Struggling with Breastfeeding :(

[kanga86]

My lil man Harry is now 16days old and I am breastfeeding him. He has a bad tongue tie for which we are waiting for an appointment date from the hospital, but could still have a 2 week wait! The problem I am having is finding myself wanting to give up with the breastfeeding because I'm not sure how much longer I or my nipples can cope with the pain. I really want to be able to persevere through the pain, but knowing it could be another 2 weeks is a daunting thought! I want whats best for him and me and I'm reaching my breaking point. I know that he is getting plenty of milk off me as he has gained 1lb 1oz since being born. What helped u ladies keep going other than knowing it is the best thing for ur baby? Xx

 

[cosmicgirl]

Have you tried nipple shields hun? They have saved my life (and sanity) a few times xx

 

[Rowesb]

have you a local support group hun? what is causing the pain, are you nips cracked or is it the sensation? have you had your position and latch checked?
Sorry for all the questions,
I found a local breastfeeding support group helped as they were like minded iygwim, from that I trsined as a peer supporter too so if i can help in anyway
You are doing amazingly already hun,it sounds as though it just needs a bit of fine tuning, which can take time x

 

[beckyboo1]

Hey hub you're doing fab- I'm guessing you're already lathering on the lansinoh cream to help with your nipples?

Def get in touch with local bf group- your hv should be able to point you in the right direction

When I struggled with my Harry feeding in the early days I found changing positions helped di that he was sucking on a different part of my boob. So would do the rugby ball position or quite often have Harry sort of laid vertical on my boob xx

 

[BabyBrain]

I had major problems getting Albert to latch cos he had a small mouth, well to be fair he had a small head in general lol. I did give up cos of the pain and other reasons and I really regret it. There's nothing wrong with expressing and bottle feeding chick, it can be a bit trickier but at least LO is getting the best start and you can control the pressure with a pump. If you want to try bottles I really recommend the Mam anti-colic cos they are flat teats and are ideal for Albert. You have done really really well and given him a great start so far. BF can be incredibly hard sometimes, don't beat yourself up over it.

Definitely try a bf support group, I've heard they are fab xxxxxxxxx

 

[Spammy]

Hi sweetie. Your not on your own!! Getting Meri fed has been a massive drama for us. She had really bad jaundice and ended up with dehydration in hospital. As a result the paediatric docs got involved and put her on a strict routine to up her fluids. We had to express what milk I had then top her up with formula out of a cup in the hope that I could still breastfeed once she got better. She was having silly amounts of fluid and once she was better we had to halve them again!! We then had to try and get her sucking motion back on track so started feeding her with a tube pushed to the top of her mouth with my
Finger. When she sucked my finger the
Milk came through the tube. This was to get her to associate sucking with food. It was so tough but she is finally latching on. Only now she has cracked it she won't let go, wants to cluster feed and it's agony!!! I have blisters and yesterday resorted to nipple shields. But lansinoh is saving me and today I'm managing to grit my teeth and feed without the shields.

This information probably doesn't help much but just wanted you to know you are not alone. The pain and stress we put ourselves under to try and feed
Our babies is unbelievable!! I just tell myself that when we finally crack it it will be so worth it.

Also, I have been seeing the breastfeeding support midwife and their knowledge is unbelievable. Try and get through this rough patch and when your appointment comes through I'm sure they will help you so much!! If it wasnt
For her coming up with the tube/finger feeding I would have so given up and given her a bottle by now. I'm sure you will find them just as valuable.

Big hugsx

 

[Rowesb]

Well done Spammy x

 

[kanga86]

Have you tried nipple shields hun? They have saved my life (and sanity) a few times xx

I haven't tried nipple shields yet, I didn't know whether it would make feeding any easier or just confuse him. Might have to invest in some.

have you a local support group hun? what is causing the pain, are you nips cracked or is it the sensation? have you had your position and latch checked?
Sorry for all the questions,
I found a local breastfeeding support group helped as they were like minded iygwim, from that I trsined as a peer supporter too so if i can help in anyway
You are doing amazingly already hun,it sounds as though it just needs a bit of fine tuning, which can take time x

The pain is being caused by a bad latch, he will latch on fine and be ok for a few sucks, then he will lose the latch, then regain it in a vicious painful circle throughout the whole feed. I would try to get to a bf support group, but because of the c section I can't get to my local one, which would take me 2 buses to get to due to not being able to drive. Plus I'm not sure I could cope on the buses on my own at the mo.

Hey hub you're doing fab- I'm guessing you're already lathering on the lansinoh cream to help with your nipples?

yep, I have 2 tubes of Lansinoh on the go, one upstairs and one dwn. It definitely does help. I will be seeing my HV on Wednesday so I will see what she says, cos tbh the mw's that came out to the house did nothing to help with latching on or positioning.

Wow Spammy, u have done amazingly well to get breastfeeding ur lil lady. Makes my problem seem so trivial! It definitely is a mission to feed our LO's, especially when it should be so natural to do. I think the regular 1 1/2 to 2 hour feeds are starting to take their toll. Shame our DH's can't help out with feeding xx

 

[Rowesb]

who runs your support groups? might be worth phoning them. Advice for the time being, although if it a bad latch nipple shield might confuse issues, before trying them spend a few days skin to skin, don't worry about the house and get OH to sort meals out etc.... let him latch on his own: lay on your back, LO on your tummy, let him find his way to your breast, if he latches and it hurts take LO of immediately and start again, after a few attempts he may need guidance but WILL pick it up. Where abouts are you?

If you are on FB this group might help called Breastfeeding chatter

You have done really well, it does take time as it is a new and alien skill even though we were designed to do it (shame we don't come with a manual!!)

 

[Rowesb]

is there anyone who might be able to take you to the group, don't knock yourself, you issue is not trivial, and there is plenty that DP can do instead x

 

[Spammy]

Not at all trivial honey!! Any obstacle to feeding is a tough one to get over. Especially when your so tired and emotional!

I had my worries about breastfeeding but had no idea just how tough something so natural could be! Iv been close to giving up every day.

 

[l_maclean]

If the bad latch is caused by his TT I don't think that nipple shields are particularly likely to confuse the issue.

I used them for 4months with G, before she got the hang of latching (she didn't do it at all!!)

Xxx


On my iPhone - so cant see tickers

 

[Kirsty.Y.84]

Finn didn't latch at all for his first week, then in second week he wouldn't latch properly and omg the pain. I was in tears with the pain when he latched, it was so so painful. My breast feeding support group really helped, so if you can get there then I would as they can really offer lots of support.
The pain will improve as your nipples toughen but it will take a while.

As others have suggested, you could express and bottle feed as well, just to give your nipples a break. That's what I ended up doing.

Hope it improves hun xxxx

 

[kanga86]

Today has been a bit better as I have expressed my milk twice to give my right side a break, as it is the worst side. He seems to have coped well with the bottle and then still latching on ok on my left side. It's still uncomfortable on the left but much better than the right and I think I can keep this up until his tongue tie is sorted. Feeling more positive about it today, although it did upset me having to use a bottle today. Not sure why as it was my milk and it was lovely to see my DH feeding Harry, just need to remember it's what's best for me and him at the mo xx

 

[Rowesb]

I used to have one side that was easier than the other in general to feed from... have you tried different positions, maybe the rugby ball hold, he may latch better on your good side so it could help to mirror the angle he is at on the other...

Glad today has been a good day, you are still a fab mummy xx

 

[Binzy]

I always found it easier to feed from the left and used to dread feeding from the right as it was so sore but I couldn't see any cracks or anything. Nipple shields helped me alot. I would used them to start with then after a few minutes I would take it off as it seemed to help pull my nipple out too.
I went to lots of Leche League meetings and they had consultants you could phone who would even come to your house if you weren't able to get to their meetings. Sometimes it's easier to show than to explain in words. Well done for perservering this far xx

 

[michelles1985]

Hey hun. I found breastfeeding really difficult to start with but for other reasons. I am so glad I didn't give up though and you are doing really well to continue with it. I have talked about my problems on my blog so feel free to take a look (link below). Although my problems weren't the same as yours, I know how difficult it can be and you are doing so well. Hope you can keep it up.

xxxxxx

 

[TaffyRose]

Hey hunny sorry to hear you're having a rough time. Max also had a really bad tongue tie and nipole shields were my saviour, max took to them really well, no nipole confusion and it gave my nipples a chance to heal. My advice is keep on the hospitals back regarding the tongue tie they kept fobbing us off, until the specialist saw him and agreed it was very severe, it took literally 30 seconds for him to cut it and max's feeding went through the roof almost instantly. The specialist at Winchester hospital is Dr Rodd, not sure if you're Winchester Southampton. Xxx

 

[ISH]

Expressing saved me and kept me going in the first weeks, it gave my nipples a chance to heal and I could pick up breastfeeding later.

Nipple confusion is very rare and I heard it happens in the first few days, so if you want to try a bottle I think you'd be safe.