Breastfeeding newborn struggles

Have you tried feeding them laying down? This was shown to me in the hospital I was there 10 days with my baby as she was a month early and this really helped she was on the end for me but this helped teach her to go on more and now I feed her normal cradle hold and lay down depending what I’m doing

I’m so sorry you feel this way- breastfeeding is so hard in the beginning.
All I will say is hang in there- you’ve got this! The pain definitely sounds like a latch issue- reach out and get as much support as needed (lots of free local groups someone can watch you). I’d also recommend trying different positions until you find one that suits. Also, please please unlatch if it is painful after 15 seconds as it really shouldn’t be and slightly unhinged, but I have just found with mine (8 days old) that once they’ve opened they’re mouth, if you sort of shove them on with the last bit it helps to get a much deeper latch. If your partner helps to ensure baby’s neck isn’t twisted/in line and encourage you to relatch may also help.
For my first baby it took about 10 weeks to feel confident and she is thriving now. 8 days in this time I’ve fully cracked it just from following the above, but the first 4-5 days were hard. When your milk comes in it will be a lot easier- listen out for the gulps

Mama youre strong! I had the same exact issue. It was so painful even at the hospital, I cried when she would latch and I would nurse her through the pain in tears!! It was horrible! I’ve seen so many lactation consultants and they all said the latch was good but the PINCHING pain was horrible! I bled and had blisters. What helped me was switching to football position instead of cartel hold to let the nipple get a different angle so the wounds could heal, LOTS of nipple cream (on all the time, immediately after nursing, I had that cream in my pocket at all times) elvie catchers on all the time to catch let down and to prevent my nipples from touching fabric. Took me a few days to heal but once I started healing the pain with nursing went away. Try a shield too if you want to, you will still feel pain but not as much tho

I can’t believe I’m saying this but it does get easier… I was at my wits end… I’m still very tired from no sleep at night and the constant cluster feeding but at day 13 I can assure you that it gets slightly better… I’m using nipple shields and they’ve made breastfeeding easier for me… I also had to find a position that is comfortable for me… I hope you feel better soon… it’s a lot of work and you’re doing very well

It is really painful the first week or so, but it gets better! I am 4 weeks pp and my nipples are back to their normal state but the first week and a bit, they were bleeding and stinging. I had to wiggle my toes throughout feeds to distract myself. This can be a latch issue but can also just be because the baby is having to work hard to get the colostrum out and is feeding all the time to build up the supply. After a week you start to get milk come through. Many people quit at this stage thinking they don't have a supply or because of the pain, but if you can grit your teeth (literally) and push through this week, it should begin to ease up.

In the meantime, put a cold compress on after each feed (to reduce swelling and ease pain a bit), and a warm compress on before each feed (to help milk flow a little easier).

You may wake up in the coming days with very swollen breasts, a sign that milk supply has begun 😊

Im 3 weeks pp and struggling with same issues. Im crying constantly when it comes to feeding her and I feel so much pressure to exclusively BF. Im the past few days we have started combi feeding with formula. She gets 2 bottles a day at the moment and the relief i felt was instant.
Ive learnt to accept that my girl deserves a happy mum and as long as she is fed that's all that matters

I hate how they doctors say it shouldn’t hurt, it’s uncomfortable but it’s not supposed to hurt. But that’s a lie! Yes maybe some people didn’t go through the pain we all went through but yes for most of us it HURT! My 4 sisters say it was painful and mom too and she had 8 kids. So when LC told me it shouldn’t hurt I felt so invalidated, like I was doing something wrong, like it’s a me problem. But no, in reality it does hurt at the beginning but if you stick it out it gets better to the point where you don’t even feel it anymore and breastfeeding becomes this magical bonding experience. I thought I wasn’t going to make it, day 4 was the worst but I just had to battle through it and it got better. You got this mama!!

This happened to me. Day 1 my nipples got destroyed to the point I had to give a bottle to my baby to heal them as I had nipples lacerations. I now pump and give two formula bottles and that allowed me to have a few hours sleep a day (2-3). Things are getting better but still painful as I have some cracks still but can feed more times and the latch tends to be better more times then not. My baby is 2 weeks + 3 days and she does prefer the breast over a bottle for sure.

Her latch is not deep enough but there is help out there. I’m going through a consultant now that I feel a bit more confident but as much as sometimes it still a bit painful, it is nothing like the beginning. Keep working on it, going to feeding clinics and watching videos, or also get a LC and see how it goes.

Don’t be afraid of giving formula. I always said my baby will never starve and I needed the rest as well so I didn’t go down a route that would be hard to come out of. This are very emotional and sensitive

Times raising out little humans and rest, even if 2-3h hours a days is something and then you can build once you find a routine that works for you.

You are doing amazing and you got this ♥️

No issues. My girl does prefer the breast but she will take the bottle. We have been doing this since day one so not sure of it helped.

She is still learning but 3 weeks and 4 days and we are much better. Still struggle at times but majority is much better as we both learn together as we go.

I still pump when I can and try to feed on demand but she might have 1-3 bottles is 24h. If I can’t pump I make sure I give her the breast before the bottle and just do a smaller bottle so my breast knows she needs it.

Thank you for posting this. I'm 3 days in and my nipples are killing me. I dread feeding. 😫 these comments are helpful. 🙏

It will get better, once the milk comes in, baby will stop suckling so hard and sleep a little longer. They hurt now because the baby is signalling how much they want, then in a day or two you'll get full supply. It will take a little while for your breasts to heal, mine were so sore too! They've never seen so much attention. Do you have any family that can come sit with baby for a couple of hours while you rest? My baby wouldn't sleep anywhere but on someone. My sister would hold her wrapped in my dressing gown for mummy smells too keep her calm.

Also your hormones are plummeting around today, so you will feel very emotional. You have got this! Once the boobs heal in about a week, it'll be great as breastfeeding is easier in the long run if you can do it. Id recommend having some help for the first week or two so you can focus on the breastfeeding and sleep and somebody to chat to. Don't feel bad to ask for help x