Breastfeeding

Have you told your husband how you feel when he makes those comments? Your milk is all supply and demand so you will definitely make enough! In the beginning newborns are so slow because while nursing is natural it’s something neither you nor them have ever actually done before. They are learning how to eat for the first time just like you are learning how to feed. As they get older their mouth muscles get stronger and they get much more efficient! My first would take 45 min to an hour for each feed and I felt like all I was doing was feeding, burping, eating a snack myself and starting over. By the time she was 3 months old she was only eating for 15 min for a full feeding. With my second he was efficient early on and sometimes would get a full feeding in as little as 5-6 min. Newborns stomachs are so incredibly small and they burn a lot of the calories they are taking in while eating. Never push a feeding and just go by babies cues. Everytime you put him on the boob tells your body

(Continued lol) You need to make more milk! The more times you feed him the more your supply will grow AND your little guy will get stronger! It does get better. It’s slow at first but it does get better. You could reach out to a lactation specialist to have his latch evaluated and do a weighted feed to actually see that he is getting enough! You can do this! Tell your husband how hard this is and to not make the off handed comments because it only hurts. I had to do that with mine the first time around. He didn’t realize how much he was hurting me. You CAN do this! You’re a great mama already. 💕

Things will change. I won't lie and say it'll get better because I found it's an up and down journey. You'll hit speed bumps with supply/ feeding when you're ill, get your period or hit certain stages, however, it can get easier!

When you say your LO is feeding for an hour, are they continuously feeding or are they stopping for some time? If they're falling asleep or take a little while between suckling, keep tickling them to remind them.

You say you feel like they're still hungry - what signs are you getting? I'm asking as from experience if they have gas or silent reflux then duckling your boob might be them seeking comfort rather than being hungry. If you're pumping and topping up the feed, just remember whatever you pump your baby will generally get more out of your boob than what you pump.

Breastfeeding is hard enough and it sounds like your husband might be trying to help with doing bottles but might not be aware that his words are causing you upset. I'd really recommend talking to him

I really struggled with breastfeeding my first son. I had a really unsupportive partner and I ended up giving up breastfeeding altogether at 6 months. That relationship didn't last (there was A LOT of reasons why!), but with my second I have a more understanding and generally supportive partner. Sometimes he doesn't quite understand the pressure of things so I explain clearly what the issue is and how exactly he can help. If your husband is supportive in other areas, he might just be so unaware of the impact his words are having on you. If you're stressed with him, it will impact your breastfeeding journey and supply!

Please remember to be kind to yourself and if you're struggling please let your midwife know and maybe they can refer you to a lactation consultant for reassurance or guidance.

Breastfeeding is super hard so please be kind to yourself. You're doing an amazing job and feeding your baby! You got this mama 🩷

I was worried about my girl not getting enough, shes 4 weeks old now and exclusively breast fed. The midwives told me 10 minutes of feeding is enough for them at first, their stomachs are the size of a marble so they dont need that much. They also told me as long as they are producing enough wet nappies and a few dirty ones that is the sign that theyre getting enough milk. It really helped that my husband was present when I had help from the infant feeding team, maybe contact them and see if they can give you some advice and put them on speaker phone so he can hear it too? Breastfeeding is hard and you're doing amazing 👏 xx

Talk to your husband I think that’s the biggest concern.” I know you’re trying to helpful but you’re making me feel like…” “and I want to breastfeed my baby!

In terms of breast feeding. The baby might be pacifying most of the feed for comfort. And that’s absolutely okay!