Breastfeeding help am I doing something wrong?

[seamonkey419]

My baby is a week old today and no matter how often i nurse her she never seems satisfied and she continues to cry! I don't know what to do. We have seen a lactation consultant 2 times at the hospital and again yesterday and they both say she has a great latch and everything looks good but when I get home it's back to a fussy baby. Is something wrong with me am i doing something wrong?

[eema.gray]

With a wall, you want to be sure there is no space at all between the wall and matress.  Even if there's only a small gap, install a safety rail.  Newborns can get trapped unbelievably easy.  Are you familiar with the guidelines for healthy co sleeping?

Quoting seamonkey419:

i didnt think of that one thank u it already is against a wall. hopefully he'll be ok with it.

Quoting eema.gray:

Then what you do is put your bed tight against a wall or put a safety rail on your side, or install a "side car" crib on your side.  Set things up so that your body is always between yours and baby's.  Unless your boyfriend is rolling over you in his sleep, he won't have any contact with baby.

Quoting seamonkey419:

My bf won't go for that he doesn't want the baby sleeping in bed with us because he moves around alot. I've tried pumping but it hurts my boobs so much that i cant nurse her.

Quoting eema.gray:

If you can arrange things safely, give co sleeping a try and learn to nurse lying down on your side.  You'll still be aware of waking up, this early in the game, but it's still a lot more restful than having to physically get out of bed.

Quoting seamonkey419:

Im definately investing in a sling then I keep trying to work on school work but she wants to nurse. thanks for the help. we've been formula feeding her at night so we can get some sleep otherwise it just doesnt happen.

[LKRA]

Yes: expecting a baby like the ones you see in those damned Pampers commercials.

lol

Nurse her 24/7. This time is when the two of you are getting to know one another. Also, she is learning to nurse, and your body is learning to get used to someone attached to your boobs all the time. lol

Breastfeeding is natural, yes, but so is walking, and that has a learning curve, too. :)

As long as she has plenty of dirty diapers, nothing is wrong. Chances are good that she's just practicing for driving you batshit insane for the rest of your life. lol I should know: my daughter (who sounded like YOUR daughter that that age) is three and a PRO at it. Ha!

[Gruntlings]

As others have said, this is normal newborn behavior. Count the wet diapers and if baby is making more than 6 wet or messy diapers per 24 hours, baby's doing fine with intake. (A soaked diaper counts as two).

Newborns go through a lot of growth spurts where they nurse constantly. It's just how they are. It's good though because it locks in your supply and makes sure that your body knows how much to produce for baby.

[LKRA]

Oh!

There's another thing you're doing wrong. lol

No more formula, mama. That will send your supply into a nose dive straight to Formulaville.

As Dr. Newman once said "If you want sleep, you made your first mistake nine months ago."

:)

Quoting seamonkey419:

Im definately investing in a sling then I keep trying to work on school work but she wants to nurse. thanks for the help. we've been formula feeding her at night so we can get some sleep otherwise it just doesnt happen.

[shelley11709]

Don't look for satisfied. Just nurse nurse nurse! Diaper count is all you need to look for. A sling and cosleeping will help so much. I agree with getting rid of the bottles it will only hurt your nursing relationship at this point.
Baby is doing what a newborn does. Good luck mama!

[maggiemom2000]

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/turn-your-crib-into-cosleeper.html

Turn Your Crib into a CoSleeper

Thank you to infant health advocate, Jennifer Coias, for this informative video!

If video doesn't load, watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPqpbSoqvbQ


For more on the monumental benefits of sharing sleep with your baby, see the articles on this page: CoSleeping Review of Research 

Note: co-sleeping can take the form of bedsharing (sleeping on the same safe surface) or side-sleeping (within an arm's reach of baby). Both have physiological benefits for baby and mom, both foster a more effective breastfeeding relationship, and both protect from SIDS risks during the first year of life. At our home we use beds (on the floor) that are pushed together for ample, comfortable, safe sleeping space (first photo below). Like many others, we've never used a crib. However, if you already have a crib that you'd like to make use of, turning it into a co-sleeper is a fabulous idea.

Additional photo examples of how other parents have turned their crib into a side car co-sleeper:

[maggiemom2000]

Quoting seamonkey419:

Im definately investing in a sling then I keep trying to work on school work but she wants to nurse. thanks for the help. we've been formula feeding her at night so we can get some sleep otherwise it just doesnt happen.

Combination feeding is always an option. You should know though that it is going to be next to impossible to bring in a full milk supply for your baby when supplementing with formula like that.

The first few weeks with a newborn means no guarantees of sleep or a shower :-)

Plan on spending the next week doing nothing but nursing, 24/7. If you get a break for a couple hours now ans then, it is a bonus. It is hard, but the payoff big and well worth it!

Try to stick to 100% breastfeeding, around the clock for the first 4-6 weeks. Then if you want to combination feed with formula, or you want to EBF you really have all of your options open to you.

[YzmaRocks]

Have baby sleep on your side only. My hubby is a wild sleeper so baby only sleeps on my side where hubby can't accidentally roll on her or smack her with an arm or an elbow. She is 7 months and it has worked quite well for us. I also have her crib attached to my side of the bed.

Quoting seamonkey419:

My bf won't go for that he doesn't want the baby sleeping in bed with us because he moves around alot. I've tried pumping but it hurts my boobs so much that i cant nurse her.

Quoting eema.gray:

If you can arrange things safely, give co sleeping a try and learn to nurse lying down on your side.  You'll still be aware of waking up, this early in the game, but it's still a lot more restful than having to physically get out of bed.

Quoting seamonkey419:

Im definately investing in a sling then I keep trying to work on school work but she wants to nurse. thanks for the help. we've been formula feeding her at night so we can get some sleep otherwise it just doesnt happen.

[LKRA]

Off on a tangent: I am so pissed at Dr.Momma right now I could spit.

lol

OP: We had our daughter's crib sidecarred to our bed for awhile when she was a baby. Let me find a pic for you. :)

Quoting maggiemom2000:

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/01/turn-your-crib-into-cosleeper.html

[srbeusk]

Hahaha... I like that

Quoting LKRA:

Oh!

There's another thing you're doing wrong. lol

No more formula, mama. That will send your supply into a nose dive straight to Formulaville.

As Dr. Newman once said "If you want sleep, you made your first mistake nine months ago."

:)

Quoting seamonkey419:

Im definately investing in a sling then I keep trying to work on school work but she wants to nurse. thanks for the help. we've been formula feeding her at night so we can get some sleep otherwise it just doesnt happen.