Worth trying again with breast feeding?

[PeachBellini123]

Desperately need advice with this.

Baby was born on Monday after a stressful induction and labour. He had problems latching on due to my flat nipples. After getting advice from around 5 different midwives (all telling me different ways to feed) and ending up with bruising on my breast with them trying to get my nipple erect I was so upset I left hospital without him latching on.

I tried fruitlessly at home and we ended up giving him formula as he was absolutely starving.

My milk's now come in. Have I messed up the chance of him bf now? There's a support group near me for breastfeeding but I fear it's far too late.

I'm expressing but not getting that far with it.

Should I just accept that my breasts are not designed to feed?

Op I'm so happy you are happy. You are doing a brilliant job

YOU COULD BE ME 3 MONTHS AGO.

Baby latch perfect, position perfect but flat nipples. I spoke to 15 people in the hospital. The hospital bf consultant (who it took me 4 days to see) suggested nipple shields but it such a way it made me uncertain. At 5 days Id resigned myself to expressing for 6 months.

A facebook person suggested nipple shields again. I amazon primed some medela ones and we've never looked back. Bfing got easier and easier everyday. At 12 weeks he latched on for the first time without them and now it's super easy. My supply was never affected.

Please don't wait to see the BF group, it's so different outside the hospital. They can give advice about maintaining supply with mixed feeding. Those first 6 weeks they do nothing but boob/sleep/scream but gradually I realised I wasn;t just a milk machine and DH could do much more with the baby. Also, watch out for the cluster feeding - no one told me about that! Good luck!

So delighted to hear of your happy outcome! My DS was formula fed for the first week as he couldn't latch (huge boobs with flat nipples + tongue tie) and then I pumped off and one for a year and combi fed. Always wished I could have sorted the latch out and fed him 'from the keg' as I'd probably still be feeding him now (he's 17 months)

Great update, so happy for you :) Yoko Uh Oh speaks sense about night feeds being prime supply building time - a 'hungry' fussy baby is a baby using supply and demand to build your milk supply and / or going through a (normal) growth spurt ;)

Lots of skin to skin cuddles and breastfeed / express as much as you possibly can to optimally build/safeguard your supply. Be proud OP!

XXX

Just to add to the above: nighttime feeds are the most important for boosting your supply, so if you can manage to breastfeed him whenever he wakes up you'll be helping your supply loads x

Thanks again for all your support. Bit too brain dead from sleep deprivation to write a better reply (!) but I was in such a state when I first posted. I appreciate the replies SO much.

Another one adding that try not to top up in the night- that's when hormones are released to boost supply. You may have a rough night or two, but your supply will catch up so much quicker.

Also feed as much as you can. Even if he's only just fed, and people tell you "he can't be hungry again" . Even if he isn't hungry, the sucking action stimulates your supply. Don't feel guilty that the washing up isn't done, or the hoovering, sit on the sofa and feed, feed, feed some more. Let other people fetch and carry for you until bf is properly established.

And yy to m/w being useless. I actually got on well with bf from the start, but they fed constantly, as bf babies do. All the m/w did was offer me formula because she was feeding again, and one even gave me a nasty lecture for not bringing formula when I said I didn't have any when she suggested giving some- as how did I know bf would work out?. As I was sat there quite comfortably breastfeeding.

thank you Really. That makes sense

Also cake, OP. Very important for new mums. ;)

💐

Haha. Oh don't worry have definitely been keeping up with my cake quota

Excellent ;)

Great news OP! Glad you're sorted

Make sure you drink lots and lots of water! I think I grossly underestimated how much you need to drink.