Breast feeding issues

[LibbyAndRoma]

I feel like a total failure. My baby girl is almost 4 weeks old and has colic and reflux issues. I am at my wits end all she seems to do is cry. My breast feeding was going amazingly until about a week ago. I can't tell if my baby is hungry or just crying from the colic. I don't feel like my milk is fulfilling her and my partner has started giving her formula. I really don't want her to have formula but I have no idea if she is getting milk from me. I don't even have time to express breast milk as she is literally constantly screaming. Even if she doses off and I try my best to put her down she will wake and scream again. When she was feeding well we had 12 plus wet / dirty nappies a day, but since her reflux occurred I've only had one poo a day to change. I just don't know what to do. I keep shouting at her as I'm exhausted, feeling really sad about not feeding her and I feel like a huge failure. I've literally had enough

You aren't a failure, breastfeeding is hard! I know what it's like to worry all the time and be knackered but it will get so much better. I think one poo a day can be fine - how are the wees. I got my baby weighed every week to check he was gaining. And he went through a stage of crying and I wasn't sure I had enough but just kept feeding and monitoring wees/weight. If you want to breastfeed you've had a great start and can totally do it. can you talk to a health visitor?

Pooing frequency can change, it doesn't have to mean anything. Babies go through growth spurts at 2 and 3 weeks; if they seem hungry and you are breastfeeding you can just give them more! They will soon increase your supply and go back to their regular schedule. You don't have to give up breastfeeding.

And you are NOT a failure. Bf is hard to start. You did really well to feed for 4 weeks! You are almost there! It gets easier!

The best way to tell is if she is getting lots of wet and dirty nappies and is gaining weight.

I would see you health visitor before introducing a bottle if you really want to stick with the breastfeeding.

All babies have a big growth spurt at 3 weeks and then at 6 weeks. My eldest was the same and i was despairing when he was 3 weeks old as he didnt seem to be getting enough breast milk. I stuck it out until he was weighed a week or so later and was amazed to see he had gained 18 ounces on breast milk alone ! The midwives were aghast ! So dont give formula and wait a couple of weeks. Non stop feeding should settle around 6 weeks and as long as she is gaining weight and having wet nappies dont worry.

Both of my babies have had screamy patches between 4 and 8 weeks (ish) where they cried for no good reason at all - mostly in the evening. I think its associated with the growth spurts. Try giving her a bath, or perhaps a massage. Its very hard to deal with at the time but it will pass!

It sounds really normal. Babies are hard work! It will get better

If she's tracking to her birth centile with weight gain and making lots of wet nappies (dirty nappy frequency goes down as they get older so I wouldn't worry too much about that) then she's getting enough milk from you, you don't need to offer formula unless you want to.

The yelling sounds fairly standard for that age too. Their little brains are processing so much new information, it can all be a bit overwhelming for them. I found that not trying to do too much during the day helped - not too many new experiences, new people, etc. And feed in a dark quiet room in the afternoon.

Good luck! Remind yourself that everything with babies is a phase.

You can call la leche league 24 hrs a day for support and advice with breastfeeding. They are brilliant. Look on their website for number. They helped me several times when I hit a wall with bf. I managed to feed till 18mths in the end. But at the end of the day if you switch to formula it is no big issue as long as baby is fed it doesn't matter how.
I never managed to express very well either, some mums do, some don't.

You may like to consider trying Infacol. Mothercare sells it. I used it for my LO when he had colic and reflux.
If that doesn't help, then I would suggest talking to HV and doctor. Doctor prescribed colief and infant gaviscon.
Like others have said so long as there are lots of wet nappies then that is a really good sign. And hopefully getting her weighed will put your mind at rest.
You are doing an amazing job. Breastfeeding is hard.

As above really. It's hard. It's constant. It's relentless. But in almost all cases of healthy babies and healthy mothers feeding on demand will be plenty for baby, even if on demand means all the time. Look for plenty of wet nappies and don't stress too much about poos. It does get easier. Try putting baby in a sling when fussy/tired and let them sleep in there for now. That way, they are rested and you are still free to move around with 2 hands.

I forgot to mention that because she has had bottles she really really struggles to latch on now. She also doesn't seem to be swallowing. I'm going to call health visitor on Tuesday and try control my emotions till then :(

My one also struggled to latch. You could consider trying nipple shields to help with the latch. Mothercare sells them. Take care.