Breastfeeding - need to know what's normal!

[erised24]

I have a 3 day old. She's currently feeding for about 20-30 mins and is then hungry again half hour later so I'm almost constantly feeding her. My nipples are also cracked and sore even though my midwife has said the latch is good. Is this normal? Everything I've read says my nipples shouldn't be sore and that baby should be feeding 10-15 mins on each side every 2-3 hours...

My first was like this turned out she had reflux. They want milk more often to help with the pain. She was also tongue tied so maybe get that checked

Completely normal. There is no normal. My DS fed almost constantly.

Can you find a feeding position that allows you to rest too? I loved feeding on the bed lying down on my side and having a nap like that.

Have you got some nipple cream? A lot of people rave about lansinoh (myself included).

That sounds pretty normal to me I'm afraid. I found the first 2 weeks of BF excruciating, but it did get better, and was completely pain free by week 3. Make sure you use a nipple balm, and the mam compresses helped too. I also had cooling gel pads, can't remember the brand, but they could be heated or cooled depending on what you want. Best of luck!!!

Sounds normal to me! Sorry! Ds1 was basically permanently attached to me until about 3mo. Just keep on feeding. It does get easier and ds2 was nowhere near as bad. Main things to look out for are plenty of wet and dirty nappies and weight gain. Don't worry about timing of feeds, duration of feeds, fussiness or anything else. Just to warn you, 10 minute feeds every 3 hours probably won't be happening for a while.....!!

Yep totally normal. Can be on and off like this for weeks. If it's going on all night it's no harm to give a dummy for an hour or 2 to give you some sleep.

She was checked for tongue tie before coming home.

I do have nipple cream but only got it yesterday so was feeding her without it for a day.

Sounds completely normal, my DS was a cluster feeder (had never heard of cluster feeding before he was born) and was on and off constantly. Try Lanisoh for your nipples, it's a godsend and worth the price. Getting established is bloody hard work but it really does get easier as time goes on

Totally normal. Has your milk come in yet? It can take a couple of days and in the meantime it's just colostrum. They tend to binge or cluster feed for a couple of weeks and then every few months when they have growth spurts

Absolutely normal. Both mine never fed for very long. Just keep offering as much as possible. Just find a comfy space with something good on TV, a glass of water and your boobs out! I second the nipple cream after every feed. Lansinoh was the best.

You can also get nipple shields to give your nipples a chance to heal if you are starting to find it too painful. Also there’s no shame in giving a bottle of formula occasionally if you want to. My partner used to give our baby a bottle each evening to give me a break in the early days. I ended up ebf once I found my stride as it ended up being easier. Sounds like you’re doing a great job

Has your milk come in yet? They need to feed almost constantly at first to bring the milk in.

Also it's not just about hunger - it's comfort.

I've breastfed 3 babies and my nipples were sore at first with all of them. Just check that there is no damage being done.

Congratulations on your new baby OP!! I'm afraid it is completely normal BUT it will ease up!! Nipple shields saved me in the first 2 weeks with my first baby and are very easy to use. If you can just make it to day 10 then the pain and cracked nipples will be well on their way to easing and healing! It was such a huge turning point with both my babies and my friends found that too. It's the only piece of advice I give to pregnant friends, if you can persevere to day 10 with BF then you'll be fine! Also the cluster feeding will ease up, on day 3 baby is feeding lots to bring your milk in and get your supply up, completely normal.
I found wiggling my toes and counting to 10 Everytime I had to latch baby on helped. You've got this!! And if you do feel you can't do a feed and want to give a bottle, just make sure you pump so that it doesn't affect your supply.

Oh yes nipple shields I forgot to mention those. We used them for 3 months but ended up feeding exclusively for 2 years!

At this age really normal. Sounds like she's cluster feeding to get your supply up. Slather on the nipple cream and get her checked for a tounge tie. You can use nipple sheilds too.

Don't worry too much about timing and duration of feeds. All babies are different. My first would feed for 40-60 mins at a time and never fed for only 10 mins (and i BF for 17 months). Felt like I was permanently attached to the sofa at first. My second baby is 15 days old now and only feeds for 10-20 mins at a time.

Like PP said, monitor wet and dirty nappies (I've been told 6 a day by the midwife) and weight gain. If these two things are happening, everything is good. Good luck, it is a test of perseverance but does get easier. About 6 weeks it was a breeze and I was glad I stuck with it as getting a boob out is a lot less fuss than sterilising and making up bottles, but getting to that point was a bit of a slog.

Are there any lactation support groups near you?
It's worth getting baby checked for a tt again as not all hcp have much knowledge of them . Also I'd like to get your latch checked as whilst I've had discomfort whilst nursing in the early days (including a severely tt baby) I never had cracked nipples.
Please search for support in your area. Our local group is doing FaceTime type support. Xxxx

Second about not worrying about timings. My 11lber only fed for 5mins at a time and gained weight in her first week. Turns out she was just a very efficient feeder!

Also, for both babies I had nipple soreness for the first few weeks. I'm not sure I believe the 'shouldn't ever be sore' rhetoric. Almost everyone I know who bf had sore nipples at first.

I was recommended some silver nipple cups when I was at the point of crying at feeding time because it was unbearable and they were a life saver. The silver helps with healing and they collect a little of your milk and bathe your nipples in them. They're a little pricy but it's the best £25 I've ever spent! I wore them from about week 2-4 until one day I realised that nothing hurt anymore. I have had them back on for a day or two since then since I have a lazy boy and a strong flow which equals a lot of rubbing. A few hours on is enough to heal them again.

I was reluctant at first but would definitely recommend now!

Definitely agree with @RenegadeMrs! Whoever said breastfeeding shouldn't hurt is having us on!

Totally normal, look after your nipples for me the balms/creams didn’t work, I expressed milk rubbed it in and sat with them out a lot to dry them out. Also the reusable breast pads were kinder on sore nipples than the disposable ones.

I have breastfed 3 babies 1st one for 1 year 2nd for 13 months and my 3rd is 5 months and still EBF and all of them I have had very sore nipples for at least 10 days until my nipples became used to it although make sure at every feed the latch is good. You can watch youtube videos to see how to get a good latch you can also change position of the baby so that your feeding on a different part of your nipple you can look at the rugby position. Lanolin was a godsend apply constantly dont let your nipples get dry until they are better. It is also normal for your baby to feed almost constantly it will gradually become more time between feeds. Any questions ask away!

The advice that babies should feed for 10 to 15 mins on each breast is very old fashioned OP. Babies feeding anything between 5 and 45/50 mins from one breast is completely normal, as others have said. And babies wanting to feed seemingly constantly in the early days is normal too, and good for your future supply. At 3 days your milk will be in the process of changing from colostrum. As your milk comes in and as baby matures a little, you'll probably find the gap between feeds starts to widen.
As for sore nipples, try expressing some milk and rubbing it in after a feed....it's very healing. Experiment with different positions too, as you might find some are more comfortable than others. Laid back feeding (biological nurturing) can encourage a deeper latch and can make the feed more comfortable even whilst your nipples are still healing. The sore nipples will get better! Well done!

How are you getting on OP?

Try to keep going - it was like that for me too even though latch was fine. It took about 10-14 days for my nipples to get used to it then breastfeeding was a dream for the next 18 months!

I had the exact same, my expectations Vs the reality were way off. It was pretty constant, my nipples did hurt and I used cream, sometimes a nipple shield and expressed so husband could do a bottle field in the evening so I could attempt to get some rest.

It does get easier, for me around 6 weeks I felt like I came up for air. I was told baby should be feeding every 3-4 hours - we're only close to this now at 7 months but it is so much easier than it was in those early days. You're a superstar