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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Struggling with breastfeeding

13 replies

Sarahbearx · 12/04/2020 18:58

My baby is 1 week old and I'm finding that I'm really struggling to get him to latch properly which is causing me to be in agony when trying. Some days, he will latch fine and feed for an hour but I'm finding it's getting more and more difficult. I am topping him up with breast milk from a cup also, but finding that in the last 2 days, I am expressing less as I was getting up to 160ml per breast and now can only get maybe 60ml from both.

I really don't want to give up trying but I just don't know what to do anymore. Please help!

OP posts:

RhymingRabbit3 · 12/04/2020 19:02

Can you get someone to take a look at your latch? Do you have any more midwife appointments - if so ask them to watch you feed him. Some breastfeeding consultants are doing video consultations because they obviously cant come out to you- maybe google or have a look on "La Leche League" or IBCLC to see if anyone can help you. Or have a look on youtube for the Flipple Technique or Deep Latch techniques.

Just a small adjustment to latch can make a huge difference. Unfortunately it's hard for people online to help you without seeing you feed him. Do you find it painful when he feeds? Are your nipples damaged and do they come out normal shape after a feed?

ovener · 12/04/2020 19:13

Sorry you're struggling - those early days are so magical but also so hard! I too was in agony at that stage. I think DS had a shallow latch. I was doing labour breathing when he latched on! The advice above is great, if you can get someone to check your latch that would be ideal. I found myself unable to improve the latch but maybe I could have done with the right advice. What enabled me to continue breastfeeding were nipple shields. They are definitely a Plan B though, so do what you can to get advice first. I intended to use them for 24 hours or so to give my nipples a chance to heal but ended up using them for 5.5 weeks! I then 'weaned' myself off them and was able to continue breastfeeding until DS was 19 months. Do a bit of research because they have drawbacks, but I personally wouldn't have been able to continue to BF without them.

PenelopeParallelogram · 12/04/2020 19:18

Do you have Facebook? If you search for 'Your Area' La Leche League, Bosom Buddies or Breastfeeding Support you should be able to find someone to talk it through. Our local group has people willing to do video calls.

I hope you can access the support that you need

Original poster

Sarahbearx · 12/04/2020 19:23

Thank you both!!

I have a midwife appointment tomorrow, so will definitely get her to watch me feed! The videos sound good, so will definitely check them out!

It is really painful when he feeds, and I can tell he isn't latching right as when my nipple comes out, it's a very different shape and I am also using labour breathing, I just can't keep him on.

I have heard of nipple shields, but wasn't sure if they actually worked, or how well they do work! Do they make it less painful? How do they work?

OP posts:

Seriously79 · 12/04/2020 19:24

Definitely invest in some nipple shields, they saved my life!

Get a 2nd option on the latch too - if possible. Everyone told me my daughters latch was fine, but she kept loosing so much weight - 12.4% of her initial weight within a week. I had to top up, and express and was sent to a specialist breast feeding nurse, she told me straight away that there was a problem with the latch, from the top it looked ok, by underneath my daughters lip was on my nipple not under it and this is where the problems were.

She also told me that she was tounge tied. Had her cut there an then - gotta tell you this wasn't pleasant but had to be done, not only for feeding, but future speech development and we had some new positions to try for feeding - as we both had to learn a new way of latching after the cut.

We tried, really hard, but by this point I believe my milk was drying up and she was so hungry, I decided to put her on the bottle.

It still breaks my heart to think that I couldn't feed her properly, but in the end her need to put on weight and thrive was more important than my dream to feed her.

Good luck x

oatlyexhausted · 12/04/2020 19:37

Definitely seek advice in person if possible (midwife, health visitor etc).

Lasinoh is amazing for sore nipples, heals them up so much more quickly.

The front of baby's mouth is harder than the back, so make sure that lots of nipple is going into baby's mouth.

It sounds daft, but I found the if you gently tap baby on the nose with your nipple to encourage them to open wide, then shove in the nipple, it seems to help. Doesn't sound very graceful, it's much easier to explain in person!

Best of luck.

ovener · 12/04/2020 20:15

Lansinoh is a must-have, I agree!

If you do go down the nipple shield route, lansinoh helps stick them to your skin so you get a good seal. They are made from silicone I think, and they basically take the friction and pressure off your skin making it much less painful. They make it possible to carry on BF when your skin is all raw and in agony. There are different brands and they come in different sizes so you may have to do a little trial and error to find a pair that work well for you. I found the Medela brand ones best for me.

There's loads of info on the La Leche League site.

Original poster

Sarahbearx · 14/04/2020 21:47

Thank you so much for all your help!

I've managed to get a good latch finally, and it's so much less painful! My milk has definitely increased also as pumping loads more!

Thank you!

OP posts:

RhymingRabbit3 · 14/04/2020 22:04

That's great, well done! Just an aside note, dont pump more than you need as it can lead to oversupply, engorgement or even mastitis. Hopefully if your supply has increased and feeding is easier you wont need to pump and cup feed at all soon :)

Original poster

Sarahbearx · 15/04/2020 09:09

Is it normal for baby to be on the breast all the time. He seems to be on constantly, and falls asleep whilst on, falls off, and then when I put him down, he wakes up again looking for breast. Is he getting enough milk? His cheeks puff whilst feeding and he does suckle.. I'm confused and a bit worried!

OP posts:

Happywith2 · 16/04/2020 06:08

Congratulation! It’s completely normal for them to be on breast most of time.
My dc would be on there for hours feeding, getting your supply. If he is looking for it feed him up can’t over feed him.
Dc always has a shallow latch, I was advised to squash breast between finger and thumb to make it like flat like a burger shape ( if that make sense)
The first few weeks are hard and you will feel like a milk machine, but if you can stick with it breast feeding does become so easy.

Nquartz · 16/04/2020 06:35

He's feeding constantly to stimulate your supply, the more he feeds the more you produce (and vice versa when he starts winding down as he gets older). Sometimes it's just for comfort too.

It will settle down in a few weeks until he has a growth spurt then he'll ramp up again.

It's very clever!

yikesanotherbooboo · 16/04/2020 08:12

It is entirely normal for him to feed all the time. I would concentrate on letting him regulate your supply at his own rate and a pattern of sorts will emerge. Ideally, that is if you are not risking engorgement I would cut back and stop pumping. It is time consuming when you need your energy and can upset the natural development of supply. It sounds as if you / he have cracked it though which is great.

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