Help - I'm really struggling with bf. Dd is two and a half weeks and I'm really finding in hard going. Had mastitis in right breast last week and now suspect I'm getting in the left one. She is constantly 'snacking' for 5 mins and then falling asleep and the night feeds are killing me.

Considering getting a pump today and getting dh to give her a feed at night - is this a good idea?

Also starting to fantasise about formula and the fact that my mum could give me a break and feed her.

I just feel sooooooo tired, sore and resentful of the fact that everyone else does nice things with her and i just seem to feed her.

When does it get easier?

Just to bump your message a bit - not sure I can help at all - but there are loads of people on here who will !

All I can say is call your midwife, HV, get them round........call NCT if you dare (!) and it is just as hard doing FF......it isn't the easy path it is perceived as so try and get help first as you have made it for 2.5 weeks with mastitis so doing great !

Good luck !

Hi catwoman. I know exactly how you feel!! My dd is now 12 weeks and she was similar. It is exhausting in the first few weeks but
I promise you it will get a lot easier.

At around 8 weeks my life got easier as dd was more predicatble and started going longer between feeds.

I am SO glad now that I perservered with bfing and I am sure you will be once this first bit is over.

Do start expressing. You can have a break at night then. It makes the world of difference.

Just try and remember that this period doesn't last forever and in just a few weeks you will feel better.

Hi Catwoman, well done for persevering this far, it really will get easier very soon. DS snacked a lot in the beginning and I'd had "demand feeding" drummed into me so much that I fed him every time he cried - it took me a while to work out that he sometimes didn't want a feed, a cuddle would do just as well or a bit of stimulation, which helped to stretch him a bit longer so that he'd then have a longer feed.

They do tend to have growth spurts regularly at the beginning too - I think 3 wks is classic time then 6wks if I remember correctly, so that may be why there's the constant feeding right now, but it's all helping to build up your supply , which really will make it easier for you to continue.

I so wanted to give up at the beginning, but got through to 12 months with DS - and it really is so much easier to not have to sterilise etc. definitely found a breast pump helped and you can build up a little stash in the freezer if you want to go out without DD for a couple of hours.

After the first month it will settle down, honestly. In the meantime, can anybody help out with any jobs you need doing, keep mealtimes as simple as poss, can you order your shopping online - basically get as much rest as you can - Good luck!

p.s. not an expert with the mastitis, but i think you need to make sure you empty the breast so until DD is taking a full feed can you express after a feed to empty your breast? even if you just hand express for now.

catwoman - this is the worst stage - honestly - you are exhausted, the feeding still hasn't settled down, it should get a whole lot easier. The first 4 weeks with my first child I must have wept at countless feeds, but it did get easier. And by 8 weeks I was even quite enjoying it! Second time round, despite being then an 'experienced' breastfeeder of 2 years, it was still really, really tough, again the first 3-4 weeks were worst. But it was much easier to hang in there knowing it would improve.

And if you suspect another bout of mastitis - seek help asap before it gets worse.

Take advantage of being the feeder and make sure everyone is waiting on you - fetching you drinks, food, giving you a chance to nap. You are doing a brilliant job.

catwoman - you are doing so well.

if you are anything like me i was not at all prepared for how long, time consuming, bloody knackering breastfeeding would be and you are at the hardest part. i lost track of how many feeds i cried myself through.

sparklyshoes is right it will be the start of the notorious 21 day growth spurt.

i got through just by reminding myself that the more she fed the more milk i would produce the happier she would eventually be and in the grand scale of life a few weeks of this level of feeding (which will eventually settle down) is not that long really. This type of thought helped me through and we are now at 6 months exclusively breastfed and just starting weaning.

Also, yes express and give a bottle of ebm regularly it will give you a bit more freedom in the long run and help milk supply by expressing is my understanding (i am not an expert but have been through it). Before giving bottle though ensure bf is well established as I understand that it can cause confusion. my mw and hv actively encouraged me to do this.

hope this helps