Day 4 and can't take it anymore

[iheartshoes]

My DD was born on Friday night after an EMCS. As soon as I was in recovery I tried to get her to go on the boob and fed her that night , all seemed to go ok and I was so pleased with myself for feeding her. But since coming home yesterday (when my proper milk started coming in) my nipples are so dry and cracked it excruciating especially when she feeds . I think it's a latch problem she takes in too much of the top part of the areola but I find positions her to feed so so hard because of the pain in my stomach from
The section. Midwife came yesterday and showed me the football / rugby ball hold? Which worked when she was there but I've been trying to do that all night and she won't take it Im not doing it right. I can only get her to feed if she lies across me on a pillow which is causing me so much pain . I'm so so tired and frustrated and dreading the next feed . I don't think the feeding is even working properly as she hadn't had many dirty nappies. I've always wanted to breastfeed, birth didn't go how I imagined so I thought I could make it up by breastfeeding her but I just can't. I've been trying to look up instructions online but I'm just so tired my brain can't function anymore. Someone please help mem at the end of my tether. I'm crap with instructions over the phone and I'm in too much pain with my stomach to go to any breastfeeding support classes. This is so not how I dreamed my first days with my baby would be someone please please help me

Thanks lurcher - how r u getting on with recovering from your CS?

I'm doing ok, but my hosp sent me home with decent painkillers! You def need diclofenac or codeine. Just watch out for constipation, that's been my main problem - fybogel is doing the job for me. The main thing is to take things very very easy. I've not been out of my pjs yet and have basically had a week on the sofa with dd. I am feeling much better now and I think rest is key. How is the feeding going now?

Congratulations on your babies iheart and lurcher!

Just to say- watch out for constipation, for some reason I couldn't shake mine for the first six months of breastfeeding no matter how much water I drank and fibre I ate. The two things I found helped were prune juice (which is also chock full of iron) and reintroducing coffee (it had no effect on my ds).

Also, I had an emcs and found my Widgy breastfeeding pillow an absolute lifesaver. I'm still using it at nearly ten months.

I'm on the codeine now , definitely made a big diff to pain but have been a tad constipated. My doc didn't seem to want to give me the other stuff that's been mentioned on here. dI've been downing the lactulose and prune juice !! The b feeding seems to be going ok where we are having trouble now is sleeping - trying to get her to stay in crib is fun and games. I would try co sleeping but both my and DH are very heavy sleepers n I'm scared of squashing her .

Sleepy how much prune juice did u drink daily to make a difference?

iheart consider getting a co-sleeping crib, not only because baby sleeps better next to you, but because it is far easier on your scar not to have to keep getting out of bed, bending over to pick up baby etc.
I've had two c-sections, after the second I was struggling to get baby into the Moses basket and remembered the months of misery I had with my first trying to do this and thought 'sod it' and went on the internet, debit card in hand. We've got a divan bed, which restricted the choice dramatically, but I have hired for 6 months an NCT bednest from the NCT, for £100 which includes a new mattress.
It's bloody brilliant, I really wish I'd had one for my first and saved a lot of scar pain and sleepless nights. It has utterly changed my night feed experience.

We have made a co-sleeper with a £35 cot from ikea - assembled with one side off, mattress at the same height as ours, then cable-tied to the bed. It's working really well and I don't have to get in and out of bed to feed. Try warming the crib with a hot water bottle before she goes in - sometimes they don't like lying on a cold mattress.

So would she feel much closer to me in the bed best cot? At the moment I have her in a crib right next to the bed . Last night was fun and games everytime we thought she was asleep we tried to out her in very gently, warmed the cot beforehand and had a t shirt of mine in there but she just wouldn't settle. Ended up falling asleep curled up on my chest about half five and I tried not to sleep but was so tired I drifted off felt so awful when I woke up as know that is one I the worst ways for them to sleep !! She just sounds so distraught when I put her in the crib I can't bear it... Pushover !

Does she cluster feed at night? I had this issue with DS and now again with dd and I've found it's usually because they could manage a bit more milk. I'd feed them, they'd fall asleep on me, put them in the cot and bingo! Wide awake and not happy. I find if I offer another feed or five there's a point at which they seem really sated and will sleep anywhere - perhaps try encouraging her to cluster feed more? Don't worry about over feeding - you can't overfeed a bf baby and she won't take it if she doesn't want it.

The bednest is like an enclosed extension of your bed, so there is nothing between you and her at all. This can help with transfers as you are only lifting sideways into the bednest rather than up and down. Babies startle when you put them down as their natural reaction to a dropping feeling is to reach out and grab something to stop them falling.
There's also a little side which you can put up if they start rolling, and a full side if you want it to be like a proper cot.
www.nctshop.co.uk/NCT-Bednest-Rental-for-6-months/productinfo/4364R/

I've also seen recommended on here the Troll bedside cot, but I think you can't use it with a divan bed.