DS (PFB) is 6 wks tomorrow. All he wants to do is BF or fall asleep on my tummy - he goes absolutely mental if I put him down for a second or he is transferred/put onto another surface to sleep (ie his moses basket). He will tolerate someone else holding him for up to 10 mins if he needs winding but that's it. An example of what I mean is this: yesterday, He was up at 5.50 - was on my nipples until 12.30, bar a couple of 10 mins naps cuddled on top of me (started screeching if I moved). I managed to get him to sleep in his moses basket - a miracle - until 2pm, whereupon he latched on, between a few short naps until 7.30. My partner then took him off to another room so I couldn't hear him crying so I could eat. Back on the breast from 8pm until 11.30 when he finally fell asleep and we got him into his moses basket after 7 tries! He then slept well until 4am this morning and he was back on my breast. He's still there - am typing a few words of this an hour whenever I get a hand free! He is so demanding that he doesn't like me to move or do anything but touch/hold him as he feeds. I feel like I'm in a remake of Boxing Helena! It's also bad for me to be sat in one position for so long as I had pre-eclampsia. He won't feed in any position apart from the 'normal' across the body one.
He will settle in his car seat or pram, but I can't drive and can't get the pram down the stairs inside our apartment block on my own and can't walk very far either, as am still recovering from severe SPD and birth injuries. All this means I can't get to any local groups, as am essentially housebound with pain and health probs. My parents do come over to take him out in his pram a few times a week but they are OAPs and look after my 91 yr-old Gran too, so I don't want to impose too much and them doing stuff for me is not a long-term solution anyway. Also, I have allergies and digestive problems and can't eat normal snacks and quick meals, so am going huge stretches of time without eating (sometimes 8 hours in the morning before I can eat) and when I do eat, it's because I've put him down and am ramming something into my gob whilst he bellows and sobs uncontrollably nearby.
I'm suffering v badly from vasospasm (blanching of the nipples - excruciatingly painful) and have seen a lactation specialist to sort out the shallow latch issues which have caused this. She said that once he is latched on properly he'll not want or need to feed for these huge stretches of time any more, but I have improved things by 70% and although it's really helped the pain, etc., he's still feeding just as much. HV and paediatrician both just say I should put him down and let him cry it out, but I can't bear it - I don't agree with letting babies cry until they're so distraught they shut up and apart from that, I can't stand the noise. And we live in an apartment block, so I have to think of the neighbours (man below is retired, so in all day).
Have tried expressing but never have time free or enough milk left to do it very often and when I do, he'll often drink 3-4 fl. oz and still want an hour or more on the breast straight after!
It's not only boring and frustrating and painful, I worry that only wanting to feed could start to retard his development - he has no interest in his bouncy chair or play mat or anything. He doesn't even like being winded, as it takes him off the boob!
He's not tongue-tied and is perfectly healthy. He's not even particularly chubby!
Any tips? I feel like I'm suffocating here
Sorry it's so long - just trying to get all facts down. This has taken me 6 hours to write inbetween mad feeding!