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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

quick help needed please

65 replies

soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 21:27

sorry for rushed post but baby screaming and I am in pain. so baics:

DD2 born on friday
not enjoying feeding. having trouble with latch and finding very painful.
dont want to give up BF as I did it for 8 months last time and plan the same sort of thing for this one.

I have loads of milk so def don't need to go down the formula route. BUT i want to know, if I express some milk, and feed it to her in a bottle or something, will I jsut make all my problems worse? I am SO sore, it is now at the point I dread her waking from a sleep, and want to cry everytime I know she needs feeding.

Pump in sterlizer as we speak but wanted to ask here first.

PLEASE say there is somebody around to help?!

OP posts:
Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 23:03

So sorry, I wasn't meaning to ignore people or suggestions or come accross rude, but DD2 has been crying the whole time and have been in a right faff about it so have just been skimming through this thread at the same time as trying to do what I can for her. Apologies if I sound rude.

Right, she has now had a good feed from the syringe and is now fast asleep in the bouncer chair - first time all day she has settled properly so I am confident I have done the right thing by giving some like that.

I will read through the thread again and reply to each post properly now.

Thank you all so much...

OP posts:
fulltimeworkingmum · 27/04/2009 23:06

Hope you get a good stretch of sleep
Lots of luck

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/04/2009 23:09

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Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 23:28

Foxy - thanks for the info about expressing some making it easier to latch. It definatly has made me more comfortable if nothing else and I now have a bottle of milk for emergencies, even if I manage to sort this out tonight. Thanks for that about not sterlizing the pump. It is sterlized now but for future I know not to worry if it isn't in the sterlizer.

giveusabreak - Yes I worry about nipple confusion. I am a bit worried that if we are already having latching problems then feeding via a bottle or other non breast way of feeding, then it might confuse her more. I am definatly going to try and get some RL help tomorrow. I am off to see if I can find a group or something after this post.

Fishie - Thank you so much for the list of things to google. I have been looking at a few online but TBH when she was crying, I just couldn't concentrate on what I was reading so I will have a proper look now she is settled, ready for the next feed. Definatly sounds like it will be good to try though.

Glad the yellow colour is normal. TBH I was expecting it to be white. I don't remember yellow milk from last time but I didn't express at this age.

Back on toungue tie, I have read some of the info but still looking into links. BUT she sticks her tounge out a lot. One of the links said that baby wouldn't be able to get the touge over the bottom gum. She can definatly do that - does that mean she isn't tongue tied or is it still a possibility?

OP posts:
kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:33

Last time I suggested that someone call a helpline late at night when they sounded desperate I was shot down in flames, but to be honest its why they are there and manned womanned 24 hrs a day.

I had similar problems with ds ( no3) that turned out to be because I was engorged to the point of orange hardness. He made a right mess of my nips trying to latch on, but once i'd pumped off enough to get the pressure down and dp had given it to him he slept for hours. By the time he woke I was able to feed him and we never looked back - I'd actually forgotten the incident until I read your post even though it was horredously painful at the time.

Congrats on your babies arrival and don't stress, you are doing brilliantly.

When I had problems with dd1 it was the BFN who were my lifesavers, good luck and ring someone

Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 23:34

Have left a message on one of the lines. I will try again in the morning. I am not very good with phonecalls in general, especially helplines. But I will do it as i know I need to.

Do you think this would be ok...To get DH to do the night feed, maybe froma bottle even, to give me and DD a break and some sleep. Then start all over again tomorrow with the breastfeeding?

I THINK the main problem is that I can't get her to open her mouth wide enough, and if she does, I don't get her on quick enough, and if I do manage both of those, she doesn't seem to stay like it and keeps slipping off boob. So she ends up lip smacking and chomping on my nipple which I guess is where the pain has come from.

OP posts:
Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 23:37

kitkat - how did he give the feed? With a bottle? Have been too scared to give a bottle so far but I am very tempted to tonight. I have enough milk pumped for a good feed.

Any ideas on how much a feed is?

OP posts:
kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:37

soon2b That sounds exactly like the situation with ds - and I got dh to do that one night and i didn't cause probs - still feeding him at 16mnths and 24 weeks pregs

Have you been v engorged when she has been trying to feed?

kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:41

Yes I gave a bottle of ebm. It was for one night nd seemed to make no diff other than to help. I know there are people who are probably cringing at my reply, but quite honestly another few hrs of hell and would have been an insane person.

It honestly made no diff. Once the engorgement had gone his latch was fab. I used a tommee tippe wide mouth bottle...

Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 23:42

Another thing. I have the lanolin to put on and have been using it for the last couple of days. BUT I find that it is so sticky and seems to coatmy breastpads and makes them sort of waterproof, meaning the milk then runs down and leaks onto my clothes? We are using washable breastpads as I found the disposable ones a) dried out my boobs even more and b) they stuck to the lanolin and ended up with cotton wooly type stuff stuck to my nipples!

Any suggestions for the best way to make them work?

OP posts:
kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:42

for some reason I have 40ml in my head as a feed amount, but in realityi would let the baby tell you that one.

kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:45

I also used washables and had same prob I actually wrapped myself in a towel that night and said to hell with it if i leak i leak and went to bed by the morning I was sooo much better. The alternative is to just keep your boobs out, just don't drip on the keyboard..

kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:48

I used kamilosan too which wasn't quite so coating on the pads IYKWIM, I was also advised at one point with dd1 that vaseline was a good bet because of its moist wound healing properties. Last thing you need is a dry scab that recracks each feed..

Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 27/04/2009 23:51

Thanks kitkat. I think it will probably be me doing the feed thinking about it as DD1 still wakes for a bottle in the night and he has been doing her so its only fair really that I do DD2. But I could still do the bottle to give nipples a break.

I seem to remember BM being ok at room temp for quite a long time. Do you think it is ok for me to just put it into a bottle now and bring up to bed with us and feed her when she wants it?

I haven't fed her from my right boob for quite a good few hours (I have expressed from it though) and already it is starting to feel better. It was my more painful boob but now it is considerably less painful than the left. So a nights break does seem good.

OP posts:
kitkatqueen · 27/04/2009 23:58

I would say yes to taking it up to bed with you now, not ideal to give at room temp though. A friend of mine used to take a flask of hot water up with her and a jug. then she would use the water to warm the bottle without having to go downstairs or trashing the milk in the microwave. FGS be careful with the hot water tho if you decide to use that method.

kitkatqueen · 28/04/2009 00:05

You're welcome, BTW. Hope u r feeling better in the morning. I'm off to bed.

pingviner · 28/04/2009 00:08

just another supporter for you, hope the pain starts to settle and you can feed DD again soon - it would probably be useful to see or speak to someone or your MW again but

This is purely anecdotal, but I had to do the same thing several times in the first few weeks - when pain got too much, if I was bleeding or had been nipped with hard little gums, and DS was howling his head off in frustration, unable to latch - I would pump to reduce engorgement and minimize the pain, and DS would have a bottle of EBM: Its amazing how much better you both feel when the baby is fed and not howling, and you have had a few hours to heal a little. Also sometimes used nipple shields to stop (yuk emoticon) healing scabs being reopened.I was surprised to find that even one session of express and rest would allow me to heal up and feel so much better! We both survived, and BF now very successful at 6 mths

You are doing the right thing - the priority is surely to get some food in the baby while maintaing your supply, and work on latch when you are both able to relax and concentrate on it. Lie on a towel, dont worry about leaks, get some sleep and try again in the am

Good luck to you and DD2

Jocar2007 · 28/04/2009 00:21

not sure that anyone would approve of/recommend this, but I took ibuprofen in the really agonising first days - it really, really helped and got me through the hardest days. Obviously once I'd healed up a bit and the baby learnt to latch on so that it wasn't toe curlingly painful (just painful!) I stopped.

kitkatqueen · 28/04/2009 00:42

I was given a mixed painkiller when I left hospital I think it was dihydracodiene or codydramol. Can't remember which, but is important to get the right one. Was told that the molecule of the ibuprofen was small enough to go through in the breast milk, so no, its not reccomended but to be honest I think the codiene was probably more effective anyway

TBM · 28/04/2009 01:12

In the hospital they were giving my babies 150ml per kilo a day, divided into 8 feeds.

Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 28/04/2009 01:59

Have just expressed again and finally getting into bed (DD1 wouldn't settle either, to top the night off). Anyway. I am just overflowing with milk. I have actually expressed quite a bit, which I know I shouldn't have done as it will make me produce more milk BUT I had gone back to rock solid boobs that were overflowing before I even got into bed. I put breastpads in and within 20 mins the pads, my bra and my top were all soaked! Don't mind leaking at night but if it was like that before I even went to bed, god knows what state I would have been in tomorrow morning!

Oh and I already do have scabs that need to heal - hopefully this break from feeding might help. I have just put on the lanolin and have put 3 disposable pads in each side of my bra to try and catch leaks. Also going to lie on a towel.

I hardly even had to pump to get a bottle of milk. Was hardly touching the handle, didn't once press right down on it, just giving a brief pump once in a while and the milk was pooring out!! So I have some in the fridge and some up here by the bed for the night, which will need to be thrown away if not used tonight, which is a shame but oh well.

Can I ask why you say not to feed at room temperature? Just out of interest? I always did that for DD1, but not this young. I thought it was fine, and heating it up was more just to get baby to drink it/for comfort.

Anyway, off to bed now, will check back in the morning. Havn't managed to find any BF things for tomorrow but I have asked on netmums and stuff and hoping somebody will reply with some local info.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 28/04/2009 09:25

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StarlightMcKenzie · 28/04/2009 09:27

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Original poster
soon2befamilyof4 · 28/04/2009 09:56

thanks, i thought so. do you think its ok to give the leftovers to DD1? she wont know what it is, but saves it going down the drain?

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StarlightMcKenzie · 28/04/2009 10:19

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