Am I doing ok bfeeding my 6 day old baby?

[Popsicles]

Hi this is my first post on mumsnet, I think it'll prob be the first of many!

I'm a little worried that I'm doing something wrong as, although dd is latching on well with much of the areola in her mouth, I am still in pain during bfeeding.

It's mainly a sharp pain whihc subsides quickly as she latches on, but I have real prblems with engorged breasts ath the moment which is really getting to me. They are throbbing ad nothing seems to relieve the pain. After dd has fed the breast feels less full but only for an hour or so.

She is feeding at least once every three hours for a minimum of 15 mins with some feeds between (I'd say in total she's feeding at least 10 times per day.)

She is filling a nappy and passing urine between each feed and seems content... is it possible that she is not getting enough milk yet still seems so sleepy and content after each feed?

She had jaundice which was being monitored in hospital and is on the decrease so I think I must be doign something right.

The midwives at the hospitalsaid I should top up with forumula but generally she's refusing the bottle after being on the breast so I was thinking of giving that up.

Sorry to say so much, but any advice would be really appreciated!

If your baby is sleepy and content after feeding, then that is brilliant, really.
I can just tell you my experience :-)
For the first few months I had a painful let-down. So DD would suck for a few moments, then it became painful as the milk came, then it wasnt painful again. Could it be this? It went away after a while. Now its more of a tingly feeling. I had engorged breasts for a few weeks- I think they just dont know how much milk to make.
I wouldn`T top up with formula. As far as I know that advice is wrong, especially if you have engorged breasts, because you must be producing more milk than your baby is drinking.
I used to feed every 1-3 hours when my baby was about that age.
Hope this helps :-)

Sounds like you are doing brilliantly and that your baby is very happy. There is lots of support out there for breast feeding mums - there is a website called kellymom that has great advice www.kellymom.com
and depending on where you live there may be a support group for breastfeeding mothers, and organisations such as the la leche league often have support meetings too
www.lalecheleague.org

agree with other poster that your body will make enough milk for your baby so don't worry re topping up

engorged breasts are quite common for the first few weeks, I had them on and off for about ten weeks - but everyone is different and things settle down. If you are worried though about stuff try to talk to a breast feeding counsellor. Laleche league has them as does the Association of Breast Feeding mothers and the National Childbirth Trust.

I found things very difficult at first, but have grown to love breastfeeding my baby but do remember the first few months being very difficult particularly with my first baby. take care and congratulations on the arrival of your baby girl

I just typed a long reply and it vanished into the www somewhere. Basically I was saying the same as Sakura only more long-windedly!
It sounds as if you're doing fine - well done! Let down pain and engorgement all pass after the supply and demand system gets itself sorted out. In the mean time, have you tried warm baths, or warm flannels on your breasts between feeds? The more you feed her the sooner feeding will become properly established - but top up bottles will slow the process up. If she's peeing a lot and putting on weight she doesn't need them.
DDon't forget to look after yourself as well. Drink plenty of water, rest lots and remind yourself what an amazing thing you're doing!
Oh, and babies need to be gazed at a lot, it helps them grow!

I can't see ANYTHING in your post that suggests why on EARTH the midwives should say she needs a 'top up'! Totally bizarre. Sounds like you have plenty of milk, dump the bottle. Why do you think she's not getting enough? - it all sounds perfectly fine to me , especially as the poo and wee situation is good and she's content.

for the engorged breasts, cabbage leaves in the bra are the thing - and you can chill or freeze them first. hand expressing a bit can also relieve the worst of the engorgement. It'll settle down soon as your body sorts out the supply and demand.

for sore nipples, do you have any Lansinoh? it's great stuff. also,'air' your nipples as much as possible - plus expressing a little milk at the end of the feed and gently rubbing it on them really helps. if you just continue concentrating on getting the latch right, they should get better pretty soon, especially as your baby may start to reduce the frequency of feeds soonish.

if they don't get better then call a breastfeeding counsellor - La Leche League or the NCT. the numbers will be on here if you search, or google them - can't search myself as feeding 13 week old myself at thr mo!

I'm not a breastfeeding counsellor myself but it soundslike you're doing fine to me - well done! you might want to bump this in the daytime and maybe tiktok will see it (anf check I haven't given any duff advice!}

sound like you are doing fine my nipples hurt for a few second after latching on for about 14 days
as long as they are having poos and wees!!!!! this is a good sign a new baby only has a tiny stomach and does not need much milk at any one time to fill it but breast milk is easily absorbed so that is why they feed more often

have you tried cabbage leaves which have been in the fridge to help the pain of engourgement or standing in the shower and hand expressing a bit off

I used to get the shower head close to my breasts and in a movement from body to nipple let the water run on them milk would come out and it made me feel better

at your local childrens centre there maybe a BF peer councillor you can talk to or a breast feeding group

I have no idea why when the baby is having wet napopies they have advised you top up this seems contradictory advice and can leed to nipple confusion and cut down the milk supply

your doing great!

Popsicles - why did the midwives suggest topping up with formula?

Everything in your post points to normal, healthy, breastfeeding...apart from the throbbing pain and engorgement which you need to speak to the community midwife about.

Popsicle - I've bf 3, and every single time, without fail, I've experienced toe-curling, grimacing pain when they've latched on. It bloody well hurts and I don't care what anyone says! Like you said, the pain subsides pretty quickly.

Your experience sounds exactly like mine on all 3 occasions. So, I'd recommend:
Savoy Cabbage leaves from the fridge are fantastic for engorgement.
Lansinoh cream is IMO the best nipple cream to use.
Hot compresses if you get any blockages and deep tissue massage from the outside of the breast towards the nipple.
Sounds like you are producing plenty of milk, so you could try to express some off either with a pump or by hand to help with the engorgement. Bear in mind this will make you produce more, but it could help things to ease things in the short-term. As your lo's appetite grows you'll need more anyway.

Good luck, but you sound like you are doing just fine.

hi popsicles, sounds like you're doing really well with the feeding and if there are plenty of dirty nappies - that is a great sign that your LO is getting plenty of milk, and she seems happy - great!
Engorgement is horrid, i sympathise. Cabbage leaves are a great suggestion and when it gets unbearable, just express off enough to be comfortable (not too much as you'llencourage more milk to come). As for the pain you experience, is it in the nipple or the breast. if its in the breast i'm wondering if it might be the let down feeling which can be painful for some women.

www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/pain.html

ps. don't worry about the midwives, they really should be supporting you to breastfeed, not suggest formula which would eventually lead to depleting your milk supply.

xx

Congratulations Popsicles!

You sound like you are doing brilliantly! welcome to MN!

It sounds like you are doing great Popsicles. Keep going with it and the most important thing is to try not to worry.

With regards to the painful let down, that will most likely go. It did for me.

My midwife gave me a great tip for the engorged breasts (other than the cabbage leaves which really DO help). Take a large syringe and chop the pointy bit off. Put the plunger in the rough end (the bit you have just cut off) and place the neat end (the one the plunger normally goes into) onto your nipple and pump off a small amount. Keep it in sterilising liquid and just take some off before feeding and then pour it into LO's mouth. I found it helped with the pain and then DD could latch on properly from the start. IYSWIM

Everything will settle down VERY soon, so avoid topping up for now if you can.

I should have said ... the top ups were suggested as she had jaundice detected at 2 days old (beofre my milk had come in). I was told it would help avoid phototherapy. She really doesn't seem to need it now (I don't think she ever did, really).

This morning my breasts are feeling a lot better, maybe because she really empied them at the last feed...

I'll mention the pain at latching on to the midwife today but I feel reassured by your messages.

She REALLY hated the formula and refused it nearly every time...

I love the faces she pulls when on the breast; she raises her eyebrows as she glugs the milk and it's so sweet!

I'll try cabbage leaves and the shower today if my breasts get uncomfortably full today.

she sounds lovely and you sound like you are doing brilliantly

oh please dont give formula it really sounds like you dont need to!

PS - Mumsnet is So helpful!

popsicles -

my situation was exactly like yours. painful latch on that went away after a couple of seconds and HUGE engorgement. i had to hand express a bit at times because i was too full for DS to latch on!
the one thing taht worked for me was to feed lying down. DS was able to latch on better. i rememebr the first time he emptied a breast..it was BLISS!

keep going - you sound like you are doing brilliantly!!!

yes I used to grit my teeth at the first few sucks

it went after a few weeks