Its a bit of a long story but basically I couldn't get my daughter to latch on after initially suckling after birth so thr MWs at the hospital had me extress colostrum to feed her with syringe. After that she was really sleepy and we couldnt get her to latch on. I had about 6 different people tell me different ways and things (for instance one said my nips are flat and use guards, another poo pooed that) but no one actually got her to suckle. In a weak moment i asked them to give her some formula by cup just so i could get some sleep as hadnt slept in about 4 days. In the end before they would discharge us they made us agree to do this complicated feed/give expressed/top up with formula routine every 3 hours, which stupidly we followed for about 3 feeds on wed night. I was really unhappy about this as i didnt want to bottle feed her let alone with formula ut they had really knocked my confidence and implied she would starve otherwise although i was still able to express colostrum.
When I saw my community MW yesterday morning she said it was bollocks and then SUre start came and they gave the same advice re positioning etc that i already l knew but doesnt seem to work with my DD and told me just to go with skin to skin and feed and combo express. All the stuff I thought I knew before going into hospital anyway.
Yesterday I decided it would be breast only, she started sucking and my milk came through so i thought we had turned a corner but then she became really rough, chomping on my nipples and really hurting and getting really distressed, coming off and on or stopping feeding. I have read loads of stuff on the internet and tried relatching and relatching again and again but still cant seem to get it right. Like she was really hungry and wanting to suck my not getting enough if any. I was still able to express some milk yesterday but we had to feed her all of that just toget her to sleep. It got to the point when she screamed everytime i took her near the breast. Last night we tried a bath together and that really helped her to calm down with me although i didnt really get her to feed agian. But it also woke her up so we had togove her all the xpressed milk and she still wouldnt sleep.
I have just got up because my breast were engorged again and my husband had brought her to bed after staying up with her to let me sleep. I have only managed to expressa 20 ml and its all ground to a halt. Breasts still engorged and nipples are wrecked. I dont know what I am gong to do when she wakes up wanting to be fed.
I never kidded myself that it would be easy but now am really worried that i have screwed up my milk supply, turned her into a ravenous beast with those few formula feeds and no idea what i am going to do when she wakes next.
I also dont think the pump i have is very good (avent) as it makes my nips bleed but maybe this is normal?
I know damn well that me being up at 4.30 stressing about this is not going to help but I can't help it. :( I really dont want to resort to formula but also am worried as she is only 5 days old that she will loose weight or be really stressed and over hungry. Sorry this is a bit incoherent too. Please help.
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Infant feeding
Please help. I think i have ruined my chances of BFing my daughter :(
rocketleaf · 27/05/2011 04:37
Spoke to Ann earlier and she was so reassuring. She explained to me how to finger feed over the phone, and its works a treat! We might not be able to manage it in the middle of the night as it takes longer and DH is a bit unsure but will definitely do it that way during the day. She is going to be here first thing sat morning all being well so I am really looking forward to that. The MW has just been and she has put on another 1.5 oz so not massive weight gain but the right direction.
Milk supply seems to be a bit random at the mo. I got over 60 ml earlier and then only a 15 the next time, i think perhaps i over did it. Its so hard not to just go for it when the milk is flowing but i need to take care i don't ruin myself! I am a bit worried as milk is coming out the aureola easily but not the nipple, They are very cracked so I am a bit worried that they have crusted over or blocked the ducts. Is this bonkers?
Other than that we have had a nice day, I popped up to the chemist to get the syringes on my own which for some reason seemed a milesstone and came back bearing cakes. Then we went to the park earlier, babyleafs first trip out apart from that manic trip to the chiro a week ago. Did us all good to get some fresh air although i think i might have overdone the PFB wrapping up 
I can't thank you all enough for your support, there is no way I would be in this position without this thread and the advice and cheerleading you have all given me.
medee I didn't really want to mention the hole in the heart thing too much, its been a bit overwhelming with that and the BFing stress, so I have just tried to forget about it. I have to say one of the worst moments of my life was when the consultant asked the MW to find out if the quiet room was free. But he seemed very hopeful that things will fix themselves and they obviously weren't worried enough to keep her in. We will have to deal with in a few weeks time when she goes for further scans and hopefully it will have gone or me on the mend. I have put it on the back burner for now but I suppose that has been another worrying factor which hasn't helped with this situation much.
So good to hear that things are going in the right direction. 
Hope you don't mind me mentioning the hole in the heart, but this could have implications on the breast feeding.
Cardiac problems are mentioned in my Making More Milk book and the author says that babies have to breathe more rapidly to get enough oxygen in to their bodies.
"They tire easily in normal activities and so may end feedings before they get all the milk they need." (I think this is why baby's with heart problems can have slow weight gain.)
She recommends massaging the breast before feeding and breast compression during feeding to get milk in to the baby with the least effort.
The good news is that these babies usually breastfeed much better after the hear defect is corrected surgically.
Hopefully this is helpful - you can google breast compression (Dr Jack Newman has some good videos).
medee excellent news, I'm delighted for you all :) :) :) I don't get over there anymore (nipped in the other day for the first time in months but haven't been back) and so I miss out on news, but there we go.
crikey hmm, I don't remember that part. I must re-read it if I've forgotten critical things like that. It was the first book I bought when I got a Kindle for Christmas 
. But excellent suggestion and learning breast compressions are useful anyway as they're great for improving the amount of milk you get when expressing if that's ever needed.
rots- it's one of my fave books too!
page 96, Chapter 7 for ref.
Hope today is a good one for you rocket.
Rocket just checking in to see how things are going. I really hope your visit tomorrow sorts things out and gets you both on track. You are a trooper and sounds like you are doing really well in spite of all the stress and difficulties you've been through. Massive hugs (and DHB medal of course ).
Hope things go well for you this morning- I'm sure it will be fine.
Great news that the tie has been snipped.
Well done for staying so positive throughout all of this, you've been fantastic.
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