Hi hun!
Sorry you had a difficult start of it, but really glad to hear you're getting support to make it work! BF is an art
that we shouldn't be expected to just know. It takes practise and some babies catch on straight away while others take their time. Definitley doesn't mean you won't be able to BF successfully, so hang in there and it sounds as if you're doing great!
I have a few questions though
My breasts were feeling really full and hard and then softened when I had expressed, but now they feel quite empty even right before I feed - is that normal? It feels like I have no milk!!
How long should they feed for at each feed? Isla tends to feed for 10 mins then falls asleep and only takes little sucks.
Do you offer both sides at each feed?
My lactation consultant is coming again tomorrow so I will have more support then . I am just so proud to have stuck with it since I thought of giving up a couple of times!! Thanks for your support ladies, and my DH has been so great too.
Right... The first few days or even the first week the breasts get engorged and feel really hard and full. That is mainly due to swelling in the breast tissue caused by th hormonal changes that occur when the milk comes in. So when that swelling goes down they will feel less full but that doesn't mean you'll have less milk so don't worry about this.
How long they feed for *really* varies between baby and baby. My DD1 for example, would feed for 45 mins up to an hr, while my DD2 has never fed for longer than about 5-6 mins. some are more efficient at getting the milk out and like to get it done quickly while others like to take their time. As long as you let her feed for as long as she wants, it's fine. For the first six weeks at least, I always recomment to feed on demand as that is a crucial time for building your milk supply. You'll also find that you go through several growth spurts (GS) where the LO builds the supply and they are very unpredictable (although often happen at about 10 days, 3/4 weeks, 12 weeks, 4mos...) so always feed when baby seems hungry and watch for hungry cues. Don't worry that sje fells asleep on the breas for now, she's so timy and they are very sleepy for the first few weeks. You can try to gently stroke her cheek or tickle her toes to see if she'll wake and take a little more milk, but at the end of the day they are just sleepy as newborns and this will pass and then you can work on separating feed and sleep if you wish to.
It varies whether they take/want/need both breasts or just one at each feed. I always single side fed in the beginning with both mine as they were content with that and wasn't interested in a second side once finished the first. Then I noticed when I needed to offer the second, when they started looking for more once finished on the first. This happened at about 4mos with DD1 and 9ish weeks with DD2. You can always offer the second side once you're sure she's done on the first to see if she wants it. Just make sure you let her finish the first properly so she gets to the hind milk.
Great to hear you'll be getting more support from the LC, and yes you should be proud of yourself for sticking with it. You're giving your LO a great gift and it's just so lovely isn't it to have them snuggled up and thriving and growing on something only you can provide for her
You're doing fab!
/Vick
