Newborn feeding help please

[NickyEds]

My dd was born on Saturday so is 6 days old today. I thought bf was going ok but I've been really confused since seeing the mw yesterday. Dd has been a little star of a feeder (well I think so!) since birth- latched on and doing good sucks etc. For the first 3 days she fed very frequently- every hour or so, never going more than 90 minutes, plenty of wees, poo went yellow from mec. She had two monster sessions over night on days 2 and 3 where she fed almost constantly throughout the night. The next day my milk came in. So far so good I thought.

Went to see mw yesterday (day 5) and she was more or less happy with dd, she's lost 2% of her birth weight (but she was little 6lb11). The problem is my nipples are very sore. I've started getting some cracks since the mammoth feeding sessions. Mw said that this will be stopping dd getting enough. Ive tried altering latch, positioning, rugby ball, laid back etc and I'm finding it hard. Also dd has started going much longer between feeds- more like 2-3 hours. So my main questions are;

1. Should I wake her to feed her more often?

2.How much pain is normal? It's very painful when she latches then eases after 10-20 seconds but still hurts throughout the feed- it's like pushing on a bruise

1. Does pain mean she's not getting a proper feed. Mw said we didn't need to think about f...."yet". The "yet" is worrying me. She also told me to go see gp about the cracks (going this afternoon). I'm taking ibufrofen, using Lansinoh and bm and letting air get to them. She suggested feeding her of one side per feed (block feeding??)-I've been offering both and she usually takes both.

Sorry for huge post, I have bf before but with ds he was Tt, it was agony all of the time and he never got enough so I don't really know what "normal" feels like.

It sounds like things were/are going BRILLIANTLY apart from the pain. I'm a bit shocked that the mw has not been more positive. Regarding the pain it sounds like you are doing the right things too so I really hope it improves. If you can stay bra-less that might help too.

1. A 2% loss is amazing. MW don't usually worry unless the loss hits 10%. I'm completely confused about why she's even mentioning formula. As for frequency, the rough rule of thumb is 8-12 feeds in 24 hours. If you're in that ball park, she's having wet and dirty nappies, has periods of alertness and isn't jaundiced, then 2-3 hourly sounds fine.

1. Really hard to tell. What you need is someone to check your latch I think. Is there a breastfeeding support group near you?

1. I have never heard that pain means that a baby isn't getting a proper feed. Of course, pain can indicate a problem with latch/tongue tie etc, which can (but doesn't necessarily) mean the baby isn't getting enough milk. But AFAIK pain is not in itself an indicator of milk intake. For that you look at weight gain and nappies. Nappies sound fine and you wouldn't expect any weight gain at this stage- loss is expected at five days. If she hasn't gained at the next weigh in- then you may have an issue, but there is nothing to suggest that will be the case.

Offering only one side seems very odd advice if the MW is worried about weight gain (not that I think you should be based on what you've said). It would rest your nipples I guess, but it isn't going to be great for building up your supply or making sure your baby gets lots of milk.

OP it sounds like you are doing fantastically well. I can't add to the already great advice but I just wanted to cheer you on! It sounds like the midwife has put a few seeds of doubt in your mind, but you're doing great.

It sounds similar to how it was for me. My dd took to feeding well and started spacing out her feeds to 2-3 hours. I had painful and bleeding nipples in the first few weeks. Most of the literature says that means latch is wrong, most women I've spoken to disagree! I think it's par for the course when breastfeeding - but it does get better soon enough.

I would continue feeding your baby as you're doing already and not worry about what the mw said. The nipple pain for you should pass soon. In my experience the nhs don't really expect you to continue breastfeeding for long and often talk as if you will move to formula sooner rather than later. My last health visiter looked shocked when I said 10 month old dd still breastfed and asked me why I was having trouble stopping.

Thank you. The mention of formula made me too- I thought anything under a 7% weight loss was fine. The GP said that my nipples were sore and cracked, which I pretty much told him, but they're not infected. With ds I had huge cracks encircling half the nipple and I remember even that just seemed to get better after a month or so. The pain isn't great but it isn't intolerable, I'm just worried about her getting a full feed. She's very content in between feeds. I don't really know what to do about the latch, I spent all day Wednesday "experimenting" with different positions and the one I'm using, though painful is still most comfy.
The nearest bf support group is shut for July and August.
It's just made me feel like I'm doing it wrong when I thought it was going well.

I watched latch vids on YouTube and used Derma Mum Nipple Balm and both helped and reassured me immensely.

Sounds like you are doing amazingly,btw. 2% weightloss is minimal. Baby going longer between feeds is contentment, I wouldn't wake.

The nearest bf support group is shut for July and August.

Because nobody ever needs support with BF in July and August

It's just made me feel like I'm doing it wrong when I thought it was going well.

It sounds like its going very well Sounds like your MW is a bit confused.

My DS had a poor lazy latch, and he was gaining weight, but the midwife looked for other signs such as the nipple being flat/misshapen after feeding (as if it's been sucked more one side than the other?) and I also began to have shooting pains right up into the breast and they lasted afterwards for a long time. If you don't have these sort of problems as well, it's probably just the normal effect of having someone chomping on your nipples 8-12 times a day for a week! I'm like you, I've never had a 'normal' experience of breastfeeding, but the feeding counsellor was brilliant for me. Good luck!

I had almost the same experience recently, except for the silly MW.

My DD was 6 lb 12 and although she is my DC3, I couldn't get the hang of latching her tiny mouth on. I just made sure to try and latch carefully each time. The best tip I read was on Dr Jack Newman's site, a lot of info says to break off and re latch if it hurts, but he says all the on and off causes the damage. So if it stops really hurting once they're on, just try again next time.

It has got a lot better for me as DD has got bigger.

Congratulations. :)