Breastfeeding struggle - 7 day old

[msp2023]

Hi all.

Would love to hear your BF stories and advice if you can relate to my scenario.

Newborn is 7 days old today, born via suction/episiotomy.
First 2 days were a struggle with latching, barely managed. Started colostrum with syringes whilst continuing to attempt latching.
By day 3, midwife was worried weight loss was slightly too high so we were referred to hosp. Baby was dehydrated so we had a strict feeding regime:
Offer breasts every three hours; then top up with 50mL expressed/formula.
This was mainly formula for the first few days as barely any milk coming through :(

Still on this feeding plan until they're happy with her weight.
I'm pumping 6-8 times a day, on average about 1-1.5oz per session is being produced only :(

Latching is difficult - she just can't seem to open wide enough to grasp enough breast tissue!
On top of this, I have one flat nipple - using a shield at the moment to support latching.
I'm still attempting each breast for as long as she takes it at each feed before any top up. She still is gobbling 50-60mL extra as I know my milk hasn't fully come through yet.

She's getting used to the bottle teats now too so I'm worried about her refusing the breast soon but we don't have a choice as primarily we need to get her weight up.

Did anyone go through a similar BF journey with it ending in exclusive BF? I would love to get there if I can. Just worried we won't be able to come back from this and my milk will never come through fully :(
Wanted to know if people had success stories of milk coming in post week 1? (maybe be silly but I really have no idea).

The support groups just keep telling me to keep trying but no indication of whether this is common etc

Oh mama it’s such a hard slog the first few weeks, but you are doing amazing!
My little one was the same, he was over due but a nicu baby. I breastfed every 2-3 hours then topped up. While nursing I put a haka on the other breast, then expressed both side straight away. I found a hand pump worked better for me. It was hard work but (un)fortunately I was in hospital with very little else to do - no cooking/ cleaning/ visitors/ laundry etc. My milk came in around day 6/7 and I was able to use expressed milk for his top up. After another 6/7 days I stopped with the top up but continued to expressed after each feed.
My tips would be

• nurse every 2/2.5 hours during the day. 3 hours at night.
• Get a Hakka
• Plenty skin to skin
• ask for help with household things
• maintain your calorie & fluid intake.

Stay strong! ❤️

I would say just get into bed and do skin to skin for a couple of days. Try to let her just nurse off and on. She needs to nurse even if nothing much is there yet as this will trigger your hormones to send the milk.

Latching can be tricky when they are so tiny, they have such little mouths. My tip is to lift your breast and bring her bottom lip towards the underneath so that she gets a big mouthful but that most of that mouthful is underneath the nipple. Get checked for tongue tie too. Once your milk comes in she should find it much easier.

This sounds so like me and my baby!!! She had tongue tie. Not picked up by any healthcare professionals, until we paid privately to get her checked. It was snipped there and then, and although it did reattach, the same lady came out to review and cut it again. We have been EBF now for two years (as in, no bottles, she does eat food!).
I would highly recommend the Tongue Tie Practitioners website, and pay privately to get someone to come and review your baby if you can. Well done for all you are doing though. Triple feeding is absolutely exhausting!!

Yup, I was exactly the same. Pain barrier was intense and of course doesn’t help you relax enough for milk production. Mine had a lot of supplemental bottles and nipple shields and walking around braless but we ended up going 6months. Completely worth it though and I’m pleased I did it, the emotional bond was intense and she had no allergies or real illness. It’s a bit like parenting generally, hell at first and then you get the hang of it and it’s absolute heaven. You sound so committed, reasonable and intelligent, you’ve a really lucky DB 😊

Try nipple shields.

Will give your baby something to latch to and will also protect your nipples. Life saver. I had many sterilised and laying about so I used them for every breast feed. God send and turned our lives around!