Need some help ):

navsso

I've been having a lot of trouble feeding her from the breast my little is 8 days old and in her first days of life had to be out on supplements from the bottle cuz of major weight loss. I've been struggling with breast feeding her now and she will only feed for a little and it takes forever and when she acts like she's done she's really not satisfied and won't go back on the boob and I'll have to give her breast milk in a bottle. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem? I'm considering just pumping and bottle feeding and breast feeding maybe at least once a day? This is all causing me a lot of anxiety and stress/:

MyCousinVinny

First, hugs.  BFing is tough and I've def. had my issues and still do.

Second, in the beginning, it will normally take an infant 30-45 minutes to nurse.  Some women will nurse for over an hour!  This will pass as she gets older and becomes more efficient at sucking.

Third, keep offering her the breast and do not give her a bottle if you can help it.  Take heart that at this age, her belly is still very small and will only take about 1-2 ounces.  The more she suckles your breast, the more she's sending a signal to your body to produce milk.  If you supplement those precious moments with a bottle, she will grow accustomed to the flow of the nipple and may refuse your breast.  It will also cause your supply to dip if you supplement.

Fourth, it seems as if the first 6-8 weeks is one HUGE growth spurt.  They do a ton of growing and these growth spurts can be hell on Earth.  They may be more sleepy or sleep a lot less, be very fussy, cry, and act super hungry.  This is all normal and good.  Again, keep putting her to the breast as much as possible.  This happened with DD2 and I thought she was starving but it passed.

Lastly, if you have to give her a bottle and you want to keep BFing, make sure the nipple is the slowest flow nipple there is.  Bottle feeding should mimic BFing as much as possible.

Good luck!

BBEA2006

I agree w/ PP, newborns take forever to eat and then usually by the time they are done, they are hungry again!  My guess is that the baby is used to flow of the bottle, which is quicker than nursing and can make them frustrated.  If you can try to exclusively nurse, even at long intervals and more often, this may help in adjusting.

At the end of the day though, you should do what is right for you and your LO.  If exclusively pumping works better, go for it!