Breastfeeding help!!!!

[Nazz10]

My DS is 3 days old.
He WILL NOT stop feeding! 2.5 hours now with breaks for winding. I thought they feed little and often at this point?
Seriously it's been non stop. I'm exhausted. I can't put him down to go to the bathroom because he just cries and roots!
Is there something wrong?

Has your milk come in? They feed lots in the early days to stimulate supply. But you can put him down to take care of yourself! Go to the toilet! If there's no one around to help you then he can be put in a Moses basket or bouncer while you do that. Get a sling or wrap to put him in while you make yourself some food. You can't take care of him on empty x

Your already doing so well. He's stimulating your supply. He'll be OK for 5 mins while you get stuff done. Have you got any help about? Get them to fetch you drinks and snacks. Stay hydrated. Try put him in the pram and wheel him about if your sure he's not hungry.

@TooMinty I'm assuming my milk has come in. My breasts are larger today than they were yesterday and I can see his lips are white when he lets go.
Could it be that the flow is slow?

@MikeSully thank you. I do have a very supportive OH. He has been doing everything for me and allowing me to rest and has just been an absolute gem. He was up until 4 with me so I didn't want to wake him again to let him rest too.

Just to add, he finally stopped rooting after the last feed and fell asleep. But my nipples feel red raw like they have nettle stings 😭

Are his lips white because he's been sucking so hard because he can't get anything out or do you actually see milk on them?

Bless you. It sounds like a normal pattern but I know it's so hard when they're cluster feeding. You're doing so well. A lanolin nipple cream can really help with irritation (eg. Lansinoh is safe for the baby, you don't have to wipe it off before he's feeding) and some cooling compresses when he's not eating.

A sling was a godsend for me too, a stretchy (elastic) wrap is so practical as you can put it on in the morning and wear it throughout the day like a top, then just pop the baby in and out as needed, you don't have to re-tie it every time like other baby carriers. And they're great for newborns.

If you can see drops of milk on his face then it sounds like it has come in now, hopefully that will calm him down a bit. That cream you get in the purple tube is good, think it's the one pp mentioned. You might still get a bit of cluster feeding but you can try other ways to settle him (or better, get your OH to do it!)

Theres nothing wrong with giving a bit of formula to give urself a break.. u can slowly wean down the formula and increase the bf.. dont torture yourself.. cos if ur nipples get too sore and broken its hard to come back from it

@Nazz10 send hubby to the pharmacy (you need a bigger one) to source multimam compresses they are in a box they are quite pricey but you can cut them in half. They are worth the money stick them in the fridge for a bit as well.
Also lash on the lanolin like butter between feeds/boob switch it's absolutely fine for baby no need to take off prior to feeds.

Other things to just have a check on are if your nipple is coming out looking lipstick shaped >>>>💄 this can be a sign of a tongue tie which will cause you more pain. Your midwife should be round to check ask her for a good check. Other signs yourself are if tongue looks heart shaped. TT can effect milk transfer so they feed more. They aren't always picked up at birth.

Your doing fab BTW cluster feeding is a bitch just to warn you they will do the same at growth spurts so 1 week, 3/4 week and 6 week. Just get comfy a large bottle of water and plenty of snacks (I used to find cheese oatcakes great as oats are good for milk production and can easily be eaten 1 handed!)

@ivfbeenbusy the whiteness disappears as he moves his lips after he comes off

@Frezia yes I have the lansinoh nipple cream which I have been using in between feeds but it's still so painful. Like toe-curling painful when he latches on and then the pain settles once he starts the deep suckles and swallows.
I'll look into the slings. Sounds like it will come in handy when OH goes back to work.

@TooMinty yes I have the nipple cream in the purple tube but still so sore. I will see how today goes as this is the first time he's fed for this long in one session. Thank you for your help!

@Fraggle40 thank you. We do have the little pre-made bottles of cow and gate that we bought just in case there were any issues with breastfeeding. Will try and hold off using them for now but may use if I become desperate for some respite

@Nazz10

But is it actually liquid though? The fact you said it disappears doesn't mean it's milk? Much like if you press hard on your skin a white patch appears and then disappears when the pressure is released. If he's getting milk it would most likely be all over his lips and maybe face?

@Scottishskifun thank you so much for your helpful tips/tricks. Now that you mention it, they do come out like lipstick shaped but only occasionally, not all the time. Midwife actually checked and said he doesn't have tongue tie though. I'll keep observing over the next few feeds

@ivfbeenbusy I'm not sure. I haven't seen any on his face? Midwife also visited and saw him latched on both sides and wasn't concerned about anything at the time

It does get easier. Hang in there.

Is there a breastfeeding support group nearby?

Two things that helped me (other than lots of family support) were getting the ‘hamburger technique’ right.

Basically you squish your boob so it’s flat, like a hamburger, slide the nipple down baby’s nose so they open their mouth wide, then quickly shove your boob in as far as it will go. Babies suck on the whole aeroelastic, not just the nipple, this will also help with soreness. Paracetamol will also help with the discomfort. It does take a few weeks for you both to learn how to breastfeed but once you have done it, life becomes much easier. Expressing also helps as it means someone else can feed whilst you rest.

And the second thing that helped was a small glass of wine during the evening feed. (As recommended by my breast feeding specialist) This makes you feel more like an adult and less like a milk machine, it works wonders!

Good luck, the first week or so is definitely the hardest.

It doesn't sound like your milk has come in so he is sucking and sucking hence why his lips will be white when he releases the latch? Midwife won't be concerned because they literally only need a few drops of colostrum in the first couple of days until your milk comes in

I would try massaging your boobs (🙄) towards the nipples at the centre and then trying to hand express to encourage the milk.

My twins were in NICU so I could breastfeed for the first few days but by hand expressing etc milk came in (in full force!) by the end of day 3

@Nazz10 poor latch can also cause lipstick shape and nipple damage. Each feed really try to get a deep latch (when they have been at it for hours and it's 2am it's easier said then done but will help milk supply and your nips!)

Find your local NCT breastfeeding support group (often on Facebook) these are completely free and can do video sessions/support with a BF counsellor. I had a lot of early feeding issues I think I would have given up if I didn't find these. You don't have to be a member to use them.

Would say not all TT are obvious and a midwife would struggle to spot a posterior TT. Not saying he does but if pain is continuing past the 10 second stage a few weeks in then this can be a sign. It's worth checking out if this is the case in a few weeks. The quickest way is private but its about £200 or so.

Also try nipple shields - I hated them at first but it helped my twins breastfeed and also meant I could interchange between bottle and Breast without confusing them

Ouch, it shouldn't be that painful. It sounds like he may not be latching correctly. These videos are helpful:

The goal is to get the baby to take more of your breast in his mouth than just the nipple.

It's good to also experiment with different feeding positions, eg. rugby hold is often great for achieving a good latch, and the koala position as mentioned in the video.

Well done, keep going!
You do need to keep an eye on latch BUT DD had perfect latch and it still fecking hurt for a slow count to 10 at every latch. Some people are more sensitive. If there’s no nipple damage (mine were fine) and the shape is good (mine was) it does just sometimes hurt. It stopped hurting for me at about 6 weeks. All over the internet it will tell you that if it hurts there’s something wrong but amongst my friends we all had some pain to start with.

Feeding constantly is the right thing, your baby is promoting your supply plus they need the comfort. It’s not all about food. DD was like that and it is really important to go with it. Drink water constantly and eat. Don’t aim to do anything else apart from feed yourself and change nappies.

It’s not like this forever I promise, if you can hang in there it becomes the easiest thing, but most people quit in the first few weeks because it is a shock.

Take a look at reverse pressure softening. Engorgement is very common when milk comes in and can be caused by swelling in the breast tissue. If your tissue is swollen it can construct the milk ducts, causing milk to back up, which can cause more engorgement. It's also harder for baby to latch onto a round firm breast

There are lots of videos online for reverse pressure. It's a gentle massage which can help you shift some of that swelling.

You can also try an warm bath or shower while massaging to help.

Once your breasts are a little softer, your baby should be able to get a deeper latch. This will be beneficial to them as they can feed more efficiently and to you as it will be way more comfortable.

Day 3 is really hard. It's when your milk often starts the transition from colostrum to mature milk. Your hormones will be everywhere and your baby will be extra fussy. I'm so glad I was still in hospital when it happened and they could reassure me it was normal. I'm sure if I'd been at home I would have given up.

Stick with it, you are doing so well. I echo all of the advice above.
I am ftm, when I was in hospital having just had my baby, one of the midwives told me in passing 'don't let him go more than 5 hours without feeding'. So in my naive mind I thought newborns have large breaks between feeds. Boy, was I wrong! Cluster feeding took me by surprise, I was thinking 'why is my baby hungry again?! Midwife said hours, not seconds!'.
Just lean into the skid. Find good TV series to binge watch and get comfy. It gets so much easier by week 6.

Oh, also LaLeche League breastfeeding support was fab.

Perfectly normal and natural. You're doing great!

Totally normal but its horrible, you have my sympathy. I had this. It felt like my nipples were on fire and mine got so cracked they bled because I stupidly didn’t use nipple cream. Like others have said, get as much support as you can. It will get better.

It’s probably not recommended but I expressed for some of the feeds because it was so painful.

Is there a difference in his sucking toward the end of a feed? Almost like light fluttering can you hear him swallowing? I will say it was sore for a while keep up the creams. Also if your struggling with let down a warm flannel can help. Also feeding in a warm bath. Don't worry to much if you don't feel the let down I never did. It's great you've got help. Hopefully you'll get some sleep soon.

Oh OP you are me 5 weeks ago. I just cried whilst my LO cluster fed in the afternoons. I’m 5 weeks on and it does get better I promise. I bought some silverette cups from Amazon and have used religiously since day 1 and have had no nipple cracking. But that first week, when LO latched I had to count to 20 before the pain went. They’ve hardened now and the pain has gone. Keep going 💪🏼

Thank you so much to everyone for your tips and tricks and advice. You're all wonderful people.
Just an update from me, my milk has finally and definitely come through (I know this because he has had milk on his face a couple of times and he's spat a little bit out after coming off the breast). Had an AMAZING night with 2 feeding sessions of 40-60mins and lay right back down to sleep. Leaving us both to get some much needed rest through the night and a bit of a lie in too! Happy Nazz this morning 😃

Fab news to read and we'll done for getting through!
Cluster feeds do continue at certain points I wish they were more honest with the time to really get in the flow of BF but actually once there it's pretty straight forward and easy to get out of the house!