Am I doing it all wrong??

[ElmtreeMama]

I have a week old newborn and am exclusively breastfeeding
This is my first baby and I was pleased that I started feeding relatively easily
Now though I am really struggling
She feeds all the time and would happily feed 24/7 but that's not the problem, the problem is that she seems so uncomfortable
She arches her back, sounds like she's choking sometimes, hiccups constantly, the only thing that settles her is more feeding and then the cycle starts again.

I have tried different positions and am now feeling like I'm failing as she seems so unhappy after ever feed even though that's what she wants and she roots for constantly.

I have left a msg with breastfeeding support but haven't heard back.

Any advice??

Sounds like reflux! My LO was similar, he ended up on infant gaviscon

Are you burping her? The NHS say its not necessary for breastfed babies but my babies have both needed it.

Keeping her upright for 10/15 minutes after after feed might help settle her too (eg on your dh's shoulder!).

I had a similar thing with DS (now 5 months). Never got to the bottom of it really but if just stopped around 3 months. We were advised by the infant feeding specialist that he was showing classic signs of reflux so tried various reflux remedies none of which worked. Thanks also tried winding, differing positions etc with no luck. Advised to cut out diary from my diet incase he had an allergy or intolerance- did this for 8 weeks and made no difference. I did have a very forceful letdown and an oversupply of milk which was contributing to the problem. Apparently when you have an oversupply of milk; the baby has too much fore milk and not enough hind milk (and thus too much lactose). I had to feed consecutively for two feeds off one side and then switch- this reduced my supply and helped a bit.

In all honestly- after everything my best guess is that DS was suffering from over tiredness the entire time. I know it sounds crazy because they symptoms all point towards feeding issues but it wasn't until we stated to recognise DS tired signals better and he started napping better and in a bit more of a routine that these symptoms went. I've noticed that when DS is tired he is irritable, fussy and not at all relaxed which causes him to cough, pull away, splutter and hiccup- I remember only managing to get him to have a good feed when he was half asleep and relaxed! Now he has settled so much and feeds well all the time I hope this helps.x

It sounds like she needs burping, it can take a while to get the hang if it. If the usual over shoulder back pat doesn't work, you can try sitting her upright on your knee with one hand supporting head, then gently sway her body in small circles.

Thank you all!!

A few things for us to try which I appreciate

You might have a very powerful let down this can cause them to splutter and choke. Try expressing a little milk just before you feed. And yes burp her as well. Hang in there it does get easier!

My babies have both done this and for me the culprits have already been mentioned - oversupply/forceful letdown in the early few weeks, and overtiredness. Both my babies have really struggled to fall and stay asleep for naps and have wanted to use the breast for comfort to fall asleep but then haven't been able to get into a deep sleep, then wake up and want to go back on but then they don't really want milk so pull off and get agitated and so on and so forth. It will all improve as time goes on. You're doing a great job, the first few weeks are the hardest. Not just the breastfeeding but also just getting to know your baby is a gradual process too.

Try some Infacol. My EBF baby needed it for a bit. It won’t do any harm and it might help.

You may want to contact la ledge league. They are running in zoom still and are a wealth of advice on breastfeeding. The advice here is good too! Congratulations op. Hang in there.

I had a very similar experience with both my babies. I put it down to a strong let down, so the milk was absolutely spurting out and they couldn't handle the pressure, caused them to choke, pull off, cry - it got very messy and frustrating! I persevered with my first and it settled around 2 months, and with my 2nd, I didn't have the time to sit feeding all day so introduced a dummy at 6 weeks and it all calmed down on its own.

1 week is still very new, you're both learning. Contact la leche, health Visitor and stick at it. Make sure you have some support from partner or family if you can. Just to make you food and drink and give you the time to sit with baby and feed if that's what she needs. It will get easier, you just have to succumb to the relentlessness in the short term.

Has she been checked for a tongue tie? Even if not causing pain when feeding, TT can still issues with baby taking in lots of air and effect milk transfer. 'Milk Matters' or La Leche League both good starting points for info. Sorry can't manage to find any links as trapped under squawking baby and struggling to hold phone steady