Does BF change as baby gets older?

[LuluLulabelle]

I had some problems with latching a couple of weeks ago until Tiktok recommended biological nirturing positions.

This worked brilliantly but DS has grown a lot in the last couple of weeks and I am struggling with these positions now and have gone back to attempting cradle hold (the only other one I can sort of do).

What I wanted to ask is do babies get better at latching as they get older or is it likely that if I struggle to get her to latch now she'll continue in this way as she gets bigger?

I can't get to the BF cafe until next week to ask for help.

DS is now sleeping in 4 hour stretches at night and when I have fed her for the last 2 nights my boobs have been really full - even still by the morning. I am worried that she's not latching properly in the cradle position and not getting enough milk.

Any advice or details of your experiences would be much appreciated.

Lulu

Oops, I have just realised that I have claimed to have a ds when infact I have a dd. Sleep deprived - sorry!!

Oops, I have just realised that I have claimed to have a ds when infact I have a dd. Sleep deprived - sorry!!

IME they get ALOT better as they get older. DS had tongue tie and was very difficult to feed in the first weeks. Once he had more strength in his neck he seemed much better able to latch on and was more efficient at feeding, so feeds became shorter and he seemed more satisfied.

I think the fact that your DS is sleeping for 4 hour stretches means that he is full up! If he weren't I suspect he would let you know about it. How old is he? If your boobs feel full after a feed it could simply be that your supply/demand has not quite settled yet.

Sounds like your doing a great job.

x-posts!

Latching gets so much easier as they get older. You can just shove them up your top and they sort themselves out once they get to a certain age!!

I fed in the rugby ball hold until DS got too big for that and I then fed cradle hold.

I had a my breast friend feeding pillow which was an absolute godsend in the beginning it made latching so much easier and feeding much more comfortable.

hello! I remember your other thread. So pleased you are still going, hope you are enjoying it still.

IME babies do change a lot as they grow - they learn to position themselves better and latch themselves, without so much help, but conversely they also get into bad habits and a good latcher can go bad so it's always a learning curve and you have to adapt.

I am not an expert but does the latch feel right? Can you hear her gulping and is she pooing and weeing lots?

If it's just a matter of fuller boobs I wouldn't worry too much, it might be just that your breasts are readjusting after a growth spurt or that her feeding pattern has changed - some babies just don't drink a lot at night - my DS1 always fed best at night but my DS2 goes for longer and I often do feel a bit engorged by morning.

oh they get so much better after about 6 weeks or so in my opinion, and they keep on getting better - it was at 16 weeks that I realised how far we'd come from the early days of struggling with the latch at every sodding feed - now he could latch himself on in the dark with no help from me!

of course THEN they decide that just about anything else in the world is more interesting than feeding, and its a whole new struggle!

But I do remember in the first few months thinking we'd 'cracked it' several times and then feeling we'd gone backwards. I had to trust my instincts and go by level of contentness, weeing and pooing etc. I stayed away from the weighing clinics too.

AND every now and then my boobs will feel engorged and leaky for no reason at all!

She is 5 weeks old today.

I can hear her gulping to the point that sometimes she chokes on milk at the start & she fills plenty of nappies but the latch feels shallow compared to when she lay on my stomach to feed.

I also get a shooting pain every now and then in my left boob. Not necessarily when she's feeding. Do you think its because its full?

thanks theyoungvisitor, I really am so much happier with bf now. I have dropped all formula feeds and find that I wake at night more than she does! x

Hooray! Well, if it's comfortable and she seems to be getting plenty of milk then I wouldn't worry too much about the latch, it will feel different as it goes on because of the size of their mouth relative to teh boob.

shooting pain in the boob doesn't sound much fun though! I think you need an expert to say what's causing it so perhaps worth mentioning it to the BF cafe or starting another thread - it could be engorgement, could be something that needs addressing like thrush or a blocked duct.

What kind of pain is it? Dull and throbbing? Sharp and needling? All over or just in one area?

like a sharp shooting pain in my breast. It doesn't seem to be linked to doing anything. It often happens when I am not feeding and doesn't last long. I think you're right, I should get expert advice. I am seeing the HV next week so I could ask her.

I had shooting needling pains in my breast when my DS had thrush - but you would probably know if it was that because your DD would likely have it and you'd see it in her mouth (white stuff like milk curds only they don't come off if you touch them).

But as I say I am not an expert so probably shouldn't try to speculate... having said that not all HVs are v good at breastfeeding advice so take what she says with a pinch of salt if it seems wrong, you might get better advice at the breastfeeding advice place.

hmmm, her tongue is white but I assumed that was off the milk. Should her tongue be pink?

I'd just like to add something re thrush- I had no visible symptoms like white curds etc and i had it for 4mths! my symptom was just pain on feeding and hypersensitive nipples i was blaming a poor latch for ages but it wasnt. it was thrush!

Not everyone gets the classic sumptoms so just be aware.

They get better at it, you get better at it, then you both get a bit lazy (baby lying on back whilst you type on MN) and every now and then you have to return to basics and INSIST on a good latch.

It's hard to tell sometimes- I've never had thrush but I heard it was very painful- and ongoing.
Definitely worth checking though.

Re nursing- it gets easier and faster as well. 5/10mns in and out when they're older! Which is why it's so worth sticking with it..

Thanks thebreastmilksonme I have made an appointment with my gp because I don't think I'm healing after the birth so I will ask him to check for thrush too. My nipples have been very sore for the last couple of days.

Its good to hear that DD and I will get better at this. I can't imagine what it will be like feeding her when she has control of her head etc.

Thanks everyone x

If it is thrush make sure they treat you too - sometimes they only treat the baby which is bonkers imho as you just end up passing it back and forth.

Hi Lulu, well done on perservering, I remember your previous thread.

I had shooting pains and to be honest never did fully find out if it was thrush or just pain from an incorrect latch (I was bleeding from both nipples and in a lot of pain and I think in retrospect that it was this) but I did get treated for thrush as did DS just in case. My bf counsellor recommended I take this leaflet with me to my GP www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/thrush-and-breastfeeding.html (although I note that this has been withdrawn). I haven't read your whole thread so I may have missed this but, it might be worth seeing the counsellor again to check the latch.

Re improvements as the baby gets older, IME YES!!! I was in terrible pain for the first 4 weeks and I used nipple shields for about 6 weeks - my supply was affected but it was the only way to continue but it picked up once I stopped using them. DS is now just over 6 months and I have been feeding him without pain since he was about 10 weeks old. We're both better at it now and it is a joy . Other issues do crop up - like the fact that he gets distracted so I have taken to using the biological nursing positions that Tiktok mentioned - completely by accident really. The additional reflexes associated with feeding in this way seem to 'remind' him that he is supposed to be feeding rather than playing. In the early days I too found lying down more difficult for some reason though.

As Aurorec says, they get quicker at it too - in the beginning I was feeding DS for about 8 hours a day but now it probably adds up to about 2 or 3 hours.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

oops, just re- read and realised that you can't get to the bf cafe until next week.

Some of the NCT ones will come to your house (for a fee I think).

have you tried feeding with you both lying on your sides and facing one another?

Thanks for that mimimarmite, its really encouraging to know it gets easier and if you're still using the biological nurturing positions then I might give them another go.

I have tried feeding her lying on my side but milk tends to dribble out the side of her mouth and she comes off a lot. I think its a combination of positioning, latch and my small boobs!

It would be perfect if I could do this though as I suffered a 3rd degree tear giving birth and sitting to feed her is really painful.

Definately gets easier! I remember in the early days I had to turn a light on for night time feeds, but now I don't even open my eyes - just lift up my top!!!
If you suspect thrush, I would recomend taking a leaflet to the doctors as suggested by a previous poster as not all doctors are clued up on thrush.
I still feed my nearly 2 year old in a biological nuturing style position she is just more to the side now and I tilt myself slightly with pillows under one side. Its worth experimenting with to find a position that suits you.