7 week old fights at breast, despairing at making breastfeeding a positive experience for both of us

[Jomouse]

I have been expressing a lot due to sore nipples and thought that now they are healed, it's time to get my baby in the breast again.
My baby now seems to be used to the ease of bottle feeding and seems very frustrated at the breast. She butts, hits, scratches at my boobs and wrenches at my nipples and, while I know it's simple frustration, I am finding it tough not to take it personally. Every breast feed is now a total battle and I am starting to resent her...
Can anyone help me find a positive solution?
Latch is much better but as soon as the milk flow slows and she starts fussing, all the good work is undone and the pain starts.
It's making me think about giving up as I can't continue to express all the time and a bottle of formula is starting to look really appealing but I know I will be furious at myself for having come this far and then "give up".

Your doing a great job.

Try going right back to basic's, lot's of skin to skin time with your baby and try biological nurtaing position (google for images). This will help make feeding time less stressfull for both of you. You may need to cut out the bottle's to as if you carry on with them at this point she may develop a preferance and completly refuess the breast.

I'd also see if there is a local group/breastfeeding cafe near you to get your latch checked as you shouldn't have soure nipple's when feeding.

Hi Jomouse, sorry to hear you are having a tough time at the mo. I don't have the solution you are looking for but you are doing great to keep on going. One friend of mine had to bottle feed her baby at first and then struggled to get her to breastfeed again but she managed it, she now breastfeeds all but one feed a day at 4 months. As MigGril says, lots of skin to skin and try to cut out the bottles where possible. Some times my DD will fuss because I used to have a very over full supply. Now it has calmed down she will scream at me when the milk slows to the hindmilk during a feed and I made the mistake of putting her on the other boob a couple of times. She found it easier to get the milk but now expects it more often! They are far too knowing at times. I just don't swap so soon now and keep putting her back on the same side. She gets on with it eventually. It just means I watch a lot more tv...

Can you try swaddling her for feeds? Some babies find that easier to 'concentrate' on feeding and not thrash about so much.

Have you been checked for thrush? Nipple soreness should really have eased by now, esp with taking time 'off' to express.

Echo others re trying to avoid the bottle for a while. Just feed, feed, feed.

Good luck & well done for getting so far :)

Don't take it personally when she 'struggles' - at 7 wks she is incapable of disliking you, and I dare say the memory of a 7 wks old is not so fixed that she will 'remember' the bottle teat after a few days. However, an extended period of skin-to-skin contact, relearning the feel of you, the different pattern of milk flow etc., might help.

I would stick with BFing if possible, as IMHE expressing never produced as much milk as baby-on-breast did in the early months, plus it's a real faff sterilising pumps and storing milk.

I haven't used nipple shields, but possibly these might help, as I imagine they feel more like a bottle teat - but that said, if I wanted to get her back to the nipple, I'd just persevere.

FWIW BFing is bl**dy difficult, and very few people take to it like ducks to water. The first 3 months can be very tricky, so keep going if that's ultimately what you want to do. It will get easier. www.kellymom.com might have some more practical tips on how to move from bottle to breast.