Absolutely desperate for help - anyone around?

[spongebrainmaternitypants]

Apologies for quick message but need urgent help.

Baby No 2, born Thurs am at 6am. Induced due to PE, only 6lbs 1 oz at birth. Boy, slight tongue tie.

Normal vaginal delivery, fed straight away while I was being stitched.

Loads of skin to skin on Thursday, didn't feed again despite trying. Eventually offered cup of ff at 10pm, brought it back up due to mucous.

Tried on and off through the night. Had one successful feed but latch poor and very painful. Has very small mouth and I have large nipples, so difficult to get enough of the brest in his mouth.

Since then has had two successful feeds, various top ups with ff or ebm.

Expressed at 7pm tonight, just before milk came in, with Medela electric pump, got 25ml. Milk has now come in and I can get NOTHING out of my breasts, tried expressing on both sides.

It's now 10pm, I am beyond exhausted, baby is hungry and can't seem to get anything out of me and I can't get anything out of me either.

What am I doing wrong? Baby blues have kicked in with avengeance and I'm struggling to justify to my very understanding dh why the hell I'm putting myself through this .

TIA.

Hi sponge. no help i'm afraidbut could have wriotten your post last night so you're not alone.

if it helps, i am just trying to remind myself that it will be a few days atmost and then closer to bf being established...

Actualy, one tip- get your lovely dhto see the bfc too then he;ll be able to help you remember what you have to do for latching etcv

Hi Sponge. Sorry to hear your struggling and have mastitis. That should clear up quickly with abs.

please remember bf is easy for very few. I managed to bfeed my 27 weeker, It was an enormous struggle but eventually we got there and in the end it is so worth it.
His latch was very poor for along time as he was so tiny (2 1/2 lbs)So I expressed and bfed him for months and months.
Everybody is capable of bfeeding so keep going and you will get there, but it may be a struggle for quite a while

Your nct counsellor will have some great advice. I would also go along to your local bfeeding cafe I couldn't have coped without mine.

Good luck and enjoy your new baby

sponge - sorry to read of your woes

It concerns me a lot you were given a pump this early on - hand expressing is usually gentler and more effective in these early days. 25 ml is a massive amount of milk to get out on day 2-3 - I'd wonder if this has been heavy-handed on your breasts. 5-7 ml is usually quite enough at a time this early on, truly. This can be done very frequently, of course, and given to the baby by spoon or syringe, usually, to help with jaundice and for keeping him hydrated.

I think you need to see someone who knows what they are looking for to help you with positioning, attachment and hand expression. Mastitis this early on is very, very unusual and you need to handle your breasts very carefully as they will bruise easily. I am not enough of an 'expert' in clinical issues like this - you need proper, on the spot help.

Hi tiktok and thank you. Luckily I have an excellent bf clinic at our local hospital that I will (hopefully) visit tomorrow.

My NCT bfc has just been over and given me a hand pump as she has also said that it will be more gentle than an electric one. I was given an electric pump in hospital and as that was what I used last time I didn't think to question it .

She has looked at DS's latch and thinks his tongue tie is having a big impact on it and also his size and the size of his mouth.

I am interested to hear you say mastitis is unusual this early cos I was very surprised too to get it now. I will handle with care.

sponge have you been able to feed him today?
Hope things are going ok for yo both...

Can you get the Tongue tie snipped? I could have written your post 4 months ago, engorged, mastitis. , sore nipples etc - it's miserable. My midwife referred me to the PICU and I had it snipped - what a difference. She fed happily and more efficiently straight afterwards. It doesn't hurt them and takes seconds.

Also, hang in there. It's exhausting but it WILL get better with proper support.

Oh bless you.. must be so hard. Seems like you have got some good advice from others, none from me (bit out of my league!) but just wanted to say, hang in there!!!

(Not sure but perhaps the stress it is causing is also slowing let down)

Hope the people caring for you aid the progress towards happy BFing.

It's agonizing, but just keep putting baby to the breast several times a day, only solution. The more someone else feeds him the worse it will be.
I used loads of hot flannels, stroking down and sideways towards the nipple with the flat of my hand to try and get milk flowing.
When baby didn't latch, I kept squeezing the few drops into his mouth so that he knew there was milk coming from my breast if he wanted it.
Also used the "v- for victory" nipple method (thumb and forefinger below nipple to shape/ slightly narrow it for baby's mouth
I also put on Van Morrison, had a small glass of guinness (not sure with ABs tho) and tried visualization methods as mentioned above.

Savoy cabbage! Really - it works for pain from engorgement (not so sure about mastitis though).
After expressing loads when LO needed a night of tube feeds, my boobs were enormous and very sore.
Put savoy cabbage leaves in freezer, cut out stalky bit in the middle, and place on boob.
Cold will help with pain, and (according to my MW) has some astringent properties! Go figure!! (however, I did totally stink smell quite bad)
Also - definately get the tongue tie snipped, often makes a huge difference.

hth

Good luck at the clinic tomorrow SBMP, hope your mastitis is on the back foot.

Thank you for all your kind help and support.

Sadly the mastitis has put paid to the bf . I couldn't express a drop, and tried everything - even my MW tried and couldn't get anything out either . The pain was excrutiating and my MW advised me to stop trying, let the milk ease off and then repump when the mastitis has gone.

I'm waiting for the supply to dry up but DS has now been exclusively ff since Saturday and tbh I'm too scared to bring my supply back up in case it happens again. I was sooo poorly and I can't risk that with two babies to look after, no local support and my dh going back to work next week.

It's time to count my blessings - just over two years ago I thought I would never be able to have children after 5 punishing years of IF. Now I have two beautiful children under 16 months. I am desperately lucky to be in this situation and, although very sad that bf didn't work again, I can't let it spoil this special time.

Thank you all again.

Oh Spongebrain (love the name, Spongebob is a hero in our house!) I know how sore and debilitating mastitis is and it must be a relief not to be suffering anymore.

Enjoy your babies!

just read your thread sponge and wanted to say that i hope things go well with you and your new LO - indeed you are right, you are blessed to have 2 beautiful little people.
Enjoy this precious time and hope you are feeling lots better soon x