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Formula suggestions pleasee, can't seem to breastfeed!
Hi. I had my precious little girl on Monday and have been trying to breastfeed ever since, although she is getting what she needs, she is unable to latch properly and I am in terrible pain. My nipples and sanity can't take it much longer. My DH and I are trying to decide if we should give up all together (we have been to lactation consultants with no real help - she just won't latch properly and it's so painful even if one of the 12 times I feed her she does latch).
I would love some suggestions on pumping and bottle feeding or just moving straight to formula. I don't know much about formula since I thought I would breastfeed and only did that research.
Any help would be great! Thank you!!
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Re: Formula suggestions pleasee, can't seem to breastfeed!
I would see another LC and also try a breast shield; your baby's latch can be fixed. In the meantime, while you heal, pump and give a bottle, this will let your nipples heal. Ask your OB for a prescription for APNO - all purpose nipple ointment - and use it often!
I'm sorry I can't help w/ formulas but I urge you not to give up just yet. check out kellymom.com for advice also
it goes get better!
If you're set on supplementing with formula until you can figure out the BF'ing/pumping, most people start with the "regular" Similar or Enfamil. We found the Target brand (Up & Up) that was "compare to Similac" worked well for us, and was nearly half the price.
Hope you get some relief and rest, Mama!!
My own experience was that I had excrutiating pain for the first 10 weeks, even with pumping. But I kept at it - utimately just pumping because DD just couldn't get enough from nursing. I am really happy I stuck with it. I exclusively pumped until 6 months, and I really do think it was the best choice for all of us. There's nothing wrong with formula, but you have a lot of options to keep trying breastfeeding if you want to.
pumping might be a great choice for you. you can rent hospital grade pumps (I rented mine from BRU) so you can try before you spend money on one.
if you decide to go the formula root, they are all nutritionally the same (this is mandated by the FDA or something), so it's just a matter of preference beyond that. Personally, we use Costco brand.
ultimately, decide what is best for your family. it may be seeing another LC & feeding from the tap, it may be exclusively pumping or it may be formula feeding. i wanted to BF but instead of feeling an amazing bonding experience it made me resent my child and actually hindered bonding, despite him having a pretty good latch. i decided i wasn't a good mom BFing & am a much better mom FF.
Thanks everyone. It's been really hard not figuring this all out. Crying is happening a lot lately. And even when I am feeding her I don't know if she is getting enough - it's scary to think it's all up to me and I can't really tell if I am doing what I should be doing.
I am thinking of pumping but now I am even thinking I might not be producing enough - I haven't had that engorgement feeling at all. I know there is milk there but I don't think here is enough, or maybe it's just because she won't latch properly. The last two nights I have been feeding her on and off for two hours (on top of every 2.5-3 hours.
I will keep you updated. Thanks again!
If it would put your mind at ease, you can take her in for a weigh-in appointment. They'll weigh her before you feed her and then after, to make sure she's getting enough milk.
When she's not nursing, have you tried carrying her? Keeping her close (like in a Moby wrap or sling) will help calm her and stimulate milk production.
And re: the crying - that was me for many weeks after J was born. It really does get better! You're a great mom to be so worried about your LO, and I'm sure you'll both be fine.
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
it's very common for the baby to nurse around the clock at the beginning, for a few weeks. Just nurse on demand, even if it means she's nursing every 90min-2hrs at 1st.
some women do not get the engorgement feeling but to make yourself feel better, pump on one side and nurse on the other to see if you are getting any milk.
and definitely make another appt with an LC. I don't know where you live but Loudoun Lansdowne Hospital has a free walk-in BFing clinic every Wed @ 1:30 (double check the day/time).
Definitely consider pumping. Rent a pump and see how it goes. I rented one from DD's pediatrician. I ended up renting for 7 months, which I probably wouldn't do again (cheaper to buy), but it's a great idea for a month to see if it works before buying a pump.
FWIW, pumping was the ONLY thing that worked for us in the beginning. DD lost much too much weight in the first few days - 17% of her birth weight - and I pumped so I could figure out how much she was getting. I also did a lot of lactation appointments where they weighed her before and after. Very early on she was drinking 2 oz out of a bottle, but only getting .5 oz from breastfeeding b/c of some latch issues. If your DD is gaining weight, then she IS getting enough. You didn't mention weight issues, so I assume she's OK. Also, if you're nursing every 2/3 hours, then you may not get engorged, especially this early on. I never really did unless I went all day (seriously) without pumping/nursing.
My one caution against pumping is that DD never really caught onto breastfeeding. We had other issues, and I did keep trying, but she just never really liked it because it was hard for her - not just harder than a bottle, but hard because she couldn't latch correctly. I wish I had been able to breastfeed more, because it definitely is the easier option as they get older. I think I would have been more inclined to keep going past 6 months if I hadn't been exclusively pumping. But between pumping and formula, I'm really glad I pumped. It was good for me (weight loss!) and good for DD's sensitive stomach.
So, so, so sorry you're in this position. We were there too. Spent 90% of our days crying (DD and me) as she was unable to get the hang of it and all I felt was shame and like I was letting her down.
Once we made the decision to pump and supplement with Similac (just regular Similac) our lives turned around! I didn't feel this outrageous pressure anymore and feeding time actually became enjoyable for us. I felt like we were finally bonding because I could enjoy that quality time together.
I desperately wanted to breastfeed, but it wasn't in the cards for us. The advice I can give is to make the decision that's right for you and your family. Know that there is a ton of support here for whatever you choose
I'm so sorry. LO didn't latch well for 6 weeks. One of our lows was having a blister from poor latch and then it popped which meant he was nursing on an open wound (safe for him, but hellish for me). I would cry when it was time for him to eat again. I saw 3 LCs in the hospital, then 2 with my insurance, and then a private one in my home. Out of those 5, two were actually helpful. Three made me more confused. So, keep seeking out help until something clicks. The best LC was a midwife and former LLL leader who came to my home. She was SO much different than the nurse ones: warm, creative, encouraging, willing to break all of the "rules" to find something, anything, that worked for us. (For example: I asked her to help me figure out how to nurse in bed without pain and she got in my bed with me!)
The other thing I wish I'd done was ask LLL for help sooner. Once I started talking to a leader on the phone and then went to a meeting, things clicked. The leaders and other moms are so supportive and have the most creative ideas that no nurse-LC had told me.
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