Feeding the baby madness...

[KarenC]

Big hugs, sweetie. Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl. The early weeks are by far the hardenst, and you will feel like you can't cope, that baby doesn't like you, that you're a bad mummy etc. etc. but please remember it's NOT true! You are doing fantastically well and by trying to breastfeed your baby, you're giving her the best possible start, even if you end up FF in the end.

I had a similar experience to you, only my LO latched quite well but my milk didn't come in soon enough and she would fall asleep on the boob and not get enough. She lost a lot of weight in the first two weeks. I tried expressing in the early weeks and got very little, but don't let that dishearten you - it takes time for your milk to come in. Just keep at it if your nipples can take it. In the end, I was forced to top-up with formula, but I kept on breastfeeding and expressing after feeds. My tactic in teh end was to give 2oz of expressed milk or formula first, then latch baby on to fill her up, then express from the breast she had fed on. It's incredibly hard work and it's up to you if you want to persist. Good news is that by 8 weeks I had managed to drop all formula feeds and now she is exclusively breastfed. I still have to express and feed her some by bottle because she doesn't stay awake long enough on the breast to get full up, so it's still hard work, but it's been worth it for me and if I can keep it up until she is 6 months I shall be very pleased. So my advice is to keep pumping - it will come! - keep offering boob, don't increase your formula top-ups too much or you might decrease your own supply (maybe stick to 2-3oz per feed), relax, try to sleep, use lots of lansinoh, drink and eat plenty, forget the housework. Your most important role in the first six weeks is to establish your breastfeeding if you want to breastfeed. If it doesn't work out for you, don't beat yourself up over it - formula is just as good and you've given her the colostrum and a few days of breastmilk already, which is fab!!!

Good luck. Try to get some rest! xxx

 

[BevG]

yeah your doing great, get some sleep and try again it will come eventually, your milk will come in properly but it can take 10 days in some cases so do keep trying, formula isnt the end of the world, ive successfully combi fed for over 6 months now but at the start it was hard, latching was a mystery, my nips got ragged and sore and bled and i felt like i was attatched to a milking machine all the time lol. however you manage it just dont give up completely til your satisfied you have done all you can.

 

[babyem]

We're having latch issues too x

 

[Hope81]

She brakes my heart.... At every try I latch her she sucks like twice and she brakes the latch and then again and again until she gets all worked up..she ends up screaming and I end up crying my head out because she is crying...
I think I will stop trying to latch her ad I will only pump (providing that my milk will even come in...)
Currently pumping every 3 h both sides every time that I don't manage to larch her.( most of the times...)
Only getting like 10 ml out though...
What concerns me even more is that it looks like milk not colostrum but I got no engorged breasts at all
Me thinks that's the only milk that I will only get and I have to face the reality that I will ff..
Here comes the tears again.. Me crying yet gain...

Babyem sorry to he at you are having latch issues too I hope it will go ok

 

[kaytee11]

I had so much trouble latching that me & baby were so stressed i stopped. I just decided oe day that whatever they say about its babys best start in life its not worth it. At the end of the day i didnt want her first week in life to be full of her being agitated and having a mum who cried everytime she held her. That was not how i wanted to look back on the memories & im a true beliver in baby feels what you feel and i didnt want her feeling how i did. Its a new place for babies i wanted her safe, relaxed happy and most of all not hungry. XXX

 

[Esperanza84]

Ff is NOT the end of the world!! Your baby will be just fine on formula as well! And on the bright side, your oh can help more out!!

About your sore nipples, I would like to recommend breastmilk (squize some out and let it airdry) and if you want a cream, buy Brystcreme (at the drugstore), which is really good!!

About latching, could it be that your milk is coming out slowly so that's why she don't "bother" to latch properly? Ask your gp to prescribe "Syntocinon" - a nasal spray - it helped me a lot and my baby girl latched better and for a longer time as well!!

Hope you Get to rest and relax a bit!!!

Xx

 

[Binzy]

The first few days are so, so hard. Tears and frustration and confusion and non-stop worry are perfectly normal.
But try and get some sleep and forget about all the little things you 'should be getting round to'. Get lots of cuddles in, eat lots of tasty food and sleep when baby does. I found this really hard but it really is great advice. I used to feel guilty fir having naps but I felt so much better afterwards.
Best of luck, I hope your milk comes in soon xx

 

[Sunbeam638]

Hi hope, just reading through your thread. As you know I can't offer advice but wanted to say thinking of you, you sound like you are doing your upmost best so don't ever feel like a failure!

xxxxxxxx

 

[nhh04]

All the other ladies have pretty much said it already but I will just add that you really don't need to worry about other stuff. I'm assuming you mean housework etc. To be blunt - sod it! It can wait! The best way to be a super mum is to forget about everything but you and the baby. If anyone comes to ovisit, you hang on to LO for cuddles and love and let other people help you by doing the housework. Most people will offer to do a bowl of washing up, stick a load of washing on etc. If they don't offer, ask! Esp. if its grandparents - they sometimes don't want to interfere for fear of offending - its a fine line for grandparents!! Although they've come for their cuddles, if they knew how tired you are (they do, they've all been there!) they will gladly work to earn some baby cuddles.

BF for the first time is really, really hard. Its a skill you learn just like any other - it takes practice. When you feel up to it, find a local BF group. They really are the best support you will get for this and they usually have a BF counsellor to help you. Seeing how other mums do it in person is much easier than looking at a picture.

But, having BF two children and FF two, I can honestly say there really isn't any difference in bonding or development. The only difference I found was that I was a lot less anxious with FF - I couldn't BF no.s 3 and 4 due to medication. Starting to BF is an anxious time - am I doing it right? Is LO getting enough? Will my milk be enough? These are all questions we ask ourselves pretty much constantly until its established.

Please don't beat yourself up - its very early days, you are exhausted and unfortunately feeling like a failure is one of the normal feelings that come with the territory of being a mum - it doesn't go away completely, you just shove it to the back of your mind, crack on with stuff and hope it doesn't show its ugly head too often!

Take care, poppet! X

 

[Hope81]

Thank you girls, just tried a nipple shield and she latched perfectly and with the first try. she only was on the boob for like 8 min but that's the longest that we managed on those 4 days...

Is it ok I me to try to latch her every time with those and supplement with formula? I will keep expressing too of course.

 

[nhh04]

Yes, definitely. Whatever works for you. I would try just BF for the time being though. The more she latches on and takes milk, the more you will produce. Your body reacts to her demands. Now she has latched on, the milk producing hormones have been stimulated. Well done you!! x

 

[kaytee11]

Well done darlin xx

 

[knopk@]

Hi hun, my milk didnt come in until day 3 more like 4 and i was giving him formula after 6(!) hours on the breast one night.
Get your DH to take her and give her a feed whilst you get some sleep, its going to do you a world.of good. Stress doesnt help milk.either.
Big higs sweetie and remember, you are not a failure, we are.just wired to respond to their cry

Tapatalking so cant see signatures

 

[BevG]

you can use the shields every time, l maclean did for months, her G only got the hang of latching without them after 4 months or so lol but they managed to bf successfully with them so if it works then do it your doing so well and trying so hard that no matter what happens you will never be a failure as you have tried your hardest and thats what counts xx

 

[Hope81]

She latches with the shield but she let it go the very sec she realizes that she has to shuck more than one time to get sth out...
Lazy stubborn missy I have here

She uses medela bottles, calma bottles, Philips and close to nature ones with no problems and those calma ones are so damn hard to suck on them so I know she can actually do it shd just Dosent have the patience...
Currently I scooped her out of her swing while she was sleeping and latched her with a shield. She barely sucks but I can see milk in the nipple shield so she actually does it.
I just don't get it what I am doing wrong???
I am trying so so hard wish I could give her the best start but I can't see my milk properly coming only by pumping (I can only get like 20 per session )

 

[Emily0505]

Hun, whatever decision you make, you will not be wrong. If you bf, ff or do a bit of both whatever you decide to do will be the right thing

I have to combi feed as i dont have enough milk- the most i have ever got out when i express is 8mls so you are already doing way better than me!! The only reason i have kept going with the bf is because i enjoy it, otherwise the stress would have made me stop long ago!!! I have however stopped expressing because i hate it. I do it when i feel like it which is very rarely now.

I am secure in the knowledge that he gets at least a small amount of my milk which is good for him and good for me and he gets a good amount of formula which is also good for him and good for me, so everyones a winner! I find the bottle reassuring as i can see how much he gets. Although it takes a bit longer as you in effect feed twice, its the best of both worlds and i am happy to feed in this way.

It really is still early days hun so dont panic that you both havent got the hang of it yet- took me and Cam almost a week.

Make the decision that is best for both of you. You need to feel happy and as stress free as possible, as does she. Yes bf is best for her but remember your feelings aswell. In all honestly sweetheart, as i said at the start, you cant make a wrong decision so whatever you decide to do will be win win.

Being a new mummy is the hardest thing i have ever done in my entire life, but i wouldnt change it for the world.

XX