about ready to give up

[marylegs23]

Hi this is my first time posting but I have often read these threads for advice since my little boy was born. I apologies for the length this post will be but in honestly about ready to completely give up and I am very emotional at the moment.

Background: my son is now 9 weeks and 5 days. He was born 7 weeks premature. Birth was completell natural with no complications. Due to low birth weight he went to the special car baby unit until we he was discharged at 11 days old. The only issue he had was jaundice and establishing breastfeeding. He has been on my milk since day 2 when my milk came in enough to cover his tube feeds.

Since comming home from the hospital he has been a very good feeder, always lathing well and gaining weight like a little weed. I did have issues with oversupply but hand expressing and block feeding sorted that so it hasn't ever really been an issue. He has had some feedig issues related to silent reflux and he is currently on infant gaviscon and ranitidine. These made a world of difference until Sunday.

He has been slightly off with his feeding since thursay night after his 2month jabs. But nothing major. Until 2am this morning. He has been waking up (if he even goes to sleep that is) every 1 hour and 20mins for a feed. At first I thought it would possibly be another growth spurt but he has gone from feeding for 20 minutes plus to barely making 5 mins feeding and that feeding is broken and he is latching and unlatching even 30 seconds or so. He is super fussy before during and after the feed. Due to his fussiness and the way he is writhing around my nipples are now raw and it is painful to even feed him for a short amount of time.

I am honestly one feed away from putting him on formula as today I haven't even been able to eat or go to the toilet as if I put him down (awake or asleep) he begins to cry/scream. He has been on me solidly since 5am and I don't know if I can do this anymore. I haven't even got out of bed today and I barely get to leave my flat once a week if I'm lucky as he barely goes long enough between feeds and I have so much medicine to give him at each feed. My husband works full time and has to sleep at his work a couple of times a week so he helps when he can but other than the odd bottle of expressed milk there isn't much he can do.

Any advice appreciated

[pollylovespie]

I've been there with the constant 5 min feeds and the bleeding nips so I really sympathise.Could he have a sore mouth? Thrush maybe? Have you tried nipple shields? I was advised against them but wish I'd ignored that as it may have helped me to bf for longer. Could you try a dummy to settle him between feeds?
If you need to give a bottle or two to give yourself a rest it needn't have an impact on bfing despite what hv/midwives say!

[marylegs23]

Hi, thanks for the quick response.

I did wonder about thrush as I had started to get sharp pains deep in my breasts worse in the right than the left. However this has subsided. His mouth looks sore free and no evidence of any white coating.

I have tried to give him a bottle or two to rest them as I have lots of milk in the freezer from when he was in scbu. However he hated to take the bottle from me as he ca smell the milk on me. He will drink an oz if I'm lucky then refuse it and cry until I feed him all the while rooting and sucking his tongue. He does take a bottle from other people happily so I know it's not a case of him getting used to the bottle. He drank 5 oz the other day happily when we went to the inlaws aslong as dad or granny fed him.

I've tried a dummy on multiple occasions and all he does is gag and spit it out he is a very picky baby about what goes in his mouth.

I will give the shield ago if I can get out the house to get any as my husband doesn't giniah work till tonight and I've not managed to get dressed today let alone leave the flat

I have rang my health visitor team and got an appiontment tomorrow to take him in get him weighed and discuss it.

[Coconut0il]

It will get better OP. The constant feeding can feel like it will go on forever but honestly it won't. DS2 was permanently attached for the first few months and I did nothing but sit on my settee and watch box sets and feed. You've had a really tough start and no wonder you're emotional. I've been there. DS2 would cry all the time if he wasn't attached and we hardly went any where.
There is light at the end of the tunnel though, he's almost 11 months now and he can go 4/5 hours between feeds and is much easier to put down.
Or if you decide there is nothing wrong with formula either. With my DS1 I was getting so down he had a bottle of ready made formula a day just so I could get a break and I fed him till 18 months.

[amysmummy12345]

How's it going op? Is he constipated by the Gaviscon at all? My DD is from it... I'm considering formula feeding too...