Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

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

Flip

Original poster

Sore nipples and all night feeding

14 replies

DIYandEatCake · 14/12/2013 03:04

I don't know if I'm looking for advice or just company - ds is 3 days old and has been feeding pretty much non stop since 8pm and I just want to sleep (or cry)! The nipples had been doing ok this time, but are getting more and more tender now. He has one side, falls asleep, wakes and screams when I try to put him down until I feed him again. No other comforting works. Dp tried taking him earlier for a bit, he just screamed for 20 minutes. My battered nether regions are also getting more and more painful being sat on for so long. I've tried feeding lying down but just can't get it to work - never managed it with dd either (I have small boobs). I have about 3 hours til 2yo dd comes in and jumps on me demanding breakfast. Please someone remind me this does pass....

OP posts:

pookypup · 14/12/2013 03:10

Congratulations on the birth of your baby! My DD was born on 11/12/13 - is this the same date?

No advice, massive sympathy. Also sat here having had no sleep yet with sore nips. Said to DH at 9.30 I was exhausted and going to bed....

pookypup · 14/12/2013 03:11

Do you have some help tomorrow and can get some sleep then?

Original poster

DIYandEatCake · 14/12/2013 03:29

Thanks for replying, so comforting to know I'm not alone. Congratulations (and sympathy) to you too! Dreading tomorrow, dp has a cold and is full of self pity too, and dd needs lots of attention at the moment. I'm going to insist on dp dragging himself out of bed in the morning though, I've been awake for nearly 24 hours now and he had a lie-in yesterday....

OP posts:

pookypup · 14/12/2013 03:38

Sounds like man flu! He totally needs to step up. My DP just rolled over and tried to be sympathetic/ask what has been happening. I grumpily told him to be quiet and get some sleep as he's on duty soon.

My DD only wants to sleep on me and feed at the moment too. I'm hoping it's just how 3-day-olds roll and they will be more settled once they've worked out how to deal with milk coming in!

pookypup · 14/12/2013 03:46

Going to hold her for 20 mins then put down.

Would co-sleep but am paranoid about the glass of champagne I had to celebrate bringing her home!

Op - what else have you tried with your DS? I

SerenaJoy · 14/12/2013 03:56

Feel for you OP. I'm 38 weeks pregnant with DC2 and I'm wide awake after getting up with toddler DS. You've reminded me what I've got ahead of me in the next few weeks! I stocked up on Lansinoh the other day in preparation.

I'm also small of nork but feeding lying down was my saviour last time round. I think I sort of lay in the recovery position (on my side with one knee bent so my upper leg was kind of supporting me, iyswim?), with baby nestled in in my armpit poor child. Could you google image search to see if there's a position that might work for you? At least that way you'd be getting a bit of a rest and taking the pressure off your poor nethers.

Hope you're asleep by now, but if not - this too shall pass

(Oh and yes to drafting DP in - he might have a cold but you've just given birth FFS. Time for him to man up!)

CarolsFromPoopMinster · 14/12/2013 04:03

Congrats DIY!

Poor babies at this age are still freaked out from being in the outside world, so feeding can be them just getting reassurance from you - I found it helped to try and see it from their point of view (also imagine their tummies are hurting from trying to digest new things, it must all be quite hard going for them in those first few days).

I discovered biological nurturing/laid-back feeding this time round, if you google LLL have pictures, you lay in a semi-reclined position and lay the baby tummy to tummy on you, and then they find a comfy position to feed. I found it much easier in the first fortnight than trying to feed on the side.

Good luck!

SerenaJoy · 14/12/2013 04:08

Ooh that sounds interesting Carols, I'm making a note of that

pookypup · 14/12/2013 04:13

Thanks carols, helpful ideas.

MerryMarigold · 14/12/2013 04:34

When all mine were tiny they had a bottle in the night so I could get some sleep which probably saved my sanity. Dh gave around midnight, which meant I went to sleep around 9 after the last feed. You could try. I also found it didn't confuse them at all since most of the feeding was on the breast, and that unlike older babies, they were fine to chop and change. I breastfed 3 babies like this, including twins till 1yr and a half, so it really (in my experience of 3 different babies) didn't damage them. It was probably about a month we did this.

MerryMarigold · 14/12/2013 04:35

I also co-slept so they were close to me, and never slept well at night in a basket, although the daytime was fine !

Lones80 · 14/12/2013 05:10

I could have written your post last week. DD is now 11 days old and for the first 7 days fed constantly from 8pm until 4am. I banished DH to the spare bed so that he could get some sleep and then get up with the toddler while I had another hour or two in bed.

Once my supply came in properly she has slept for 2-3 hours between feeds and I feel less like a zombie.

Congratulations and good luck!

matilda101 · 14/12/2013 06:22

My dd2 is now 15 weeks old and I bf dd1 until 14 mo so you would have thought I'd remembered what it was like. Omg, dd2 fed non stop for the first 4 nights, I was about ready to give up and give her formula! When my milk properly came in it all settled down. No one tells you how hard it is, things get. A bit easier but only got a lot easier around 8 weeks (then she had her jabs and was bad again....)

stinkingbishop · 14/12/2013 06:54

My nipples were complete bloomin' agony and couldn't rest them as had twins...what saved me was a combination of nipple shields (the girls really didn't seem to notice) and Jellonet (you can get off Amazon) which is gauze impregnated with Vaseline-like gunk. It's used for burns normally I think. You stick it to your boobs in between feeds. It really really helped.

Flip