Feeding Evie

[happy-chick]

Congrats Danni!! Evie is beautiful!

Your doing really well, the others have given really good advice and I cant really expand on that other than to say that I do know how u feel, reading your post reminded me of how hard it is to breastfeed at first. Stick at it, dont be too hard on yourself and let Evie lead... in a few weeks time you'll be an expert Good luck hun xx

 

[charlie84]

I think everyone has covered it all TBH Hang in there hun the pain does eventually get better
Ask your midwife if she has any samples of Lanisoh it is great stuff. I still have quite a few sample sachets if you want any sent. But you will probably want some cream sooner then the post can deliver. PM me if you want them

 

[soverign]

Hi Danni! Welcome! I cant offer you any advice but I am sure you will get all the advice you need in here!

 

[Urchin]

Hiya Danni, you have been given some GREAT advice so far, it DOES and WILL get MUCH better, these first few days are the hardest, and your nipples may well be sore for a couple of weeks (nipple cream, air- take your bra off when you can, and actually leaving your milk to dry on them will help)
I would hate for you to give in now and regret it like so many others have, I have totally been there and understand the pain and the worry re: feeding, but your body knows what to do, I wouldn't bother topping up, I never did and milk generally takes 4 days to come in.

Remember, topping up may also not help the sore nipples as she will be trying to latch on to a bottle and start chomping your nipples wrong! Honestly, let mother nature take over and in a week or so you will reap the rewards, I promise!

pm me any time

 

[purple13]

how's it going today hon?

 

[monster_munch]

welcome chick!
Green bean was much the same in that he was lazy and wouldn't open his mouth very wide. You've got to have the confidence to resist the urge to let then latch the second they open their mouth. Squeeze some milk so that it sits on the end of your nipple and tickle her top lip with it. Keep going until her mouth is opened as wide as it will go. Takes a while and is frustrating for you both but you will notice the difference when her mouth is open wide. It won't hurt your nipples but you wil feel it almost pull the inside of your boob- hard to explain but you'll know it when you get it right xx

 

[jennywren]

Get some savoy Cabage and stick em in the fridge, peel a couple of leaves off and put em in your bra .... pure bliss!! (dont get normal cabage or the heat from your boobies will cook it ) Savoy cabage was the only thing that worked for me really!

No other advice as I only manage a few weeks hun but wanted to wish you good luck and and to say at the end of ther day if you feel you need/want to switch on to formula for your own reasons, thats cool dont beat yuourself up over it, Evie will love you & you her just the same and you will form the same bond!!

 

[dannii87]

I'm going to update 1st post and rename the thread "Feeding Evie"

Thank you SO damn much for all the advice ladies, I needed to hear your supportive replies to keep me focused - eye on the prize and all that! xx

 

[Redshoes]

Whatever you do will be right for you and Evie, you need to feel happy and comfortable, no matter how that comes Take the lovely support from PF members here and let them be there for the tough times, but at the end of the day, you're Mummy, you know best, and only you are there 24/7 for her so be there happy, very very best wishes, so glad you are both home now too

 

[valentine]

Hey Dannii,

You are doing BRILLIANTLY! What a superstar! You sound so much more positive and happy than your earlier post, a couple of weeks tops and you'll have breastfeeding cracked, I promise you!

I would still recommend you see a b/feeding specialist - you will have one or a few locally - to get your latch problems sorted. Is this possible? Are you following all the advice of lining up the areola with the mouth and doing tummy-2-tummy?

Please don't worry about co-sleeping just now - plently of time to break habits (if you want to) as she gets a bit older. If thats what it takes to build your milk supply and to help you both sleep, then go for it. Its all about survival in these early weeks.

You're doing so well and I am very very proud of you.

Valentine Xxx

 

[ASD123456]

Great news about not using the formula, you obv don't need it and it's best to not use whilst establishing BF. The nips will toughen up in no time at all.

I think co-sleeping is fine at the moment. Babies seem to love being close to their mummies when they are new, Rudy comes in with me at around 6am every morning and we have a few hours sleep together- I love it. When OH is out at night I have him in bed with me from the start of the night, it's lovely to be so close to them and at this point they are too little to kick and wriggle about so we shold make the most of it.

I agree with Valentine, you sound much more positive about the BF, trust me it'll keep getting better and better and the hurdles you have in later weeks won't be anywhere as difficult as these initial ones.

Well done

 

[lfc_sarah]

Well done for persevering with it

Its so hard in the beginning but when its established it gets so much easier

Callum wouldnt latch on for ages either... he was so small and couldnt get the hang of it
So i expressed while he was in SCBU and kept trying him on the breast

Eventually he got it

 

[happy-chick]

Your doing so well Danni, well done

Just remember that Evie is learning just like you, once you both get the hang of things you'll find things become alot easier. This is the hardest time, perseverance is the key and i promise you its worth it and does get alot easier

I agree with Valentine, at the beginning I had problems with getting Ellie to latch & as a result of her latching incorrectly I ended up in agony... I took a trip to breastfeeding support and i soooo glad I did because it helps me so much & I dont think I would have still been breastfeeding if I hadnt gone to the support group that day! Ask your Midwife/HV if your unsure of where your local group is.

Stay positive, give yourself a big pat on the back hun you deserve it Good luck xx

 

[lisa282]

Hey Dannii I dont really have any new advice that hasnt been said, but just wanted to add my encouragement, sounds like you are coping well so just stick with it. It is extremely hard in the first couple of weeks, battling the tiredness, sore nips, bad latch, etc, etc, but as everyone says it DOES get better. I breastfed my first baby so have found it much easier this time, but thats not to say it hasnt been sore or a struggle at times. But we have just gone through the 2 week mark this week, and almost immediately I have noticed an improvement. My nips are not so sore now, Eden is starting to latch properly by herself without me needing to help her, and now we are more settled my milk supply has evened out so my boobs are not swollen and hard all the time. In the first week she would feed for 5 minutes then fall asleep for a bit and feed again etc and just felt like she was playing with my boobs rather than feeding from them, but now has a good feed for about 20-30 minutes and that is enough to keep her content for a good 3 hours or so. We seem to have a good rhythm going now which suits us both, so trust in yourself and Evie that you will get there, it just takes practice

 

[Urchin]

well done

I would get yourself along to a support group or nag your MW

 

[sarah2807]

Hi Danni, don't worry about the co-sleeping...I did it for a couple of nights when violet was tiny cos she only slept while me or OH held her...she's fine now tho and hasn't slept in our bed for a couple of months. We struggled with the latching for a few weeks but you have to remember that the baby is learning too, now Violet can do it straight away and I'm really confident with bf, but I used to pretty much be a wreck with the whole situation and found it soooooooo hard.......keep perseveering and you'll get there and it's worth it when you do.

 

[abcd1234]

I'm glad things are looking better for you.

I wouldn't worry about co-sleeping, i never wanted to do it but now Tally spends from about 11-12 until 7-8 in her moses basket on her side of the room, then comes in to my bed for cuddles when she gets up, it's a great solution as we were in bed until 12:30 yesterday just cuddled.She's going to be a mummies girl as she spends 24/7 with me and it's only me at nights, and Evie will be the same, it'll be ok tho, and atm i love the fact that i can comfort her just by holding her as she knows its mummy.

I agree that you should try and talk to someone about your latch, they may be able to advise. i wouldnt worry about big nipples either, mine are huge yet she manages

 

[Tadpole]

Hiya,

I literally totally feel your pain... I was prepared for it to hurt but OMFG not as much as it did. I thought my nipples were being sliced off. As everyone says, lansinoh, air, & feed, feed, feed. It will pass but I have had to be at my most stubborn and nearly gave up at one point when I was practically biting my tongue off in pain. I really feel for you - but as already said get someone to help with the latch and it will pass. Good luck

 

[dannii87]

Oh ladies! You bunch are amazing, let me tell you! Really fantastic and so supportive, thank you so much.

Still no formula! She's feeding little & often (mainly because I don't think she's getting much out each time with not latching well and all that!) It's making me dread her next feed. Every time I hear her stirring I think "oh poo Give me another 15 minutes to mentally prepare for the torture, please?!" lol

MW is round tomorrow, they've been absolutely CRAP at helping me. In hospital, they fed her formula without even consulting me first I was furious. I'm going to ask her about a group like you suggest Valentine (thank you, your message was full of support )

OMG - Also, I expressed some milk the other day when I was REALLY struggling, it was only a tiddy bit But I asked my brother to feed it to her and top her up with formula, what did he do? He fed her formula FIRST. She wasn't hungry for the breast milk and because I had fridged it already, I had to pour it away.

My word! I sobbed pouring that stuff down the sink, I really sobbed! It was like watching £1M burn...!

xxx

 

[Redshoes]

Is there any breastfeeding cafe's near you Dannii? There should be some info in your maternity notes from hospital, or in your red book for Evie.. they're basically groups of Mummy's who meet up for a chat, in a community centre or church hall etc and who also breastfeed, so you can get advice, tips, support etc in a relaxed environment with other Mummy's, in your area (sorry if this has already been mentioned) and in respect of expressing, I tried it when Isaac was just in his first week and I got bu gga all too, but that doesn't mean Evie can't get what she needs, expressing isn't something that's generally recommended in the early weeks anyway, so its not a reflectin on anything that you didn't get lots out, it will still all go towards helping stimulate you though, and so its not in vain as it were Keep posting here if your HV is cra p, some are unfortunately, can you not still see a MW? Do you have a baby clinic where there are HV's and MW's? Might be worth a trip to see someone other than your allocated HV.. sorry for wittering, off now, and your bro is SO silly I hope you forgive him eventually