you're not a whinger. i don't think there are too many that find BFing to be a complete breeze or at least as easy as they might expect! that's why we're all here to listen & let you know that it's okay not to love it & that we'll support you through the tough days.
I'm at work hun, so have to be quick, but wanted to say it sounds like you're doing an amazing job! I also needed to use nipple shields for the first 12 weeks or so of BF so totally get what a PITA they can be!
But one tip my LC gave me which turned out to make life much easier was to hand express a few droplets of milk around the edge of the shield before you start. Doing this makes it much, much easier to keep the shield in place because the moisture holds it there iykwim. It also means it's less work for bubs to get a let down (which a shield can make a bit more difficult) and they can smell the milk so are more inclined to attach without the battle.
Hope this helps, hang in there, I know it's hard to believe at this point it time but it will get easier... It just happens very slowly, but in 6 weeks you'll be looking back and think OMG how far have we come. GL
Good on you for sticking with it, I can see that you really want it to work. You're not a whinger at all! That's what we are here for. Hope it sorts itself out soon xo
Couldn't read and not post- he doesn't hate you mumma, but you do sound frustrated. It sounds like it's been a tough journey already, so I just wanted to remind you what an amazing job you've been doing- looking at your ticker, you've made it to 6 weeks! That's amazing, you've stuck out one of the toughest periods, you're a strong woman!
You mentioned he feeds better when you're in public- can you see anything you're doing differently during those times?
Although we didn't have any attachment issues, DS had difficulty with my fast flow (particularly on one side due to torticollis, he couldn't 'catch me')- 2 things I did helped. The first was expressing a little before feeding so the 'shoot out' happened before he could get shot, and the other was burping a couple of times every feed (with a cloth nearby to catch the leaks). It made feeding a time consuming process, but I changed my thinking to using it as 'cuddle time' I wouldn't have had otherwise. (wriggles and all)
And....sometime between 8-12 weeks, my flow settled down, so it didn't go quite so quickly. It allowed both of us to relax a lot more.
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you're not a whinger. i don't think there are too many that find BFing to be a complete breeze or at least as easy as they might expect! that's why we're all here to listen & let you know that it's okay not to love it & that we'll support you through the tough days.
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