Absolutely desperate for help - anyone around?

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Apologies for quick message but need urgent help.

Baby No 2, born Thurs am at 6am. Induced due to PE, only 6lbs 1 oz at birth. Boy, slight tongue tie.

Normal vaginal delivery, fed straight away while I was being stitched.

Loads of skin to skin on Thursday, didn't feed again despite trying. Eventually offered cup of ff at 10pm, brought it back up due to mucous.

Tried on and off through the night. Had one successful feed but latch poor and very painful. Has very small mouth and I have large nipples, so difficult to get enough of the brest in his mouth.

Since then has had two successful feeds, various top ups with ff or ebm.

Expressed at 7pm tonight, just before milk came in, with Medela electric pump, got 25ml. Milk has now come in and I can get NOTHING out of my breasts, tried expressing on both sides.

It's now 10pm, I am beyond exhausted, baby is hungry and can't seem to get anything out of me and I can't get anything out of me either.

What am I doing wrong? Baby blues have kicked in with avengeance and I'm struggling to justify to my very understanding dh why the hell I'm putting myself through this .

TIA.

[Dawnybabe]

Oh hun I'm so sorry! Have you got a different pump or can someone get you one? I used avent to no avail and then went to the medela and had instant success so you might be the other way round iyswim. I'm sure there'll be someone else along in a minute with some more help. If your boobs are full of milk it's got to come out somehow! Can you express it out? Squirt it into a cup or something? Oh crumbs I don't know but didn't want you to sit there on your own!
hugs

[Dawnybabe]

meant to say [ big hugs ]

[Alibooobaandthe40phantoms]

Firstly, congratulations on your baby

I would get in the bath, the warm water will help your let down.

Also try biological nursing - I will find a link for you now but go and get that bath running

[Haunty27]

Sponge, poor you, I've no idea but I didn't want your thread to go unanswered.

It's a long shot and I know you are saying there's no milk, try a hairdryer, it will heal up the sore and it might bring on milk??

[rileyjdw]

Had PE with ds1 and was born by section only 3lb14oz found really difficult / impossible to get him to latch on but had loads of milk so expressed like a crazy person as he couldn't be with me. As was on heavy blood pressure medication couldn't give it up if was keen to breastfeed. Do think breastmilk helped him thrive and as had time to do it in hospital was ok but when came home and had reflux issues kept going till week 5 when sensible health visitor said why are you doing this? Gradually switched to formula and all worked out fine but so know how you're feeling! Very difficult to do if baby born early as midwife friend of mine says suck reflex not there till 37 weeks which I did not know! Do what you feel is right for you - do not feel pressured in any way!

[whyme2]

Can you squeeze milk out yourself with your hand?
It is early days so please don't panic.
I'm sorry I can't be any more help.

[JJMAM]

I am No expert, 1st baby now 13 months, exclusively BF until 7months and it wasn't all plain sailing.

I can only say - good for you for persisting. Too many girlies give up without a second thought - all credit to you. I hope Little One gets in sync soon - just keep thinking about how worth it BF is when it goes well.

Big hugs for supportive Hubby - don't question Mum's perseverance, just be there for her and baby.

Good luck
X

[tummytickler]

You have probably done this and somebody who knows more than me will be along i am sure, but have you tried warm flannels or a bath and massage the breastd for 5 - 10 minutes? This can really help to get things going. Any little bit you get out is great, just keep going, little and often if you can.
And try to relax (easier said than done, i know!)
ANd keep up with the skin to skin as much as possible. as it sends messages to babe just being close to you, and can also really help to get things going!
I am probably not much help, but wanted you to have some replies!

[Haunty27]

Whyme, yes I forgot to say that bit, I expressed by hand too. Hairdryer has the same principle as a hot bath I think.

Hope u are ok Sponge, don't panic. It takes a lot of getting used to.

[tummytickler]

Oh - you have had loads of replies since i started my very slow typing!

[WobblyPig]

Get the tongue tie cut. They will tell you its mildand doesn't need it but there is no clear correlation between appearance and function. I had similar experience ; t 10 days I had an emergency referral for tongue-tie which immediately solved my latch issues despite the fact that they said it wouldn't.

Keep expressing - try a session of low stimulation on the medela swing or both sides without taking up to the higher sucking - then do the harder sucking.

[Alibooobaandthe40phantoms]

leaflet here

I had great success with this with DS. He had a very small mouth and I have large breasts with wide but quite short nipples. This position really helped us to get latched more comfortably.

[AnyFuleKno]

First of all, take some deep breaths and calm yourself as much as possible.

Always remember - babies are better at extracting milk than any breastpump.

Make sure you are totally comfortable before you feed, back supported and feeling as relaxed as possible.

Tickle the baby's top lip with your nipple to get him to open his mouth as much as possible. If need be, even gently open his mouth a little wider with your finger on his chin.

[electra]

Poor you - feeding in the early days can really be stressful. And expressing is not fun! IME, my milk wouldn't come down properly unless I was really relaxed - I think how you are feeling plays quite a big role there - so I tried to watch something funny on television while I was doing it.

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Thank you for all your help. I have had a bath earlier and it made me feel really ill (my BP is all over the place) so reluctant to try again. I have been trying hot flannel and hand expressing and there is still nothing coming out - it's like my milk came in and blocked all my ducts!

I have an NCT counsellor coming in the morning so just have to get through the night - what happens if I don't manage to get anything out? Will my ducts block or will I make myself ill? Will it affect my milk supply dry up already?

Dh has offered to take DS and ff him by cup for a few hours while I get some sleep and come back to the machine at about 1am. But will this be a problem to have such engorged breasts?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you again.

[ib]

It's really difficult when they aren't cooperating isn't it?

Don't have much practical advice but just wanted to encourage you to keep going - I went through the same and even though it was a struggle I'm very glad I ended up bf ds.

He'll get there in the end. Some of them just take a little longer to get the hang of it, that's all.

[ib]

Your milk supply will not dry out so quickly - ds had days of not feeding almost at all in the early days, but as soon as he managed to latch on on a regular basis my milk supply sorted itself out - and this was after weeks, not a few days.

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Ib, how did you cope with the discomfort when he wasnt feeding?

[AnyFuleKno]

Your NCT counsellor should be able to help you hand express enough to take the engorgement down. Your milk supply won't dry up in this period of time, don't worry.

Sleep will help.

My HV showed me a hand expression method that worked well for me - enough to relieve engorgement and get milk flowing.

Place your fingers above and below areola .(your hand forms a c shape). Press inwards towards your body (as though trying to flatten the breast to your body)

Now press fingers towards each other (it may remind you a bit of milking a cow)

[Alibooobaandthe40phantoms]

If you can then put your baby to the breast rather than using the pump, they are much much better at getting the milk out.

Please try not to worry, I know it is so hard. I could hardly get DS to latch for a week, I had to express and we cup fed. But we cracked it with the help of a BFC, and I'm still feeding DS at 15 months.

You can do this, try to relax and get some rest - can you snuggle up in bed and have skin to skin with the baby and see if he will latch on?

[AnyFuleKno]

Just wanted to add, I could never get anything out with a breastpump, it just never worked for me, but was able to feed dd and to hand express.

If you hand express to take engorgement down, it really helps if you can see your baby.

I know this will sound stupid, but I used to visualise a waterfall when trying to get flow going - also imagine milk flowing from my boobs. Ok, that did sound stupid now I see it written down! But it helped.

[Pannacotta]

Congratulations on your baby!

Are you sure your milk has actually come in yet?
My milk took a few days with both DS1 and DS2 and the amount of coloustrum produced before then seems very small in comparison.

Skin to skin will help and co-sleeping. I dont know anything about tongue tie but your baby might well need treatment for this.

I'd try and ditch the pump and keep trying to feed your baby directly. If you can't then try hand expressing.

[Pannacotta]

Sorry just read that you are engorged.

I think many babies struggle to latch on if you are engorged and am sure the tongue tie would make it harder for him.

I found having a shower and hand expressing helped with this, or using a warm flannel as a compress.

Try to avoid giving formula if you can.

Good luck!

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Thank you for all your help. Dh stayed up with DS last night and gave him top ups, but unfortunately I have now woken up this morning with mastitis .

Dr on his way with ABs.

I did try skin to skin and cuddles last night (at 2am and again at 5am) but I think my breasts are just too engorged. Didn't realise you could get mastitis so early on - feel terrible .

Have hot flannels on now and DS due another feed soon (just beginnning to stir), so hopefully will start to see things happening.

Anyone any idea how long I'll feel this ill for?

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Panacotta, is the avoiding ff cos of affecting milk supply? Problem is while my breasts are refusing to co-operate I still need to feed DS esp cos of low birth weight and jaundice . Will try to knock ff on the head as soon as possible but it's just buying us time right now.