Struggling with breastfeeding

[Daisysimply]

Hi,
my baby girl is 5 weeks old and I have struggled with breastfeeding since she was born. The past week she has not been taking full feeds and seems to be in some sort of pain or discomfort both during and after feeds (crying, red face, bringing knees up). She is latching and unlatching during the whole short feed (sometimes less than 5 minutes) and cries the whole duration. I’m worried she is not getting enough milk and debating switching to either formula or expressing breast milk so I have more idea of how much she is getting. It’s also causing me discomfort as my breasts constantly feel full and leaking. she cries pretty much the whole time she is awake during the day, especially in the evening/ night. Any idea what it could be? I’m thinking colic but health visitor says growth spurt. Any advice would be appreciated, I’m getting no sleep! :(

Are there any drop-in sessions at local children's centres? Could it be tongue tie? Try to stick with it, it's so beneficial for your daughter if you can manage it.

It really could be a growth spurt, or colic, or something else.

I’d recommend you get her weighed to see if she’s getting enough milk, and attend a breastfeeding group for some support face-to-face.

Find out if there are any drop in breastfeeding groups near you and go along. That way a qualified specialist can see you feed and check your positioning and latch.

It could be that the latch is off and so she's struggling to get settled on the breast.

youre really best off seeing a lactation adviser (or whatever they’re called) who can check your latch, check for tongue tie etc even the seemingly smallest issue can lead to problems especially if she isn’t getting a full feed or not latched on long enough to get the hind milk. I wish you lots of luck with it and please remember it’s ok to stop and give formula!

@Daisysimply OP this is literally what I’m going through with my 11 week old. We think it’s silent reflux so GP prescribed gaviscon and I mixed it with formula, he drunk it all and is now sleeping like a dream