I gave birth last month. I have a 5 week old baby that I have to breastfeed CONSTANTLY. I didn’t have any problems with nipple pain or posture. She latches on well now but she feeds for about 45 mins to an hour. She really needs to burp even though she’s breastfed because otherwise she stays uncomfortable and doesn’t sleep. So basically once I’m done feeding and burping her, I have maybe 20 mins to myself before she gets hungry again.
If this is the frequency at which she’s going to feed then there’s no way I’ll be able to go out or do much housework without supplementing with formula.
I’ve managed to cook a couple times (most of those had to be completed by my husband as I fed her in the living room and gave him cooking instructions) and I’ve gone out for 1 walk when the weather was warm.
When will it start getting better? Everywhere I’ve read says it gets better because there’s no more nipple pain or latch issues. I didn’t have too much of a problem with that, I just want to know if the time spent feeding will go down any time soon.
The first few weeks are the hardest. It seems like all the baby wants to do is nurse, nurse and nurse. It is important for building your supply. I say hang on a bit more and slowly she will get more efficient. Can you pump and have your hubby feed her?
Jewel, yeah I have a pump but I barely get the time to pump because she's always feeding. I'm experimenting with different brands of bottles right now. Last night she finally took a Comotomo bottle so I'm going to pump once a day from now on and let my husband feed her.
it does get better. I hate to suggest this, but supplement only one time or two feedings (let your husband feed the baby for those times.) This will allow you to pump and have some milk ready for the next time. This will show if she is just slow at it, or your supply is low. Either way you can improve the feeding. I am not suggesting to continuously supplement...just few times to give you a break and time you need.
I wouldn't recommend supplementing before supply is established. Also pumping is not a good indicator of supply as baby is much more efficient than any pump. Obviously if u can't rest at all you may choose to supplement. I would just day hang in there it is about to get so much easier
I wouldn't recommend supplementing before supply is established. Also pumping is not a good indicator of supply as baby is much more efficient than any pump. Obviously if u can't rest at all you may choose to supplement. I would just day hang in there it is about to get so much easier
I asked her to supplement while she still pumped. This wouldn't effect her supply at all.
pumping is as efficient as babies (i would think its more, since you dont have to worry about a sleeping baby, slow feeder etc.) I pumped for 7-8 months exclusively and had enough stored to feed him until he was one. My son never latched on so i quickly switched to pumping. There is a huge misconception in our desi community about pumps not being as efficient (this i faced while i was pumping). and i am a prime example of them being as good as a baby.
I am pregnant again and i am going to exclusively pump for the second one as well. made my life so much easier. I could actually sleep/rest, didn't have worry about switching to a bottle once i returned to work etc.
I am glad it worked for you but all the breastfeeding info says that pumping is not a reliable indicator of breast milk production. Its not a desi miaconception. A baby is by far a more efficient feeder. Have a look through kellymom website.
The best way to know your baby is getting enough milk is through wet nappies and weight gain.
I guess every one has different experiences, I don't think pumping is as efficient as babies, actually I felt it was equally tiring and when I couldn't pump enough milk, it was depressing as well.
I would agree with Hamna as my experience has been similar.
Pumping made me misserable. Babies were in the NICU and they were so tiny they wouldn't latch. It was so hard to build up supply but it was still not enough to feed two little ones. Plus, it would take so much time. I would pump for 30 minutes, feed 1 baby for 30 minutes and then the other one... slept 30 minutes and it was time to pump again.
I took fenugreek, teas, vitamins, lots of water, etc but it was making me so sad. I had PPD and eventually I had to stop to keep myself sane.
For some women pumping works very well. For others not at all. Despite a good electric pump, I could not get more than one ounce in 45 minutes. Though baby gained weight fine when nursing. I had him weighed every week at the doctor's office!
To the OP. For me it started getting better when baby was 3-4 months. Baby actually got fussier after six weeks but by six weeks we had a very rough schedule. There is nothing wrong in supplementing with formula if you decide that's the best for you. I had the same nursing schedule as you did. Yet my baby nursed till two years of age as it did get better.
Thank you everyone for giving me hope!
I'm not going to supplement for now because I had to supplement and pump in her first week, and those were the only days that she screamed in pain all night long. She became such a calm baby after I stopped supplementing.
Eastern11, I think our situation is really similar. I also don't get more than an ounce or two even though I use a really good electric pump. She's 6 weeks now and has started to get fussy for the past 3 days. Hopefully my baby also gets better by 3-4 months like yours did.
I don't know if this matters or not, but I don't ever leak milk. I never did. I bought a box of nursing pads when I was packing for the hospital and it hasn't been used at all. But I know she's getting enough milk because of the number of wet diapers. Maybe the milk is really hard to suck out and that's why she takes so long to feed and the pump isn't that effective
If things don't improve you may want to look into whether your baby has a tongue tie. I know tongue ties are often overlooked and causes other issues as well. But it might not be the case as you said she latches on well and you don't feel pain etc. But in general for other mothers it might be something to look out for when nursing isn't going so well and supply has dropped.
@nidakibachi , yes wet diapers are a good indicator. I hardly leaked too. But I went to La Leche League meetings and met women really committed to breastfeeding and one lady told me that pumping did not work for her either. Babies do get fussier after six weeks ( doctor's words). But as they grow older they don't take as long to nurse. They could be done in as soon as five minutes. I know you can't believe it now but that's what happens.
If things don't improve you may want to look into whether your baby has a tongue tie. I know tongue ties are often overlooked and causes other issues as well. But it might not be the case as you said she latches on well and you don't feel pain etc. But in general for other mothers it might be something to look out for when nursing isn't going so well and supply has dropped.
Yeah I've looked into that and she doesn't have a tongue or lip tie. Another way to check for a tongue tie is the baby can't stick it's tongue out past the tip of the lip.
@nidakibachi , yes wet diapers are a good indicator. I hardly leaked too. But I went to La Leche League meetings and met women really committed to breastfeeding and one lady told me that pumping did not work for her either. Babies do get fussier after six weeks ( doctor's words). But as they grow older they don't take as long to nurse. They could be done in as soon as five minutes. I know you can't believe it now but that's what happens.