Hey Stefka, Mandler, Naturelover: how's it going today?

[monkeybird]

Just wondering how you gals are this morning?

My little one is now over the cold but the toddler has it instead so hands full this morning. But thinking about you guys and sending you pain-free vibes!

Monkeybird

[mandler]

thanks for that. feeding at the minute (so one handed typing!) and things are bit better.
I think all my paranoia and stress is coming from a pretty grim time in hospital when baby was taken into scbu for a couple of days monitoring and i had nurses standing over me while I expressed half a dribble. I remember 2 days after birth crying my eyes out as I was told "your baby is screaming we need to feed him and you have no milk". Needless to say they used formula and I felt like crap....
I am seriously lacking in confidence even three weeks later

[determination]

mandler,

Your body was good enough to produce you beautiful lil' boy AND is also good enough to produce your prescious milk for your baby. Believe in yourself and the ability of your breasts - thats what they are there for, let nature work its wonderful wonders

Hang in there. It does get much easier. you just need to believe in yourself.

You can and will do this... be positive

[naturelover]

Mandler, what a horrible/difficult start you had. I hope things improve soon.

Thanks Monkeybird, today is a better day. Just went to one of those drop-in bf thingies, and chatted to a nice hv. Maybe it just did me good to get it off my chest in RL? She persuaded me that my dd is perhaps fussing at the breast and sucking for comfort, not actual feeding, so I feel better about ending feeds when it becomes a struggle.

I had been obsessively noting times and duration of feeds, worrying about dd getting enough hindmilk. However I think I will throw aside my notebook for a few days and see if I can read dd's cues a bit better, and go with the flow a bit. I find it hard to trust my instincts to be honest. I was so sure that feeding woud have been effortless long before now.

[monkeybird]

Oh the old 'you have no milk' chestnut! Drives me mad...

Clearly you do (and did) have milk - you've been feeding your baby and brilliant that it's getting a bit better. It's not at all unusual to wonder if there's enough, even when BF is established and things change a bit. It will get better and better and later on, when your little one looks up at you from a feed and smiles, you'll feel amazing and these difficult hours will be behind you. Further down there's a post from someone called something like 'i just love BF' and while it's important not to forget that for some (like you, me and lots of other women) it can be incredibly difficult and painful and complicated to start with, eventually it is also incredibly rewarding - and it will be for you if you keep going

[monkeybird]

NL,

I have one (well, 3 actually!) of those non-stop sucky babies too and found reading the cues incredibly difficult - especially since rooting/sucking happened all the time and mine would get cross at the end of a feed but still want to suck, and then in between feeds also...

I know these things are often hated by BF people but I both used a dummy and spaced out the feeds! I made sure I was feeding no more often than every 2 hours (except in the evenings when cluster feeding happened) and gave the dummy in between (we did this after using a clean finger for a while - thumb or forefinger, nail side down! - but then thought oh sod it, lets give in to the dummy). He was SO much happier than with me shoving milk in his face the whole time....

...but word of caution, I've not had any problems with supply and would only recommend it if baby sucks well, supply is good etc.. It DOES compromise my DS latch also but not so much that it is painful...

[mandler]

Oh god I am so upset. Just had health visitor round and she watched baby who because of colicky pains roots to sucle ALL THE TIME. Then goes off and discusses with her colleagues, phones me havig decided that baby isn;t putting on enough weight, is obviously starving and I need to give him a formula feed top up tonight.
Am I starving my baby???? God I am in pieces now....

[determination]

Mandler my dd1 took approx 6 weeks to just REGAIN her birthweight. Did i starve her? NO she is now 3 and still very petite it is just her body makeup. That is how she will always be.

Have a look here Is my baby getting enought milk?