Please Help!!!!! I am at breaking point.
I breastfeeding my 1st until 20months. My son is 9 weeks old. He fed so well from day one, instantly putting on weight until 6 weeks. At around 6/7 weeks he starting fussing and not always latching well. Going on gulping air coming back off again. The cycle then repeated itself. Since its gotten worse and worse. He feeds well at night, and until last week was feeding every 2 hours day and night. Last night he went 11pm-5am which is a first. During the day he might latch on for a minute, but then he struggles with the fast flow I think and pulls off, I'll wind him change him etc and try again but he never goes back on. He screams if I put him in the position to go back on. Sometimes he will settle, he never cries like he is starving, and he often falls asleep without problem. I will try again when he looks sleepy and occasionally he goes back on and has 5 minutes. He never ever feeds beyond 5 minutes and most times it's no more than 2. But he is still now going 3 hours between looking hungry for food. He has a dr check up yesterday and although he has put on weight he has dropped a centile line. The dr said if he drops anymore lines he will have to investigate.
My HV says its because he has had a cold, but the problems started a good week before his cold. Which is now passing. All the HVs and peer support workers i have spoken to have been useless to be honest, offering no support or advice. He had his injections yesterday. I rang LLL helpline on Monday and was given tips to reduce milk production (feeding from one boob only for most of day then switch, and using scissor fingers during feed to slow it down, leaning back etc) the problem is I never get the opportunity to try out these techniques because he is rarely on my boob long enough! I have been using one boob though to reduce flow so hope that will help in a few days.
Tonight same as usual had 1 minute then wouldn't go back on. I tried a bottle of expressed milk which I never do to see if he was hungry or just tired etc. it's impossible to know what he wants these day because I can never rule out being hungry. He had 2oz then fell asleep.
I have been expressing 5oz every day at 7pm from 6 weeks because I wanted to have some spare in the freezer just in case. I don't know if this is relevant, I am however reducing slightly everyday to try and reduce production. My boobs often feel swollen and bumpy.
Please please help I am totally lost. I don't know whether to put it down to the cold, if my efforts to reduce flow will start working eventually, how long to leave it before I give up. I am every emotional about it and would hate to give up but I don't know what else to do please please help.
Rosie