Stopping breastfeeding after just 3 days

[BBTOOC]

Just looking for some wise words and reassurance at day 3 with my newborn.

i know it’s incredibly early days, but breastfeeding just does not feel like it’s going to be my cup of tea at all.
one reason among very many, is that despite midwife telling me I have good latch, I am in agony through out every feed.
I have another midwife visit today so will be telling her hoping she won’t try to convince me to stick to it.
i feel really bad for wanting to quit, but I am obviously an emotional wreck anyway due to the hormones, lack of sleep (total of none in 4 days due to long labour followed by emergancy C) and I really feel like this will be one less thing to stress about and I can focus on the other things I’m struggling with and also share the responsibility with My partner (who has had plenty of sleep these last few days in my opinion 🙄)

anyway, sorry for the rant… but any advice/reassurance would be greatly appreciated!

I echo what other posters have said that as long as your baby is fed, gaining weight and you are happy then it shouldn’t matter the source. A fed baby is better than a hungry one. With my DS I tried to BF but felt pressure from the post natal midwives to keep persevering whilst DS was so close to being hospitalised due to jaundice. At my wits end and at 2am in the morning I decided to give formula. No midwife told me the reason he was jaundice was because he wasn’t drinking enough via BF otherwise I would have switched sooner. When we got home at 2 days old I pumped and bottle fed my colostrum for a week then transitioned to formula. If I have a second DC I will definitely be taking my pump into hospital with me. Good luck OP with whatever you decide to do.

I think if you are keen to breastfeed, sounds like you are, keep going. It should get easier. And if not, remember it’s ok to stop if it’s not working for you. But if it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I combination fed mine. You can also try expressing milk so others can do feeds as well.

I found breastfeeding difficult, managed 3 months, but had to introduce a bottle and a do combination feeding after 6 weeks as I got kidney stones and couldn't feed and take certain medication. I would try and keep going for a couple more weeks and then make a decision the first few days are painful and it does start to get easier. Congrats on baby xx

With my first, who the lactation nurse described as "a piranha" I used nipple shields (for MONTHS, way past the time usually recommended) my nipples healed quickly and breastfeeding took off. I ended up breastfeeding all 3 of mine. I can understand how daunting and overwhelming everything feels right now, but in the long run breastfeeding is way less hassle and a really beautiful and powerful way you bond with your baby.

Advice I heard (only on my 2nd or 3rd) that was really helpful with a good latch is to point your nipple to the roof of the baby's mouth as then they get more of the areola. Another is not to put the nipple in their mouth until they open wide like a baby bird, you can coax them to do this by tickling under their chin. Just be on stand by, wait, wait until you get a really wide mouth THEN slam the nipple in. LOL. Honestly my mum died when I was 13 and noone could have been more utterly clueless about breastfeeding and babies than me, I have every sympathyfor you. Nothing can prepare us for the reality of having a baby. Your hormones are crashing after delivery as they return to normal after being super high, so try not to make any permanent decisions right now. NIPPLE SHIELDS are from the Gods!

Day 3 your body is almost certainly in the process of transitioning from colostrum to milk and it's not uncommon to experience swollen breast tissue.

If you are swollen and engorged it's really hard for your baby to get a deep latch, so you may find it helpful to soften the breast tissue first.

Gentle massage, reverse pressure softening (there are some great videos online), a tiny bit of hand expressing can help prepare you body before latching.

Don't worry. This won't be a ritual you need to go through at every feed - just things to get you through the next day or two while your body adjusts.

And congratulations!

Congratulations OP by the way!!! ❤ 💐

Agree with everyone else - the first few weeks are the hardest.
I'd recommend getting some Lanisohl lanolin cream for your nipples - apply it every time after feeding - it really helps.

Everyone says it hurts 'at first' but it for me there was still pain and bleeding after 6 weeks and I couldn't hack it anymore. HV seemed the think the latch was ok. This was nearly a decade ago though, I don't know if more help is available now.

In the beginning it taught me the true meaning of ‘toe curling pain’ and by the end I could vaguely turn the baby/toddler in my direction and it would latch on like a powerful but painless magnet in a nano second. It’s insane how much it changed over the months.

If you are sure you want to stop, then it's absolutely up to you. Remember though it is 100 times harder to restart later than it is to stop later. With my first, I wish I'd heard the advice 'don't give up on a bad day' - we all want to throw in the towel on those horrible painful days, believe me. I'm now at 11 weeks feeding no2 and I've just had my first pain-free week . It's absolutely amazing. To begin with her bad latch gave me so much damage I cried while feeding her and I got mastitis for 4 weeks (oww) and then breastfeeding thrush for 3 weeks (even more owww).

It really shouldn't hurt, but sometimes it's hard to work out why it hurts. Is it your nipples that are damaged, or is the pain deeper inside the breast? Deeper pains can be caused by thrush, or by incorrect positioning. Most midwives aren't experts so it's worth asking if you have a local specialist who could see you. I went to the midwives 3 times on the first week for positioning help, and I went to our local 'breastfeeding buddies' session for more specialist help 2 weeks ago.

But if it's not for you then you shouldn't feel bad about not continuing. Whatever helps you be there for your baby is the best thing x

Oh PS if you have nipple pain, get some silver nipple cups - they honestly improved my life massively because a huge amount of pain comes from your nipples chafing on your clothes. The silver cups stop that happening - that's what stopped me crying at each feed. I've been wearing them night and day since she was about 3wo.