How long to establish bf?

[flowerfairy]

I'm sure this is like asing how long is a piece of string, but how long ddid it take you to get your bf established?
DD is 8 days old and is improving but is very fussy around the breast sometimes it can take numerous (too many to count) attempts before she will latch on sometimes she goes on first time. BF ds but that was 7 years ago now and i do remember struggling to start with for well over a week, but successfully fed for 6-7 months. Dh says i'm expecting too much of myself and she and I are doing fine. My mum is being really supportive, also live in an area where there is a bf support service. But my mil is a bit anti bf and feel like she is waiting in the wings to swoop in with a bottle. (This stems from her not being given a choice when dh was born and had to bottle feed, plus she wants the experience of feeding my dd in the early stages). Any polite but firm comments anyone can offer to stop her voicing her opinion in my earshot.

'Tis early days as you say.

However, it would be a good idea to get some support from your local service. An experienced, trained person can help you with suggestions like biological nurturing positions which can help with latching on more consistently, but from what you say, you're doing ok some of the time anyway!

Your DH needs to tell his mum to stop making comments - simple as.

Hello I am in a very similar position! my DS is 13 days old and I nearly gave up over the weekend. I have two older children whom I breastfed successfully so assumed this would be plain sailing.

I rang for bf support over the weekend, a midwife rang me back on Tuesday (!!!). However what I did do over the weekend which has got me back on track was watch latching on videos on you tube. It's a Dr Jack somebody I got the link off here. I corrected my latching technique and now I am not in pain and have loads of milk and DS is absolutely thriving. Watching the latching on videos really helped me, I just googled latching on and found lots of stuff. I hope this helps, sorry it's a little vague as Hector has just woken up. Hang in there, you can do it xx

some of Dr Jack Newman's videos here (I found them so handy too!)

I'd say it took a couple of weeks before I felt like I was getting DS on the boob properly every time, and another week or so before I barely even needed to glance down (put down the biscuits) while he scoffed. If your MIL is waiting in the wings start pre-empting her desire to feed your LO.
"Oh, well since you can't be the one who feeds LO why don't you change a nappy/pick out an outfit/take her out in the pram" and "How kind of you to offer to help! I'm feeing her myself, of course, but there's lots you could do to bond with her." and "Of course you know I'm breastfeeding her, but if you'd like a cuddle just wait and I'll hand her over when she's ready for a burp/sleep/trip out and you can have some lovely time together."

As I told myself: woman, you just created a human being a pushed him out yer bits. You're strong enough to tell someone else to shove it! :)
Good luck!

It's Dr Jack Newman grippinon- they are really great videos to show good latch and good drinking.

His website is here. It has the video clips on it as well as lots of good articles.

Good luck with keeping your mil as bay flowerfairy. I really can't see why so many relatives are obsessed with wanting to feed other people's babies. Not sure I can offer any responses, but I would just smile and politely say no thanks to the bottle- she gets everything she needs from you.

If she wants to cook, clean, change DD, bathe DD, rock, cuddle or soothe DD, then of course that would be brilliant.

Ooo wow, so early! Congrats on the new arrival.

DD and I had a rocky start and it was 6 weeks before I thought "this is easy now".

Get your DH to keep saying to his Mum how well you're doing, how it's in the baby's best interests, etc.

Yep, 6 weeks here too.

Plenty of things your mil can do to help you now, let her know how grateful you'd be if she cooked a meal/hoovered the lounge/baked you one of her lovely cakes/took your DS out for the afternoon or whatever. But let her know that feeding just isn't something that she can do, that's your job.

Congrats