i am breastfeeding my dd, 6 days old today. So far she has taken to it really well, no problems latching on, a little bit snoozy on the breast but getting some decent periods of sleep between feeds.
Since yesterday however, she has fed almost constantly round the clock with hysterical crying the minute she comes off the breast (she does this voluntarily but just wants to go back on immediately). She snatches small sleeps in between feeds.
My milk came in over Sunday/Monday and ironically the initial nipple cracking that i had has now healed and i have no discomfort when feedng. My main concern is that dd may not be getting all she needs from me, but last night after a solid 3 and a half hours swapping between one breast and the other i gave in and fed her some formula. she took about 30ml and promptly threw most of that back up so she appears to be filling up on my milk, its just that she can't get enough! Also, where initially my breasts were swollen and felt quite hard, they have now softened again and are comfortable. I take this as another sign that dd is getting plenty from them. I have checked that she is not suffering from wind, she does not just want to suck on a finger or dummy for comfort, has regular nappy changes etc.
My husband is concerned that dd is missing out on something and this is why she wants to feed all the time, also that i am getting only snatched five and ten minute bursts of sleep. He is trying to persuade me to switch to bottle feedng. I am determined to carry on feeding dd myself, can live wth the sleep deprivation (as long as its only short-term), and am hoping that this is merely a growth spurt and will soon pass. Can anyone advise / reassure me that I am doing the right thing? Would be really helpful to know that others out there have been through the same thing.