please tell me this gets better

sunnyday16

Cora feeds every 2 hours for an hour. I just want to cry when it's time for her to eat. I'm so exhausted and want to sleep. I'm tempted to give her a bottle and give myself a break.

ocean71506

It will get better.  The first weeks are SO hard.  Hang in there! ((hugs))

MrsSmith81

It does get better, SO much better. the first three weeks are the hardest. By 6wk you'll find that you both start to get the hang of it and it gets easier and by 3mo it is something enjoyable that you really look forward to. hang in there!

GeminiKMP-C

oh honey, reading this gave me goosebumps.  i remember those days, before we switched to formula.  i dreaded feeding time, especially in the hospital when every time Lilly made a noise, a nurse would come in, smile, look at me and say "Mommmmy, looks like somebody's hungry!" 

It still makes me cringe! 

I can't speak from experience because we ended up ff'ing, but judging from how happy many of the BF'ers on here are, I would say it does get better:) 

Mrs.KAP

{{hugs}} I remember those days. I didn't realize how hard BF was until I was doing it. I thought the first 2-3 wks. were the hardest too. Hang in there it gets SO much better.

ncsubride

It does I promise, hang in there.

Snugs99

((hugs)) It really does get better.  That first month is a hard one.

Gregsbride22

Big hugs, the first few weeks are so hard.  I pumped and bottle fed though...I liked knowing how much he ate (plus he was used to it in the NICU).  I hope it gets better soon!

daisy58

Hang in there! It is hard in the beginning. DS still eats about every 2-3hrs but only nurses for like 10-15min now!  You could always pump and try to feed a bottle to give you a break....

Good luck

mrparsley07

((hugs)) It definetly gets better!  Hang in there!

pumpkinhead06

Yes, like all the other girls said, feedings do get better!  ((hugs))

someone else can correct me if I am wrong, but if I remember correctly your LO should is not really eating that whole time... she's getting the milk, and then comfort nursing for the rest of it....

honestly... after 20 minutes, I would give my ds a paci, and it saved my nipples and my sanity.  We never had nipple confusion, or problems.

have you looked on kellymom.com... it's a great website and ti might help you.

MrsSmith81

pumpkinhead06:

Yes, like all the other girls said, feedings do get better!  ((hugs))

someone else can correct me if I am wrong, but if I remember correctly your LO should is not really eating that whole time... she's getting the milk, and then comfort nursing for the rest of it....

honestly... after 20 minutes, I would give my ds a paci, and it saved my nipples and my sanity.  We never had nipple confusion, or problems.

have you looked on kellymom.com... it's a great website and ti might help you.

i agree, there's no way she's eating for an hour. you can take her off once she starts hanging out for comfort instead of food. they like to graze in those early days and fall asleep and wake up and eat some more but she will get so much quicker and more efficient at it the older she gets.

cherryblossom25

big (((hugs)))! It absolutely gets better, it is so tough in the beginning and BF'ing around the clock is hard work. I didn't realize how demanding it would be, but it did get so much easier and now I really love it.

We had hour long sessions at first and I remember how exhausting that was. My LC said just to find a comfy spot and let her nurse as much as she wanted, even if it was just comfort sucking, because it stimulates milk production and is really good for your supply.

Hang in there, you are doing great!!

rowanthefrog

It WILL get better.  I promise.  Do you think you can pump for a little bit after a couple of feedings so you have enough for DH to feed her one bottle so you can get some rest?  That was what saved my sanity.  I pumped after a couple of feedings so that I had some milk and DH fed him if he woke up after 2am, so I got to sleep from 2am-8am.  It did WONDERS for my sanity.  If you can get one stretch of 6 hrs of continuous sleep a night you will feel almost human again.

A 

MrsRoehl_2008

It gets better, I promise!  Like pp said, the first few weeks are horrible.  Do what you can to keep your LO awake during feedings so it won't take as long (take her clothes off, tickle her feet, blow on her ear, take a deep breath).  Eventually, she will become more efficient.

Try to get out of bed and take a shower each day.  Even if you just put pj's back on, it will make you feel more human and less bovine.  Also, try to take a walk or get out of the house each day; the exercise, fresh air, and sunlight will do you both some good. 

P.G.&A.M.

I know how hard that stage is, but it really doe get better.

dr.girlfriend

It gets SO much better.

I agree, keep her awake during feedings, even jostle her around, tickle her feet, brush her cheek, whatever you need to do so that she gets a full feed.  It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes.  Also, burp her frequently during feeding (you have to thump harder than you might think) and bicycle her legs, etc...a lot of times babies mistake gas pains for hunger pains, and they'll feed pretty much any time you offer the boob, but frequent feeding can make gas worse.  I know other people might disagree, but my doc suggested spacing feedings at least 3 hours apart, and offering the paci in between if it seemed like baby was hungry (with the caveat that I knew I had plenty of milk and baby was gaining weight well).  Once baby gets days and nights straight (around 3 - 4 weeks) it gets a lot better.  Try to keep lots of light, sound, and activity going during the day, even during naps, and keep things really hushed and dark at night.

Heether

GeminiKMP-C:

oh honey, reading this gave me goosebumps.  i remember those days, before we switched to formula.  i dreaded feeding time, especially in the hospital when every time Lilly made a noise, a nurse would come in, smile, look at me and say "Mommmmy, looks like somebody's hungry!" 

It still makes me cringe! 

I can't speak from experience because we ended up ff'ing, but judging from how happy many of the BF'ers on here are, I would say it does get better:) 

This is exactly what I was going to say.

bear2115

It definitely gets better, I'm sorry you're having a hard time!  there is a growth spurt at 2 weeks and those are rough.  There are quite a few right at the beginning and I remember feeling like I did nothing but nurse all.day.long.  It quickly slows down, even by 4 weeks I think she started going a little longer between feedings and less time to get it done too.  By a couple months it's way easier, it was for us anyway.  Maggie was up to 3 hours in between feedings and only nursed for maybe a half hour at a time.  Now at almost 7 months she's at 3-4 hours and nurses for maybe 10 minutes total.  The beginning is hard, but remember that you are doing a great job for your baby and she is growing and growing and growing.  Good luck and hang in there!

MelissaSue81

It does.. my girly still eats about every 2 hours.. sometimes she will go 2.5 or 3 and longer at night.. but she only nurses for about 10 minutes now.

jnealet

It does get better, I promise.  EC was a long nurser and still is if I let her.  If you can, try and pump for 10 minutes and see if you can get an ounce or two, then let DH feed her tonight.  Time it so that she's eaten and not hungry, then you go to bed and DH can feed her when she gets up.  You'll get a good 3-4 hours of sleep and feel so much better after that.

If you can't pump, give her a bottle of formula, 2 oz of formula isn't going to hurt her or your supply.  There were nights when I would be certain there was no more milk left in me, EC had sucked it all out and DH would give her a bottle.  The first week or so, it was a bottle of furmula, after that, I was able to pump and the bottles were breast milk. 

 

dmsmth

((hugs)) it does get better.  I think the first 2 weeks were the hardest and at 3/4 weeks things started to get easier.