The Breast Feeding Support Thread

LegacyUser

My milk seems to have fully come in the the last two days and my baby is gulping.She had terrible wind last night (I could hear the milk gurgling into her tummy as she drank and she spluttered a bit during the first few mouthfuls) Is there any way to get her to slow down a bit and reduce the wind? Since she's so small still, obviously there will be some wind but if I can help it more during a feed, I'd like to

tinkerbell

You might have a fast let down - perhaps if you try just before a feed to hand express a little off and then offer the boob? That might help.

Cunning Stunt

Yes it sounds like the letdown. I have this still with my 6 month old, sometimes the letdown is very strong and causes her to gulp air or splutter. Can you feel the letdown i.e. the milk starting to flow? If so, you could maybe unlatch for a few seconds and let it soak into a cloth, then latch baby on again when the letdown is subsiding. That seems to work for me anyway.

dorito92

hi all does anyone know if the breastfeeding clinic in limerick maternity on tuesdays is just for newborns or any age? i've a 3 month old

guideanna

Hi all,
My baby is just over a month old. I'm ebf and so far it's going well.
Ive been feeding on demand up to now but I really want to start spacing out feeds and trying to establish some kind of routine or at least have a couple of hours between feeds so I can just start to feel more like me again.
Sometimes it get 4hours...sometimes baby wants back on after 15 minutes since lst feed ended...it can be exhausting.
My milk is well established i have really good supply and baby is piling the weight on so basically my Q is has anyone worked out a scheduled feeding plan or how l By should I be trying for between feeds.
Thinking of starting on 2 hours minimum and going from there?

kandr10

guideanna wrote: »

Hi all,
My baby is just over a month old. I'm ebf and so far it's going well.
Ive been feeding on demand up to now but I really want to start spacing out feeds and trying to establish some kind of routine or at least have a couple of hours between feeds so I can just start to feel more like me again.
Sometimes it get 4hours...sometimes baby wants back on after 15 minutes since lst feed ended...it can be exhausting.
My milk is well established i have really good supply and baby is piling the weight on so basically my Q is has anyone worked out a scheduled feeding plan or how l By should I be trying for between feeds.
Thinking of starting on 2 hours minimum and going from there?

I know it can be hard but your baby is still very young. I think the best thing would be to continue feeding on demand as you are. Eventually as your baby gets older, he/she will settle into a routine of their own. Even at that though, it will change often as they grow and needs change. For example, around the 2 month mark my daughter fed every 2 hours, apart from early evening when it was every hour. Then she'd settle after that. When she got older, she moved to feeding every 3 hours or so.
It is tiring but if possible, try not to get caught up in routines. It really works best when it's led by baby. If you start restricting feeds your baby may just get upset and that will be more tiring on you. Would you consider expressing and having someone give a bottle to give you some relief?

Marz66

dorito92 wrote: »

hi all does anyone know if the breastfeeding clinic in limerick maternity on tuesdays is just for newborns or any age? i've a 3 month old

Any age

jlm29

guideanna wrote: »

Hi all,
My baby is just over a month old. I'm ebf and so far it's going well.
Ive been feeding on demand up to now but I really want to start spacing out feeds and trying to establish some kind of routine or at least have a couple of hours between feeds so I can just start to feel more like me again.
Sometimes it get 4hours...sometimes baby wants back on after 15 minutes since lst feed ended...it can be exhausting.
My milk is well established i have really good supply and baby is piling the weight on so basically my Q is has anyone worked out a scheduled feeding plan or how l By should I be trying for between feeds.
Thinking of starting on 2 hours minimum and going from there?

I have a four month old, and I still feed on demand. I know you might like to establish a routine, but I'd be inclined to follow baby's lead. Things do start to even out after 6 weeks or so, and you'll see little patterns emerge.
Today I fed at 6.30am (ish- I'm always a bit hazy with the night feed times!!), 10.45 am, 2.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm and 8.30pm. There'll be one more feed now before bed. There's been extra night feeds lately (I think because of the 4mth developmental leap), but Prior to that, he was sleeping 10pm to 5am.
This is my second baby, and I know the other one was roughly 3 hrly.
The first 6 weeks are intense, but that does settle. I know in this house, when he wants to feed, I would try and hold off- I couldn't listen to the racket!!!

Marz66

Guidanna

My advice is to accept the regular feeds rather than fight them. Sleep when you can, eat when you can. Eventually you will get out for some me time when he is a little older. Find some box sets and some nice food that's easy to nibble on. It's tough but it's time you'll never get back either. My toddler is so active now, you'd never know he was glued to me for his first 4 months!

A BF support group is good because u can get out and about and meet people similar to you and also continue feeding there. Same with a baby massage group or similar.

One tip I've just remembered though is if baby has just had a good feed they may go for a sleep in the buggy giving you time for a walk / sit on a bench / go for a coffee xxx

spottybananas

Stretching out feeds is just a "nicer" way of saying let baby go hungry for a while imo. My son is 12.5 months, 1 year old, and still feeds 20 mins after a feed sometimes, other times he goes 4 hours, other rare times he might go 6-7 without. Your baby is still very little and dependant on just milk, I wouldn't be trying to set definite feeding times, it will only be stressful on you both.

RentDayBlues

spottybananas wrote: »

Stretching out feeds is just a "nicer" way of saying let baby go hungry for a while imo. My son is 12.5 months, 1 year old, and still feeds 20 mins after a feed sometimes, other times he goes 4 hours, other rare times he might go 6-7 without

While I agree that at 4 weeks it's best to feed on demand I think it's unfair to suggest the OP is trying to let her baby go hungry. Not all bf children need to feed as much. My first went for 4 hour stretches from 6 weeks and by 1 year both my daughters were down to just morning and night feeds. They were fed on demand from birth and at no time did they go hungry

OP, there's little point trying to structure a routine at this point, the baby will start stretching feeds soon and I found that by letting this happen naturally it was less headache for me in the long run

tinkerbell

Spotty's post is spot on. It's not unfair to say it how it is - spacing breastfed feeds when a baby needs to feed often is making a baby go hungry. It's just saying it how it is. I'd rather someone be direct and upfront with me if I were in that position rather than than not giving me the full facts. Breastmilk is digested really quickly which is why a breastfed baby may want the boob after a short amount of time.

I don't think spotty is suggesting that the poster wants her baby to go hungry - she's just saying that by implementing a feeding routine that is not on demand then you will end up making your baby go hungry. This is important for people to know because so many people think the norm is that you feed at intervals which is based on formula feeding advice, and is not how breastfeeding works.

Couchkitten

Thought that this was lovely reassuring read for those deep in the early oaths of breastfeeding http://nurshable.com/2012/05/27/six-week-growth-spurt/

Jen44

guideanna wrote: »

Hi all,
My baby is just over a month old. I'm ebf and so far it's going well.
Ive been feeding on demand up to now but I really want to start spacing out feeds and trying to establish some kind of routine or at least have a couple of hours between feeds so I can just start to feel more like me again.
Sometimes it get 4hours...sometimes baby wants back on after 15 minutes since lst feed ended...it can be exhausting.
My milk is well established i have really good supply and baby is piling the weight on so basically my Q is has anyone worked out a scheduled feeding plan or how l By should I be trying for between feeds.
Thinking of starting on 2 hours minimum and going from there?

I exclusively breast fed my baby till 6 months in a routine so it can be done! Its not everyones cup of tea but it can work. I followed Gina Fords plan (Yes i know a lot of people hate her but it worked great for me) I used to feed at around 6, 10, 14, 16 , 17:30 and a top up at 19:00 then i would always wake her for a feed at 22:00. That was when she was quite young now. But i folllowed her plan to a T and she has always been a great routine baby and at 2 she still is. I would recommend the contented little baby book. One thing you have to be sure is that every feed is a really good feed. I used to strip my baby down to her nappy so she was grand and alert for a feed and not too sleepy, was great for the skin to skin bond!! Then make sure i always got to the hind milk, i used to just squeeze a bit out when she would latch off and if it was creamy i would know. I always made sure to start on the boob i finished off last on too. It can be done. We got on great now but she was always a great feeder from day one so id say that helped too.

tinkerbell

I really would not recommend Gina Ford for any breastfed baby at all. It can sabotage a breastfeeding relationship. Also, in the early days you are supposed to nurse at least 10-12 times a day and after 8 times a day. Breastfeeding is meant to be on demand, not at 4 hour intervals and in a routine.

http://kellymom.com/hot-topics/newborn-nursing/

Books to avoid (of which Gina Ford's one is listed):
http://kellymom.com/parenting/reviews/books-to-avoid/

Jen, it may have worked for you but it is not recommended.

Jen44

like I said its not everyone's cup of tea but it worked for me. I exclusively breast fed for six months without as much as a hiccup.

LegacyUser

My little one is feeding on demand and actually has her own 2.5 hr to 3 hr routine.I wouldn't really push a new baby to four hours mind you but that's a different thing again.


Having said all that, I'm really not enjoying breastfeeding, personally.She's only three weeks and she's feeding fine, but I'm getting stressed by the total dependency of it, and the amount of time it's taking every day, and how it's only me that can ever seem to do anything for her.And if I'm honest-the leaking breasts, the bras, the tops, the whole thing.I have another child too and I just feel totally awful about the whole thing right now and ready to give up.

I know it's not really right to say you hate it for those kind of reasons, especially when the actual feeding is easy for me, but I'm so tired and fed up now, I no longer care that much what people think...... :-(

yellow hen

I thought I'd check back in to let people know how the bfeeding is going. My little girl was 3 weeks old last sat and when she was about 3 days old, I was posting here about the sheer pain in feeding her. She doesn't seem to be tongue tied but was just very aggressive and bit when feeding. I very nearly gave up but I bought nipple shields and they saved me. I've now dropped the shields and she's latching directly to nipple with very little/no pain. She unfortunately wasn't gaining weight at all so I had to top her up on formula but I've also dropped that now and if she continues to put up weight just from my milk, I can continue breastfeeding as planned. Thanks to everyone who helped me a few weeks back.. I genuinely thought I'd have to stop bfeeding so I'm very grateful for the support to keep going.

jlm29

yellow hen wrote: »

I thought I'd check back in to let people know how the bfeeding is going. My little girl was 3 weeks old last sat and when she was about 3 days old, I was posting here about the sheer pain in feeding her. She doesn't seem to be tongue tied but was just very aggressive and bit when feeding. I very nearly gave up but I bought nipple shields and they saved me. I've now dropped the shields and she's latching directly to nipple with very little/no pain. She unfortunately wasn't gaining weight at all so I had to top her up on formula but I've also dropped that now and if she continues to put up weight just from my milk, I can continue breastfeeding as planned. Thanks to everyone who helped me a few weeks back.. I genuinely thought I'd have to stop bfeeding so I'm very grateful for the support to keep going.

Well done for sticking with it. I remember curling my toes with pain a few months ago- it's enough to make anyone throw in the towel. Enjoy the journey!

Jen44

Well done great news. You wont regret it in fact the hardest decision will be when to stop!!

holding

Yellow Hen delighted for you

Blingy

yellow hen wrote: »

I thought I'd check back in to let people know how the bfeeding is going. My little girl was 3 weeks old last sat and when she was about 3 days old, I was posting here about the sheer pain in feeding her. She doesn't seem to be tongue tied but was just very aggressive and bit when feeding. I very nearly gave up but I bought nipple shields and they saved me. I've now dropped the shields and she's latching directly to nipple with very little/no pain. She unfortunately wasn't gaining weight at all so I had to top her up on formula but I've also dropped that now and if she continues to put up weight just from my milk, I can continue breastfeeding as planned. Thanks to everyone who helped me a few weeks back.. I genuinely thought I'd have to stop bfeeding so I'm very grateful for the support to keep going.

Yellow hen that's great news. It can be so hard at the start but so worth it in the long run. Feeding a nearly 11 month old here and the first few months were horrendous but it really was worth all the pain!!

tinkerbell

Yay YH! Well done you

WoollyWoman

That's great news Yellow Hen. Glad it's working out for you :-)

Couchkitten

Well done Yellow hen. Fair play to you for persevering. Isn't it just a disgrace that you got more support online than in a maternity hospital! Drives me mad. I was also googling from my hospital bed and if people on groups on Facebook or boards like these hadn't given me should great information I would not have continued to feed.

Couchkitten

BusyIzzy wrote: »

My little one is feeding on demand and actually has her own 2.5 hr to 3 hr routine.I wouldn't really push a new baby to four hours mind you but that's a different thing again.


Having said all that, I'm really not enjoying breastfeeding, personally.She's only three weeks and she's feeding fine, but I'm getting stressed by the total dependency of it, and the amount of time it's taking every day, and how it's only me that can ever seem to do anything for her.And if I'm honest-the leaking breasts, the bras, the tops, the whole thing.I have another child too and I just feel totally awful about the whole thing right now and ready to give up.

I know it's not really right to say you hate it for those kind of reasons, especially when the actual feeding is easy for me, but I'm so tired and fed up now, I no longer care that much what people think...... :-(

The total dependency of it is a lot to take at the start. I felt overwhelmed that someone was completely dependent on me for food. All I can say is, the leaking, the soreness, the constant feeding; they do all go away in the next few weeks. There is a growth spurt around now and another at 6 weeks - then things settle allot. Take a look at this link - I hate this site generally but this info is really helpful. http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html

Happydippy

BusyIzzy wrote: »

My little one is feeding on demand and actually has her own 2.5 hr to 3 hr routine.I wouldn't really push a new baby to four hours mind you but that's a different thing again.


Having said all that, I'm really not enjoying breastfeeding, personally.She's only three weeks and she's feeding fine, but I'm getting stressed by the total dependency of it, and the amount of time it's taking every day, and how it's only me that can ever seem to do anything for her.And if I'm honest-the leaking breasts, the bras, the tops, the whole thing.I have another child too and I just feel totally awful about the whole thing right now and ready to give up.

I know it's not really right to say you hate it for those kind of reasons, especially when the actual feeding is easy for me, but I'm so tired and fed up now, I no longer care that much what people think...... :-(

Don't feel bad about feeling fed up, we all have days like that. it gets easier. Baby will get faster at feeding and go for longer between feeds. Once you're supply is well established and matching the amount baby needs, the leaking boobs will settle down.
have you tried using a sling? might help as you can have hands free and baby can breastfeed in some types.
babies don't stay babies for long, try to relax and enjoy all the cuddles. I know it's easy to say, especially if you've an older child who also needs you're attention.
you're doing great.

holding

Couchkitten wrote: »

Well done Yellow hen. Fair play to you for persevering. Isn't it just a disgrace that you got more support online than in a maternity hospital! Drives me mad. I was also googling from my hospital bed and if people on groups on Facebook or boards like these hadn't given me should great information I would not have continued to feed.

Absolutely. On my first baby I received very bad advice in hospital and from the community midwife (I only know it now to have been bad) and it was by reading this entire thread, during first few nights of my baby's life, that we were able to push through and keep feeding.

IvyTheTerrible

God, this second baby is sooooo much easier to feed than my first.
She's six weeks old now so she is cranky in the evening but otherwise she feeds quickly, it doesn't hurt (it actually hasn't hurt at all since the birth), and she is only waking once during the night! She is putting on plenty of weight too. My first used to take 45 minutes to feed, it was very very painful for 3 weeks, and he would wake up every 2 hours at night. It's like night and day between the two of them.

hollymartins

I think my little man is going through the 6 week growth spurt, he's feeding more the last 48 hours and is rarely out of my arms for most of the day (he's finally gone down for a nap just now). Will all this feeding actually settle down around the 6 week mark or will I still be glued to the couch this time next week? Also will the fullness in my breasts and leaking begin to subside? By the time I feed him in the morning (around 6am) they're quite sore and makes it difficult to feed him.

Happydippy

hollymartins wrote: »

I think my little man is going through the 6 week growth spurt, he's feeding more the last 48 hours and is rarely out of my arms for most of the day (he's finally gone down for a nap just now). Will all this feeding actually settle down around the 6 week mark or will I still be glued to the couch this time next week? Also will the fullness in my breasts and leaking begin to subside? By the time I feed him in the morning (around 6am) they're quite sore and makes it difficult to feed him.

Hi, sounds like your little man is doing a great job building up your supply. The engorged feeling should settle down.
I remember the first time my lo slept long stretch at night, I woke very full, sore and leaking. your body soon adjusts.

if baby has trouble latching on when boobs are full, try hand-expressing a few drops, just enough to soften the boob.

LegacyUser

Yes it's hard.Hollymartins, I'm three weeks behind you, but I've the same feeling after a stretch without a feed.It's awful.
I just have this helpless feeling that'll I'll be totally tied to this baby for the next six months, unable to do anything or go anywhere by myself or with OH-even just down the road to the shop after they're in bed or something .I don't think I can handle that.But I'm really torturing myself with guilt over potentially giving her formula at some point.Which is silly in a way, because my oldest was mostly formula fed and is just fine.
I hope something amazing happens at six weeks tbh.
And equally I know I'm being silly because it is going well in terms of the actual feeding, I'm just not that happy with the whole situation-I feel trapped.

hollymartins

I know how you feel. At the three week mark I almost gave up as it just felt all I was doing was feeding but I decided to set myself shorter goals - for example I'd keep going til four weeks then see how I felt. That helped me get through and now I'm at the six week mark, there's still days when it feels relentless but they pass.

The other evening my husband came home from work, baby had just fed and we needed milk so I jumped at the chance to walk to the corner shop while my husband stayed with the baby. I was only gone ten minutes but it was probably the longest I've been away from the baby since he was born. I plan to start expressing milk this weekend so that our parents can babysit and feed him for a few hours while we go out for dinner or the cinema and I'm no longer tied to him.

Is there anything I should look out for when I start to express? Any tips are welcome

Blingy

hollymartins wrote: »

I know how you feel. At the three week mark I almost gave up as it just felt all I was doing was feeding but I decided to set myself shorter goals - for example I'd keep going til four weeks then see how I felt. That helped me get through and now I'm at the six week mark, there's still days when it feels relentless but they pass.

The other evening my husband came home from work, baby had just fed and we needed milk so I jumped at the chance to walk to the corner shop while my husband stayed with the baby. I was only gone ten minutes but it was probably the longest I've been away from the baby since he was born. I plan to start expressing milk this weekend so that our parents can babysit and feed him for a few hours while we go out for dinner or the cinema and I'm no longer tied to him.

Is there anything I should look out for when I start to express? Any tips are welcome

Can't give u any advice on expressing as I didn't do it much (I hated it). But have a look on you tube at paced bottle feeding for giving your little one the bottle. And show it to whoever might be giving your little one a bottle. It's just different to the traditional way of giving a bottle.
6 weeks is great going and it should only get easier by the day now.

jlm29

As regards expressing, you should leave 1-1.5oz for every hour you're away. I used think i had to fill an 8oz bottle. On my first, expressing was slow- It took me ages to get a couple of ounces, but don't stress, you'll get there!
Also, my second boy usually feeds now at around 9-9.30 pm, and then goes to bed til at least 2am (previously he was sleeping til 5am), so I could easily be ready to go out, give him that last feed, and then head out for a drink at 9.30.
It's all a bit overwhelming at first, but that does settle down. I left the baby with the child minder a few weeks ago so I could go to the circus. I don't think he even noticed I was gone- and I was a bit sad to be leaving him with her!

Jen44

i used to pump every morning after I fed the baby 2oz from each boob. and I used to pump in the evening at around 21:00 and i used to get around 6oz 3 from each side. It was great I built up a huge supply in the freezer it meant my husband could give a bottle of expressed milk at 22:00 so I could go up to bed early and wouldnt have to feed again usually till around 4am or so so it meant i got a longer period of sleep. It also meant when i had to go back to work my baby still got a few weeks of breast milk as by that stage she was only on three feeds a day and i had plenty of milk in the freezer. I used the medela mini electric found it great!

rainbow kirby

MiniKirby is 5 weeks old, exclusively breastfed and has a HUGE appetite. He's still doing some serious cluster feeding every evening and doesn't really go more than 3 hours at any time without a feed, even overnight. We had a bit of a rough start - I had to supplement with formula when he went back into hospital at 3 days old with jaundice and low blood sugar, and he decided he liked the bottle a bit too much at that stage. It took a lot of work to get him back on the boob. I'm a bit wary of letting him near a bottle any time soon because of our experience in the early days, but I need to be able to leave the baby with my husband and a bottle of breast milk at some stage...

lazygal

rainbow kirby wrote: »

MiniKirby is 5 weeks old, exclusively breastfed and has a HUGE appetite. He's still doing some serious cluster feeding every evening and doesn't really go more than 3 hours at any time without a feed, even overnight. We had a bit of a rough start - I had to supplement with formula when he went back into hospital at 3 days old with jaundice and low blood sugar, and he decided he liked the bottle a bit too much at that stage. It took a lot of work to get him back on the boob. I'm a bit wary of letting him near a bottle any time soon because of our experience in the early days, but I need to be able to leave the baby with my husband and a bottle of breast milk at some stage...

At that stage it is constant feeding. Once I accepted that I had to sit under them for hours at a time it made life easier. My first got bottles of formula after a week because of weight loss and me being a bit clueless and that worked fine. Not to scare you but my second refused all bottles, be they expressed milk, formula or a mix, and different bottles and teats. It seems endless at the time and I was quite frustrated but I kept at it and by 12 weeks he definitely settled a bit more between feeds.
When I needed an hour away from him my husband would stick him in the pram or the car and he'd usually fall asleep for a bit so feeding wouldn't be a problem. Those early days are so tiring.

bovril

rainbow kirby wrote: »

MiniKirby is 5 weeks old, exclusively breastfed and has a HUGE appetite. He's still doing some serious cluster feeding every evening and doesn't really go more than 3 hours at any time without a feed, even overnight. We had a bit of a rough start - I had to supplement with formula when he went back into hospital at 3 days old with jaundice and low blood sugar, and he decided he liked the bottle a bit too much at that stage. It took a lot of work to get him back on the boob. I'm a bit wary of letting him near a bottle any time soon because of our experience in the early days, but I need to be able to leave the baby with my husband and a bottle of breast milk at some stage...

Have you looked up Paced Bottle feeding? Also make sure you are using the smallest size teat so the baby has to work a bit for the milk (still not as hard as they have to work feeding from the boob so they might still prefer the easier flow from a bottle). I've no experience with baby wanting bottle only, we managed to introduce one bottle of expressed at about 9 weeks but we had to battle for a couple of weeks where baby kept refusing the bottle.

hollymartins

So last week my baby was constantly feeding but as he was 6 weeks I thought this was the growth spurt that everyone mentions. I thought his feeding had stabilised by the end of the week but over the last few days he's back to being constantly hungry and crying every time I try to put him down. Is this still the growth spurt or is he just going to be like this for another few weeks? I expressed milk yesterday and my husband was able to feed him but today I haven't had any time to do it. It's disappointing as I thought I'd be able to express and then have some respite but I can't see that happening.

So many people from my friends to my doctor and PHN have said it gets easier once he hits the 6 weeks mark so for him to still be as hungry as ever is pretty disheartening especially when I read for some people it didn't get easier until their baby was a few months old.

lazygal

On my first it definitely eased after six weeks but my second was a different kettle of fish. He's always been a clingier child but there does come a point where you're not just feeding and changing nappies! I'm still feeding and he's three in September so it isn't all bad!

LegacyUser

hollymartins wrote: »

So last week my baby was constantly feeding but as he was 6 weeks I thought this was the growth spurt that everyone mentions. I thought his feeding had stabilised by the end of the week but over the last few days he's back to being constantly hungry and crying every time I try to put him down. Is this still the growth spurt or is he just going to be like this for another few weeks? I expressed milk yesterday and my husband was able to feed him but today I haven't had any time to do it. It's disappointing as I thought I'd be able to express and then have some respite but I can't see that happening.

So many people from my friends to my doctor and PHN have said it gets easier once he hits the 6 weeks mark so for him to still be as hungry as ever is pretty disheartening especially when I read for some people it didn't get easier until their baby was a few months old.

For us it was really 2.5-3 months when he could be put down and was content for a good stretch after a feed. If you read up about 'the fourth trimester' it makes sense. I thought the constant feeding and holding would never end but it does.some babies take longer I think. Feeds now last around 10 mins so it really does get easier

shortstuff!

I remember there being a big difference at around 7weeks, was also starting to get worried! Still going strong at 20months!, hold on in there, it does get easier!

hollymartins

I'm going to keep going for another week. If he's just a hungry monster then I'll consider my options but hopefully it's just a phase!

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I remember a hard time around 6-7 weeks too. Stuck it out and then there was a time around 3-4 months when it just clicked and all of a sudden, it was so much easier and I was thanking my lucky stars not to be sterilising/making bottles. Still nursing now at 15 months.

Lucuma

BusyIzzy wrote: »

Having said all that, I'm really not enjoying breastfeeding, personally.She's only three weeks and she's feeding fine, but I'm getting stressed by the total dependency of it, and the amount of time it's taking every day, and how it's only me that can ever seem to do anything for her.And if I'm honest-the leaking breasts, the bras, the tops, the whole thing.I have another child too and I just feel totally awful about the whole thing right now and ready to give up.

I know it's not really right to say you hate it for those kind of reasons, especially when the actual feeding is easy for me, but I'm so tired and fed up now, I no longer care that much what people think...... :-(

Can you get any break using the soother? I'm only on day 9 of bf'ing my newborn but when she's after a long feed I can leave her for a time with the soother (better in Daddy/Granny's arms) while I e.g. hang out clothes, put on washing,, eat a meal etc. Also I have a ring sling. If you feed them in it they fall asleep & sleep for ages while you have your 2 hands free....I made lasagne with her asleep in the ring sling hanging off me yesterday.

LegacyUser

I have introduced a bottle of formula at bedtime.She's taking it fine-gulping it down in fact-so if I'm stuck at least I know she'll take one. We do use a soother but she's very hit and miss with it.It can be an awful nuisance because she spits it out and you have to keep reinserting. I don't realy like using it unless I'm trying to get her to sleep. As for slings, we have an ergobaby which she tolerates...sometimes....for sleeping in.At nine days, she was happy enough in the sling, but at five weeks-and a VERY alert five weeks-the sling restricts her view of the world :-) Her sibling was the same. They don't make it easy.
Hollymartins I do know someone who had a hungry baby!Six weeks is still very early to tell,but this baby fed very often all the way to six months, every 90mins to two hours.Needless to say, nighttimes were a disaster!

We are going ok here still, but my supply hasnt really settled.She misses feeds due to being very awake, so when she sleeps it can be for very long periods but not always.I often end up leaking.Then at other times I wonder is there enough in there for her, as she feeds frequently.Wind is also our no.1 enemy right now.

I can see it probably does get easier but I am leaning very much to combination feeding right now, with bottles at nighttime and breast during the day.

spottybananas

My son was/is a very frequent feeder. He fed every 1-2 hours until about 5-6 months, then fed a bit less often during the day but every 2 hours all night every night until he was about 10 months, maybe more. I went back to work when he was 4 months. You get used to it At 13 months now he never goes longer than 4-5 hours during the day and still every 2-3 hours at night.

He's huge, is it any wonder! Such chubby little arms, 90-95 centile for weight and height, everyone think he looks older but I think that's mostly because he's upright walking rather than crawling so looks older. It was/is difficult to get such broken sleep but in my miserable moments I consoled myself with the fact that I NEVER had to worry if he was getting enough!

Lucuma

BusyIzzy wrote: »

As for slings, we have an ergobaby which she tolerates...sometimes....for sleeping in.At nine days, she was happy enough in the sling, but at five weeks-and a VERY alert five weeks-the sling restricts her view of the world :-) Her sibling was the same. They don't make it easy.
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I also have a normal Ergo since no.1, wish I had an Ergo 360!!
No.1 would only go in the Ergo with the soother, the 2 had to go hand-in-hand

hollymartins

The last two days have been a lot better, while he's still feeding every 1 to 2 hours during the day he will now tolerate being left on his play mat for a few minutes without crying or needing to be held or nursed, and he's sleeping better. That makes the frequent feeding easier. I have managed to express milk and that seems to going okay, I'm using a manual pump and I'm in two minds if I should buy an electric pump. Do any of you ladies use a pump and if so do you have any recommendations or should I just stay with the manual? I can express about 4-6 oz at the moment, would the electric pump be worthwhile?