I was actually feeling good about myself and proud of myself for finally being able to nurse my baby. I went 2 full days without having to supplement him with formula! I should've known better than to get all excited. Tonight I nursed for close to 3 hours straight and the baby was still screaming because he was hungry. I finally broke down and gave him 2oz of formula and now I feel like a bad mom. My nipples are super sore, I'm exhausted and now I'm sitting here feeling depressed because I can't seem to feed my child properly. To top it off, dd has decided not to go to sleep and is camping out in my bedroom. I tell her to be quiet and she gets louder! Dh is trying to study for a huge test he has on Thursday and she won't leave him alone either :mad Will this night ever end?

Don't feel like a bad mom! I wanted so badly to exclusively breastfeed my son but my body just wouldn't cooperate. Therefore, I had to supplement my son with soy formula and soon all I was able to feed him was soy formula, since I wasn't able to produce enough breastmilk. Don't feel bad....you'd much rather see your child eat than have him starving right?

was he properly latched? could be the reason for the sore nipples.....also, there are things you can do to increase your milk supply....first and foremost you should be ddrining alteast 2-3 quarts of water a day....just that does amazing things to a milk supply....

Don't get down on yourself and don't feel bad. Breasts work on the basis of supply and demand. It could be that your baby is nursing for that long because he's trying to build your supply. This stage doesn't usually last for long, maybe a few days. For those few days it will feel like baby is attached continuously but he's doing what comes natural and your breasts should respond by increasing your supply. Even babies who are breastfeeding well go through these stages right before or as they hit a growth spurt. They recommend nursing as often as possible during these times. You need to make sure that you take good care of your nipples during this time. No soap on them, you can use lanolin (found at Walmart in the nursing section) which is safe to leave on even when baby nurses and helps to moisturize your nipples. Make sure that your nipples stay dry. The soreness should pass. I went through periods of being hurting especially when we went through a growth spurt.

A few things to help increase your supply naturally - water is the main thing, oatmeal, Mother's milk tea and fenugreek.

I hope that you contnue with the nursing but don't feel like a failure if you can't. The important thing is that you and baby are happy. I know with me I was on a mission to nurse and I wanted to be successful at it. But I have bottle fed babies as well and they turned out healthy also.

:hugs

Don't get down on yourself and don't feel bad. Breasts work on the basis of supply and demand. It could be that your baby is nursing for that long because he's trying to build your supply. This stage doesn't usually last for long, maybe a few days. For those few days it will feel like baby is attached continuously but he's doing what comes natural and your breasts should respond by increasing your supply. Even babies who are breastfeeding well go through these stages right before or as they hit a growth spurt. They recommend nursing as often as possible during these times. You need to make sure that you take good care of your nipples during this time. No soap on them, you can use lanolin (found at Walmart in the nursing section) which is safe to leave on even when baby nurses and helps to moisturize your nipples. Make sure that your nipples stay dry. The soreness should pass. I went through periods of being hurting especially when we went through a growth spurt.

A few things to help increase your supply naturally - water is the main thing, oatmeal, Mother's milk tea and fenugreek.

I hope that you contnue with the nursing but don't feel like a failure if you can't. The important thing is that you and baby are happy. I know with me I was on a mission to nurse and I wanted to be successful at it. But I have bottle fed babies as well and they turned out healthy also.

:hugs


Very well said. Don't feel bad. Its all still an adjustment period for everyone. ihope your daugerter finally decided to go to sleep and you got some quite

:hugs It can be a hard adjustment. Just keep trying. If you end up bottle feeding that is ok too. You might want to try pumping also and feed him pumped milk once or twice a day wi th breadt feeding so he really gets the idea and wants breast milk. Good luck sweetie and keep trying.

Hang in there-It WILL & does ghet easier-Stay positive sweety!:goodvibes :hugs

Hang in there-It WILL & does get easier-Stay positive sweety!:goodvibes :hugs

Thanks everyone, you have given some great advice! After the bottle he finally went to sleep but woke up about every 2 hours and I nursed him each time I woke up. It just gets to be so exhausting sometimes :freakout Ericka finally fell asleep around midnight but woke up bright and early at 7 am. Let's hope they both decide to take good naps today!

:hugs
I hope you get some sleep today!

What S'te said is great advice. Does your base hospital offer a BFing support group or class? I know Balboa does here.

I hope you can get some rest. Hang in there - You are a great mom.