Newborn breastfeeding woes

[Readytopop25]

FTM here and DD is one week old today. It’s been the hardest week of my life after a horrendous labour that went as wrong as it possibly could have!

We’re such early days but I already feel like I’m failing my beautiful DD. EBF at the moment and finding it really difficult. I was so lucky that she latched fine and I’m producing plenty of milk, but my breasts are overly full and I’m waking up in puddles of milk despite having breast pads on. They get uncomfortably full. I find it painful when she latches and during the feed at times too. She’s cluster feeding every day and haven’t been able to put her down for longer than 10 mins in the last 5 hours. I’m physically and mentally exhausted and am feeling such immense pressure being the only one who can feed her. My mum and husband have offered to take her while I sleep but she demands milk too often for me to get the chance to nap/rest/escape.

The nights feel endless up feeding her, hubby has tried to stay up with me but falls back asleep and I resent the amount of sleep he is getting. I know I still haven’t recovered from labour and we’re such early days that we haven’t established a routine yet but I really don’t think I can mentally or physically take BF for much longer. Feeling so physically weak and drained.

Does anyone have any advice on how to make BF easier, pumping or switching to FF? I’m completely clueless but feeling desperate and drained and in need of some advice.

I found cosleeping helped - means you can fall asleep breastfeeding and not leave the bed. Lullaby Trust website explains how to do it safely.
If you can get through the next week or 2 it will get better.

I used a silicone haakaa pump with DSast year, essentially rather than a full blown pump it can essentially be used on the opposite side to collect any leakage/to take the edge off when feeling overly full and reduce pressure. Just doing this I used to get enough for a full 6-8oz bottle a day by the time he was a few months. Just knowing I had a stash in the freezer helped so much as DH/my parents was an option without increasing my supply more. Best £20 I spent

www.amazon.co.uk/Haakaa-150ml-Silicone-Breast-Suction/dp/B01F8W7CF0?psc=1&th=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I had this one in a 5oz I think with a lid I ordered separately after so I could store in Fridge between feeds & then pour into a storage freezer pouch. Worth considering to take some of the discomfort away and have some for an option of others feeding

Learning to feed lying down saved my bacon at a similar stage. I never planned to cosleep before he was born, but after I nearly fell asleep holding him at 3am one morning it seemed like the only safe option. We only did it for six weeks or so before the feeds got less frequent and he was evicted to the next-to-me crib, but being able to latch him on then drift off to sleep myself maximised sleep for us both. When he woke in the night, I just slid him to the other side of me and repeated on the other boob. We followed safe cosleeping guidelines (he had his own sleeping bag, my covers just up to my waist etc - bloody freezing as it was January so wore three tops!). Might be worth considering if you have a big enough bed / spare room to evict the other half to temporarily?