Breast feeding newborn- urgent advice pls

[krisskross]

hello

my third DC is 4 days old and i am really struggling with breast feeding him.

I managed to BF my first two but it wasn't plain sailing....i mixed fed my son pretty soon as i genuinely was totally unprepared for the reality of BF in first fee weeks and thought I was doing something wrong.

my daughter had silent reflux which was hard. both had dummies within days which made things easier for me but in hindsight made BF harder.

so, with my third DC i felt determined to give it my best shot. but i am really struggling. he was over 9 pounds and since 24 hours old he has wanted to feed continuously ...really. 4 hours one night, 6 the second and last night literally all night.

if he comes off asleep i pop him in his Moses basket and he is screaming looking for food within 5 mins. he is very content whilst feeding and midwife thinks his latch is fine.

it's just the same in the day. he literally feeds/ doses at breast all day and screams for food when taken off.

I just don't know what to do. I had hoped not to give him a dummy for a couple of weeks to establish milk supply but i feel desperate.

DH is back at work next week and I have no idea how I will get the DC to school etc... currently i am timetabling loo breaks.

I've read lots saying it's like this for 6 weeks?? Help.

[SleepWhatSleep1]

Moses basket? you must be joking! - my dc thought it was lined with thorns

Sling for the win. Everytime. You're hands free. Can do stuff. They sleep. Can feed at least one handed so you have one hand free and on the move. Can eat and wee and cook (carefully!).

[krisskross]

thanks sleep and giraffe...is there a particular slng youd suggest? i only have the baby bjorn but happy to get another.

has anyone advice re when i can introduce a Dummy without messing all up?

thanks everyone

[NameChange30]

My advice is forget the dummy and as I already said get him assessed for tongue tie asap, preferably by a lactation consultant. There should be breastfeeding clinics / drop-ins near you so that might be a good place to start.

[AnnaBegins]

Sling wise, a stretchy wrap or close caboo is best at this stage, the stretchy fabric means they are really cosy and you can even breastfeed in them when you get the hang of it! A baby bjorn is not ergonomic which means it's not great for their developing hips, and also it's not very supportive for a newborn.
Sling libraries can be really helpful but I imagine getting out the house is not simple at the mo!

[fruitpastille]

I used a dummy from about 2 days with my first and 3rd DC. Some babies are very sucky! I had massive supply so that was never an issue. I also had problems with soreness (understatement) but I'm sure this was not related to dummy use. I bf for about 7 months. Dc1 gave up dummy around 6 months. Dc3 still has one age 3!

[JanetBrown2015]

Don't bother with the dummy. I don't think they make breastfeeding better in the slightest and are just confusing

Use a sling. Have breaks in the feeding - eg 20 mins per hour (and longer if he's sleeping). My milk came in at about 5 days by the way - I had much longer period of colostrum than most women so perhaps in your case he's just trying to get a good supply going. The baby doesn't need to feed for hours without a break.

Might be worth having a breastfeednig expert come to the house if you are really desperate. Keep at it. you're doing very well.

[Cestquiluideja]

I gave DS1 formula in the early days as I was unprepared/unwilling/unable to keep up with the demand and how CONSTANT/RELENTLESS it was. In hindsoght this was a really bad idea and the top-up trap caught me out badly. I don't think giving formula till milk comes in worked well at all for me.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

You will be able to do the school run! If needs be, you take DS off and put him in the sling or in the car and he should nap. I did the nursery run from 2 weeks with DS and it was fine! I used the close Caboo in the early months and moved DS into the Ergo from about 3 months (but he's a big baby!).

As for the Moses basket, it never worked here! Nor the bednest or the cot. Co-sleeping however has been a life saver, especially the second time round when you've got DC to look after the next day.

[Anatidae]

Baby Björn don't damage their hips - they don't give a healthy child hip problems (despite what t'internet will tell you.)

They are however bloody uncomfortable for the user. I loathed ours - baby kind of dangles off your front way too low and it just hurt like hell after a short time. Close caboo is good, stretchy wrap ones are good after you're used to them. But see if there's a sling library near you to try several out. Or you may have a kid like mine who hates slings in all colours and refused to be carried in one.

If you want to bf it's best to let him suckle as much as you can to stimulate demand. Bung him in a sling to do the school run then keep him in it when you're home - you can bf wearing them and that gives you your hands free to sort child 1 out.

It's exhausting - definitely get some hands on advice if there's any near you. La leche league or bf cafe or bf consultant - all good