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Breastfeeding
Crissy&Josh
member
Exhausted and Overwhelmed-Long Post
Crissy&Josh
member
I knew that breastfeeding would be hardwork and I have been trying to stay positive and focused. Just when I think I have the puzzle all figured out something else happens.
My little guy was born at 36 weeks. He latched on great and seemed to be a good feeder. The doctor noticed he was a bit tongue tied, but it didn't seem to effect him. We went to our first pediatricians appointment at 8 days old and DS had lost too much weight. The doctor told me I needed to supplement an ounce or two after each feeding and to come back in 2 days. She also clipped under his tongue.
Two days later DS had gained the correct ounce a day and most of the time he wasn't even taking the bottle after the feeding. Since then, we are having such a hard time. My LO is taking 1.5 ounces after every bottle. I'm almost out of expressed milk and today I know I am going to have to supplement with formula and I really don't want to.
I called my Lactation specialist and she is giving me tips to boost my supply. Overall I am just completely exhausted. My nipples feel like they are going to fall off. Between the feeding and pumping to boost supply, the pain will not go away. My DS is confused by the bottle and it takes awhile to get him latched on properly. We also think that he is an ineffective eater and that could have been part of the reason he lost too much weight and the drop in my supply. The lactation specialist keeps reassuring me that it will get better when DS reaches his birthweight, but right now I feel so overwhelmed and exhausted.
DS is frusterated when we start to feed and I'm getting stressed and overwhelmed. If anyone has any advice or words of encouragement that this really will get easier, I can use them! I don't want to give up, but I'm really at my wits end right now.
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Re: Exhausted and Overwhelmed-Long Post
I just took my breastfeeding class this week. Most women give up because they don't have good enough support system. You hit a bump in a road, just keep at it one day at a time and keep talking to your lactation specialist. It is still a learning experience for both of you and the baby , it takes several weeks for both of you to get a hang of things. At least you are already doing it !
On the bright side, I don't think I've heard of anyone's nipples ever falling off. Ask your lactation specialist about shredded carrots for your nipples. GL hon !
hey, I have been through alot with BF too. My son was also born @ 36 weeks. Although he only had some minor issues from it, he also dropped too much weight initially and we had BF issues. My son wouldn't latch well and was extremely sleepy. There are a host of little problems associated with these late preemies. They are just not as strong and vigorous as term babies are, but I promise he'll catch up and soon!
I am not an expert by any means but I'll tell you what I did:
1) I did supplement with a little formula his first week when he wasn't gaining weight well. He was dehydrated, his bilirubin was up, and he needed the calories and fluid. I wasn't happy about it but I only had to give him a formula probably 10 times total. If you need to supplement just DO it and don't feel guilty. It doesn't mean you won't be able to BF him long term.
2) To boost your supply, you need to get adequate fluids, calories, and rest. Easier said than done, I know. You need to sleep. Let your H give your son a bottle of formula (or BM mixed w/ formula) and sleep for 4 hrs. Pump or nurse immediately before and after this. Yes you need maximum stimulation to get your supply up, but one 4 hour break isn't going to hurt your supply and it could make you feel like a new person. I notice that my supply is the best after I get some rest. My appetite sucked my first week postpartum, but you need to eat and drink a TON of water too. My LC recommended oatmeal which I started eating daily, and I also got an Rx for Reglan which I took for 10 days. Also try breast massage/compression while pumping. My supply now is good - not awesome, but certainly adequate for him. not enough to build a freezer stash, but he is gaining weight!
3) nipple pain: have you tried a nipple shield? I know they get a bad reputation but we had to use one in the hospital b/c Colin wouldn't latch on. We weaned off it at home, but now I still use it when he's going through a little growth spurt and feeding constantly, or whenever my nipples need a little break. Consider using one. You will likely be able to get him to wean off it in the future and it will help the pain a lot. My nipples have gotten so bad, blood blisters, cracking, burning, the whole thing - I have cried through entire feeds -- the nipple shields saved me. Also I switched my pump to the soft horns which I think helped a little. Use lanolin religiously.
4) how often are you going to get weight checks? Once my son started to gain I felt SO much better and went back several times even after the pedi cleared me, just for nurse visits, to reassure myself. Everytime I saw that he gained, it motivated me to keep going.
That's all the advice I have. Just hang in there. We are by no means perfect breastfeeders here, but I am no longer in excruciating pain, no longer supplementing, and he's gaining weight, so we are on the right track. Just 2 weeks ago I thought I would have a nervous breakdown and wanted to quit. Please know you are NOT alone. Your son is benefiting from every drop of BM he gets. Continue talking and getting advice/encouragement from anybody you can (kellymom.com, this site, friends/family).
It looks like to me that your ds is 2 weeks old. At that point, holy cow, bfing was tough! I feel your pain and want you to know that it DOES get better and easier. Oh and the nipple pain does almost go away!! I've never used a nipple shield, but I've heard that they are great. I always used lanolin every single time I had my breast out. I always wore nuring pads, b/c my bras would irritate my nipples. Take some ibprophin or tylonal for the pain, that really does help!
My ds was born at 38 weeks and I had supply issues. I had to pump to try to increase my supply. When I figured out that ds wasn't eating enough and that's why he was fussy, I bottle bed him ebm. Prior to my exhausted state figuring that out, he and I spent several feedings in tears-him b/c he was hungry and me b/c I couldn't feed him enough and was failing him. It was that point that I knew I'd be okay with feeding him formula if I needed to. I didn't want to at first either, and my dh didn't want to either, but like I told dh, our son needs to eat and that's more important than how we feed him. If I'm not capable of producing enough milk, we NEED to supplement with formula. That being said, I haven't had to yet, but I am very open to the idea so ds will be full and able to grow.
Like the pp said- there is HUGE relief when your lo reaches their birthweight (it took my ds 3.5 weeks, which is a LONG time) and if they continue to gain, it makes you feel SO good.
Ditto on the bottles, make sure you're using ones designed for bfing. Also, check your ds's latch to make sure it's wide enough. Honestly, my nipples didn't stop hurting until about 4 1/2 weeks. And they're still a bit sensitive at times.
Make sure you tell your husband how you're feeling. Mine was very supportive to me, but once I told him how exhausted I was (imagine spending over half of your waking hours trying to nurse, bottle feed, and pump and then wash all the parts), how disappointed I was in myself (I'd always wanted to bf, and it wasn't coming naturally), how worried I was (my sole responsiblity to give nutrients this child and it wasn't work!) and how much ds's crying hurt me...he became all the more supportive. At that moment he said , let's supplement with formula whenever you need to. It really helps to have support. Best of luck to you.
great! just hang in there. you'll have good and bad feedings but overall things WILL get easier. It was day 9 when I had a total breakdown. It hands down SUCKED until just the past few days - we are still working through some issues but OMG it is leaps and bounds better than it was just about 10 days ago. Just keep on chugging and keep my mom's favorite saying in your head "This too shall pass". good luck!!!
Your son is precious by the way!
Thanks, yours too!
You were so helpful, thanks again. It's great just hearing that your not alone!
First of all, your son is adorable! Only 2 weeks old and already smiling like that? Wow!
Second, I felt JUST like you those first few weeks. I had two babies to feed, and I struggled with DD's latch mightily at first. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to give up. But I am so glad I didn't. I definitely had some more challenges (I didn't get tandem feeding down until they were 12 weeks old!) but breastfeeding got so much easier as time went on. I remember at 6 weeks, being in a store with DS in a baby pouch and he started fussing so I just whipped out the boob and latched him and went right on with my shopping while he nursed. I was so happy at that moment!
You are doing fantastically! Hang in there and feel good about yourself. It's going to get SO much easier soon.
I've been going through the same thing. DD lost a lot of weight in the beginning and I was having to supplement. I've just gotten to the point that DD is not needing the supplement anymore and since then she has been latching on right away when before it was taking me 10 minutes to get her on every feeding which has been making it a lot easier on me. Plus I haven't been pumping as much.
I was getting sooooooo frustrated though because I was nursing and pumping all of the time and still having to give her formula. Then I was having trouble latching and felt like it was my fault from having to give her all of the bottles. I almost gave up, but I'm glad I didn't.