1 week old - can I start breastfeeding now?

[GreenGreenGrassBlueBlueSky1]

I breastfed straight after birth and for the next 24 hours but then starting to get intense pain, which is exactly what happened with my first baby …. However I persevered for a few months with my first, seeking breastfeeding support and then expressing - to which I produced very little! So I was expressing, topping up with formula and if I kept trying BF the pain was awful. Both babies have had a great latch etc.

Baby is a week old and I feel really sad that we’re not BF. Has anyone else had success starting up again?

You can certainly restart bfing. It doesn't have to be over this early. Get some proper support from a private lactation consultant, check for tongue tie etc.
Google relactation. Good luck xxxx

Yes, you can relactate at any time really, the longer you leave it the longer it takes to get it going properly but a week is barely anytime at all. Remember baby has to learn the new skill too.

To relactate you need lots of skin to skin and offer the breast regularly so baby can stimulate the lactation. Just because you don't express much doesn't mean your baby isn't getting much.

Have you tried nipple shields? Or Lanolin cream?

I did. Nipple shields helped.

Yes, definitely!

I breastfed dc1 pretty much without issue, despite needing to express for ages due to him being rube fed. He needed to learn to suck etc. But everything kind of flowed and although there were tricky bits, he never had a drop of formula.

So dc2, there was no reason whatsoever why it would be an issue to my mind. But it was. The pain was unbelievable. She kind of gnawed on my nipples. Saw a lactation consultant in hospital, she was checked for tongue tie but had no issues. They said she had a tiny mouth and was learning, so I tried to just deal with it.

At home, health visitor said the same, so I persevered. At 8 days old, I was bleeding so much from both nipples, she actually pulled off my nipple with a wee gross trail of milk and blood running down her chin and just refused to feed. She was distraught. We went and got formula. She had only formula for 3 days. I was so upset about it with every bottle.

I had healed up a bit and was not ready to give up, so we tried again. I did not have enough supply and was still v tender, so we still needed formula. I fed and pumped tobuild supply. We went from about 10% my milk/90% formula to her only having breast milk in about 3 weeks. It involved a lot of pumping! She is 5 months old and weirdly, now she will not take a bottle at all, only boob.

I got help from a lactation consultant and was so glad I did. I hope you get the outcome you are hoping for. Good luck!

with pumping, what are you using? The only decent breast pump imo is the big ones you rent that are hospital grade.

Both my kids were in icu for 11 and 6 days so we didnt start establishing until then, I did pump thought with the above pump (from mandela) to keep up my supply. I was told that you can establish breast feeding up until the 6week mark without effecting supply long term but not sure how true this is.

@Luckydog7 a medela pump too, pumping this time is just not realistic on top of formula feeding and my other child. So really am looking at BF / formula or combination of both

A supplemental nursing system could be really helpful here. Baby latches and breastfeeds while drinking the formula/pumped milk through a thin tube you hold or tape near your nipple that's attached to a bottle.

They associate breastfeeding with getting milk, helpful when your supply is low, plus the extra time at the breast is good for stimulation of your supply and it cuts down on breastfeeding and then bottle feeding time.

Medela do one or you can make your own out of nasogastric infant feeding tubes and any bottle.

Definitely recommend speaking to an IBCLC whatever you do!