Breastfeeding Diary

Breastfeeding diary from a first time mum, determined to master breastfeeding! Im taking it one day at a time. Manchester,England.

[breastfeedingandme]

Week 7 - Tough week

It's been a tough week, baby E is having a growth spurt. So it's been non stop feeding. The health visitor came round and was not very friendly. She gave me a lecture on routine, interacting with baby E and tummy time. After she left I felt like crap, but at least that's the last visit. I've not been able to stick to any plans this week, which has been really frustrating! Someone at breastfeeding group said, "when they are having a growth spurt and you're feeding all the time, it's easier to just give in to them. Get comfortable and put a good film on. It's what your baby need". It's very good advice. Getting her weighed next week and she's out growing her clothing. So that's a positive.

[breastfeedingandme]

Week 6 - Still going and happy

I've been out and about a lot more this week, meeting local mums and going to baby group. I’m still feeding her on demand and there are some patterns forming. She seems to have regular times for feeding in the morning and at night but during the day is still random. Baby E throws up little amounts but sometimes it's a lot more, she never seems upset by it though. I feel there is a certain amount of expectation to move onto expressing milk for baby E, but I’m not ready to stop breastfeeding her yet. I have done a little research into expressing and I think I will introduce bottles before I go back to work. Feeding is going really well although I’m still leaking a lot and I might have to start taking a change of top with me when I'm out. We’ve had our 6 week check up at the doctors and we’re both doing great.

[breastfeedingandme]

Week 5 - Established breastfeeding

This week I've noticed Baby E is not opening her mouth as wide anymore, especially when latching on to the left side. I was out in Altrincham when she needed to feed and found Boots had a mother and baby room. It was somewhere private with a chair so I could feed her. She is doing more cluster feeding in the evening, then sleeping for 4 hrs usually at night. All of a sudden the let down pain in the left has gone and baby E is not pulling away as much. We're making progress. Finally starting to enjoy feeding her and having her close to me is amazing. Went to the baby clinic and she is 8.3 lbs, I knew she was heavier but I was not expecting that weight gain. I'm so pleased with her and myself. We're in established breastfeeding now, feels great! I'm so happy I stuck at it and that I'm giving baby E the best start in life.

[breastfeedingandme]

Week 4 - Getting easier...I think

My supply finally feels like it's levelling out, I don't feel as over full in either breast anymore. I’ve still got a strong let down on the left side which feels like daggers stabbing me in the breast, whenever baby E latches on. She has started to cluster feed a lot before bedtime, which is very draining. Trying to rest and eat in between cluster feeding is hard going. At the end of it all I’m shattered and praying she will stop and let me sleep. There is a bonus, baby E usually will sleep for 3 – 4 hrs straight after a cluster feed session. A couple of nights ago I made the mistake of feeding her on the left side for 5 short sessions because it was uncomfortably full. I woke up in the middle of the night with a searing pain in my right breast and it was huge. I took Ibuprofen and used a cold compress to reduce the swelling, but I couldn't sleep. The next morning I felt awful all day - very achy and drained. New rule - no more than 2 or 3 sessions on the same side in a row, no matter how short the sessions. The night feeds are taking their toll on me. I honestly don't know how much longer I can do this for. I’ve been researching into expressing, how to do it, when to do it and how long for. I need to leave it for a little bit longer so baby E is established in breastfeeding. Still pulling on left breast and laying down to feed her which helps a little but she still pulls a lot and makes my nipple sore. By the end of the week things are a lot better and I’m more comfortable.

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[breastfeedingandme]

Tell me about it!☺

[breastfeedingandme]

Week 3 - A mixed bag

Baby E is coughing and pulling away whenever she is on my left breast. She does not feed well from the left and she’s not staying latched on for long. My left breast is getting uncomfortably full again. The next day she was pulling away from both – it was making both my nipples really sore. I thought I was doing well and had overcome most problems faced by breastfeeding. I’ve been thinking about all the restrictions on me because I'm exclusively breastfeeding and I’m now wondering how I can keep going until she is 6 months or longer. Expressing my breast milk is definitely an option for the future. I’ve decided to look into using a different hold other than the cradle, the rugby ball hold seems the next best one. It works really well on the left. The next day my husband and I, took baby E out for lunch in Sale, I knew I would have to breastfeed her in public. We walked down the canal and stopped at The Bridge for a drink. She started to wake up and wanted a feed, time to use the cover-up. I found a comfy chair in a little corner of the pub and just started feeding her. We walked back down the canal and headed to Verace Kitchen in Sale town centre and I was halfway way through my pizza, when she wanted feeding and I just used the cover-up and had no issues. After we had a good day, a bad day followed I started feeling feverish and had a headache, so I automatically thought it was Mastitis again. I was so upset at the thought of going through it again. I carried on feeding her, even though I felt awful. I used a cold compress on both breasts to reduce the swelling and took Ibuprofen. The night feeds were bad but I got through with her pulling at my breasts. I knew of a breastfeeding support group at The Life Centre in Sale, so I decided to go and discuss my issues. I met some lovely mothers and I got some great advice to put into practice. The leader Jackie told me that she is pulling and fusing at the breast because the flow is too fast and I should let gravity help by laying down flat. So the next time I fed her on the left I tried it out and baby E was happy to feed. By the end of the week I was feeling happier, we had another family trip out with a picnic at Dunham, where I sat and fed her for 20 minutes. Everything is going well again. ☺

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 14 - Through the other side

I’m starting to realise just how dedicated and determined you have to be to breastfeed your baby. Although it's the most natural thing in the world and women’s bodies are designed to provide for their baby, there are a few obstacles to overcome. Pain, discomfort, swelling and infection, but if you can stick at it and get through it's a real achievement. I think I'm through the other side and feel comfortable breastfeeding baby E . My cover up scarf came today and I’m hoping to venture out next week to feed her out in public, if I need to. 10 sessions 176 mins (2.9 hrs)

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 13 - Not a good day

She has started to pull away and fuss more at the left breast, which really hurts and makes my nipple sore. The left breast is definitely a fast flow, she must pull to slow it down, no idea what I can do to help. The let down pain from the left is even stronger and feels like daggers stabbing me. I’m starting to feel like feeding baby E on my own all the time, is turning into a chore. I’m not enjoying it, I’m interacting with her less, which makes me feel sad. But I will continue as baby E is happy and content. Happy baby happy mum. 10 sessions 213 mins (3.55 hrs)

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 12 - First trip out

Today we’re out for lunch with my family. I fed her a few times before we set off, thinking I could fill her up and she might sleep for the whole meal. She nearly woke up about halfway through, so we changed her and she soon drifted off again. She lasted till just after pudding then woke up and cried for feeding, so we took our leave. We drove home with her screaming and crying in the car, real tears and everything. It was like she was being murdered. After a short drive she drifted off for a little bit and as soon as we got in the door, I fed her. I kept thinking if I had a nursing cover I could have fed her at the meal. I feel ready to feed her out and about, so I ordered a nursing scarf online. I’m feeding her really well now, the let down is still a very strong pain on the left but it doesn’t last more than 30 seconds or so. 16 sessions 334 mins (5.5 hrs).

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 11 - First full day on my own

My first full day on my own without my husband to help. I knew he would have to go back to work at some point. I was very apprehensive, but I’m much more relaxed when I’m feeding her now, so I’ll be fine. I’m leaking a lot more than normal today, I cant keep anything dry, going through a lot of breast pads. Other than that I’m feeding her well and starting to feel like a proper mum, I can do this! Time to buy a breastfeeding cover up and think about getting out and about more, feeding her in public. The Midwife is due round today to weigh baby E, she does feel heavier. She weighs in at 6.7lbs, the Midwife was pleased with her progress and said, “keep doing what your doing, it’s working well”. 6 sessions 111 hours (1.8 hrs)

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 10 - Longest feed, so far!

As if by magic the next day both breasts felt full, but not too full. My fever was better, I didn’t have a headache or any achy feelings. The tablets and continuing to breastfeed was working. Up until now her longest time feeding was 39 mins, well she smashed that record with 1hr 22 mins on the breast. 9 sessions totalling 278

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 9 - Feed, Feed, Feed

Baby E had regular feeds through the day and slept well in between. I felt sick from the tablets so I didn’t have a lot to eat during the day and not much for dinner either. After her normal dinner time feed, which was a good 30 mins, she wanted more and more and more. She was feeding non-stop from 8pm til 2am, only stopping for changing and winding. Half way through the night I was preparing the left breast with a hot flannel, I latched her on and she kept pulling off. I tried to hand express some and nothing was coming out. My left breast felt empty, no milk, not a drop. I started to panic. I was already starting to feel like I couldn’t keep up with refuelling before feeding and sleeping in between. After my husband calmed me down and told me to try the other side, she latched on fine and settled in to feed. 16 sessions totalling 324 mins (5.4 hrs)

[waiting-4-baby]

In the beginning…

As long as I can remember I’ve always had the fairytale dream…. I’d grow up, find my Prince Charming and fall in love, we’d get married in a big castle and have lots of babies… Well, after kissing a few frogs, I did find my Prince and fall in love. We bought our own castle (well house) and got engaged but unfortunately for us, that’s where my fairytale goes array. You see, for last four years we’ve been trying to get pregnant. I always thought getting pregnant would be easy, but for us, it’s a struggle. After a couple of years of trying we decided to visit the doctor. We had all the tests and examinations done and we told that everything was normal. We were classed as having “unexplained infertility” and were referred to the NHS infertility clinic. It took us another two years before we were seen by the NHS and even more tests we’re carried out. Four weeks later we were back for the results. Sitting there in the waiting room, waiting for our name to be called gave us chance to think about the possibilities, what the future may or may not bring us. Deep down I still didn’t think anything was wrong. When we met our consultant I felt at ease, she was friendly and down to earth, she even had a joke with us whilst we were answering even more questions….no, we don’t do drugs, no, we haven’t had any failed pregnancies, no, we don’t drink excessively…

My fiancé got his results first, it turns out he has super sperm, so no problem there. Next it was my turn. She told me my eggs were low and that IVF would be the way to move forward. Although, I can get pregnant naturally, hearing that my eggs are low came as a huge shock. I’m only 32, I thought I had years ahead of me, turns out nature thinks differently. So here we are, 32, engaged and trying for a baby.

Over the next 3 months, we’ll be moving house, getting married and starting IVF. Some may say we’re mad doing the three most stressful things at the same time, but that’s just the way things have fallen. The rest of 2017 will be a stressful time, but with great family and friends, and my supportive future husband, I’m sure we’ll be ok. Until next time Xx

[breastfeedingandme]

My friends new blog about her struggles to have a baby

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 8 - Getting better

My Mastitis is a lot better and I’m continuing to feed on the left side, which is really helping, but I’m exhausted physically and emotionally. I also think her cluster feeding last night eased both breasts and helped to drain them. After finding out I had Mastitis, I decided I needed to alternate baby E’s feeding between my breasts, so that each breast could be properly drained. I took more paracetamol for the pain before a feed and just rested all day. 8 sessions totalling 194 mins of feeding time (3.2 hrs)

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 7 - Mastitis

I had flu like symptoms today and straight away I knew it was Mastitis. I booked in with the Doctor, who confirmed what I thought and prescribed some antibiotics which I had to take for a week. I started taking the tablets as soon as I picked them up. Today was tough as all of a sudden I had a very hungry baby on my hands. I used a hot flannel before every feed on the left side to start the flow and took Ibuprofen for the pain. She did her longest time on the breast of 39 mins! And after that fed from 11 pm until 1pm, totalling 62mins of feeding time. Only stopping to be winded and changed. That was her first cluster feeding session. My snacks and bottles of water were very useful that night! Always make sure you have plenty of water and snacks prepared. I was tracking her feeding manually, and thought there must be a breast feeding app. I found one called Baby Manager, which had good review and was used for not only tracking breastfeeding but sleep, nappies, weight and lots more. I just use it for breastfeeding monitoring and weight, but if you’re anal like me, the charts are good. They can show you average feeding duration, total daily feeding duration and feedings per day. Great app, I love it. 7 sessions totalling 152 (2.5 hrs)

[breastfeedingandme]

Mastitis treatment

[breastfeedingandme]

Day 6 - Painful Breasts

I woke up to my left breast being as hard as a rock, it was so painful just getting out of bed. Again this was more breast engorgement on the left side. I read online that hand expression might relieve some of the pressure as well as massage and a hot flannel to start the flow. So before I fed her on the left I tried hand expression and a hot flannel, it definitely helped. Once again I had support from my husband, who said I needed to try my best to relax whilst feeding on the left as baby E can sense I’m not relaxed and that’s why she does not feed as well on that side. He stayed with me and we did some breathing techniques, that we learnt at Hypnobirthing, to help me through the pain. We had the midwife round today and she weighed baby E , who had only lost 1oz from her birth weight of 6.5lbs. The midwife was amazed at how little she lost and she must be feeding well. I managed 6 sessions totalling 85 mins (1.2 hrs).