BF newbie, help or advice appreciated :(

[Heres Hoping]

Hi girls

My beautiful girl is a week old & is a little darling. But feeding is a big issue, she initially wouldnt latch on, was starting/stopping & sleeping. She wouldnt open her mouth wide enough so wasnt able to do a proper feed. I let like crap & such a failure. She was then put onto formula as she wasnt eating enough which still caused problems as she was too sleepy to feed.

Since coming home she was ff & i started expressing. I wasnt producing great amounts & she still wasnt latching. She seemed to thrive on ff & is gaining weight well. I kept at it & dare i say it i think we've turned a corner yest. She began latching on & doing so quicker & quicker, im so pleased!!!!!! . im still topping up with ff just to make sure she gets enough.

My question is how long should feeds be at 1 week, mind u we have only got going properly today??? Last feed took 1hr 1/2 & topped up with 30mls ff. Im currently on a feed as i type taking 40mins so far (on 2nd brest now) shes sleepy but still going at it

Also how long is it between feeds roughly?? Im such a novice so would appreciate any advice xx

 

[Heres Hoping]

Well she seemed to finish that earlier feed, took around an hour. Oh then gave her ff to t"op up" & she took full bottle. Im so upset & confused, does that mean for that hr of what i thought was bf was her just comfort sucking? It looked right, she sucked well & was content & sleepy afterwards, didnt seem to be left hungry. Cant understand why shed then take a full bottle straight after.

Thought we made progress today but im feeling disappointed again. Its causing me worry & now arguments between me & oh. I get the impression from him that he thinks bf is too much hard work & that least with formula u know were u stand. i think hed prefer to just ff for these reasons, like im continuing it for my own reasons & not babys. Im therefore alone in this & feel im pushing it yet everythings telling me it isnt working & is pointless. Im sitting here crying & feel like giving up now as im obviously just a failure, my baby must prefer the formula to my milk.

 

[Nicnax]

Try not to get disheartened- it is really hard going in the early days. Could it be that your milk is only just coming in? If you started with formula, it may be that your milk was a little delayed? If you can, try and get to a bf group- the support is invaluable, as it is so tough to start with, and isolating, as you are the only one that can feed.

I had similar conversations with my hubby when I was struggling- I think they don't understand why we would struggle when there is an easier option.

I know instinct is telling you to top little one up to make sure she is full, but this may be adding to the problem- the long cluster feeds are what signals your body to produce milk. Tipping up may be preventing this somewhere, although I totally understand why you want to do this.

You're doing great- any breastmilk you give your baby is great, so please don't beat yourself up for struggling. It is hard work, and we put so much pressure on ourselves.

 

[Becky1]

Like Nicnax has said you are doing great!

I really struggled in the early days, kept thinking about giving up or introducing one or two formula feeds. I didn't (mostly down to lo inability to take a bottle!), feeding has now settled down and is quite a lot easier.

You shouldn't need to top up, your body will respond to how much the lo feeds by producing more milk, this can often take a couple of days to even out to the right amount ie after a couple of marathon feeding days.

If you are just bfing the best way to tell she is feeding is if you are getting wet nappies and that she is gaining weight.

If you can get down to a bfing support group or speak to your health visitor / mew they will be able to help you and advise further.

It's a shame your oh isn't more supportive - bfing is never just for our reasons, there are so many benefits to the lo's (not to mention the money you save - £10/wk on formula!).

Keep going, it sounds like you are certainly on your way to cracking it! xx

 

[HL28]

Hun u are not a failure. Babies cluster feed in the evenings to up your supply so feeding almost constantly in the evening is normal!!!! Take the lead from lo and on demand if it's only ten mins after a feed so be it. In the early stages they can feed all the time. I basically feed my baby when she gets grizzly. It's always what I try first to settle her I suppose. Keep at it they get more efficient etc after about 6 weeks xxx