How much, how often?

[Oakmaiden]

I should know this, but I am very VERY tired, and the world is a constant fog around me, so I thought I would seek supportive and helpful comments here.

My daughter is 6 days old today, and we have been struggling with breastfeeding. Both nipples got VERY sore very quickly, despite what appears to be perfect positioning. Eventually changed to using nippleshields (for my ills) (this was yesterday morning) and one nipple has started to recover, although the other is still a scabby oozy mess. Early days, though, I know. Hopefully it will recover.

Last night and today, though, she has been feeding non-stop. And I quite literally mean non-stop - she cries, I latch her on (ow!) she feeds for between 20 minutes and an hour, comes off and dozes for 10 minutes, and then starts rooting again. And again. Please remind me that this is normal and a phase, not a sign that I am going to spend the next 6 months with a baby constantly clamped to my increasingly tender bosom. Or could I be missing something, and should I be trying something other than feeding in order to pacify her? Although feeding does work - briefly.

Incidently I seemt o have an abundant supply of milk, and a baby who loves to suck - in fact I have never seen anyhing like the suckling this child gets going!

oakmaiden
my dd was the same in the beginning, she constantly wanted feeding and suxking, it will stop. and your nipples will toughen, i b/fed my dd too and i can remember in the beginning it being so tiring all through the day & night, and crying with exhaustion,. just make yourself as comfortable as possible with the baby, try to get others to do all the things that need done, washing, cooking your hair for you, everything and just on you & the baby.

it is just a phase she'll settle into a feeding pattern shortly.
its so hard those first weeks but you will be fine and baby will settle into the breastfeeding.

just a suggestion but as soon as she stops sucking take her off, let her cry and see if she settles but if you think she is getting plenty it maybe she just feels safe. as soon as she nods off swaddle her in her cot even if its only for 10/20/30 mins .

i hope that helps, i can feel your exhaustion,

Oakmaiden
I know you were a student MW but please have a good BF counsellor check you out...... Sorry but (time after time) I don't find MW the best ones to judge on this

1 positioning can probably be improved
2. is she tongue tie ?
3. has she got a high palate ?

Good news that she is ffeding very (too? ) often but you need to make sure (as you know) that she gets proper feeds !
Skin to skin is still important and keep her on you as much as you can. She will settle

Congratulations on the new baby Oakmaiden. I just wanted to say that what you are saying reminds me of my DS1, he used to feed for hours, falling asleep in my arms for a few mins before rooting about again, I realise now that the positioning was wrong. The difference between feeding DS1 and DS2 was like night and day, with DS1 my nipples were a bleeding mess, I did have sore nipples with DS2 (as they were toughening up) but the only time they were bleeding was when there was something wrong, a slight graze in the first few days from poor positioning, then they were badly cracked when I had mastitis (stupid front opening bra). Anyway all I wanted to do was say that I second Pupuce, don't suffer like I did with DS1 get some help from a BFC (I didn't know about them with DS1).

All the best!

oakmaiden
how was last night?

Return of the one handed typist - did get a brief sleep last night - so the fog has receeded slightly! But babe is still feeding ++ and I am sore. Although ithas been worse.

Pupuce - thanks for your advice. I actually have an independant midwife who is brill - poor woman rolls out of her house at any hour of the day or night to watch me feed (and mop up the tears!) Her colleague - who was my tutor at university, and runs b/f support groups etc - has been in to advise me too - but we can't see any problem with the positioning. I actually think the problem occurred when my milk came in - it changed the shape of my breast a bit, and my positioning may well have been poor whilst we were getting used to it, and the constant feeding since hasn't really given me enough chance to recover. Don't think tongue tie is a problem - I get to see the frenulum enough when she yells! Don't know about a high palate - how do you tell?

I have been concerned that maybe the problem is that she is just not getting the hindmilk - but as I say she is on one breast for simply ages, and generally sucks well, so that should be OK. And we are having lots of dirty and wet nappies.

sigh just tired....

Oakmaiden - have you tried fixing back to same breast following winding instead of swapping over? That way baby gets more hindmilk. Get Lansinoh or Purelan to put on nipples to aid healing. Nipples shouldn't be sore throughout feed. Soemtimes they slip back off a bit when you don't notice. Are you alternating feeding positions to have different part of nipple in the mouth? Switching between traditional hold and rugby hold will help.
I remember having terrible scabby, oozing nipples with ds number 2 who wasn't as well attached as he could have been then the damage was done. Took about 10 days for them to start healing. They will improve, honestly. Try getting dh to take her out in the pram to get her to sleep and try spacing feeds a bit more. Babies love to suck, not necessarily because they are hungry. Try to give your nipples a bit more of a break if you can.

I am pasting something I have posted before about watching a baby feeding so that you know what they are doing whilst on the breast. You might find it helpful.

Watch the way that he sucks and listen. When he first goes on he will suck rapidly waiting for the let down of milk. When that happens he will slow down and take deep rhyhmical sucks where you will be able to hear him swallowing the milk. He will pause every so often because the milk comes down in jets with spaces in between. Towards the end of the feed, he will start to make 'flutter' sucks which are not deep and are a faster than the ones before. He will keep stopping and starting. He will be getting small amounts of hind milk at this stage and is stimluating the breast to produce more milk at future feeds. However, you can take him off at this point if you feel he has been on for ages, because he has probably had enough. Babies should spit the nipple out when they have had enough, but some just like to suck. My ds 1 hardly ever detached himself.
When you have the time you can sit and feed for long periods. However, by watching how they feed you get to know when they are just 'flutter 'sucking rather than feeding.

You will then be able to limit the time she is on the breast if you feel it is adding to your nipple trauma.

Thanks Mears - I often see her "flutter suck" but even after she has been doing that for quite a while she will still demand to go back on ten minutes later if I take her off the breast. I am hoping that she is just trying to increase supplies cos of having used/using nipple shields.