Breastfeeding

[OliviaL9530]

Hi all

My little girl is 3 days old and we're having trouble getting and keeping a deep latch. When the community midwife visited yesterday she was fantastic and had no problem at all but the issues seem to be when I'm on my own particularly at night as I'm still waiting for my milk to come in

The past few nights have consisted of me finally putting baby down at 5am not completely satisfied. Last night I was so exhausted I gave her an aptamil pre made bottle so we could all get some sleep but she just threw it up all night. She's never sick on breast milk alone so I don't want to introduce formula if I can help it.

My nipples are so sore and cracked they've started to bleed, I'm really struggling and can't handle another night like this 😭

Hey @OliviaL9530. Congratulations on your new baby. The first days of breastfeeding are so tough, I don't think anyone prepares you for it. Baby is feeding so often to get your milk to come in so she's doing exactly what she should be. It's absolutely exhausting and feels like it'll never end, but it will get better once your milk does come in. Have you got any lanolin or nipple balm to use? You can put it on just before baby feeds (just make sure it's safe) and also in between feeds as well - which I know is hardly ever! If midwife says the latch looks good, get them to check for tongue tie too as that can cause a lot of soreness. If you're at the point where feeding is unbearably painful, you can try nipple shields but that's just another thing to try and master and get right too. Thinking of you, it is really tough xx

Hi op, congrats on your baby! The first few days breastfeeding are really tough, babies want to suckle a lot but it's a good sign as they are sending their orders in for milk so hopefully your milk comes in today or tomorrow. You will then have a few days/weeks of cluster feeding but once your supply is established it will get better.
It's not for everyone, but I found cosleeping really helps. We follow the lullaby trust guidelines and husband sleeps in a separate room so me and baby have a lot of room in bed. With my first baby, I'd regularly fall asleep holding the baby feeding I was so tired so and decided that was a much safer option.

In the early days, we also go to bed around 8pm. I take lots of snacks and something good to watch on my phone. As soon as baby sleeps, I try and get some sleep in, even if it's just 20 minutes, it massively helps.
It really does improve very quickly and once you get going, breastfeeding it much more convenient over night. My baby is now two months and we are getting minimum of four hours uninterrupted sleep at the start of the night.
My nipples were horrifically painful this time round, the initial latch was excruciating, but after 2-3 weeks that went away. Lots of nipple cream. Has your baby been checked for a tongue tie too? Our feeding was going well a week in, but due to the painful nipples, the hospital Midwife said we should still get the tie cut and things also improved after that.
Good luck!

Hi OP, congratulations! Sounds like you're doing great. Breastfeeding can be tough at the beginning and it doesn't sound like you're doing anything 'wrong'. I'd keep getting people to check the latch as that can make a big difference. Hydrogel pads are amazing if your nipples get cracked, expensive but you can get them on Amazon. Lots of Lanisoh too and avoid bras! If you're on Facebook join Breastfeeding Younger Babies and Beyond as there's so much knowledge and support there. The Breastfeeding Network is also great in case you need any medication as they're qualified pharmacists and can check what's safe for baby when breastfeeding.

If you can afford it, a home visit from a lactation consultant is very helpful aswell

Hey OP, firstly you're doing GREAT!! Take a second to congratulate yourself in the midst of newborn madness. At the start breastfeeding is so hard, baby feeds relentlessly and literally just lives on the boob. Basically gear yourself up for doing nothing but feeding, relax in bed and on the sofa and when baby sleeps use that time to soothe your nipples - ice them, air them, cover them in lansinoh. Try silver cups or shells between feeds, and don't wear a top basically to give your nipples a chance to recover. I found the first few weeks to be tough, the latching stage was so painful, but soon your nipples become used to it and honestly breastfeeding is a saviour. I'm 17 months in and it's so handy. Try not to give formula - you need to establish your milk supply in the early days, and substituting feeds with formula won't help. It's tough but it will settle. Good luck and keep going, you're doing brilliant.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently Studying to be a m8dwife and would appreciate if any of you with experience breastfeeding would take a moment to fill our my short anonymous survey for a research project. The link is below. Thank you

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Have a look at the "flipple" technique, there are clips on YouTube.