Struggling with breastfeedig

[hello1231]

Hey I am really struggling with breastfeeding

It's sore, uncomfortable and I can't get the latch correct despite trying so many tips !

Now I am thinking of leaving it n going to bottles ..

It's only been 5cdays should I give it longer?

Or best thing to go to bottle as I am
really really not enjoying breastfeeding

 

[Shepherdess]

Obviously donwhat makes you happy but I'd try and give it a bit longer. It's all new and you've both got to et the knack of it! I remember wanting to cave 6 days in but my oh refused to go and buy formula and I'm so glad he did. 8.5 months in and I'm so happy and proud of myself! You can do it!

 

[Phoenix85]

Please keep trying tonight. The worst thing ever is giving up in the heat of the moment especially on a night if LO has been unsettled and feeding lots.

Do you have any numbers of support you can contact?
If you google 'breastfeeding support' and your area/town you should find something. Or phone your maternity department and ask to speak to the Lactation Consultant or Infant feeding co-ordinator. (First thing in the morning as they probably won't be able to get hold of anyone tonight)

It can be really hard in the early days, but once you get the hang of it it is SO easy and so much less hassle than bottles.

If you need to give yourself a break you can either express or use formula and give the milk to your baby off a spoon or even drip fed from your finger.
But please do seek some trained breastfeeding help before giving up completely. 5 days is so very early.

Hope you have a good night and can get some rest.

 

[Phoenix85]

Also, if all the markers are "right" - your baby is facing your breast with their head & spine straight, hips and shoulders in line, nose to nipple, nice wide open mouth etc, and you are still sore and the baby is not feeding effectively, you may want to check for tongue tie.

It's possible that as it's all new to you both it's just taking a bit of getting used to. Also babies have small mouths and it can be hard getting them to open wide and take a good amount of areola.
But, if all that looks good it is worth ruling out tongue tie. If it does turn out to be that, the midwife can usually snip it or refer you to have it snipped and the earlier it's dealt with the quicker and more straight forward that is.


Have you looked at any pictures of what optimal attachment looks like? I can post some pictures/diagrams up if you think it might help (but obviously if you have stuff like that and are already following the diagrams etc there's no point in that).

 

[kumber]

It takes time to get your latch right, has tongue tie been ruled out? We are 5 months into ebf and I can hand on heart say it's been one of the most exhausting, challenging and painful thingsI have ever done but ohhhh it is so worth it!

On days 3-5 your milk is coming in so your boobs are engorged and painful, you're so exhausted and isolated, and all you want to do is sob. It DOES get better! Once your supply regulates at around 12 weeks, it becomes MUCH easier.

If it's becoming too much then switch to bottles, if you feel that would make things easier for you. But if there's even a little bit of you that wansts to persevere then please do!!! Pop me a message if you ever need a moan or a rant or whatever

 

[kellylou]

I'm on day 5 I feel your pain. Ultimately only you can decide things should get easier now as milk came in today, my nipples unfortunately cracked despite constantly using lanolin then the pressure from milk coming in but now things are settling down. It does get better if you want to carry on look for a local sipport group we have one where ppl will spend time one to one. Don't put too much pressure on yourself tho as being stressed won't help x

 

[beanie5]

I struggled with it too, I stayed an extra day in hospital after lo was born to try and sort it out but I'm not sure it helped. The midwives said that everything looked good however it was agony and both nipples were dry cracked and horrid. At day 5 appt a midwife suggested I get some nipple shields to use until they were healed which I did and in the meantime I tried different positions and have found that just changing the position I feed her in has had a huge effect and it no longer hurts! We're still getting used to it so not every feed goes swimmingly but I'm no longer getting constantly damaged
If you get LO checked for tongue tie and all is well it might be worth testing different positions to see what works for you both

However if you feel you'd rather go onto bottles there's nothing wrong with that either

 

[Maud]

Well done for persevering so far. If you can manage to then I would recommend keeping at it. Despite being the natural way to feed a baby it really doesn't come naturally a lot of the time and can take some time to get the hang of. Having a good support network will really help so, as others have said, look for some breastfeeding groups near you if you haven't already - the NCT often offers support as do some hospitals and even specialist baby cafes. And people on here can also reassure you that, while not being easy, it will get better.

 

[El1en]

How are you feeling today?

Keep going if you can! The first week is the toughest but it gets easier and easier, after 4 weeks it's so much better. Use plenty of cream and if you can let your nipples air dry. If your really struggling give your hv a call and she should be able to offer advice or point you in the right direction. I remeber finding it tough the first couple of weeks but I'm so glad I kept going

I hope you're doing better today

 

[kellylou]

Have you got some lanolin? Smother your nipples to help soothe x

 

[SAHF]

Hey I am really struggling with breastfeeding

It's sore, uncomfortable and I can't get the latch correct despite trying so many tips !

Now I am thinking of leaving it n going to bottles ..

It's only been 5cdays should I give it longer?

Or best thing to go to bottle as I am
really really not enjoying breastfeeding

If you want to BF, then I would say keep at it. I have had issues with the latch to the point where we ended up giving her formula to top our little girl up between the feeds I could get her to latch on to. Since then I have also changed the technique I use to BF and it has massively helped, and now at most she has one bottle a day.

Whereas before I concentrated on what everyone tells you you should do i.e. bringing baby to breast etc, I now bring my breast to her. I have FF boobs and my milk hasn't fully come in yet - it has on left boob, not right due to issues with cracked nipples and latching problems! Now that I bring my boob to her, opposed to her to me, I find it much easier to get her to latch and control the feed. I do however have to hold my boob in position, as they tend to flop over her otherwise! I've also found a nursing pillow invaluable in positioning her.

I definitely second the suggestions of nipple creams (I find Lansinoh the best, I've tried 3 so far!) and calling your community midwives - I had ours out two days in a row to help as I was an absolute state and emotional wreck!

Whatever you decide to do, I hope things get easier soon x

 

[Karenb]

At this point in bf I was crying at every feed and wanted to stop every day. I kept at it.. Now at almost 8 months I'm soooo glad I did!! I got bf support to come out to me and they were rest. My lg was heckled for tongue tie a few times but I went to a specialist and yup she had it, but was far back. It's worth getting checked. Do whatever you feel most comfortable with, it's your decision and either way, your baby will be happiest if you are happy, whatever method you use xx

 

[hello1231]

Hello ladies on day 15 now finding it a lot easier but very time consuming!

Thank you for you advice everyone! I have decided to instead start topping him up on formula, but how does that work ?
Just choose a time in the day and use forumla ?

 

[Maud]

Well done for persevering. It is time consuming but these early weeks are so important for building up your supply. If you are adding formula to top up your supply, bare in mind that replacing a feed will tell your body to make less milk so if you wanted to breastfeed it would be better not to give formula. If it is to give yourself a break then evenings and nights are the most important feeds for your supply so try not to replace any of those with a bottle. You might find yourself quite uncomfortable at first though so may need to express when you miss a feed; but you can give baby that milk in a bottle so they still get the benefits.

 

[hello1231]

thank u will keep that in mind not saying 100% that I will do mix but was just looking at my options!

 

[tiggy85]

The length and number of feeds will get less as they get older. So it will be less time consuming in the future....

Obviously as maud says topping up with formula will reduce your supply. Once your supply is more established (usually after 6 weeks or so) then it is easier to increase and decrease your supply and add in formula if you want to mix feed. In the early days it can be harmful to your long term milk supply to add formula. Stick with it if you can. It sounds like your doing really well and things have already got easier and better xxxx

 

[Karenb]

It feels like it's all you ever do in the early days! But becomes so much quicker and easier. Getting baby used to bottle fairly early on is useful, my lo wouldn't drink from bottle at all until 7 ish months and still only has a tiny amount so it's quite restrictive.

I don't want to stop feeding my lo now- never thought I'd say that!

 

[msjenny]

Hey I am really struggling with breastfeeding

It's sore, uncomfortable and I can't get the latch correct despite trying so many tips !

Now I am thinking of leaving it n going to bottles ..

It's only been 5cdays should I give it longer?

Or best thing to go to bottle as I am
really really not enjoying breastfeeding

I will have my baby in june and i am affraid of BF as well. I keep my fingers crossed for you. let us know if you improve or switch to the bottle and how is your little one with that.