Breastfeeding issues

Hey, just looking for advice and some positive thoughts I guess.. I really wanted to breastfeed but I feel I'm hitting every possible hurdle in the way which is making me feel very disappointed and sad. I sometimes feel that I should just call it a day.. So I had an emergency C-section at 39 weeks following failed induction. My baby was struggling to latch on and my milk didn't come in for a week. I had to feed him because due to medication for preeclampsia he was at a higher risk of hypoglycemia. In addition to that he had a significant tongue tie. So I formula fed for two weeks plus expressed what I could and bottle fed plus offered the breast continuously with no luck. Not only it took my milk aged to come in, my milk supply is not great, I tried everything - power pumping every two hours, eating/drinking, massaging breasts. I can still only get 30-50ml per pumping session from both breasts together. Fast forward 2 weeks, we got tongue tie sorted and got support so now he latches on and feeds but only with nipple shield. Also, I feel because of low milk supply, he feeds and then 15-20 min after cries and shows hunger cues again. He is in general quite a calm baby. So I'm topping up with formula. I'm just so tired and exhausted by this. Trying the breast, putting the nipple shields that keep on falling off, then topping up with formula and then also pumping sometimes after feed in a hope to increase milk supply.. I had help from my health visitor, local breastfeeding charity and I have an appointment next week with the breastfeeding clinic in the hospital. However, I feel like my hope for straightforward breastfeeding is dying off. I feel like he will never take my nipple and I will never produce enough milk to feed him, so I will be doing a triple job - breastfeed, top up with formula, pump, repeat again.. Please tell me it will get better because I'm really starting to think if I should just quit 😔

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I had an emergency c-section under general anaesthetic and also struggled with breast feeding with a tongue tie. I was given nipple shields and the way I found to get them to stick was to put a bit of water on the flat bit so it stayed on my breast and sort of suction squished my nipple into the teat. I'm 4 weeks PP and managed to wean off the shield on one side but latch is still bad on the other. Also, I've been keeping a track of every feed and how long it lasted, it helped me realise when LO was actually hungry or looking for some comfort. I would say if you want to get off the shields to start a feed with the shield and then take it off after 5 minutes and attempt to relatch as baby should be more likely to figure it out if they aren't ravenous. I hope you figured out what's best for you and don't feel like you have to breastfeed if your baby is struggling. Making sure they're fed is most important 💜

I don't have any suggestions to help but really feel for you. I had emergency section due to pre-eclampsia. My milk didn't come in until day 8 and my baby developed jaundice with a 16% weight loss requiring hospital admission with tube feeding and formula top ups. The stress caused my supply to evaporate. Like you I was offering breast, doing formula top ups and power pumping. My supply did improve and I'm now back to ebf. Baby has just been diagnosed with posterior tongue tie so latch is problematic and she gets tired quickly but breast compressions have helped massively. I'm hoping once she has the tongue tie sorted her latch will get better, but overall I do feel like things have been better over the last couple of weeks so hang in there, sending moral support

You’re doing a great job many people would of stopped trying to breastfeed by now.The breastfeeding specialist will be lots of help as they were for me. As for the nipple shield make sure you’re turning it inside out by about half way then putting on your nipple so it’s sucked on to your nipple don’t just place the nipple shield. My little boy also fed sometimes for and hour then 30 minutes later wanted more this is perfectly normal when they are young. I’m sure your milk supply will increase but unfortunately it’s not like what you see on social media with all those mums the stashes of milk and pump session with overflowing milk from there pumps. In the early months you will probably just making enough or bearly keeping up however as time goes on it will get better. You’re doing a great job.

Oh, also depending on how old he is, you might be going through a growth spurt/cluster feed! From about Day 15 - 20 we were feeding every hour for around 30 minutes. It's baby's way of increasing your supply to what they now need. It was exhausting but it did slow down and now we're back to 2-4 hours in between

I have no advice but am feeling similar. I hope it all gets better for you soon.

I got zero breast milk! Baffled countless professionals too - I did all I was told to do 🤷🏼‍♀️

You are doing amazing and well done for sticking it out this far. I was doing top ups with expressed milk at the start and it can be quite draining to feed, then pump, then feed the tops etc and all the cleaning/sterilising/prep and not forgetting all the time you have to out in tn all of it. I'd recommend seeing if there is anything I. Your diet that you can add in to increase your supply. I really found the Hotmama milk upstairs tea coconut water and eating porridge and whole wheat pasta helped. Also, try focus on when you get slightly more from pumping. I find I get loads more milk in the evening and again at 6am, so tend to just pump at 8pm and 6am now. All the best, it gets better xx

I’m also in the same boat, my baby (3 weeks old) had a tongue tie so would not latch well from the start. He destroyed my nipples the first week to the point I was about to give up! I’ve been using the nipple shields for about 2 weeks now and now I can’t feed him without them, he gets really stressed and can’t figure out how to suck without them and then starts screaming, so I have to put the shield back on. It’s getting really annoying having to constantly wash/ sterilise them - I need to wean off them but I don’t know how! One of the midwives told me that as they get bigger their mouths grow so hopefully latching will get a little bit easier.

Your story is exactly the same as mine and unfortunately I’ve had to give up breast feeding. My supply couldn’t catch up with what my baby needs and with my partner back at work I don’t have the time to feed and then pump as our boy is very clingy and will not be put down. Hope it works out for you

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