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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

day 2 milk not through yet and I want to give up!

21 replies

sweetiepie1979 · 25/10/2013 21:41

I'm so rubbish at breast feeding! Last time I lasted 6 weeks and had to give up no milk frim traumatic birth probably. Now it's only day 2 trying to stay positive but baby not latching on properly no matter hoe much help I seem to get will it be easier when milk comes in? She's not had a wet nappy today maybe I should give her a syringe of formula? Midwife tomorrow to see me. She was sucking for 4 hours this morning nipples already sore and I know when she wakes and cries I'll get that dread feeling I hate that it can't be right that when you hear your baby cry you dread the pain to come. Surely I've been through enough it was a difficult pregnancy! Advice please

OP posts:

StillSlightlyCrumpled · 25/10/2013 21:44

Oh sweetiepie I'm so sorry you are feeling so rubbish, sore nipples is the pits.

I would be concerned enough to call the post natal ward about no wet nappy, they will probably (I imagine) want to see you.

CreatureRetorts · 25/10/2013 21:45

Yes def give her a bit of formula if no wet nappy. Ask for BF advice and ask them to check baby for tongue tie which could mean she cannot feed properly.

StillSlightlyCrumpled · 25/10/2013 21:45

It's toe curling isn't it sometimes. I used to dread seeing my son start to squirm as I knew what was coming.

There are some breastfeeding guru's on here and I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you some good advice.

redcaryellowcar · 25/10/2013 21:48

my milk came in on day 5, but from day 3 ds was getting 'enough' colostrum as he was in scbu and they were frequently doing heel prick tests to check his blood sugar, have faith it will get easier. lovely midwife suggested plenty of fluids and a mars bar (or four) get advice as when my milk came in it did so with gusto and even though mars bars not my chocolate of choice after a few light days of labour and special care the sugar boost was welcome.

BonaDea · 25/10/2013 21:48

If you are keen to breastfeed don't give up yet! And don't give any formula.

My milk took nearly 5 days to come in after a section. It is hard. These initial days of sucking she is getting colostrum which is all she needs for now and is completely normal. All her sucking also makes your milk come in and sorts out your supply going forward. If you give formula the supply will be wrong.

Please speak to your midwife and don't give up if you would like to bf this time round.

drinkyourmilk · 25/10/2013 21:51

I would be concerned if you've had no wet nappy today. I think you should call a medical professional.

StillSlightlyCrumpled · 25/10/2013 21:54

No wet nappies really is a sign that your baby isn't getting enough milk. Your instinct is probably right and she needs something else. I would urge caution and call the ward.

drinkyourmilk · 25/10/2013 21:55

Just looked it up on kellymom. It states to expect one wet nappy on day one, two on day two. If these goals are not met then call your midwife or ward.

WLmum · 25/10/2013 21:57

Agree with creature. Formula top ups are not a one way street if you don't want them to be. I had to give dd3 top ups for a week ish as my supply was a bit slow and not enough for her to start with. She was found to have a posterior tongue tie.
Well done for keeping going and asking for help - bfing can be hard but is so rewarding if that's what you want.
Get some lansinoh for the nips - its miraculous and doesn't need to be washed off before feeds.
4 hours is too long to let her suck - I had some advice from a good bf counsellor - 45 mins is plenty - if she still seems hungry give her a bottle. If she's not getting enough in 45 mins, she won't get enough no matter how long you give her, but she will use up her precious calories trying and will exhaust you and so strain your ability to build up supply. As she gets stronger she will get better at it, and your supply will increase. Also try fenugreek tablets - I definitely found an increase after a day or two.
Good luck and be kind to yourself.

tiktok · 25/10/2013 22:07

There's a lot of well-meaning advice already on here and some of it will NOT help you and will risk confusing the issue....please contact a midwife and ask for help and support and at least talk to a midwife tonight about your situation.

This is not something a talkboard can help with really - there are too many things going on which need a proper assessment.

Hope you get good help from experts on the spot.

NAR4 · 25/10/2013 22:08

Fresh air and vaseline on your nipples helps with the soreness. Ask your midwife for details of any local breastfeeding support groups, it sounds like you need all the support you can get at the moment. Some babies do seem to need to 'learn' what to do and it doesn't always happen easily. If baby doesn't have tongue tie and there are no other problems, it WILL get easier. Sore nipples can last a few wks but this will honestly seem like a blink in time once you are comfortably breastfeeding.

My milk didn't come in with any of my 5dcs for about 5 days so don't worry about not having milk yet. I agree with previous poster that don't give formula but do get advice from the midwife about not having wet nappies. It might help to be re-admitted to the postnatal ward for help to establish breastfeeding.

Ultimately how you feed your baby is a very personal decision for you alone. If you don't feel able to continue, only you know how painful your nipples are and how much you want to establish breastfeeding. Don't feel bullied by anyone, one way or another.

Vijac · 26/10/2013 00:33

You have to choose the best thing for you, so if you think the bf will really get you down then consider other options. My experience is that it was hard work and painful for 2 month (I think it is a myth that bf is not difficult for everyone to start with) but after that it was so easy and wonderful. I have really enjoyed bf my son and am glad I pushed through the hard bit. A bit of supplementing very early on is unlikely to be a problem but if you do want to bf, then I would be wary of regularly supplementing or offering bottles as your supply may be affected. Good luck and congratulations on your new addition.

harverina · 26/10/2013 06:08

Agree that you need to speak to a health care professional op.

My dd did not latch on for over 3 days as she was incredibly sleepy. I hand expressed colostrum every couple of hours and she was fed this by cup. This may be an option for you but I would speak to a mw as soon as possible.

harverina · 26/10/2013 06:10

I should add that I was in hospital while this was going on and got a significant amount of support from midwives at every "feed" - dd was incredibly sleepy due to the pain relief I had during labour.

Doctorbrownbear · 26/10/2013 06:27

I hope you are ok. I can't really offer any advice but just some sympathy. I can really empathise with your situation as I struggled for 4 long and frankly agonising days to get my dd to breastfeed and eventually turned to mixed formula and expressing. I then tortured myself with guilt that I was doing the wrong thing. I am pregnant with dc2 and dreading feeding issues already. You are doing your best and I hope things get easier.

Original poster

sweetiepie1979 · 26/10/2013 14:51

Feeling liberated that I've made the decision to not breast feed I'll express as much as I can. I've given birth twice mow with no pain relief and thought it really wasn't that bad, I think I've had worse hangovers when in my 20s but the searing pain of breast feed ing sends me clammy and angry and tearful and I dread the sound of the baby's cry of hunger. I don't know why that is but I want to now be confident with my decision. Had a lovely midwife here this morning who said if she was me she wouldn't do it, that has helped free me. The relief! Does anyone else have or having that experience?

OP posts:

JethroTull · 26/10/2013 15:32

Sweetie I felt like you, dreaded my DS waking up because it meant trying to BF. I had a c-sec & DS really struggled to latch. I tried every day for 3 weeks, using expressed milk as well. I got mastitis which was the tipping point for me & I made the decision to switch to FF. as soon as I decided I felt 'free'. For me, it was more important that DS had a healthy & happy mum than him having my milk.

Original poster

sweetiepie1979 · 26/10/2013 18:41

Your so right I'm expressing only and it's so much better

OP posts:

StillSlightlyCrumpled · 26/10/2013 20:13

Glad the midwife has been and that you're feeling better ??.

Sizzlesthedog · 26/10/2013 20:25

I know the pain you describe. My labour was less painful than breast feeding. I expressed and topped up with formula for 6 weeks, until I saw the nct bf counsellor who positioned DC correctly and I had a pain free, perfect feed.

For me I found it so so hard. The guilt of the ff was terrible, I felt I'd let my baby down.

NAR4 · 27/10/2013 14:11

I know my neighbour had terrible pain when breastfeeding, so decided to give bottles of expressed milk instead with top ups of formula. When her nipples had fully healed up she did go onto successfully breastfeed her baby.

Glad to hear you are feeling much happier now.

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