Whats going on...??? I could really do with some help please =(

[Shell N Bump]

Hiya,
I'll try and keep this short. My LO is 4 weeks old and I have been bf'ing her since birth, shes put on lots of weight and is generally a happy, chilled out baby. She got a cold over the weekend which cleared up within aboout 24ish hours. She did nothing but sleep yesterday which seem to clear her cold. Last night she didnt sleep at all. Shes had around 4/5 hours since yesterday evening. Shes slept for about a hour since around 2pm this afternoon (its not 9.40pm) so shes got to be so tired.
Like I said, she is normally so chilled out and happy but today all she has done is cry and at times scream. The only time she isn't crying is if she is latched on feeding/sucking. She has been constantly feeding since yesterday evening and now I am totally exhusted (I've had about 2/3 hours sleep since Monday night).
She usually goes down in her chair or crib awake and has a nap/goes to bed without any problems at all, and has been sleeping anything from 4-7 hours thru the night since a few days old.
All I keep thinking is that she is hungry.... so am I not producing enough milk for her? I have tried to express tonight just so I could maybe give it her that way to ensure she is getting enough to eat but I cant pump any off at all! Its got to a point where my nipples are killing me and feel like they are going to fall off.
I took her to the Drs this afternoon just to get her checked over to make sure she wasn't crying because she is ill, the Dr said she is ok, no signs of her being poorly.
I'm not sure what to do now, I was 100% that I was going to bf her for as long as I could (or until she got teeth and started biting me lol) but now I cant help thinking that I'm not satisfying her and maybe she needs a bottle? The thought of not being able to bf her makes me sad and guilty, I love feeding her
I'll add that when she feeds I can feel my milk come in and hear her swollowing, this goes on for only a few minutes then her sucking becomes slight, like shes comfort sucking and then she either comes off or falls to sleep. So i try and wake her up or I wind her and put her back on my breast. I feed her until she refuses.
Not sure what else to add for info, Any advice/ideas are greatfully welcomed x

 

[lisaf]

Hun, she is doing what is called 'cluster feeding'. This is actually meant to boost your supply, so supplementing with formula right now would actually hurt your situation.
Things DO get better, you're only 4 weeks in. 6 weeks is usually the turning point for most women.

You can use cabbage leaves from the fridge to soothe your breasts between feeds (some say this might hurt supply but my LC says that it shouldn't affect it much).

Use Lansinoh on your nipples or get the soothing gel pads which can aid in healing.

Hang in there! Your baby is doing exactly what she's supposed to to boost your supply. Get comfy and spend the day topless in bed with her if you can!

 

[Shell N Bump]

Thanks for your reply Lisa. You wouldnt be worried about her crying all the time unless shes latched on? She only ever cried at feeding time before so its horrid to see and hear her cry for the whole night and day like she has. Its tiring her and me out and I think I'm stressing myself out thinking that shes not getting enougn and that I'm doing something wrong! Tomorrow I am going to spend the whole day snuggled in bed with her, see if that helps xx

 

[lisaf]

I think it's normal for babies to cry when they are not getting what they need. What her body is saying is that it needs your breast, regardless if there is milk coming out. That drive signals is designed for you to be suckled more which tells your body to make more milk. As long as her weight gain is good and her output (wet diapers) is good, you are giving her enough.

 

[Shell N Bump]

Thank you so much, its made me feel a lot better to know whats happening is normal. I was really worried there was something wrong with her or my milk supply!
The lack of sleep really doesnt help, I've been pretty grumpy today with having no sleep and having 2 other children too.
I think the lack of support doesnt help. I havent been offered anything from my mw or hv. My hv said she was very pleased that Skye had gained lots of weight and said it looked like we were doing great and just gave me a leaflet about bf'ing. No real advice or support so we've had to figure it out on our own. Thank god for all the lovely ladies on bnb xx

 

[lisaf]

Happy to help hun... hang in there! Its hard to think straight when you aren't sleeping well.

 

[summer rain]

Lisa is correct so hang on in there; its possible that the residues of the cold virus are making her a bit unsettled still as well even if she seems completely better but this should also pass very quickly. Sadly most HVs and MWs are not trained regarding BF (or even infant feeding in general but because FF is more common in society some of them have learned about FF just from being around FF mums more) so they just give you leaflets; which isn't helpful at all is it? xx

 

[ashley2pink]

Is she wetting 6 diapers a day? If so, she's doing great. And your breasts will feel empty while she cluster feeds like that, because she is eating so often they arent having enough time for you to notice if they have milk. They do have milk its just hard to tell during cluster feedings. She will soon settle and nursing will go back to normal. She could be cluster feeding because she is still getting over being sick or because shes going through a growth spurt. Or both.

 

[Shell N Bump]

Thanks for your replies ladies

No the leaflets arent very helpful at all, theres one about a breasfeeding cafe near me but the address is just the shopping centre... how am i meant to find that! I think more people would stick at bf'ing if there was more support, I do feel completely left to it and when you dont know if your doing it right it can be very daunting and stressful.
I did think she may be having a growth spurt, I noticed a few of her newborn sleepsuits are getting a little too tight so that could be a reason why shes feeding constantly? She normally sttn but last night was up 3 times in 6 hours.

She is having lots of wet nappies, def more than 6 a day, she only had her nappy change a hour ago before a feed and a nap and its full already so thats a good sign

Am trying to take it one day at a time at the minute and hoping we've just had a bad few days

 

[lynnikins]

quite possibly a growth spurt hun

 

[Shell N Bump]

Thanks hun

 

[lisaf]

you're doing so good! And its so smart of you to come ask for help and not just assume it means you have to stop