Breastfeeding difficulty

[Eloisse]

Hi mums,

did anyone struggle with breastfeeding for a while? My baby is 7 weeks and i am still struggling with her latch. She has a shallow latch and i have tried EVERYTHING. My nipples are constantly in pain and i am not quite sure what to do. Did anyone else manage to breastfeed successfully after missing breastfeeding during the ‘golden hour’. Many people mentioned that if the baby doesn't latch straight after birth, it leads to breastfeeding issues. Wondering if thats why i am struggling so much!

It took mine that long to get good at it. His mouth was just too small in the beginning! It's boring but correct the latch every time and eventually they get used to it. 7 weeks is a good time to introduce a bottle, so you could try pumping once a day to give your nipples a break, but I know that can feel like more faff. Handy for the baby to take a bottle though

Hi I do remember the pain whilst breastfeeding for at least 2-3 weeks. But then it did get better. I’m wondering if your baby has tongue tie? My friend experienced a lot of pain and a bad latch and they had it checked and the tongue tie was affecting the latch.

I don’t think missing the “golden hour” affects the ability to breastfeed. I had my baby feeding straight away and I was thinking why is it so painful? The midwife said it shouldn’t be painful but not much help after that.

I struggled for 10 weeks, then finally got some proper support which really helped. I'd really recommend finding a lactation consultant if you can afford it.
Well done, you are doing so well! It does get easier!

Yes, I battled for ages, with lots of support from a breastfeeding clinic until it suddenly clicked. I was holding her head too tightly - had to learn to let her head tip back more, so that she came in chin first, and got a much better latch. It stopped being painful then too.

We nearly gave up so often. I would have done if I hadn't had so much support. You've done so well to get this far.

Best of luck moving forward - whatever you decide to do . . . And congratulations on your new arrival too!

Hi OP, you can ask your health visitor to refer you to an infant feeding specialist who will then able to see latch, provide advice and check tongue tie. Mine was extremely helpful and helped save my breastfeeding journey when I was going to give up with my 1st baby. Congratulations on your little one. My 3rd baby is 3 weeks old and I had extreme nipple pain for the first couple weeks as she kept shallow latching but midwife helped with showing how to hold the breast in c shape which made a big difference. Hope you get the support you need!

Yes to all of this - the best thing I did was see the infant feeding team (at my local hospital) - so helpful with getting the latch right.

Yes, after terrible time at the beginning- as you say, missed the post birth feeding due to other things. I had to repeatedly ask for support and only with a wonderful woman at the local drop in did I persist. Breastfed for 2 years and am eternally grateful I persisted but could not have done it without help in the first couple of months- which faded to such a short time when looking back.
Wishing you well.

Yes I had lots of trouble and got lots of help.

You can get help here:

www.nct.org.uk/information/baby-toddler/feeding-your-baby-or-toddler/breastfeeding-support-nct

Good luck OP. I was really so glad I persevered. But having said that, if for whatever reason you do switch to formula, remember that you have done an amazing thing for both your baby's health and yours for breastfed for 7 weeks! Even one single feed is very worthwhile and has numerous benefits. But 7 weeks is awesome.

Have you had any support from your local feeding support team, Breastfeeding Network supporters, NCT breastfeeding virtual café, or la leche league?

I've breastfed for over a year having not managed to feed properly for 8 weeks after birth.

If youre not already you need to be putting baby to the breast very regularly, lots of skin to skin, and pumping to build your supply.

I was struggling and went to a breast feeding clinic at about 6 weeks. We had to use formula and pump because of jaundice too so it was so hard.

I probably can’t offer any advice that you haven’t already received. Just keep going. Eventually we got there. Still have a shallow latch at 6 months but baby is gaining weight and thriving.

Thank you all for your help, going to get tongue tie checked with a lactation consultant and hoping it gets better.

being a mummy is such a battle. At least i will be ready for baby number 2 with all the information i have gained with my first baby!

I am still navigating the breastfeeding journey with my 9 week old! I didnt breastfeed initially due to baby health issues and hospital admissions so started BF properly at around 5/6 weeks.

I definitely recommend breastfeeding feeding support groups. I found mine really helpful and speaking to other mums made me feel less alone.

Also, you should feel really proud of how long you have breastfed for already! I changed my mindset completely by celebrating myself at the end of each day, whether I BF, used expressed breast milk or formula fed my baby.

Also, I sat in a shopping centre, feeding my baby with a bottle and as I was people watching, I realised that I had no idea who had been breastfed or formula fed. I didnt even know how I was fed until I had a baby (my mum gave us all formula from the outset!) It feels like a huge decision now, but ultimately, you need to do what is right for you!

I did do a post a while back about breastfeeding and had some lovely, useful responses. If you search my username, you should be able to find it.

It's really tough but unfortunately it's in a long line of things to feel guilty about as a parent!

Edited to say, feel free to PM me if you need support although I am definitely not an expert!

La leche league can also be a really good source for help, especially if it's not very accessible privately or through NHS/health visitors.
In my experience the LLL group leaders take their training extremely seriously. You can generally get support online via the Facebook groups/WhatsApp call or go to an in-person meet up if there's one nearby.