Hi,
Long post follows...
I'm 16 weeks pregnant with Number 2. When I had my DD nearly a year ago, it was agonisingly slow to get the breastfeeding going (No-one told me that C-sections and morphine inhibit milk flow) and it was incredibly fraught and stressful, especially with DH hovering with bottles of formula in the expectation that DD was going to starve to death. That made me feel total failure.
In the end I did manage to do it for 6 months but at great physical cost! Did anyone else have this - stuff like tendonitis, frozen shoulder or tennis elbow type injuries from b-feeding?
I am sure the problem was because I was sooooo tense, that when I finally got her latched on and feeding I stayed in the same 'latch on' position for hours for fear of it going wrong. My shoulders were hunched up, my body twisted into god knows what contortions and my hand holding the breast in question with thumb cocked awkwardly. My boobs are quite big and I could never get the hang of swapping arms around so that the baby nestled in the crook of the arm on the feeding side. I always felt she would slip off or get smothered because of the weight of the breast or something. Both hands suffered and both thumbs cocked outwards for hours - one behind her neck and the other holding boob. It got to the point where it was painful lifting her and putting her down, or basically doing anything that meant manipulation - doing poppers up, fishing things out of the bottom of the buggy etc etc. Couldn't write longhand either - so shopping lists were pretty illegible.
I was wearing wrist supports and in real pain. The Health Visitors had no suggestions and really blanked it, as if they had never encountered these kind of problems.
It took me ten weeks - and going to my sports injury physio - before it occurred to me to think about whether I should be comfortable or even to have a proper chair for night feeds. Looking back I can't believe I was so neglectful of my health, but I'm still not sure how I can figure out a way of doing it better next time.
I'm sure I have got hang-ups about my big boobs. I think I had her far too high up, I was slightly allegic to the idea that she (and de facto my breasts) would be down by my waist to feed. Who knows.
Thing is, I am worried about next time. The condition got a lot better when I finished bf-ing, but it is still bad on my right hand and still having physio.
So tell me - has anyone else suffered this and do you have any ideas how I can prepare NOT to do this to myself next time? Shall I get a proper nursing chair, fancy pillow etc?I got a MyBrestFriend pillow at about 5 months but by that time the damage was done and I was still holding breast with my hand so my shoulder was up on one side, elbow and thumb cocked v awkwardly.
Sorry about long post, but I can't believe I am the only one who crippled myself breastfeeding. Tell me I'm not alone!
Poppy