Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... newborns!

[aliss]

So, Philippe is doing fantastic, he has only lost about 90 grams by 3 days (my milk came in early).

But holy hell I am TIIIIIIIIIIREEEEED. Cluster feeding all night, won't be put down, you know all that stuff. My boobs are so small, I can't seem to grasp the side-lie position. I'm doing the best I can by cosleeping etc but yah, I'm tired

He's 5 days now.

 

[Sproglet]

I can't do side lying either, LO struggles to latch at the best of times. But I have found if I nurse her till she falls asleep, then lay down and press her back onto my boob, it settles her really quickly and she seems to sleep well (her favourite sleeping position is on the boob, but then I don't get any sleep!)

 

[Casey3]

Yay congratulations!

Oh the newborn days Enjoy though, I miss those lonnnnnnnnngggg sleepy clusterfeeding sessions (although I never thought I would have said that at the time )

 

[Ethereal]

I cant get the hang of side lying either which is frustrating,
she ends up nearly suffocating because I have big boobs and she can't pull back as well as when we are upright.

It's very tiring, but I'm getting used to it. I'm often still half asleep while I feed her, there's been times I can't even remember waking up to feed her!

 

[x Michelle x]

Aw you had your LO, congrats!

 

[Twister]

Side lying is actually the easiest position for us, and my boobs aren't especially big, trying to get the hang of doing it sitting up so we can nip (can't exactly lie on a table in a restaurant to feed her) but it's hard. Hoping as she gets bigger it will get easier.

 

[Agcam]

I used to struggle with side-lie as well, until my boobs suddenly ballooned.
What helped me was to make a little "platform" for him by folding up a blanket and covering it with a cotton sheet. When he lay on that, we were able to side-lie. Worked a treat!

 

[Maviyildiz]

Congrats! I could never do side nursing in the early days... well i could but only if a third person helped me get arranged! Now at almost 5 months we are just starting to get the hang of it.

 

[aliss]

How do you guys stick to this when you're going nuts with night insanity? I have a 2.5 year old so I can't just sleep when the baby sleeps...

 

[Leids]

I didn't really get the hang of side lying feeding for the first month, it's a little bit odd to get used to. I would just bed share, sit up to feed, then go back to sleep. He wasn't awake very often though and 9 times out of 10 he would fall asleep right after he ate.

I think it took a week or two for the feeds to go from insane length of time to not so long. The 3 week growth spurt made me want to claw my eyes out again, but that didn't last very long. As soon as the 3 week growth spurt was over, it was smooth sailing and everything got a lot easier.

 

[patch2006uk]

I still struggle to feed LO lying down-it just doesn't work angles-wise.

Do you have support during the day? As awful as it might feel to dump your eldest off on someone else, you need to rest. My OH is taking the first 6 weeks off to help out, and I imagine a big part of that is going to be dealing with Isaac during the day when I've had a crappy night.

If you don't have help, can you all watch a film together? Something to keep a toddler entertained, but you can switch your brain off and either doze or feed, whichever the little one wants?

The first weeks of BFing are pretty hellish, but it does get better! Good luck and hope you get some rest soon!

 

[aliss]

Thanks girls!

I do have help, my OH is home, the problem is our little place is so small that I just can't sleep in the day as there is so much noise etc. And tbh my body won't let me.

Actually we did great last night after a slight mental breakdown of me screaming at OH to go buy formula and him refusing .... lol .... LO slept 2 hour stretches at a time and settled pretty well inbetween so I feel good.

 

[vintagecat]

I've been busy and offline with a fussy baby and missed congratulating you! I REALLY do not miss the newborn days at all, so I sympathize a lot. I'm small-chested as well and have to say that side-lying gets a lot easier when they get a bit bigger. I propped up a few blankets under my daughter to help her reach my chest. Maybe that will help!

Also, I know it's incredibly difficult with lack of sleep right now, but try to hold off on formula for a while if you can! I resorted to using formula once a night for a short while and it created a lot of problems with my supply. I ended up producing way too much milk and had to get everything back to normal. It took weeks and resulted in Penny gaining weight very slowly.

 

[aliss]

Thank you!!! I know I know, the formula is such a dangerous slope, I know better but it's hard to be rational at 1am. Fortunately, I live in such a small town with limited hours so I wouldn't have been able to go buy any if I had wanted!!!

I do keep a can of Alex's old soy formula (expired can) in the cupboard... not to use of course lol, but it is there to remind me of why I am doing this.

 

[vintagecat]

We had a can for emergency use too, and I was fortunate enough to wait until she was at least 6 weeks before I felt like I was going crazy. The 6 week growth spurt is the worst one, but if you survive it, you can handle anything. Looking back, I seriously can't believe I pushed my way through it. Very proud of myself now for being so determined. My husband was very, very supportive too. He knew how much I was struggling, but was always telling me how great I am doing and please keep trying for her! I don't think I could have done it without him giving me the push. I know some women would probably be upset and consider it 'pushy', but I really do need that type of motivation at times.