Talk to me about breastfeeding! Does it get easier?!

[RWK29]

😭😭 I’m about a week in and I’m struggling. Midwife isn’t much help at all. Just tells me “it’s natural, you and baby will figure it out” 🙄

I don't remember there being pain at the start at all, perhaps slight discomfort but that was it.

My let down is always painful for the first few weeks. And the constant feeding does cause discomfort, for me at least, until feeds lessen in frequency.

hi I'm a breastfeeding counsellor!

our next zoom call is Monday at 10am if you want to join us, we are VERY friendly and informal, you don't even need to get dressed!

zoom.us/j/3617546910. (just click the link at 10am on Monday or whenever you can soon after)

We also have a whatsapp group for breastfeeding mums, drop me a PM and I can send you the link

@inahaze that is amazing

@inahaze That’s amazing!! Thank you so much!

Things are really looking up today 🤞🏼 Much longer feeds and less frequent. Managing to feed great off the left side 😊 the right side I’m still having to use a shield for because of how much I cut and blistered the first few days but it’s slowly getting better 😊
Thank you all for your positive stories! It’s so nice knowing other people have been through the same and things have got better!

I'm glad to hear things are improving for you and dear help your poor blistered boob! It's fantastic that @inahaze is a breastfeeding counseller, I'm sure you'll get some fantastic advice and support. This is the lovely side to Mumsnet.
I hope things continue to improve, I found it tough going but soon the feeding settled into a routine and it was so much easier.

You are doing a great job and well done for persevering. Its a lot harder than you imagine in the first few weeks, but week 3 is a milestone, and by week 6 its pretty easy, and from weeks 10-12onwards you just lob a baby in the direction of your chest and barely notice they're there til they fall off. Then you can continue for as long or short a time after that as you like, however it works best for you and your family x

@Tomcullenisahero Yeah there definitely is a lovely side to Mumsnet 😊

For anyone else struggling with broken/blistered nipples - MultiMam Compresses have been a god send! They’re quite pricey but have really been working for me to make me much more comfortable 😊

If you can do it safely, following Lullaby trust guidelines, I would suggest co-sleeping. Before having a baby, I was set against it, but really struggled to cope with feeding over night. Being able to just doze whilst baby fed on and off throughout the night was so much better for us, although again, it's because I knew I could do it safely.

@JellyBellySmith A lot of people have recommended it, including my midwife but it’s just not something I’m comfortable with at all unfortunately! I know it works for so many people though 😊