my baby is 9 days old and im about to give up on breastfeeding. please help?

Question

throughout my whole pregnancy i've been looking foward to breastfeeding. i love watching my baby nurse she looks so happy and content. i cried like a baby the first time i fed her but im starting to go crazy. i've been having a lot of problems. im tired and just want to be left alone for a while and she wants to eat every 30 minutes. my nipples hurt and i cant figure out whats wrong with her latch. i dont want to quit all together i just need a break every once in a while. i know they say its too early to introduce a bottle because of nipple confusion but i have to do something because she's starting to get hungry and i feel like i just cant do it right now.

what would be the best thing for me to do. should i go out and buy a breast pump and pump for while or should i buy some formula and just use that once or twice so i can get a break. eithre way i still really want to breast feed. i just need a break every once in a while and she has been eating non stop since she was born.

my milk has come in and i have too much of it because she's been eating non stop. i called the lactation nurse and she said she's using me as a pacifier and i need to stop feeding her so much and find other ways to calm her so now im left with too much milk

Answer 1

Breastfeeding can be a very stressful thing. You just need to get a few things... if it is your nipples that are preventing her from getting a good latch, try a nipple shield. You should also get some ointment for your nipples to soften them. They won't hurt so much. I use the Lansinoh brand, but any will work the same. I swear by the stuff! Also, don't stop nursing her during a feeding unless she pulls away. She is not getting enough each feeding to be content. You should be nursing at least 10-15 minutes on each side... but she may not want the other side if she gets enough from one side. My son usually only nurses on one side unless he is super hungry. Make sure to burp her and see if she wants more. I know it sounds crazy to have a stranger come, but try contacting a lactation consultant. They usually come to your home and try to help you and most insurance companies cover it as far as I know. It is really hard sometimes, but try to stick with it! If it is just not working, don't worry. It is very common to have these types of issues. Get a good electric pump and try bottle feeding her. Get the bottles and nipples that are especially for breastfed babies though. If it is your daughter that is just not getting a good latch, no matter what, do NOT let her nurse until she latches on properly. If she does nurse and is not latched on properly, it can cause severe pain and cracks. Lightly tap on her lower chin when she is about to latch to get her to open her mouth wider. That may help. Good luck and definitely try to contact someone to help! Even the pediatricians can sometimes help.

Answer 2

DONT QUIT! Sometimes some babies just need to nurse that often, as my last one did, I can TOTALLY understand just wanting to be left alone, like being able to have a few minutes to do ANYTHING other than nurse a baby. Dont offer formula, the baby probably wont like it, they never do, till they are forced to eat it and learn to. Also adding formula always reduces you milk supply, at this point adding formula would put your milk supply in danger of drying up completely. Just take a deep breath, she WILL grow out of wanting to nurse every few minutes. Take a deep breath and just enjoy how beautiful, calm, and happy she is getting her nourishment from her MOMMY who loves her very much. If you just can't take it go ahead get a pump and pump a little for her. don't try to offer a bottle more than once a day and only after you have breastfed her, or else she will figure out a bottle is easier to nurse from and want only that. Some of the problem with her wanting to nurse all the time is that doing so doesn't allow for the milk to produce alot of cream/fat which is the most filling for her, try to put her off a few minutes every feeding, offer her a binky, which DOESN'T cause nipple confusion, and keep at it.

Often breastfeeding is very painful for the first couple weeks, improper latch is about 85% of the cause. Try to get her to latch w/ nipple dead-center, and get as much aereola in mouth as poss. Have you tried a nipple sheild, sometimes they are a pain, but they can be VERY helpful with sore nipples and improper latch, till baby learns better.

Remember babies grow/change fast, so believe it or not this too shall pass. When you have been breastfeeding for a few months, you will look back and feel so proud, happy, and good that you have given your baby the best. You both will settle into a reg pattern for nursing by 1-2 mos, which will happen faster than it seems. Part of the reason you may be feeling tense and wanting to be alone, is from lack of sleep and the very real demands that a baby makes on mommy. If you get a pump, feed her, pump a little bottle, give her to someone else to hold, then go take a long shower or a nap, you'll feel alot better. Also taking walks outside, even if cold, even if for 5 mins can help your feeling 'boxed-in,' which is how I felt even more so w/ a baby wanting to nurse every few mins.

Answer 3

it is so hard in the beginning. mine was premature and i had to exclusively pump 8 times a day for a half an hour each time for weeks until she finally latched. then after a month she had reflux problems and refused to breast feed. i started pumping exclusively again and managed to still feed her breast milk until she was 7 and 1/2 months. anyway, that's me.

about you: i would call the hospital where you delivered and ask to speak to a lactation specialist because they can give you the best advice for your situation. that said, you can pump and store the milk in the the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for a few months. make sure to use sterile containers. if you get a pump, rent a dual hospital grade electric pump. it's the best. (you buy the attachments, so it's ok to use the same pump as someone else because you are essentially just renting the motor.) if you pump and give her a bottle, know that she may start to prefer the bottle (especially this early on) and may not want to breastfeed anymore. if you decide to give her formula and don't pump, your supply will go down because your body thinks that the baby doesn't need as much milk. whatever you do is up to you. but if you really want to breastfeed, then i would say just keep trying to breastfeed her (and introduce a bottle later on when she is old enough - at least another month - to not have nipple preference). i'm afraid that if you introduced a bottle now her latch would not be that good and you would regret it later. i know it's hard to be awake all the time when they need you. hang in there. best of luck to you no matter what you do. and congrats (pat yourself on the back) for giving your baby what is best for her.

Answer 4

Don't give up!

My nipples hurt for the first month of breastfeeding. However, they just started to hurt less and less after some time. I almost quit a few times, I even started to make formula at one point, but I never could quite stop breastfeeding - and it eventually just stopped hurting. It felt like my nipples were on fire, they cracked and bled, but I kept doing it and eventually I just figured things out.

There might be a problem with the latch-on, her mouth should NOT be on your nipple, it should be on the aerola (the skin around your nipple), her mouth should be open as wide as possible, also.

You might want to schedule an appointment with a lactation consultant, or go to a LaLeche League meeting, you can find a local group here: http://www.llli.org//WebUS.html. Also, talk to your pediatrician, schedule an emergency appointment to make sure your baby is eating enough and have the pediatrician observe you breastfeeding (trust me, that's what they are paid for, and if your pediatrician objects in ANY way, get a new one).

If your breasts become painfully full with milk and you can't seem to get the baby to empty them, purchase a breast pump and pump milk, then store it in special breast milk bags in the freezer.

Just don't quit! You'll probably get a bunch of people that formula feed encouraging you to quit, but trust me, the bonding and the wonderful feelings WILL come. I wouldn't give up breastfeeding my daughter (10 months) for anything.

Answer 5

I would pump and feed from a bottle to give yourself a chance to heal. Until you are healed It will be hard to tell if she is latched wrong or right, because you will be sore regardless. My lactation nurse advised me to do this when I was having problems. My baby was only 4 days old when I started pumping and bottle feeding, and she never got nipple confusion. I recommend the First Years bottle called "breastflow." I think the bottle actually helped my daughter learn to latch correctly. I had no problem latching her back onto the breast after a few days of healing up, and she took to it again just fine. And now breastfeeding is pain free. Don't give up. Get yourself an electric pump, you can rent one from the hospital if you don't want to buy one. and try that. Its also nice to be able to pump a bottle now and then If you want to go out shopping an afternoon and leave her with dad! Good Luck!!

Answer 6

You might try the Lalache League 1-877-452-5324or llli.org. They are experts in breastfeeding.

Does the hospital that you delivered at have a lactation consultant?

Are you drinking extra water to help with you milk supply.

Some mothers worry that the baby will smother if she is too close to the breast and do not let the baby take all the nipple and a good portion of the areola into her mouth. Her nose and chin should touch the breast. Even if ,from your angle, it looks like the baby's nose is covered by your breast, it is not. Babys will not suck if they cannot breathe. You may know this, but I mention it in case someone else reading this has the problem.

Congratulations. It will get better. Just wait untill she is 13 and chasing boys. -- aaauugh!

Answer 7

Babies eat non-stop in the beginning. ALL babies.

Think about it this way: The first 6 weeks are the hardest. Make little goals for yourself. Get to 3 weeks, get to 4, and so on. I ALSO had problems and issues with my first (mostly due to poor medical advice) but I powered through. My mom gave me the best advice: Sit down and nurse. Nurse your baby all day long and all night if you have to. You will figure it out.

I will tell you that I am SORRY I introduced bottles and a formula supplement with my first as it created more problems then it solved.

You need some real life support.

Can you call your hospital and ask to speak with the lactation consultants? I'm linking information below on finding a La Leche League in your area. It's really hard for us to diagnose what you're doing with your latch since we can't see you. However, it's important that you see someone who has experience to help you correct your latch. I'll also link some videos on how to latch.

ETA: The lactation nurse at the hospital sounds like a fool. Ignore her. Sometimes “lactation consultants” aren’t actually certified, they’re just a nurse who calls themselves that or has had maybe one more class of training. Using you like a pacifier—HOW STUPID IS THAT NURSE? This is what babies do in the beginning; it’s the only way to properly establish your supply.

I’m less concerned with the amount of *time* she’s spending nursing, and I’m more concerned that you’re hurting because of a bad latch. Sometimes, if the baby has a bad latch, they nurse all the time but aren’t getting a lot of milk. I highly, highly recommend finding a la leche league member in your area to help—they are free because they are volunteers. Please look at the videos I linked before.

Also, I know it’s the last thing you want to do right now, but I suggest you get a book on nursing, there’s lots of good ones, I happened to use The Nursing Mother’s Companion Guide. It has pictures and detailed “how-to” along with troubleshooting.

Most of all, it does get better, I swear, you can do it! You carried that baby, you birthed that baby, you will nourish that baby like no one else! Have faith in yourself.

Answer 8

Don't give up. It took me about 3 weeks with my dd to get use to it. Get some nipple cream it really does work. I also had a good breast pump and did pump and let my DH feed my little girl with the bottle. She never had nipple confusion. I nursed for 3 years going back and forth not problem. However, I never used formula. My 2 little ones refused that. But don't just pump and bottle feed or your supply will run out. I just pumped once a day in addition to the feedings then I put the milk in ice coupe trays and froze it. After it was frozen I transferred the coupes into Ziploc bags and dated them. I was able to build up a supply for times I needed a break or wanted to go for a movie.

Answer 9

please do not give up breast feeding. the problems will not last forever! my baby did the EXACT same thing!

We have so much fun together! it's very bonding! It's better than bottle feeding.. you must share eye contact and cuddles for the duration of the b-feeding session, several times a day! : )

i like to read her poems while i do it... it may help you? if you need a distraction? I have them memorized! (you know, after three years and two babies. LOL)

oh! here is another very interesting link!! it tells my story of eternally never ending breastfeeding sessions! (and other mommies who had the same experience! wild, huh? maybe you thought you were the only one w/ this problem? I know I thought that way!) (when do you find time to EAT? or Bathe? or brush your hair or teeth? clean the house?????? what about playing with the older siblings?) it's a very good message board.

ps.
ALL the other posters have excellent advice! (even the formula choosers!honest! we all need a break sometime..)

Answer 10

Don't give up! Get a good quality electric pump and pump as much as you can then store it properly (freeze, etc) so you can make bottles for other people to do feedings (giving you a much needed break).

My daughter ate constantly, too, and I felt like I could never get up from feeding her. I had to switch to bottles of formula because I couldn't afford or get a decent pump that worked. I wish I'd been able to give her my own milk, but I desperately needed a break now and then. The bottle to breast wasn't an issue - no nipple confusion. My daughter preferred the breast and eventually set up her own schedule of what she wanted at what times.

Good luck, I hope you get some support from your family so you can get a break!!!

:)