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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Breastfeeding - could anyone offer me advice?

43 replies

gogoNagano · 24/07/2011 03:00

Hi all, I'm a brand-new mum, with my little one a week old tomorrow. He was in intensive care for a day or so as his blood sugar was very low, and he was bottle fed formula to give him a boost. After he came out of special care, I bottle fed him expressed milk after attempting, and failing, to latch him on.

We had a bit of a eureka moment on our last day in hospital, when he suddenly became more interested in the breast and latched on, albeit briefly. The next couple of days followed the same pattern - I would try and latch him on, he would take a few sucks and come off, and, being worried about his blood sugar dropping again, I topped him up with a bottle of my expressed milk.

Yesterday, we got him latched on for the first time properly, in the laying-down position and I was thrilled we had cracked it. He fed absolutely fine for the next few feeds with no need for the bottle of expressed milk. However, now he doesn't seem to be able to latch on properly - he sometimes can do it for a few seconds but then stops for some reason and comes off. I'm sure it's to do with my positioning and the fact that I'm still as nervous as all hell about holding him, making sure his head is supported, etc - I tense up and that's never useful - even in the laying down position we can't seem to come together properly.

I'm not sure what I'm expecting from writing this... I am desperate to exclusively breast feed, it's so important to me, and it breaks my heart when the little one is wriggling and rooting around and crying yet I can't seem to be where he needs me to be - spent the evening bawling my eyes out, which again is never helpful... I know he is only teeny tiny, but he was unable to latch on after a bit of a difficult birth and I feel like I'm almost on a deadline to make sure he can latch on before he gets too used to the bottle. I only got a few seconds of initial skin-to-skin with him when he was born, as he needed a bit of help.

I guess I'm just looking for a little advice and support, if possible. Is this a normal thing to be going through?

OP posts:

LoveBeingAtHomeOnMyOwn · 26/07/2011 19:26

Original poster

gogoNagano · 28/07/2011 08:34

Good day yesterday - we went to a local Breast Friends Cafe and learned how to cross-cradle, yay! :) Will be practicing lots with that one, as it's I'm finding it so much easier to see when he's gaping to latch, as opposed to the lay-down position, which kind of felt like luck a lot of the time! The ladies at the cafe were awesome. I used a Boppy pillow, which was so comfortable and so much better than the one I've got from Mothercare, which I've given up with. Anyone know where might stock Boppy pillows in the UK?

Tough night though, no sleep really. Baby was feeding very, very frequently and cried every time we tried to put him down to sleep in his Moses basket. We've just had an epic feeding session with lots of breast compression/massage, and now he's out like a light, so hopefully it's not that he doesn't like his basket anymore, it was just that he wasn't getting enough of the good stuff from me :)

OP posts:

SnarkHunt · 28/07/2011 14:08

Well done, sounds like you're doing really well! Getting real life support is very important, and keep going there even when you haven't got problems!
Your little one is not going to like being put in a Moses basket when the alternative is being cuddled up inches away from lovely warm milk on tap. Don't feel you have to put him down unless you want to - there is lots of advice on sage co-sleeping that can improve your rest no end. It doesn't have to be forever (though can be if you want). Mine slept in my arms in our bed mist of the time at first, until she started taking up more room than I did, now is very happy in her cot where she can stretch out.

SnarkHunt · 28/07/2011 14:10

Well done, sounds like you're doing really well! Getting real life support is very important, and keep going there even when you haven't got problems!
Your little one is not going to like being put in a Moses basket when the alternative is being cuddled up inches away from lovely warm milk on tap. Don't feel you have to put him down unless you want to - there is lots of advice on safe co-sleeping that can improve your rest no end. It doesn't have to be forever (though can be if you want). Mine slept in my arms in our bed most of the time at first, until she started taking up more room than I did, now is very happy in her cot where she can stretch out.

SnarkHunt · 28/07/2011 14:11

Sorry, tried to edit typos and posted twice!

Original poster

gogoNagano · 28/07/2011 19:49

Thank you Snark - When you co sleep, is baby still only to sleep on his back? Am going to read about it once I've inhaled my dinner... Trying to stay ahead of the little man's next craving :)

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RitaMorgan · 28/07/2011 19:57

Yes, baby on back on a firm mattress, no bedding near him. I would feed ds with us both lying on our sides, then when he fell asleep/latched off I'd roll him back onto his back.

Original poster

gogoNagano · 28/07/2011 21:03

Thanks Rita :)

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SnarkHunt · 29/07/2011 00:11

Rita is right. There are lots of guidelines so have a good read, and make sure you're happy with it or else you won't sleep anyway! No fluffy duvets on baby, it is much easier for them to overheat in your bed so fewer clothes too, no pillows near baby, and no boozing/drugs/smoking for you or partner. I found the most natural position to feed was curled up on our sides tummy to tummy, and your body naturally curls round hers.
Some people use various bedguards etc. It is one of those things that you might hear strong opinions either side, but for what it's worth the official line is that it is safe for breastfeeding mums as long as you follow the guidelines. I never quite understood why is isn't safe if you're not breastfeeding?

SnarkHunt · 29/07/2011 00:38

Oh and (sorry to keep harping on, feel free to tell me to shut up!) a trick with reluctant Moses basket-dwellers is to pre-warm the sheets with a hotwater bottle: babies hate cold sheets after warm arms, and a lovely warm spot sometimes is enough to prevent that waking up as you put him down. Obviously take the bottle out before putting baby in!

RitaMorgan · 29/07/2011 06:38

Formula fed babies are more likely to die from SIDS anyway, so I think maybe the benefits of being breastfed outweighs the risk of bed sharing? And breastfeeding mothers are naturally more aware of where the baby is in the bed and sleep less deeply.

Original poster

gogoNagano · 29/07/2011 09:49

Harp away Snark, I really appreciate any advice!

Thank you ladies, we fashioned DS a little cocoony-cradle-bedguard thing and he slept next to me last night, it was wonderful :) Feel so much more refreshed this morning, so does DH.

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worldgonecrazy · 29/07/2011 09:58

gogoNagano it sounds like you are doing brilliantly. Well done. The constant evening feeding is normal so please don't worry that your boobs are empty, or not satisfying, or anything like that. Just try and think of it as LO putting his order in for the next day.

Cosleeping is fab and perfectly safe if you follow the guidelines. Studies have also shown that bfing mums get 20 minutes more sleep than ff mums too.

Good luck. The best advice I had was from a breastfeeding advisor who said when it all got difficult to eat some chocolate cake and have a small glass of wine. She was right, the world is a much better place when you're the other side of chocolate and wine.

Original poster

gogoNagano · 31/07/2011 08:19

Mini update, DS is feeding well, I think - got him weighed the other day and he's almost 6lb after being born at 4lb 13oz 2 weeks ago today. My nipples are unfortunately bearing the brunt and feel really sore today. Small cut on one and both are rough and dry - is this like when you get callouses when learning the guitar?

Co-sleeping worked wonders on night one, then not so much on night two - so last night we swaddled him, as he's all arms and legs when we put him down. Seemed to really soothe him, so that's the plan again for this evening!

In the meantime, does anyone have any miracle cures for battered nipples? :)

OP posts:

RitaMorgan · 31/07/2011 08:23

Keep your nipples moist with lansinoh or similar - you don't want them to dry out and scab/crack.

If your nipples are sore and damaged then there could be some improvements made to latch/positioning - have you been able to see a bf counsellor?

Original poster

gogoNagano · 31/07/2011 09:09

That's the plan for next week - I don't get any pain during feeds anymore apart from a bit during letdown, which is great, but improvements are always good and the more advice, the better!

Have been slathering on the Lansinoh since the beginning, so glad to hear that's the right thing to be doing. Thanks Rita :)

OP posts:

Original poster

gogoNagano · 03/08/2011 13:04

Another mini update, we're doing much better with the latching, and my nipples are most definitely on the mend! Just had our first health visitor visit and he now weighs 6lb 11oz, am so proud of him and us.

My boobies work! :)

OP posts:

LoveBeingAtHomeOnMyOwn · 03/08/2011 13:11

Well done to you and your boobies

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