The Breast Feeding Support Thread

bobskii · 03-04-2016 8:54pm

I second that.nurses told me latch was perfect but still for about a week and a half I was sore then it eased up. Congratulations yellow hen enjoy her!

Blingy · 03-04-2016 9:42pm

yellow hen wrote: »

Girls, I need your advice. I'm sitting in my hospital bed with my nearly 2 day old daughter and I'm breastfeeding her. My supply is plentiful and when my milk comes in, it'll be fantastic but my daughter has a habit of biting on my nipple. Her latch is great but it's just aggressive. I'm using lanolin, compresses, colostrum and letting the air get to my nipples but the pain at feeding time is excruciating. Is there anything I can do? I hand expressed this eve and fed her by syringe and although she took it, it didn't give her the same satisfaction and I still had to offer boob

Congrats!! Ask to see the lactation consultant before you leave the hospital or as soon as possible. Get the LC to check for tongue tie just in case. Day two baby usually feeds all day & night so there will be discomfort but hopefully the lanolin,multi mam etc will help.
You could always text or call a BF counsellor from Cuidiu just check the website and they will cHat to you over the phone and give support.
Sounds like you are doing great. Enjoy the newborn snuggles

How Strange · 04-04-2016 7:40am

Congrats yellow hen!! I had big problems on my daughter too in the early days. The lc in Coombs showed me to keep baby's tummy on your tummy and guide her mouth to the breast instead of letting her catch it/grab it. Hold her lengthways with your right arm if latching on the left side and use your left hand to guide the nipple in. Get your breast and between thumb and forefinger, put the underside of the nipple on her top lip and bend the breast back into her mouth. Think breast sandwich as it's not just your nipple.This ensures a better latch. There is a strong suction sensation in the early days but any broken skin or pain is a sign of an incorrect latch.

Keeping her tummy to your tummy means she's not stretching and pulling out of your breast as she tries to suck.

When I got this corrected my nipples healed in a day. Keep them moist with a teeny bit of lanolin until they heal as it's the drying out when cracked which makes them worse.

How Strange · 04-04-2016 7:44am

Watch her jaws too. There should be an obvious sucking/drawing motion and if there's not take her off by using your little finger at the corner of her mouth and start again or take a break. I hope that helps

yellow hen · 04-04-2016 4:14pm

Thanks everyone. I don't think her latch is bad but I'll go through your steps how strange when next feeding her. We're on day 3 now and my milk hasn't come in just yet. Is it ok to feed her from one boob only and alternate between each feed? I thought I did that last time but midwife today said absolutely not. The problem is that when she settles on one boob, she feeds well and then falls asleep. She just fed for a good solid 15mins there one one side but even stripping her, tickling/wetting feet wouldn't rouse her to go again.

RentDayBlues · 04-04-2016 4:32pm

yellow hen wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I don't think her latch is bad but I'll go through your steps how strange when next feeding her. We're on day 3 now and my milk hasn't come in just yet. Is it ok to feed her from one boob only and alternate between each feed? I thought I did that last time but midwife today said absolutely not. The problem is that when she settles on one boob, she feeds well and then falls asleep. She just fed for a good solid 15mins there one one side but even stripping her, tickling/wetting feet wouldn't rouse her to go again.

If you're feeding on demand and she's full then of course. Remember, the midwife is a midwife and sadly most are not experienced with breastfeeding, even if they are then sometimes their advice is off. My first had both boobs at each feed, my second either had one side only or three sides (i don't have three boobs!)

bovril · 04-04-2016 5:13pm

yellow hen wrote:

Thanks everyone. I don't think her latch is bad but I'll go through your steps how strange when next feeding her. We're on day 3 now and my milk hasn't come in just yet. Is it ok to feed her from one boob only and alternate between each feed? I thought I did that last time but midwife today said absolutely not. The problem is that when she settles on one boob, she feeds well and then falls asleep. She just fed for a good solid 15mins there one one side but even stripping her, tickling/wetting feet wouldn't rouse her to go again.

I used to feed mainly one side and then the other side next feed. If baby needed more than one side I'd switch to the other after the first was empty but if she fell asleep it was only one side.

yellow hen · 04-04-2016 5:30pm

bovril wrote: »

I used to feed mainly one side and then the other side next feed. If baby needed more than one side I'd switch to the other after the first was empty but if she fell asleep it was only one side.

Thanks girls. Alternating would make a huge difference and give my boobs a break. I'm absolutely petrified of engorgement or worse, mastitis!

IvyTheTerrible · 04-04-2016 7:26pm

yellow hen wrote: »

Thanks girls. Alternating would make a huge difference and give my boobs a break. I'm absolutely petrified of engorgement or worse, mastitis!

I had to alternate wth my first, he had a very tight latch and my nipples were in bits. I tried different positions etc but nothing worked and it just stopped hurting after 3 weeks. This time round, it hasn't hurt at all, so I'm doing both breasts at each feed.

yellow hen · 04-04-2016 7:29pm

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I had to alternate wth my first, he had a very tight latch and my nipples were in bits. I tried different positions etc but nothing worked and it just stopped hurting after 3 weeks. This time round, it hasn't hurt at all, so I'm doing both breasts at each feed.

I'm crying feeding her here now. I just can't continue it. My milk supply will be in tonight or tomorrow so what do I do to manage it or stop it? I feel really upset, my baby is only 2 days old and I haven't been able to enjoy her at all yet.

happy_out15 · 04-04-2016 8:02pm

You poor thing, I could have written this post five months ago. I dreaded every feed, it hurt so bad and that is not how I wanted to spend my first few days as a new mum. It was toe curling. I was still in hospital so the midwives advised me to take a break for 24 hours to give my nipples a chance to heal. I pumped every 3 hours and the midwives fed her through a cup for me. I really wanted to go home but I also wanted to know that I tried my very best to breastfeed. I took the advice, and stayed another day and I can say it was the best thing I did, I am still feeding my daughter and i didn't think I would get past day two.

cyning · 04-04-2016 8:12pm

yellow hen wrote: »

I'm crying feeding her here now. I just can't continue it. My milk supply will be in tonight or tomorrow so what do I do to manage it or stop it? I feel really upset, my baby is only 2 days old and I haven't been able to enjoy her at all yet.

Oh god yellow hen you poor thing. I had this with S she had a tongue tie despite the midwives and paediatrician telling me she didn't: my toes would literally curl in agony. Do you want to stop or do you want the pain to stop? I wish I could give you a massive hug x would you consider nipple shields maybe so she's not chomping on you? I know they can affect supply but they didn't when I used them on my first. That's if you don't want to stop.

jlm29 · 04-04-2016 8:16pm

happy_out15 wrote: »

You poor thing, I could have written this post five months ago. I dreaded every feed, it hurt so bad and that is not how I wanted to spend my first few days as a new mum. It was toe curling. I was still in hospital so the midwives advised me to take a break for 24 hours to give my nipples a chance to heal. I pumped every 3 hours and the midwives fed her through a cup for me. I really wanted to go home but I also wanted to know that I tried my very best to breastfeed. I took the advice, and stayed another day and I can say it was the best thing I did, I am still feeding my daughter and i didn't think I would get past day two.

I did this too- only one really sore side, so I pumped that every three hours for a day, and fed from a bottle, for healing, and for a mental break, when my baby was about a week old. I know it's not advised usually, but it was a good decision for me, and were feeding away, trouble free four months on.

jlm29 · 04-04-2016 8:19pm

Also, have you enquired about APNO cream? I often see it mentioned as a god send in other forums. I've never tried it myself, but its worth asking someone about a prescription.

How Strange · 04-04-2016 8:44pm

Yellow hen that's awful. Can you see a lc tomorrow morning? I'd really say demand to see one. It's a shocking inditement of our maternity and post natal services that you're struggling in a maternity hospital.

It's so hard to say what's causing the problem but the Coombe lc told me that babies learn to latch so if they learn incorrectly it's takes vigilance to correct it and retrain them. Is there even a midwife there tonight who can genuinely help you? If the latch was corrected the pain would stop instantly.

Perhaps ask them to feed her with a spoon or syringe tonight and try to get some rest. Hand massage to relieve any engorgement if your milk comes in. It's such an emotionally intense time. I had an awful first week on my daughter so I understand how you feel right now.

Finally, if you've got the energy try getting in contact with a friends of breastfeeding buddy. One angel of a lady helped me so much at my lowest point. Her reassurance alone helped me cope until the next day when I could go to the hospital to see lc.

No matter what you decide just believe that you're doing your best. You haven't failed at anything.

holding · 04-04-2016 8:57pm

Yellow Hen I haven't read through all of the replies but had to comment as I know exactly how you feel having been there.

I found that keeping trying different positions made a huge difference. For about a week we only fed in rugby hold position, after that it had to be lying flat out on 2 pillows on my lap or else it hurt like crazy. I had what they call a barracuda too (I swear one of the books I had actually used that 'classification'!). I didn't try it at the time as I hadn't heard of it but since then I've heard that belly to belly is also a good position to try.

The other thing I did was alternate boobs. It's not the best thing to do, but if it keeps you from throwing in the towel it's worth it. The danger is that it can lower supply. I found that this didn't happen with me, and that alternating made me feel a bit more secure knowing that I wouldn't have that awful pain on side X for at least another hour. When you are in the thick of it, one hour of a rest makes all the difference.

Lastly I found that skin to skin could sometimes calm the baby instead of boob if I was really in a bad state. My husband stepped in for most of this I have to say! Little guy loved being cuddled up to daddy. Sometimes even half an hour gives you enough of a break to go again.

You will get through this, it's all just temporary, and you'll be flying it in no time, very best of luck.

Marz66 · 04-04-2016 9:50pm

Hi yellow hen

Congratulations. It shouldn't hurt that much (little comfort to you now) but it means that it should be possible to do something about the pain. There's a BF solution to a BF problem as they say.

You really really need a lactation consultant. As in of course you can't continue with that pain, you need someone to help you and the midwives are probably too busy or not knowledgeable enough. If you can't get one in the hospital even with demanding to see one then you can ring one.

You can hand express colostrum/milk into a bottle and have midwives syringe or bottle feed it to baby to give you a break if u need it.

If I hadn't got a lactation consultant I wouldn't have been able to continue either.

Best of luck either way xxx

WoollyWoman · 04-04-2016 10:04pm

yellow hen wrote:

I'm crying feeding her here now. I just can't continue it. My milk supply will be in tonight or tomorrow so what do I do to manage it or stop it? I feel really upset, my baby is only 2 days old and I haven't been able to enjoy her at all yet.

Hey Yellow Hen,

You poor thing. Is there anyway you could get a lactation consultant in to see you? I don't know if previous posters have suggested it but expressing a little bit of milk and rubbing it into your nipple after every feed can help it heal - this helped me with my first baby in the first few days.
If it's ok I'll PM you a Breastfeeding facebook group that I'm a member of...they're very good for advise.
Re: latch - make sure baby isn't just taking the nipple.
I'm feeding my 3 month old at the minute and it's hard to type...I wish I had more advise for you!

tinkerbell · 05-04-2016 7:46am

Yellow Hen, you are doing amazing. Don't give up on a bad day - the first few weeks are hard. Keep your baby with you, feed on demand and offer both breasts at each feed. You really need to see an LC to check for tongue tie. Midwives aren't usually trained in breastfeeding and can give you wrong information. The list of LCs in Ireland is here:
http://www.alcireland.ie/find-a-consultant/
You can claim cost back on your health insurance.

yellow hen · 05-04-2016 12:14pm

Thanks all. Last night was the cluste feeding night... It was actually horrendous. I should have said that I'm home now but couldn't get to see the lc in the Coombe before I left. I really don't think it's tongue tie as she latches well. Her mouth is wide open and she takes in more than just nipple but once she engages her gums to nipple..... Eek. I had to give formula in between feeds last night as I just couldn't cope. I'm up now, ready with my hot compresses and going to feed shortly. Would nipple shields help at all? I know they stimmy supply but my supply would be very good anyway.

IvyTheTerrible · 05-04-2016 12:39pm

I was racking my brains for the last hour trying to think of the pads I used on my nipples after feeds that I seem to remember, in conjunction with Lansinoh cream seemed to be the only thing that eventually gave me relief.
They are Lansinoh Gel Pads: http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Laboratories-Soothies-Pads-Count/dp/B01ALA3N7U
The midwife advised them after 2 weeks of pain.

Neyite · 05-04-2016 12:42pm

Try whatever works YH.

I used nipple shields on about day 2-3 IIRC to just give them a break for a few hours and it helped. Lash on the Lanisoh too. One thing that someone showed me was to remember to gently pull on the skin under the bottom lip once they initially latch on so their lip is in the correct position (outward) and not inward. It made all the difference to the feed and my nipples.

tinkerbell · 05-04-2016 3:36pm

YH, please call a LC - you'll get a home visit straight away. You'll get sorted but you need professional help ASAP. You can claim the cost back on your health insurance. Where are you based? If you want, send me a PM and I can send a recommendation. I had to have a LC visit me 3 or 4 times and it helped me so much (still feeding over a year and a half later). Proper help in those early days is crucial.

tinkerbell · 05-04-2016 3:37pm

Multi mam compress is meant to be good for easing the pain.

yellow hen · 05-04-2016 4:46pm

tinkerbell wrote: »

YH, please call a LC - you'll get a home visit straight away. You'll get sorted but you need professional help ASAP. You can claim the cost back on your health insurance. Where are you based? If you want, send me a PM and I can send a recommendation. I had to have a LC visit me 3 or 4 times and it helped me so much (still feeding over a year and a half later). Proper help in those early days is crucial.

Would love a name thanks. Based in South Dublin/Kildare

yellow hen · 05-04-2016 4:51pm

tinkerbell wrote: »

Multi mam compress is meant to be good for easing the pain.

I have those and lanolin wtc and the pain between feeds us fine. As I said I've no cracking or chapping or bleeding. It's just that when she does feed, the bites me to bits.

Neyite, I got cheapie boots shields at lunch and I'm just trying them now and so far total success. Pain is really diminished. I'm just not 100% she's getting enough but I think I'll judge based on boob weight post feed. The boob you feed from is always pretty light and empty isn't it?

Sorry for the crap spelling and grammar...left handed phone typing......

Neyite · 05-04-2016 4:56pm

yellow hen wrote: »

Neyite, I got cheapie boots shields at lunch and I'm just trying them now and so far total success. Pain is really diminished. I'm just not 100% she's getting enough but I think I'll judge based on boob weight post feed. The boob you feed from is always pretty light and empty isn't it?

Good stuff

Yes I think she seems to be emptying by the sounds of it. They say that as long as there are plenty of wet nappies that's showing that the baby is feeding well and staying hydrated. Babies tend to yell pretty loudly at you if they are hungry so if she's seeming satisfied after a feed that's good.

IvyTheTerrible · 05-04-2016 5:00pm

Yeah the boob emptying is a good sign! Wet nappies are important, and when she does a proper poo (ie once the meconium is cleared out) the poos should be very soft, yellow and with what looks like little lumps in it (this shows that the milk is being digested).

yellow hen · 05-04-2016 5:04pm

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Yeah the boob emptying is a good sign! Wet nappies are important, and when she does a proper poo (ie once the meconium is cleared out) the poos should be very soft, yellow and with what looks like little lumps in it (this shows that the milk is being digested).

Yes I remember those stinky seedy nappies!! We don't have that many wets yet... Maybe 2 a day. Meconium nappies coming to an end now so I might get able to see the nappy better. Thanks for all the advice and pm's from here. Sorry if I haven't replied to all but I am very grateful for the help. Honestly from ttc to pregnancy to newborn and toddler, everyone here has been so helpful. X

holding · 05-04-2016 10:24pm

YH am SO delighted for you that things seem improved a bit!

The Breast Feeding Support Thread

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