Please help with baby feeding

[melonribena]

Hello everyone, I had my first baby last Thursday after a horrendous 37 hr labour. I had a water infection already which added to the fun! I ended up with an emcs and haemorrhaged blood during delivery.

Baby is a totally gorgeous 9lb 8.5oz little boy! But from birth I've struggled to keep up with him. I'm gradually getting better myself but I assume my body has been producing blood and healing itself and it's affected my milk supply.

I can never seem to satisfy him with my breast
Milk . He feeds constantly and won't settle away from the breast, wanting to go back on almost immediately afterwards.

On the first night home we panicked that my milk was ineffective and gave him some formula. I hated doing it but it did seem to satisfy him.

Since then I've been feeding and expressing as much as possible but by mid afternoon and then again by the middle of the night, both breasts are dry and he's moaning for food so we end up reaching for the formula again.

Today, he's been mainly satisfied with breast although he had 2oz of formula at 3 pm, but since then he wants to feed constantly and whines if I put him in Moses basket after a feed, even if he brings himself off the nipple, so I end up picking him up and feeding again, feeling like a failure and after a few hours of this, reaching for the formula.

I am at my wits end. I desperately want to breast feed but feel a failure that I cannot seem to produce enough. He wants to feed constantly and is never awake and content, he's either asleep, awake and feeding or awake and whining for food. Any help would be much appreciated as I have no idea what to do. Sorry for any typos, am on iPhone

You are not a failure. This is a tough time. Suggest you post on the breastfeeding section where you will get some great advice.

Babies feed tons at the start. It is normal but exhausting. I would forget formual as it won't help and will affect your breastmilk supply. Also forget expressing for now. Just feed on demand. Let baby lead the way. If baby is gaining weight and pooing and weeing regularly then it is fine. He is building up your supply by feeding all the time. It is normal.

Just relax, let others run after you. Eat and drink well and sleep when you can. Honest it gets easier! Try and find a bf support group to go to. Mine saved my sanity!

It's normal for new babies to fed constantly through afternoon and evening. It's called cluster feeding and they do it to instruct your body to produce more milk for them as they grow. I know it seems like they're starving, but if he's doing wet and dirty nappies then you don't need to supplement with formula.

Look after yourself. Eat lots, esp carbs, oats in particular are meant to be good for milk supply. Drink lots and lots of water. sleep when you can and try fennel tea and fenugreek supplements.

Relax. Find some good tv. Feed your baby and sleep when you can (so important I mention it twice!)

Look at kelly mom breastfeeding site for great articles about how bfing works, how babies cluster feed and build up supply. It really helps to understand how it all works.

Btw congrats on the baby!

That's what babies do!

Just feed, feed, feed.

And breasts never 'go dry' they are like rivers not lakes; the flow slows down but gets fattier the more 'empty' the breast.

X post! But hopefully it will reassure you that we both say the exact same thing.

I also had a drawn out protracted labour which ended in c section. afterwards I went off food for a month - unheard of for me. If you have a poor appetite then you need to tell your dp and family to bully you into eating and keep offering you nice things and, if all you can face is cake, then eat cake. The main thing is to'be taking in some kind of nutrition, you can worry about vitamins when you're less upset xxx

You are not a failure, your supply is still establishing and it can take a little while. Breastmilk is not as hard to digest as formula which is why ff babies can go longer between feeds.

Honestly the best thing to do is take a few deep breaths and just feed as he demands. I've been there with DS2 and he was a similar weight to your DS, he's now 6mo and almost still ebf, its just those first few weeks can be the hardest.

The more your DS feeds the more milk your body will make, it is a supply and demand system. You will produce enough, ensure you are eating and drinking well and getting plenty of rest, or snuggle up in bed with him and have some skin to skin time, this can boost your milk too, all the love hormones!

Hope that helps

Sounds tough! I agree feed him on demand because that will boost your supply and babies tend to feed constantly afternoon and evening.

However also get the midwife or a breastfeeding supporter to check he is attaching to your breast well, if he isn't he could need to feed a lot because he is not draining the milk effectively. They could also check he hasn't got a tongue tie or anything else that is making feeding more difficult for him.

If his weight is good and he is having plenty of wet (at least 6) and dirty (at least 2 yellow poos bigger than £2 coin)nappies a day, then he's definitely getting enough milk.

You can also try wearing him in a stretchy baby sling. It's luvverly and snuggly so he'll sleep and you'll have your hands free to do things, but it aldi helps to simulate milk production

Yes meant to add about the latch. Made a big difference to me when worked out how to get DD latched on well.

You're not a failure at all, I posted something similar to you on the bottle and breast feeding thread and I would second recommending that you do that, I got loads of great advice about growth spurts and cluster feeding and feeding frenzies and it really helped to reassure me, kellymom is also great, I know I'm signposting rather than giving advice but there are some fantastic posters around as you can see from your responses on here who know far more than I do but just wanted you to know it does get easier

With regards to growth spurts I cannot recommend highly enough a book called 'Wonder Weeks' which tells you when ro expect them and what to expect with them. It has kept me sane these last 6 months

You are not a failure OP. I remember the early days very well, it was so tough. I BFed for 6 months, but I was on the point of giving up a couple of times. In retrospect I am glad I didn't, but I didn't expect it to be so so hard, and to hurt so much until my milk came in.

It is very normal for them to feed all the time in the first few weeks - DS did, he was constantly attached. Many people will tell you there is something wrong, he "should" feed every 3-4 hours. Ignore and lower your expectations, just let your DS suck as much as he wants to and try to rest when he does. However, although I am pro-BF, don't beat yourself up if you gave him a bit of formula. I know you're not meant to, but two of my friends did in the first week and they are adamant it actually helped them because they had a break from the constant feeding. As long as you let him feed as much as you can I think your supply will be fine. I second the advice about finding a BF group and having the latch checked. Most importantly, try not to expect too much. I did and now wish I hadn't, I was always wondering if I was doing the right thing, if DS was having enough, if he was doing what he was "supposed to".

Is your DS having enough wet and dirty nappies? Is he putting on weight?

Take care of yourself too, are you eating enough? Have some biscuits and water by your bed for the night feeds and tuck in while feeding your DS, supply is mostly built during the night. These first weeks go by very quickly and it will get much easier.

Thanks everyone for your positive and helpful replies. You really have reassured me! We had another tough night but a visit from the midwife this morning confirmed all was well. I think I do need to work on the latch, he isn't always successful first time! I am going to keep ploughing on and take every day as it comes. My partner and I are committed to breast feeding and I really want to continue, but I won't beat myself up for the odd bottle of formula. You have all really helped me and I can't thank u enough!