Bf advice pls? - 3 week old

[Neptune44]

Hello, i posted on here last week and back again as found it very helpful
Have been having ebf issues from day one post cs, poor latch/mastitis/thrush/constant comfort feeding all day and night every day attached to me. DD now feeds every 2-4 hours for an hour+, sometimes longer, but she could go on forever... .I have found it hard to tell the difference between hunger and comfort sucking but she is gaining good weight so far. I was nervous about losing my supply for her and am aware of cluster feeds, but feeding advisor and mn advice assures me she is getting enough at hourly feeds every 2-4 hours instead of having her there constantly for hours on end. She has been unsettled after most feeds now and just seems so hungry! I wind her, change her and she just looks for more constantly, and actually takes more milk instead of just 'dummy sucking'.
I am exhausted and now feel sick, shaky and dizzy, i cant sleep as nervous about the next feed all the time - i am worried that she isnt getting sufficent sleep too as by the time shes fed, winded and changed she seems unsettled most of the time and doesnt go down to sleep, so feed her again and the cycle goes on eventually she sleeps but its then time for a feed again and i have to wake her (was told no longer than 4 hours without) I had expressed a bottle to give her if feeding gets too long tonight to see if she is content with that.
Basically my questions are, is she a super hungry baby? (Apparently i was) is ff the easier and more beneficial option for us? I really want her to be ebf for all the health benefits but she seems so unhappy and i feel ill and that i am struggling. Or is this a phase that will pass?
She was 7.4 at birth, and 8.12 at day 10.

Correction: 7.9 at day 10, 8.12 last week

Hi Neptune. Personally I wouldn't wake her to feed. She is putting on weight nicely.

Maybe speak to your health visitor/ gp if feeling unwell...could be nothing to do with bf, might be iron deficiency/ retained placenta.

They have loads of growth spurts in the early days. Always try to sleep if baby is sleeping. Possibly try some relaxation techniques.

No idea about ff and expressing milk. It seemed like to much effort when I was too tired so never did it.

Good luck and congratulations

Hi Neptune congrats on your dd. if she is gaining weight then take some comfort from that. You could get her weighed by a hv to see if they are happy. Did you get thrush and mastitis diagnosed by your GP? Sometimes the mastitis is caused by not letting your baby drain milk from your boob (try just feeding from one breast and only switch if you're empty) or it could be a latch problem. It can take a while for it all to click naturally. Pain can be another indicator of poor latch, so why not suss out a local breastfeeding support group, probably at your local children's centre. Bf supporters will be able to listen and offer great support.

Most ebf won't sleep through the night, and it's normal you get a lot of good nutrients in your night milk. You may also find that baby wants to cluster feed (seems like baby feeding for hours) in the evenings and during growth spurts. When your baby feeds the more hormones are released getting your body to make more milk.

Sleep deprivation is hard, I eventually co-slept, you can do it safely and baby had easy access to my nipples all night and I fed them laying down. Or you can try and nap when she does?

Congrats on your DD, well done for feeding her. It DOES get easier. At our peak my DD was feeding for 8hrs a day.. it was exhausting. I wonder have you got access to any specific BF RL support, a mother to mother group with peer supporters?! Maybe in your local children's centre?! They could check your latch as with mastitis and long feeding times are a bit of a red flag making me wonder if the latch is 100% right. Do you have any pain after, during feeding now?!

You don't necessarily need to wind your baby after every feed, have a Google for "Biological nurturing" position (you tube videos) as this feeds the baby in a more upright position that is laid back and comfortable for Mum and reduces wind too. If your DD is gaining weight well then perhaps wake after 5 or 6 hrs sleeping for a feed. I'm going to read original post again now and see if I can add anything else (am on phone so can't see board)!

Ok you also ask about formula. There's no guarantee you'll get more sleep with ff plus it is less convenient (especially when they are older and you're out of the house more). The risks with introducing (even as a top up) formula are:
-Your supply may drop and you may find yourself giving more and more formula
-you lose the on demand nature of feeding

• potential preference for formula resulting in affecting BF

The risks of exclusively formula feeding are:
-she won't get as much defence against childhood diseases
-you won't get as much defence against some cancers and heart disease etc

If you are able to express and giving a bottle helps them in the interim that could work for you, though expressing on top of a full time BF can be exhausting and you'll only reap the benefit of there is someone else (your Dp?) around to give the bottle. There is a risk of nipple confusion which isn't a myth but is quite rare. We used bottles from two weeks (I was very sore my DD had a tongue tie) and thankfully no confusion. At 5 months we started giving EBM from a cup.

Happy to answer more questions x

Hello,
Thanks everyone
Saw gp yesterday who diagnosed uterine infection, so more antibiotics but at least im feeling slightly better. Mastitis was diagnosed by mw at day 6 due to cracked nipples from poor latch. Dd struggles to 'open wide' enough so we have been using nipple shields, no pain when feeding at all now - also flat nipple on one side which shield helps with. Really dislike shields but they are helping me continue to bf. Seen a few specialists about her latch and they tell me it gets better as she grows?. We have an appointment on friday to see another feeding advisor. Last night she fed for 1 hr then i tested the ebm on her - she took 5oz in 10 mins and didnt throw any up, settled after 30mins and slept for 3 hours....is my milk flow not fast enough, is she comfort sucking or is the shield slowing her feeding down maybe?. I will nap when she naps today and keep expressing a bottle for her. I am so keen to keep the bf going for all the benefits for her, so will get her weighed again on mon to put my mind at rest that shes getting enough! Heading to my local bf support group next week

Glad to hear things are more positive for you. You are both learning and it will take you both time to get feeding efficiently. Good luck at your local support group.

Hi, thought i would give an update. DD is 7 weeks now and we are doing lots better she is being treated for silent reflux, so is much more settled inbetween feeds. Been weaning off the nipple shields too. Feeds are much quicker now that she is bigger, and she is also sleeping a good stretch a night. It has been a great help posting on here and getting out to the support groups - i nearly quit so many times but it really does get easier!