4 weeks in and still struggling
Getting a bit disheartened and could really do with any words of advice or encouragement from anyone who’s been through similar!
I had my first baby 4 weeks ago. I’m EBF and we struggled with the latch from the start, as it’s shallow and painful. I have since seen a private lactation consultant twice and each time we’ve been able to achieve a deep latch and a comfortable feed immediately, so I know my daughter is able to do it.
I just can’t recreate it when I’m not with the LC. I don’t understand the chin first thing - my baby doesn’t always open her mouth wide when I bring her chin to the breast, and when she does, it doesn’t always result in a deep latch. When she does latch well, it’s only temporary - her latch gets shallower towards the end of a feed, or she’ll keep coming off the breast and have to relatch, which is tiring for us both.
She is gaining 300g per week (!) and has plenty of wet and dirty nappies, so she’s getting enough milk, which I know is the most important thing. But I am tired of being in pain. My nipples come out ridged or lipstick-shaped after a feed. I can’t relax during feeds as the pain is distracting.
I also worry about how upset my baby sometimes gets during feeds, when she has to unlatch and relatch over and over. I worry she’ll associate me with being stressed and it will affect our bond. I really want to keep breastfeeding but is it bad for her in the long run if she’s getting upset?
Is it worth booking another session with the LC? I haven’t been great at taking in information postpartum and I feel really stupid for not being able to recreate the latch, especially as the LC is pretty expensive. I feel like it’s all my fault and I just don’t know what to do 😞