Already frustrated

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16GKFThnd2/?mibextid=wwXIfr This group is great for support. I hope things get easier for you xx

Did you see lactation? Did he lose >10% body weight?

Don’t give up yet- sometimes you can see lactation and they weigh your baby before and after you feed to make sure baby is getting enough milk. My milk came in day 3 and it’s fine. They only need colostrum at this stage

My milk took about a week to come in but did come in. My lactation consultant reminded me our nipples aren’t used to having something suckling and nursing there plus the moisture from saliva, even with the best latch it’s normal to have cracking and/or other signs of irritation from nursing in the first couple weeks. Much like our hands and feet must callous, our breasts adapt to nursing. I’m glad I kept going and nursed for almost 2 years. I’d just recommend seeking advice from lactation and trusting yourself and your body.

the lactation consultant had me pump in the hospital between feeds because my baby had jaundice too and needed more milk to flush it out of his system. it reallyyyy helped especially with my milk supply!

Honestly don’t give up if you’re wanting to carry on but also don’t feel guilty for stopping. I had cracked nipples but it honestly does go away! Lansinoh nipple balm is your best friend lather it on like no tomrorow constantly! The babies can feed with it on too! He should be getting enough! You’ll likely wake up in the next couple of days engorged but just keep feeding as often as you can xx

@Samantha I just tried pumping for 10 minutes and barely got anything. I know it's only day 2 but it wasn't enough for any sort of bottle.

@𝕁𝕒𝕕𝕖𓆉 they're already bleeding and scabbing from him feeding.

@Roz he went from 7.2 to 6.7ish within 24 hours.

I really don't want to use a nipple shield again because I feel like they messed up my supply with my other kids. I never got the saliva to help and just never ended up making enough.

@Annika mine scabbed and bled for weeks and every time baby nursed she would take the scab off and the cycle would repeat but with time they did toughen up. Everyone is different and their body is different so only do what you’re comfortable with.

@Annika honestly you’re not going to on day 2 especially if your milk hasn’t come in, did you get anything at all? X

@𝕁𝕒𝕕𝕖𓆉 did your nipples look a little pinched every time she was done? It hurts quite a bit when he nurses and its been the same with my others

@Beth I got a tiny amount from pumping, maybe 20mls? He's nursing again now and i felt a small letdown happen

You're 48 hours in, your milk could still be a couple of days away. Jaundice is normal and most, if not all babies get a touch of it. We did delayed cord cutting and baby had jaundice for a while. I just kept latching her at least every 3 in the day and 4 in the night. We almost had to be admitted because her levels were higher than they would have liked. Their stomachs are also still really small, still the size of a cherry on day 2. If your nips are flat, I do believe that's not the best sign. My girl had the smallest little mouth and my nips seemed so big in comparison. Feeding hurt for the first couple of weeks but we pushed through and are still going almost a year later.

@Kirsten my nipples are a little flat, but im able to "pull them out" by just stimulating them before latching.

https://www.instagram.com/bubsandboobsco?igsh=cG0zcGhrOTR5MWli This boob balm is literally a miracle in a tub. I cried with every feed for 11 weeks because my nipples were so cracked and just didn’t get a chance to heal. 2 days of this stuff and it’s been pain free ever since. My little one is now 14 weeks and BF is an enjoyable experience. You don’t have to wipe it off for feeds but I did because it was quite strong smelling stuff. My little one was also jaundice and lost a lot of birth weight, I had to BF and then give him top up feeds with expressed milk. Keep going mama, you’re doing amazing, you got this 🩷

@Annika that’s amazing! That literally is a full bottle for a 2 day old baby! Xx

@Annika sorry, I meant pinched. If they look pinched after a feed it typically indicates that the bike isn't reaching babies soft palette.

@Kirsten that's what im struggling to understand. When he goes to open and latch, he opens super wide and gets in there but somehow its not deep enough. I just don't know if my nipples are too short or something.

@Annika it's a whole thing mumma. Baby might be opening wide, but that doesn't mean they're getting enough skin in there. It's not just the nipple that goes in, they should be getting a decent chunk of areola too. You are only a few days in and your nips wouldn't be used to the constant stimulation and friction. We were told nose to nipple when lining them up for a feed.

@Annika we later found out she had a tongue and lip tie that we treated but by that point the scabbing and bleeding and things stopped. I do remember the tips of mine having like a whitish or lighter colored line basically on the tip of the nipple from the main place the pressure was pulling to and meeting with the back of babies mouth or something I guess. 🤷‍♀️ just do what’s best for you and your body, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, trust your body and do what makes you most comfortable.

@Annika also seeking advice from lactation as previously mentioned

I hear a lot of people say they have trouble with breast-feeding at first I was so lucky and grateful to have a very quick learner and a very simple latch. My daughter got it so quickly I can say I was blessed but once my milk came in that’s when my nipple started cracking and I got so full that it didn’t even look like I had a nipple cause they were too swollen for her to even latch onto, I had to literally hand express to get out all the excess milk before my baby could eat so I was giving her a bottle after the first three days at the hospital once I came home for a day and a half and I was so sad to have to do that Then it regulated

My son was diagnosed with tongue tie AND lip tie. He had jaundice bc he wasn’t getting enough milk so I know how you feel. Stay encouraged and do what YOU feel comfortable with!

Hugs mama. I do recommend triple feeding at least a few times per day to help with supply and with baby’s weight. Both my newborns had bad latch, it got better when their mouths got bigger

My girls latch was perfect, but it was still very painful for the first 10 days to 2 weeks. After that it was soooo much better. My girl also lost a lot of weight as my milk took 4 days to come in. We topped up with formula, but only after offering breast. We did this for a day or two, once my milk came in, we didn’t need to and she caught up quickly. X

20mls is loads! Especially when you consider you're already feeding him from the source, and only 2 days in. His stomach is the size of a walnut, about 20mls, so that's a full feed! ! Colostrum IS milk, so don't worry about when it "comes in", what you're feeding now is fine. If he needs more milk, and you're wanting to bring yours in quickly the best thing is to latch him as much as possible, feeding formula at this point may delay this as you're not signalling to your body to make more milk. Sounds like you could benefit from some specialised support if you're getting pain when feeding the nipples are looking pinched when done, a lactation consultant would be the best thing, preferably IBCLC

What I learned was it takes a few days for milk to really come in and it makes life a lot easier if you supplement the first 48 hours to make sure baby is full and to avoid constant latching and scabbed nipples.