How can I get my 3 week old to eat more enthusiastically?

[skippingturtle]

Hi All,
My 3 week old shows signs of being really hungry (chewing fists, headbutting the chest of whoever's holding her etc) but when I put her on the breast she runs out of steam really quickly. After a few big sucks she's doing more chewing than feeding.

I try to keep her going but a feed can take ages and I'm not convinced she eats much.

Any tips?

Hi Skiping, I've just read your thread and I have to say it sounds as though you are doing fantastically!

I just wanted to pass on to you a perception of night feeds, I hated night feeds at 1st with my dd1, but guess what? When you are sitting in the half light feeding your dd, so are we, babies need to be fed in the night and most seem to be synchronised for a similar time, you aren't really alone, you are surrounded by more women than you can guess who are sitting quietly and feeding their babies at the same time.

I now look back at the twilight feeds with dd1 as precious. In the day all noise and distraction. In the night, just me and her.

If you're tired in the day rest when she does, but be happy,

You really are doing brilliantly

skipping that is lovely news! Sleep well

Hoew's it going today? Glad it was OK without the shields

Well, she's slept more today, having absolutely tanked her up on food this morning. That's meant I can get a bit more rest (sleeping when your baby does is all very well if they do actually sleep during the day! )

Didn't use the shields at all today, and discovered my left latch isn't as good as my right, in a 30 minute feed I had to re-attach her about 15 times. She writhes about sometimes, and at other times slips down the nipple til she's got hold of the end. Ouch.

I'm still topping her up with formula, and I feel bad admitting that when you're all giving me so much encouragement, but after the feed I've described where I kept re-attaching her I couldn't keep going. I was really tense from all the re-attaching and getting increasingly sore. After I finish my nipples are burning, and my areolas feel like they've been sandpapered!

Not having much luck getting through to a BF group near me by phone, but if I can get out of the house in time tomorrow I'm going to pitch up at one of the ones on the list in this thread.

You probably already are, but if not definitely get some Lansinoh and slap it on between feeds. Amazing stuff.

Don't feel bad about topping up, it was the advice you were given by a MW who you trusted. If things get better you can always reduce the ff if you want too.

Have you tried one of the numbers I gave you last night or there is the National Breastfeeding Line

I still think you need to speak to a trained Breastfeeding Counsellor and the sooner the better.

Hiya,
Called an NCT counsellor who was very helpful. She agreed that topping up could be the way to go if it was that or stop bfeeding altogether. She explained how to combine BF with FF and/or expressing.

She said a possible explanation for my burning nipples could be thrush, but the fact that they're mis-shapen points to latch problems, so I need to get to a group so that someone can have a look at what I'm doing.

Feeling a bit dispirited that three weeks in I could still be having issues with latching. Ah well, onwards and upwards, fingers crossed I can get to a group tomorrow or Friday.

Did you manage to get to a group yesterday Turtle?

Hiya, sorry to have been off-radar, had my hands full.

Yes, went to a group at my local hospital, to find a sign on the door saying the group was cancelled until further notice. Grrr.

Skipping, you are having rotten luck aren't you!

Have you been in touch with your local branch of the NCT to see if they have a counsellor. Most will even come to your home and its free.

I think ABM and LLL will also do this.

Don't be hard on yourself for it being over 3 weeks and the latch not being right. Bfing is a skill that it takes both of you time to learn.

Apologies for radio silence, been trying to sort out my head about this feeding business.

My HV agrees it sounds like thrush so am being treated for that.

For the past few days I've really given BF the cold shoulder (if that's anatomically possible!), and have been feeding 1 expressed feed a day and the rest formula. I've been feeling much less trapped, I hated the idea that only I could feed her, and I dreaded feeding because of the pain and the length of the feeds.

HOWEVER, I've been feeling really guilty about not BF as much as I should. Plus the baby now has silent reflux and colic (according to the HVs), and of course I'm blaming myself because of the change to her diet.

So, this is it, my last go at making BF work. Of to a support group...

re: the pain. In the early days BFing did hurt for me, I find milk let down painful (less so now he is 12 weeks). Its been the same each time (I have 3 DC). I have never had any nipple damage and latch has always been fine but the first bit of a feed esp as the start hurts.

also I agree about BFing making it easy to go back to sleep, I often suffer from insomnia but could always easily get back to sleep after feeding.

re: length of time feeding, my DS2 feeds a lot in the afternoon still, feeds can still (at 3 months) last an hour, with maybe only an hour until he is hungry again. But morning feeds are quick, and he sleeps all night so I am ok with this. I just end up watching loads of TV .

Was also going to say at 3 weeks my DD kept on falling asleep on the breast. It was November and everyone was amused to arrive and see her only wearing a nappy. In the early days I change the nappy halfway to wake up. Also some babies like to fed little and often. I'm not really sure why you need the formula top ups though, thats likely to reduce you milk supply. 4 hours between feeds is a lot at 3 weeks, and 1.5 hours (from end of one feed to start of next is also normal at 3 weeks) as long as you do get at least one or two slightly longer gaps (ideally at night!)