could do...then when he is properly awake he is ravenous! Like I'll feed him for an hr (and get sick of feeding him) then I'll give him a bottle and he'll take 180ml (6 oz) and then still want boob for 5 mins before finally falling asleep!

I reckon if your LO is staying asleep now it means it's improving but you're probably the best judge of that. The wide open mouth thing sounds great. Ally is quite lazy with doing that - he knows the bottle is easier!

 

[Angelica]

LO was ok last night
bf her from 9pm-10pm, then she slept till 2.30am
2.30am-3.30 bf again. Slept from 4am-7.30am
7.30am-8.30 bf again. Slept till 9.30am

THEN IT STARTED GOING DOWNHILL


9.50am-11.30am bf but LO not getting satisfied. had to take her off at 11.30 as we weregoing docs. she whinged on the way there & screamed her head off on way back.

Started bf again at 12.30 until a few mins ago (1.45ish)
She was showing no signs of being full & when i took her off for a min she cried as if she hadnt had a feed!!!!!!!!

I AM NOW SOOOOOOOOOOOOO FED UP & STRESSED THAT I HAVE MADE HER 4OZ OF FORMULA!!
LOOKS LIKE SHE WILL FINISH IT ALL SO HAVE I JUST WASTED OVER AN HOUR BF HER????

I thought things were getting better as her latch looks better- altho my nipple is hurting a little!!!

WHAT TO DO??? IS IT TIME FOR ME TO ACCEPT THAT BF IS NOT WORKING????????

PS- HOW DO I UPDATE TITLE OF THREAD??

 

[claire1983]

Please try not to feel down - I know its hard but your baby is clearly feeding well at times - the fact that your nipple is hurting again sounds like there may still be probs with attachment and possibly supply due to bottle feeding - when she has her mouth wide open make sure her bottom lip is curled out - you may need someone else to check it for you. and that her toungue is coming forward to get a good seal - if it hurts break the seal immediately. Also as your baby has had the bottle it may of confused her a little bit - try to avoid using it unless you are really desperate as your supply will be affected and she will suck differently - its much harder work for your LO to suck at the breast so she may be being lazy as she is used to sucking lightly and getting a mouthful. Good luck - I would get hold of a breastfeeding supporter in your area to come and see you if you can.

 

[Samantha675]

I am not sure how old your Lo is, but the first weeks are like this, just work on being patient and try not to give her a bottle, I know it is hard. The more she nurses, the better your milk supply will be established. I remember the first 6-8 weeks I felt like I never left the sofa and my son was always on my breast, but it does get better. Some days he would just nurse for hours on end, and I just let him.

As much as I love BF I will be the first to say, it is hard, it is frustrating, it is difficult and at times I just wanted to cry. BUT, it is so worth the patience, the time, the frustration, the tears and I would never change one moment of it. I am quickly learning how fast my son is going to grow up, and it is those moments that I will always cherish.

 

[Angelica]

my LO is 5 weeks & 4 days old...
I know what ur saying & i have been letting her feed pretty much when she wants for as long as she wants but when she still isnt satisfied after an hour & half of sucking its so deflating!!

Did u both experience this too?? if i know its only for a few more weeks i can keep at it but right now i cant see light at the end of the tunnel...

 

[ryder]

I dunno hun!

I think you should go speak with a consultant about it if your that dead set on continuing on. I really do feel for you though, Ive been reading your posts for the past few weeks.

Its all well and good for people on here to tell you what works for them, but the thing is, everyone and every baby is different. What happens with one mother and baby may or may not happen with you. Im not trying to sound negative (I really do think BF'ing is great for people who enjoy it), I do wish you all the best in being successful as you obviously feel breastfeeding is so important.

You must do what you feel is right for you and your LO. And what you think will make you both happiest in the longrun.