Community› The Bump Month Clubs› June 2015 Moms
June 2015 Moms
New Discussion
Options

Breastfeeding sucks (but it gets better) - A support thread

aliciaspinnetaliciaspinnet member
in June 2015 Moms
Sorry for the bad attempt on a punny title, as with everything this week Im blaming sleep deprivation!

Someone on the new mothers thread suggested a breastfeeding support thread as so many of us are struggling - thought it'd be a great place to tell our stories, swap tips and offer encouragement.

The only ground rule I'd suggest here is no badmouthing of formula. At the end of the day the most important thing is that our babies are fed - whether it's breast milk, formula or a combination, all you mamas are doing great!
Report Reply to Post
«134567

Re: Breastfeeding sucks (but it gets better) - A support thread

  • Loading the player...
  • Options
    krystleshelkrystleshel member
    The LC at the hospital have me these to help with drying if there's people over.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    btm013btm013 member
    A good nipple cream the LC gave me was Dr. Newman's All Purpose Nipple Ointment. It's a prescription but so worth it!
    Report Reply
  • Options
    dancegurl1118dancegurl1118 member
    The all purpose nipple ointment literally saved me from stopping breastfeeding. I asked for it on discharge day and used it on my torn up nipples religiously after each feeding for a week. You can use it up to 3 weeks but once my nipples started to heal I switched to lanolin and coconut oil because the less amount of time I was using a steroid and anti fungal cream the better (in my mind).
    TTC: 1/2014 BFP: 9/24 EDD: 6/8/2015 Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    tiffanyclark87tiffanyclark87 member
    edited June 2015
    FTM here and I wish I didn't have flat nipples and didn't have to use the shield. It still hurts when she latches even with using the shield and I try my best to make sure she is latching correctly. I think bf would be so much easier if I didn't have to use the shield. Have been trying to try without the shield but have only been successful once and only on one side. Any advice on how to wean? And DD will be 3 weeks on Friday. When would you introduce an occasional bottle of breast milk to your baby?
    Report Reply
  • Options
    katyertlkatyertl member
    dancegurl1118 said:

    @katyertl no one better give you any flack. It's your decision, your baby, and your body. No one else's. Your LO needs a happy mom, and like you said it's just not working. No guilt, it is what it is! Good luck at your pedi appt but again don't let anyone make you feel bad. We're here to support you!

    Thanks ladies! I'm really hoping the pedatrican doesn't give me crap now lol
    tiffanyclark87 said:

    FTM here and I wish I didn't have flat nipples and didn't have to use the shield. It still hurts when she latches even with using the shield and I try my best to make sure she is latching correctly. I think bf would be so much easier if I didn't have to use the shield. Have been trying to try without the shield but have only been successful once and only on one side. Any advice on how to wean? And DD will be 3 weeks on Friday. When would you introduce an occasional bottle of breast milk to your baby?

    We introduced a bottle a few days ago with pumped milk and she gobbled it right up. We had a selection of bottles my sister in law let us use to see what kind would work for us. So we found one that did and it went good! She did gobble it down fast so we are hoping to figure out how to slow her down even though we were using the lowest flow nipple
    Report Reply
  • Options
    house86house86 member
    My nipples are so cracked and sore, I feel nauseous when it's time to feed her, but I suck it up.. I almost scream in pain for that first 30 seconds of her latching on... Please say it gets better
    Report Reply
  • Options
    seeseaseesea member
    HayesRN13 said:

    I just want to say I PROMISE IT GETS EASIER... Think of pregnancy ... How miserable it is, if we had an easy way out we would have taken it... Right? If there was something fool proof to make us go into labor how many of us would have done it? I'm going to give my view....(not as a nurse)... as a second time mom who, with my first struggled, but gave up after 6 weeks. After the relief I felt of not having to breastfeed her, I had a major "oh shit what have I done moment" after it was too late and my milk dried up..it was too late. I would have done anything to turn back time, (and tried EVERYTHING) but it was too late my milk was gone. So I'm here to just say.. Don't give up.... Just give it 2 months (at most.. after a month it really does gets better), before a decision is made.. This is only to try to help someone not have the regrets I did, I'm not against women who have to bottle feed... Just want to encourage you all struggling stick with it! I write this one handed as LO is in a cluster phase and has been nursing ALL DAY.. Literally :!!

    Thank you so much for saying all this! I totally agree with everything here :)
    Report Reply
  • Options
    cmcards83cmcards83 member
    Foremilk, hind milk, engorgment, mastitis fears, is my diet making LO gassy?, hand expressing. Breastfeeding is for the damn birds and I had ZERO idea there was so much to it.

    Can anyone explain to me what the hell "Let down" feels like because I'm at a loss?

    It's been 14 days since my babe made her arrival & I've cried so many times trying to figure all of this out. She's already a pound and 3 ounces over her birth weight & thank GOD for Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter but I can't help but feel stressed about my diet causing her gas pains. She's been grunting at the breast & has a mild case of GER.

    Also, these growth spurt feeding marathons are for real! Not to mention the fussiness. :(

    Thank you for starting this thread, this FTM needed a place to vent my worries & frustrations.


    Report Reply
  • Options
    seeseaseesea member
    cmcards83 said:

    Foremilk, hind milk, engorgment, mastitis fears, is my diet making LO gassy?, hand expressing. Breastfeeding is for the damn birds and I had ZERO idea there was so much to it.

    Can anyone explain to me what the hell "Let down" feels like because I'm at a loss?




    I couldn't really feel my letdown at first. To me it's a slight twinge. I dunno that's the best way I could describe it. Some people don't feel it at all.

    As far as fore milk and hind milk I don't think it's something to worry about. From what I understand baby gets both every feeding.

    A mothers diet can affect the baby. My LO had a similar problem. His pediatrician recommended I avoid anything that gives me gas. Some of the culprits of upset stomachs in breastfed babies are dairy, chocolate, spicy foods, raw veggies and caffeine. This is according to what the dr told me.

    I know it's frustrating but try not to stress too much it'll make things worse. I know, easier said than done but hang in there!
    Report Reply
  • Options
    aliciaspinnetaliciaspinnet member
    edited June 2015
    charliepepper said:

    @katyertl You should definitely not worry about your pediatrician being upset for supplementing or switching completely to formula if necessary. I'm a pediatrician, and believe me, what we care about is that baby is gaining weight appropriately and that mom and baby are bonding well. If BF is super awful for you right now, try pumping or supplementing a bottle or two. An LC would prob kill me for saying it, but having that physical break can sometimes make it much more bearable. Breast milk is awesome, but it's the end result that is the most important thing to keep in mind--both baby's physical health and your emotional health!

    I want to second this! I've had a look at the studies backing the health benefits of breastfeeding and whilst I think there are some health benefits, they are nowhere near as great as some people claim (at least for term babies with access to a clean water supply). And as far as I can see, claims about long term effects such as on IQ have very little evidence behind them. The most important thing is that your baby is fed, and that they have a healthy happy mother. If you want to breastfeed and you can then great, but there are alot of very valid reasons that it just doesn't work for particular mother-baby pairs, and you should never feel guilty about that.

    Also remember that it doesn't necessarily have to be all or nothing. Lots of people successfully combo feed. Do what works for you and your baby, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.
    cmcards83 said:

    Foremilk, hind milk, engorgment, mastitis fears, is my diet making LO gassy?, hand expressing. Breastfeeding is for the damn birds and I had ZERO idea there was so much to it.

    Can anyone explain to me what the hell "Let down" feels like because I'm at a loss?

    It's been 14 days since my babe made her arrival & I've cried so many times trying to figure all of this out.

    What I think is let down for me is a sort of prickly sensation over the fuller parts of my breast when we're approaching feeding time, especially when LO is crying.

    I've cried multiple times over this too, so you're definitely not alone. For something so natural, it sure is bloody difficult! Plus sleep deprivation and sore nipples :(. But it sounds like you're doing a great job. Breastfeeding has been really hard for me, but it's getting better everyday, and now I'm actually starting to enjoy it.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    lovethatcolosunlovethatcolosun member
    @cmcards83 for me let down was a different feeing than I was expecting (based on what friends told me). Mine came in the form of feeling suddenly parched. Like a "get me a Big Gulp full of water stat" kind of thirst. I always had to have a bottle of water with me when I nursed. Reading The Womanly Art of Breast Feeding might help answer a lot of questions for you too. I didn't read it cover to cover, and I still got a lot out of it. I will probably check it out from the library again this week for a refresher course. Keep up all the great work ladies!!!
    Report Reply
  • Options
    devyns2nddevyns2nd member
    I have no idea what let down even is?!?!
    Report Reply
  • Options
    SarahBaby87SarahBaby87 member
    Cluster feeding... Night two and three. Normal? Will this be every night for a while? Latch isn't bad, he's just always ready for more.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    mishmardhionomishmardhiono member
    It takes so freakin long! We are day 16 with nipple thrush, baby's still 100g under birth weight even with both boobs plus expressed top ups so we are now doing expressed feeds with formula top ups. I'm so over it but I have to keep going until we visit DH family in SE Asia due to water contamination and hygiene issues.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    HayesRN13HayesRN13 member
    amabarne said:

    I was making progress last week but things have gone downhill for me the last few days. I'm ready to give up again. So much pain from my cracked nipples has me questioning whether I can do this or not. LO is cluster feeding around noon and midnight these last few days too. I think I need to get a lactation specialist to come out and help me. I've put it off because things were getting better......

    See an LC asap.. Try pumping ?
    Report Reply
  • Options
    janat1717janat1717 member
    I appear to be one of those rare super healthy women that just don't produce (or something wrong we don't know about) I am seeing the two best IBCLC's in our area and they are basically telling me that after pumping and taking many different supplements, that I should take a black market drug ... Domperidone. I really don't want to but super sad about this as the original plan was to breastfeed til like 2 :( Using a supplemental nursing system with donor milk right now from friends and family and a tiny bit of mine
    Report Reply
  • Options
    SarahBaby87SarahBaby87 member
    Baby is 3 days old now. I still get painful contractions everytime he feeds. Do these go away eventually? Once my uterus is back down to size?
    Report Reply
  • Options
    krystleshelkrystleshel member
    Did y'all get your Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter at Target?
    Would it be completely insane to make a quick trip to Target as a family to get that & some baby meds & refills for my postpartum care at 5 days post? Our car seat has a car seat canopy thing, so she will be hidden from ALL eyes the whole time. I feel like it's okay, but then again, I feel like it might be a crazy idea.
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"