Feeding Evie

[dannii87]

*Update 1*

Well, she's 5 days old now (day 2 of milk in!)

She hasn't had formula since 3am yesterday morning!! (She had a TERRIBLE night's sleep).

My milk flow is brilliant, but she's still not latching very well Her mouth is so tiny and my nipple is huge. They don't fit together well so this team work of breastfeeding is a little awkward right now!

I'm going to perservere as much as possible.

She's not sleeping very well either, so we co-slept last night.. I wanted to try and avoid this, purely for the reason that I don't want to make things difficult for myself as she gets older.

My nipples are so sore today. I've bought nipple cream so am trying that. Seems to ease the pain for a bit which is good! Hopefully my nips will toughen up soon!

Thanks for all the great advice ladies xxx

******************************************************************************************************************************************

I'm here at bloody last!!

I am REALLY struggling to BF... It's agony! Nipples are purple, swollen, cracked & bleeding a bit She won't latch properly (plus my milk isn't in yet so she's constantly hungry).

I know people say "perseverence is key" but when is it time to call it a day?

I really want to BF, so at the moment I'm offering her boob first, usually on there about 45 mins, then I'll cave in to a bottle (hopefully this will only be til my milk comes through). It's stilll stimulating my nipples and giving her some colostrum I guess?!

Any advice? I'm using Kamillosan cream on the nipples at the moment, and Mum is buying me some nipple shields which I might try later...

xxx

 

[fran_23]

Welcome Dannii at last!!

sorry hun i only breastfed for 5 days so cannot help you there..but i bet loads of other mummies have lots of top
tips for you!

 

[Magic Monkey]

Sorry I can't help either! I think that from what others say you just need to persevere through the pain and it gets better.

But I just wanted to say congrats and Evie looks gorgeous!

 

[purple13]

hey honey - welcome

firstly, if you really want to breast feed, now is the time to get really pig-headed and stubborn about it.

in connor's early days, he really really struggled to latch. he ended up on formula a few times simply because he wasn't getting anything from me and was screaming with hunger.

it took soooo much perseverance, and eventually nipple shields - mine are too small for him to latch without - (and a stage of me really disliking my own baby cos he yelled at me for trying to bf him )- for something so natural, it ain't half hard sometimes.

the nipple pain WILL get better, it just takes a while for them to toughen up - hang in there!! try lansinoh (expensive but worth it), and leave your boobs out in the open air as much as poss. when your milk comes in, rub that into your nipples too. take paracetamol & ibuprofen for the discomfort.

keep doing what you're doing - let evie spend as much time on your boobs as you possibly can bear, and only give her the formula if she's screamingly desperate and you can't take any more. babies are born with reserves of everything - it what they live off til your milk comes in, so she won't starve.

all i can say hon, is that it is really hard when you're sore and tired and your baby is also struggling BUT if you can stick it out, persevere and get through those early days, its one of the best things ever.

PM me if you want my number and want to chat or need help?

also, see if your midwives can help with evie's latch? mine came round every day for the first week to help me and give me support.

good luck and lots of love mummy-dannii

 

[dannii87]

Thank you so much!!

Okies, really hoping there is some miracle cure lol. Can I put ice on my nipples to ease the pain between feeds or will that interfere with the milk flow?!

xx

 

[dannii87]

hey honey - welcome

firstly, if you really want to breast feed, now is the time to get really pig-headed and stubborn about it.

in connor's early days, he really really struggled to latch. he ended up on formula a few times simply because he wasn't getting anything from me and was screaming with hunger.

it took soooo much perseverance, and eventually nipple shields - mine are too small for him to latch without - (and a stage of me really disliking my own baby cos he yelled at me for trying to bf him )- for something so natural, it ain't half hard sometimes.

the nipple pain WILL get better, it just takes a while for them to toughen up - hang in there!! try lansinoh (expensive but worth it), and leave your boobs out in the open air as much as poss. when your milk comes in, rub that into your nipples too. take paracetamol & ibuprofen for the discomfort.

keep doing what you're doing - let evie spend as much time on your boobs as you possibly can bear, and only give her the formula if she's screamingly desperate and you can't take any more. babies are born with reserves of everything - it what they live off til your milk comes in, so she won't starve.

all i can say hon, is that it is really hard when you're sore and tired and your baby is also struggling BUT if you can stick it out, persevere and get through those early days, its one of the best things ever.

PM me if you want my number and want to chat or need help?

also, see if your midwives can help with evie's latch? mine came round every day for the first week to help me and give me support.

good luck and lots of love mummy-dannii

That is a huge help! Thank you so much. I'm really determined, and she's getting a good go on the breast, but it's just doing nothing for her. Also, she won't open her mouth very wide and just sucks the nipple (OUCH!!)

I guess it might get a bit easier once the milk comes in? xx

 

[abcd1234]

. Can I put ice on my nipples to ease the pain between feeds or will that interfere with the milk flow?!

Cold things are recommended for soothing, my breasts get extremely hot when they're very full, so ice would probably help. Warm water, like a warm shower are also good (if you get the opportunity for one)

I had blisters on my nipples from where she was sucking so much before my milk came in, does it get less painful a bit after shes latched on? if not she may not be on properly.

My milk came in after 3 days but it may take longer, for those first 3 days i spent pretty much all the time she was awake feeding her, unfortunately thats how it is and you may find that if you really want to persevere with BFing you might find yourself in bed with Evie for a few days, it's quite nice bonding though and if your mum's around ot make sure you'r fed and watered you should be fine.

Hope it's sorted soon.

 

[purple13]

ice won't interfere - just make sure you wrap the cubes in a tea towel or something though hot flannels are also v soothing

i also meant to say, do you have a breast feeding cafe near you? i go to one every monday and its great for help and advice, and support from other mums too. i started going with connor when he was 4 days old and not feeding - my milk suddenly came in half way through my first session; it spurted out and hit another mum on the other side of the room

my milk coming in made it easier (in that i expressed and gave him that rather than formula) but our problem was always the latch and this wasn't solved til we moved to shields full time - we didn't do this til he was 1 month old and still less than his birthweight, due to discouragement about shields from all the professionals. i wish i hadn't listened to them - they even wanted me to give him formula rather than use the shields connor just couldn't get my nips far back enough in his mouth - they'd get crushed on his hard palette which was painful for me, and unsatisfactory for him - no amount of latching-on practice was ever going to solve our problem. the lesson there is to go with your instincts and don't take everything the health visitors etc say as gospel.

time is the biggest cure for the sore nips... shields may well help you in the meantime though

good on you for being determined that will get you a very long way - and there are lots of people here who will help and keep you going, like they did for me.

 

[MissSara]

Welcome hun,
Can't offer you much advice because we only breast fed for around 2 weeks, like you i was having problems with him latching on and being a hungry baby he wasn't getting enough from me.

I hope Evie gets better at the booby feeding and it isn't causing mummy to much pain xxx

 

[sparky]

The lansinoh stuff is ace, plus you can use it on bubs too on occassion. I would say hang in there hon, perhaps think about expressing if she cant get enough nipple in...? Perserverance is the key, i'm still grieving the loss of bf and not being able to do it, but you are giving Evie colostrum which is the most precious stuff of all!

 

[maybebaby]

Hi Dannii great to see you in here!

For the breastfeeding to work you may have to drop the formula completely. It's really agony for the first couple of weeks (I remember posting on here that I wanted to quit when he was about a week old), even if the latch etc is perfect. When your milk comes in it's likely to be even worse for a day or two but it WILL get better and it's so worth it!

I found that the Avent nipple cream worked well for me, also your colostrum will help so try squeezing a bit out onto your nipples & leaving your top & bra off if you can.

With regards to the latch, get a breastfeeding counsellor to come see you. Ask your midwife when she comes round as I found it a real help & reassurance. She can show you different holds as well to help with the latch.

Remember you can take ibrufrofen now so take it as often as you can for the first few days.

Good luck hun, you CAN do it!

 

[ASD123456]

Oh god, I remember the pain in the first couple of weeks- my nipples stung so much and LO was on my boobs constantly It was bloody hard work but you've got to curl your toes and leave them feed away, I used to dread feeds- there were a few times I know I would have quit if I'd had bottlefeeding parphanalia here. You need to be stubborn and keep at it. As much as it's hard to believe you will come out the other side and will be so, so proud of yourself when you do so and it is really something speacial.

As abcd mentioned- take to bed for a few days with Evie and just keep offering the breast, your milk should come in the next couple of days and when it does you need to build up the supply which feeding often will ensure.

Ice will help the pain in between feeds but not just before a feed and it will slow down your milk flow, they suggests warmth to speed this up.

Good luck, keep doing what your doing and it will get easier I promise you

Alex xxx

 

[Neev]

Dannii keep at it...I have been breastfeeding properly for 3 days now, Aaron is only 5 days old now but the first 2 days was very difficult, he was only getting colostrum and on advice at the hospital we gave him the insta SMA feed 15 ml through the syringe (without the needle)

Then when home we had to do that same process once again because he was very hungry but then from 3rd day he started latching on. Everytime I have to breastfeed he takes about 30-45 mins being frustrated, screaming, crying etc but since yesterday things are better...when he cries a lot or doesnt latch on then we give him and me a break for 15 mins, and try again. Ultimately we are going to continue to try and try .... it will work. So dont give up..the soreness I hope it will go soon too but have been adviced lancinoh by MW..havent tried it yet but she has left me a sample today...if it works will buy a tube soon from pharmacy

good luck BF..it seems to be such hard work....

 

[Squiglet]

Hi Dannii.. welcome to having a baby... I think bfings a great adventure in learning to be a mum because you have learn to be pig headed and that will stand you in good stead for the future...

You don't need to top Ellie up atm... Babies actually don't need milk for the first few days of their life. All babies are born with something called brown fat which is there for them to live off until the milk comes in and at the moment adding formula is a dangerous thing to do...

Its totally normal for newborns to feed all the time. a) it helps toughen up your nipples quicker, b) it tells your body to produce milk asap. What formula serves to do it tell your body that you don't need milk and slowly your milk supply dwindles and you will eventually end up giving formula everyday. Its ultimately your choice on whether you bf'd or formula feed, but if you really really want to bf'd you need to avoid formula. A newborn baby should be on the boob all the time, not have a feeding schedule of 2 to 3 hours, thats something that can only be applied to bottle feeding. The problem is bottle feeding has become the "norm" and this means that even the medical profession are ignorant as to the normal processes of a newborn breast feeding.

Tbh it sounds like your latch is wrong with Ellie... You need to make sure that the dark area around your nipple is mostly in her mouth and that her chin is pointed upwards. Nipple shields have been known to be great... I couldn't get on with them, but they are not for everyone... but I found laniosh put on all the time a great help and its safe for baby too Breast feeding is a skill, and both mummy and baby need to learn it. This pain passes, I promise and it will get easier if you can get the latch right so I'd suggest going to a bfing cafe or group to help out.

Anything hot and cold will help soothe the pain... I used to love warm flannels on mine.

I don't think that there is anything more wonderful than sitting or lying down with your newborn breastfeeding. Try co sleeping to get some sleep, co sleeping encourages bfing and increases a mothers milk supply as well as a mothers temperature alternating in order to keep baby at the correct temperature...there is this thing about SIDS, but babies who have never been breast fed are 3 times more likely to die from SIDS than their bfing counter parts... The new research suggest that this is due to gut flora not being present in bf'd babies, that they get from formula.... http://www.whale.to/v/reisinger.html ....

Plus you don't lose weight having mummy cuddles all day if you are bottle feeding...and mummy cuddles are the best.

Don't make your goals at bfing too long... plan to get to 3 weeks, and if you get there plan to get to 6 weeks, then 3 months etc etc.... We often feel disappointed when we make goals for ourselves that we can't keep...and this protects you for this.

Remember almost 99% of all women who quit breastfeeding before 6 months do so because at some point they have received bad advice or lack of support either from the medical profession, their families, their partners, their friends, society in general... the other 1% were unable to breast feed due to no milk coming in at all (a very rare condition) having an infectious illness such as HIV, medication that can be transferred adversely through the breast milk. The medical community still remain grossly uneducated about breastfeeding and continue to apply formula feeding rules to breast feeding.. and the UK in particular has terrible rates because of this... So get as much support as you can as that will help you continue.

But the best bit of advice I've heard is give the information to mothers on BOTH formula and breast and let them take the decision as mothers of their children... after making these sorts of decisions is what you will be making for the rest of your life... well for the next 16/18 years

Right I'm off now after my stupidly long post... trala la tralala....

 

[KERRYGOLD00]

.

 

[Charlie:-)]

Lots of brilliant advice here and I just want to add that Lansinoh Nipple cream worked wonders for my cracked bleeding nipples. £10 a tube but very worth it in my opinion. Put it on after every feed and mine cleared up within a couple of days.

Good luck and stick to it, it really is worth it in the end.

 

[valentine]

Hey Dannii!!

Please please please please (can't say that enough) resist the tempation to top up - I promise you that Evie is not starving. This time is CRUCIAL is stimulating your milk supply and demand and any topping up you do may be adversly affecting your milk supply or your milk coming in. It is so hard and so sore, but ultimately worth all the pain and suffering - I promise, and it does get much much easier (easier than formula some say).

Your determination is great, but if you want to breastfeed you need to pull those extra reserves of energy out and ride out the pain and the tiredness and just grit your teeth and get on with feeding, feeding, feeding - 24/7, no schedule, just feeding, feeding, feeding.

Its not time to call a day if you really want to breastfeed honey - she's just 2 days old - give it some time and see it through. I think its definitely time to see a b/feeding cousellor (this is crunch time), google b/feeding counsellors in your local area and get someone around to see you pronto (tomorrow is not too soon) and bug your midwife to keep checking your latch, it definitely sounds like she's not latched properly.

Lots and lots of love to you Dannii - you can do it. PM me anytime for help or support.

Valentine Xxx

 

[maria1976]

keep going Dannii you can do it,i felt the same but perservered and now im 10 months down the line and still feeding

xx

 

[BabyMagic]

I know it can be hard in the first few days and weeks, but just keep it going

It WILL get easier once you get over the worst. Not that I want to worry you further but when the milk came in my boobs were extra sore for about two days and kept leaking like mad - just wanted to let you know so that it won't be a shock for you...

I am with the others you don't need to top her up - just keep stimulating those boobies!!!!

I look forward to reading how you get on. I know you can do it, and will become one of the girls here giving support to others in a similar situation xxx

 

[BabyMagic]

I forgot to say that one of the best advices given here is to spend a day or two in bed with your baby so that feeding is easier and that you remaiin relaxed - just watch some films and feed her as often as she wants. Hope this will help you nipples to harden as well. This will help with bonding as well