Anxiety about impact of Coronavirus

[JesseandNancy]

Hi, I would just like to know I'm not alone at the moment. I have a 4 week old and am already feeling very emotional and anxious over breastfeeding problems and being a new mum.

Now that everything is restricted due to Coronavirus I've become even more anxious, to the point that it's irrational. All I want to do is go to the shop and buy things that I don't really need, because I'm paranoid that if other people are panic buying then I should too. But then my logical mind says not to because it's not the sensible thing to do. I'm also worried about my daughter catching it, and can't get think about the future incase anything bad happens to any of us or my family. Even though children don't seem to be affected, from what we are told on the news.

Just wondered if anyone else felt this way as it'll make me feel less alone

Bless you , having a new baby can be really hard at the best of times , let alone right now and you are definitely not alone in feeling this way , we all are. You will be feeling especially vulnerable as a new mum. I am also worried about my baby and toddler but we are still being told they are not as vulnerable to this , no under 10s have died . I believe the uk newborn is doing ok , too. Nobody knows what’s going to happen ,this is new territory and Its deeply unnerving , but we are all in this together. Try to make the most of this time at home soaking up your new baby , stay in your baby bubble and enjoy this precious newborn time ,I know this is easier said than done right now . Congrations on breastfeeding ! What sorts of problems are you having ? Mumsnet is a great place for breast feeding advice. Try not too worry too much and enjoy your baby

Thank you for the responses! It's good to know other people are feeling the same.

Breastfeeding problems are mainly because I'm really sore and although my baby is getting enough (she fills her nappies) it takes her a long time to get the milk so she feeds for a long time and never seems to be satisfied during the day so I'm either feeding her or trying to soothe her to stop her crying and wanting more!!

What your describing there is totally normal , for the first few months all they want to do is feed feed feed , this is very normal and actually a very good thing as it will be increasing your milk supply , you can never feed too much , only good things can come from frequent feeding . As she gets older she will become much much faster, my baby would take 40 mins per breast and now she’s done in 5 minutes now at 6 months and I actually miss those long feeds ! They were a good chance to sit down and rest even though I didn’t see that at the time . It will definitely get easier as time goes on , usually around 12 weeks you will notice the difference . try to forget everything Else and just focus on feeding and relaxing You mention feeling sore , have you had anyone check your latch ? I think a little bit of soreness is normal From all the frequent feeding at first , it was for me but if it’s very painful it could be a sign that she’s not attached properly ? You really want her nose to your nipple and a big open mouth ? Lots of good videos on YouTube for this if you haven’t got any real life support with feeding . Well done , you are doing great

I'm in the same situation but with a 6 day old 4lb baby - can't relax and enjoy him and feeling very very sad and worried

Thank you both for your posts! I'm glad to hear the constant feeding is normal. Her latch seems fine but I'll check the YouTube videos.

I've been reading up and talking to a charity this morning about mental health after pregnancy and with everything going on at the moment. They sent me the link to the Mind website as it has some pages on managing anxiety over coronavirus. I've also downloaded the headspace app as my friend said it really helped her when she was a new mum and had the same issues. Hope this helps 'newmumagain'