Need advice please! Am having a dilemma re bf 2 week old!

[SnowBoo]

I have a two week old and am desperately trying to bf but its so painful. I have mastitis which isn't helping and a dh who isn't the most supportive. Baby has bottles thru the night as i'm so tired due to a million things going wrong since having him.
When he latches on its not right but try as i may i can't master it. He sucks for maybe 15mins max then sleeps. MW says he should be feeding for about 30mins each feed.

Really don't want to give up but not sure what else to do.

(Sorry if poor english, one handed typing whilst cuddling my bundle)

La Leche League have great bf counsellors - try looking on the net for a local contact or ask midwife or hv. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you tried co-sleeping? I've found everybody gets more sleep that way. Once you and little one have mastered the latch you will be fine.

Try a cabbage leaf inside your bra - this really helps with swelling and discomfort.

Are there no BF clinic near you ? It is SO WORTH a visit!!!
Not feeding him at night won't help he mastitis though... what are you doing to clear it?
Take it one feed at a time, get the latch sorted... don't clock watch !

La Leche League helpline: 0845 120 2918

It may be that your ds is not feeding for long enough for him but my dd never fed for longer than 10 minutes, she was very efficient!
Is it possible that he is full after the 15 mins?

Savoy cabbage

Ahh so sorry to hear you are having trouble. Firstly all babies feed at different rates dd fed for 45 mins when she was 2 weeks ds fed for 10 mins and took a full feed at the same age, you cannot determine what they take in a certain amount of time. Unfortunately I found that it hurt while feeding for a while, my nips (sorry if tmi!!) needed to toughen up a bit! Have you tried lying down on your side with ds and feeding him that way as that may be a little more relaxing for you both?? I know this probably sounds ridiculous to you right now but try and relax and not stress about getting the baby latched on,and give it a little more time xx

SnowBoo, so sorry to read that you're having problems. I think the first thing you need to do is call either the NCT or the ABM (association of Breastfeeding Mothers) for help. I'll look up the numbers and post them in a minute. I'm not able to help with latches, but they should be able to.

Re the timings, there is no right or wrong time, but your mw is completely wrong to say that he must feed for 30 mins each. If he is sleeping, try to wake him by tickling his feet, stroking his chin, or getting him up and changing his nappy.

I'm afraid that giving him bottles won't help your supply in the long run, but if it helps give you some rest at the moment, keep doing it.

I'll post those numbers ina minute.

You poor thing, you are dong well to persevere. Hopefully Tiktok or Mears may be along with a professional view soon.

Please call a breastfeeding helpline or Counsellor (NCT, La Leche League et al). There may be a drop-in locally or one could do a home visit to observe you feeding and double check the latch and positioning. You shouldn't have to do this alone and MW's are not necessarily experts. Unfortunately the extra bottles may not be helping either you relieve the mastitis or establish your supply and his latch well but can fully understand why you are doing it. 15 minutes may be fine but you need to ensure he is feeding the most effectively he can. Is he otherwise doing well ?

ABM number is:0870 401 7711
NCT number is: 0870 444 8708

Re the mastitis, you know you are able to take paracetamol and neurofen? Also warm baths with gentle massage can help, as can a hot water bottle, but also cold cabbage and frozen peas (still in the bag). However, if it isn't getting better by the morning try to get to your GP, they can prescribe antibiotics which will help.

ok, I am not a counsellor and I am sure there are people with better advice but I'll give you mine anyway

You need to see a counsellor, in person. Someone needs to tell you what is wrng with the latch and how ti fix it.

You should try and feed through the night as well. Not feeding may make tyhe mastitis worse, so it's best to get him to feed as much as possible.

There is no set time for how long your LO has to feed for. If he only wants to do it for 15 minutes that's fine! unless of course you/she is worried that he isn't getting enough?

Can you stop the bottles in the night? These won't be helping with the mastitis - you need to feed to clear it. Plus at this age they'll severely knock your supply so if you do want to bfeed, you'll make it harder for yourself if you keep giving the bottles.

Do you have anyone who can help you? Family nearby? Good friends? MNers who'll pop round?

For mastitis, take ibuprofen (fine to take when bfeeding), get in a hot shower or bath and comb (yes, with a wide-toothed comb) your boob - from outside to nipple in firm but not dragging strokes, across where the lumpy bit is.

Also feed when your baby's chin pointing towards the lump to clear it best - although this can involve acrobatic nursing positions not best suited to a baby who doesn't latch well at the best of times, so perhaps don't worry about that. What you can do is try to massage the lumpy bit as you feed, although I never managed that - I expressed enough to make my boob feel less lumpy (not too much as you can overstimulate your supply) and massaged as I expressed.

You need to get a bfeeding counsellor to check your latch really - when you say it's not right, what do you mean?

Don't worry about timings of feeds unless he's not pooing or weeing enough - a baby this age should be having mustardy poos after most feeds and several heavy nappies a day - is he? How's his weight gain?

Are you doing lots of skin to skin contact? Just tuck him inside your top wearing just a nappy or if you can take him to bed with you and feed him every time he opens his mouth.

HTH a bit - and chin up - you can do it! x x x

Do you have a temperature?

Thanks everyone. Will call one of the helplines in morn. MWs have so far told me four different views so am confused by them.
Am on antibiotics and paracetamol but have been getting so worked up convincing myself milk is drying up. Baby is gaining weight and has lots of wet nappies both day and night!
Neighbour was bf counsellor but sods law is on hols.

Thanks again.

You really need to see a good counsellor in person. And I agree that not feeding at night is not going to be helping the mastitis.

hi, i co sleep and it does make things alot easier. i didnt at first and got extremely exhausted. at that age they do fall asleep easily at breast and it might be worth blowing on his cheek or stroking his hands to try and wake him so he will feed more.

i have had blocked ducts and mastitis a number of times, just cleared one blockage this morning. check with your midwife but ive been told to take ibuprofen as it reduces the inflammation in the breast. it does work. also try to vary your feeding positions so that the babies bottom jaw is on the hard area. i know this may not be too easy if the latch isnt quite right but if you can get in touch with a counsellor or peer supporter they may come to your home to have a look. also apply heat and gently massage the hard area before a feed, and if baby isnt feeding alot, express off the breast youve just fed off to empty it as much as possible. it does hurt when you have mastitis, i was in tears this morning trying to get ds to help unblock my duct as it feels like some one is slicing a knife through your nipple.

does baby suck fast then slow long sucks and can you see his ear moving when he sucks? these are signs that the latch is ok. also you will notice a pause when he opens his mouth the widest, this is as he is drawing the milk in.

they can find it hard to latch on if you are engorged too.

i know youve introduced bottles because you are tired but giving bottles in the night at such a young age could have caused some nipple confusion as they have to suck differently. also it could well be affecting your supply as your body will be producing the milk during the night but baby is not taking it so you end up getting blocked ducts and mastitis.

please spek to a bf counsellor, either NCT, la leche league or Association of breastfeeding mothers. the numbers are: ABM is 0870 401 7711
La leche league 0845 120 2918
NCT 0870 770 3236

Hope this helps

if he is gaining weight and having lots of wet/pooey nappies then you're doing great.
There is no reason why your milk should dry up if you're feeding him. I know that toe-curling agony caused by bad latch only too well so you truly have my sympathy. Hard as it is just keep feeding and try and see a bfc asap

One thing probably a long shot, but get your MW to check that he doesn't have a tongue tie, which about 2% of babies have and leads to poor latch on.

Congratulations on your new arrival and fingers crossed it gets better for you soon.

SnowBoo, if you do manage to feed through the night this will stimulate supply. I know it's hard, but if you can do it, it will help with the mastitis too. Unfortunately a lot of MW don't have enough experience of bf, so it's best to ask the experts - keep your chin up and call one of the phone lines in the morning. Things do feel better in daylight

He sucks away fine but its painful for me. I do the tum to mum nipple to nose, he opens and appears to be latched on but i don't think theres enough breast in his mouth. Also the pain varies from one feed to another.
Also suffering from 2nd degree tear so can't sit upright for too long....
Will call helplines tomorrow. Determined not to quit!!!!

try to feed led on your side as this may help releive pain from the tear. in this position you can also do top to tail so babies chin is working on the top of your breast if thats where the lump is. i know it hurts like hell but it is best to try and keep feeding every few hours during the day and night to help clear the mastitis and ibuprofen does work

Does it hurt the whole time you feed? Or could it be letdown pain you're feeling? I found that appallingly painful this time round, really toe-curling. Stopped about six weeks in and wasn't every feed before that - but was at two weeks.

Hi Snowboo, I am completely new to this site and saw your posting tonight. I was in the same boat as you when I had my son (now 7 months and I'm still breastfeeding). First of all, WELL DONE YOU for still doing it. So many people give up because it hurts so b**dy much. I just wanted to tell you that it does really, REALLY hurt to begin with and that's even without the additional complication of mastitis - for me, the thought of going through the pain and hassle of early breastfeeding makes me dread having a 2nd baby much more than the pain of childbirth!

Anyway, my advice is just to keep your milk flowing any which way you can until you can see someone. I had mastitis 2 weeks in as well, the worst bit lasted for 24 hours (although I felt like I was going to die/have to have my boob lopped off at one point I was in so much pain and was weeping because I couldn't face feeding my boy).

So, try cabbage leaves, warm baths and massages, nurofen and paracetamol alternately, and nipple shields for feeding (this helped a bit but not as much as I'd hoped - so I ended up spending 12 hours in my dressing gown just dripping into a breast shell tucked inside my bra and kept tipping it into a bottle in the fridge so that I could bottle feed to my baby). Also have you used a breast pump to keep things flowing and fed your baby with this from a bottle? You can mix your milk with formula if you don't think you've got enough - I didn't know this till a friend told me.

It will get better but believe me I know how desperate you must feel. Just let your milk keep flowing, don't worry about drying up or giving bottles if it helps and just hang on in there till tomorrow. I could never get through to NCT line. In the end I saw emergency GP at my surgery who was a sympathetic woman - is it worth calling for appointment tomorrow and asking to see a nurse/GP who has experience of breastfeeding? Most docs are so impressed with you if you are still doing it in my experience.

Good luck!!

x

PS if you don't have nipple shields and breast pump to hand (I didn't at the time, my husband had to go shopping for them and bring them home from work - revenge is sweet hey?) then try doing what I did and sit in front of the TV relaxing as much as poss, massaging your boob and dripping into a sterilised bottle/cup (obviously helps if there is someone else to hold your baby whilst you're doing this!).