Breast feeding help!!

[Laurenrocks]

Hi, this is the first time I've posted on here. I'm feeling at a loss!! My little girl is 8 weeks old today, we had trouble breast feeding to begin with but I stuck with it through cracked nipples and mastitis and we gradually got the hang of it. Now, when she latches on its fine but after a couple of sucks she manages to slide her bottom lip up so its right under my nipple and she makes a slurping sound. No matter how many times I make her re latch she does it every time. I've got loads of milk so I think it's because she knows she can get plenty with this lazy latch but it makes me sore and it's embarrassing in public when I'm trying to be discreet (with 36G breasts anyway!) and she's slurping away! She would also stay attached all day if I let her. I'm getting really frustrated and just want some advice and to hear any similar stories as I'm seriously considering switching to bottles.
Thanks.

Hi Lauren, well done for sticking with it! If you've got tons of milk it could be that oversupply is causing the latch/slurping issues. There's more about it here: kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/

Generally your boobs settle down with time when this is an issue but for some people that's not the case. You're still in the early days of bf really, so if you want to do it and can stick it out for another month or two you'd probably find it easier. Saying that, if you don't want to bf, you've given your little girl a great start and she will continue to do well if you do switch to bottles. HTH!

Firstly, well done on feeding her and getting to 8 weeks. Many people do not make it that far. So, you need to be really proud of yourself and what you are giving your baby.

I would say get yourself along to a BF support group if you can. I found that so helpful for practical tips and advice and also a chance to discuss issues and problems weekly to get it all off my chest (excuse the pun!) and feel supported. I think there are BF cafes or support groups in most areas, try looking through NCT or your Health visitor / NHS.

I experienced issues very similar to what you describe in the early weeks, in fact I had very severe pain on feeding up to my DD being 10 weeks old. The one thing I would say is that in my experience and that of a lot of other mums I know, it just starts to get easier around 8-12 weeks so I hope that helps to encourage you to keep going. After my DD got to 10 weeks, the pain subsided, her feeding got much quicker and more efficient and it just all clicked into place. At that point I was so glad I persevered to get to the point where it became so easy and much quicker and more convenient than bottles. Try to see these early weeks as a kind of investment to reap the rewards later when it does feel easier.

One particular tip for what you have described is to kind of go back to basics with the latch. I found leading with the chin and waiting until DD mouth was really wide open really helped to get a good deep latch. Another thing you could try is laid-back breastfeeding where you lie back, relax and pop baby on top of you and let them find the nipple and latch themselves. This can really help with feeding problems like positioning etc. Here is a link

www.nct.org.uk/sites/default/files/related_documents/Laid-back%20Breastfeeding.pdf

Of course, this kind of latch could indicate that there is an underlying problem such as tongue tie so don't just suffer with this, seek help and specifically get this checked out if the pain does not subside soon. Again, here's a link themilkmeg.com/category/tongue-and-lip-tie/

Good resources to look at are The Milk Meg and KellyMom (both on Facebook and they have websites with good advice).

Try not to worry about feeding discreetly (easier said than done, I know). I found my confidence just increased with time. Again, a BF support group or going out with a friend might help with this.

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you whatever you decide to do.

I had similar problems and found the NHS breastfeeding support good, it was held in various hospitals and they would watch you feed and then offer suggestions. Get your baby checked for tongue and lip ties. I had oversupply and fast let down and my baby would use a shallow latch to try and control the milk flow - effective for him but bloody painful for me! I kept him upright while he was feeding or slightly on top to make the flow slower.

I experienced similar phases when my dd would suddenly switch to a painful latch for a while. I wondered whether it could be related to changes in her jaw / teething etc. after a week or two she would go back to a deeper latch though so hopefully this will be the same for you. I found the rugby ball hold helped a bit - it helped baby get a deeper latch.
Good luck!