Quite a few BF questions

laxjules

So my milk just came in today and my breasts are huge and hard! They're so hard he's having a hard time latching on. One nurse told me to take a hot shower and let the water hit them and another told me the heat would only make the swelling worse that I should put ice packs on them. So what do you do for the pain? My nipples aren't aren't sore but my whole breast aches.

 Now when I am able to get him to latch he'll only stay on for about 5 minutes, either he let's go or just falls asleep and won't wake up unless I switch positions. So the last few feedings he's only stayed on for about 10-15 minutes total. He went the normal 2 and a half hours before wanting to eat again the first time but this last time he was hungry again by an hour but only ate for 12 minutes again! In the hospital he was waking up on his own every 2.5 to 3 hours to eat but today at home he went almost 5 without eating because he wouldn't latch but just slept. Should I just let him sleep and he'll wake up when he's hungry work wake him up every hour to eat since he's not eating as much.

Thank you so much,

from a first time momma who is so confused

 

shotzie

You need to wake him to eat. He should be nursing 10-12 times in 24 hours. DD was a very sleepy newborn too. I had to wake her to eat too. I'd start by changing her diaper, then I'd start feeding her. If she fell asleep, I'd undress her down to her diaper, tickle her feet, rub her back, touch a cool washcloth to her feet. It would take about an hour for a full feeding. In the beginning, it'll feel like all you do is nurse. It'll get easier as time goes on. If he's having trouble latching, you can hand express just enough to soften your breast so he can latch on. www.kellymom.com is a great site with tons of bf'ing info. Hang in there!

kiribeckwith

When my milk came in my little guy couldn't latch at all. It was horrible. Luckily we had a pump so I just pumped and fed him with a bottle. There's a lot of hype about nipple confusion, but we haven't had any issues. He does bottle, nipple  and paci without any issue.

My engorgement lasted about four days... nothing helped it but pumping and attempting to feed him. And then one breast went down before the other... it was ridiculous. They should warn you about that when you are leaving the hospital or at least the doctor should. I was unprepared for the large porn star status my boobs had.

kiribeckwith

PS. For me ice made it worse and heat helped... Im sure it's different for everybody though.

TayLynn

Definitely wake him to eat and try to keep him awake on the breast for longer.

Reverse pressure softening can help the baby latch on to engorged breasts.

 

GL!

jlpev

My boobs were huge too when the milk came in soo if Conner had trouble latching I would just pump until they were alil smaller & that he could latch on. Also I never tried cold but I would take a hot shower & just massaged my boobs if they were really sore (You will probably leak alot) but that helped alot & kept my boobs from clugging too.  I would also wake ur baby up by either changing the diaper or a cool wash cloth.  GL!!!  I was clueless too when I had Conner & was trying to figure out this whole BFing thing!! 

kesrya

My midwife recommended using breast shells (not to be confused with breast shields).  The shells have a specific attachment for engorged breasts that not only helps to relieve painful pressure but also brings out nipples that have inverted due to engorgement.  Worked great. I wore them all day when i wasn't feeding and then you take them off right when you are going to nurse.

We picked up Medela breast shells from the local BRUs.  Avent also makes them for cheaper - but they were sold out the day we needed them.  After about a week, my breasts softended and I didn't need them anymore.

rgarringer379

I had the same problem with my youngest. I got these gel packs from smart choice women that just go in the fridge instead of the freezer. And then you just set them on your breasts(they have an open space for your nipple) and after a few minutes you start let down. They worked wonderful for me and i usually used a pump to collect the let down before I started feeding. It was the only way she would latch on. And she constantly fell asleep as well. A lot of people say to wake them up but the lactation consultant told me not to because she will wake when she is hungry. She said just to make sure that if they sleep longer to pump a little bit so you dont get engorged again and feed immediately after they wake up. Doing that made the feeding process much easier and less painful

TeAmoMiAmor

For me I used a warm wash cloth and massaged my breasts before feeding him. It helped soften them up and if they were too large for a latch pumping a little help get them down to more managable size for him. I used ice packs after the feeding and it helped to reduce the swelling and made me feel better. So I used both warm (before) and cold (after) and it seemed to work well. I had the same problem with sleeping and the first day or two home I would wake him to eat and he started getting so upset about being woken up that he would scream and wouldn't calm down enough to eat anyways. My pedi said as long as he was growing (which he was) he could go up to five hours of not eating if he was sleeping (this was at our 1 week weight check) If he was awake I fed him every 2 hours. Also, my advice is don't focus so much on the time your LO spends eating. My 7 mo still only eats 8-10min each side and he's always been in 90th percentile for weight and we've never supplemented. If your milk is letting down, you have a good supply and LO is gaining weight, then don't focus on the amount of time they spend nursing, there is no magic number and I found it was just more stress to worry about.

larrysdarling

TayLynn:

Definitely wake him to eat and try to keep him awake on the breast for longer.

Reverse pressure softening can help the baby latch on to engorged breasts.

 

GL!

This! It's a great thing to learn to do. I still have to do it occasionally if I become engorged (my baby has a crazy nap schedule).

You should def be waking up your baby to eat. If he falls asleep at the breast, tickle in front of his ear a little.

I also ditto the breast shells. They look weird under clothes they work great.