breastfeeding questions

[di]

Hello ladies I have posted this on the breastfeeding board too, (sorry if you've already read it!) but just wanted this to get more exposure

my dd is 18 days old and i can't get her to take the breast. my main problems are:
1) I had a c-section, and the midwife made my breasts so sore by hand expressing before my milk came in that i was unable to offer the breast to dd for 4 days. (I am still really angry about this coz other midwives were much more supportive) As most of you probably know, having a
C-S can put you 1-2 days behind a Vag delivery for when milk comes in. Out of concern for dd's health I gave her a bottle... big mistake.
2) She is used to the bottle, and has been averaging 1 expressed feed per day via the bottle, but pumping is time consuming and frustrating, and
3) I really wish I could properly breastfeed her and I feel really sad that it's not happening
4) dd has to work harder to get the milk, so cries, makes me stressed, so I can't let down....

Is it too late? Would she learn to nurse this late? Is it worth even trying? I am thinking of going to a breastfeeding clinic on Thursday, but am in two minds about it. DD is doing great on the formula, but I want to nurse her. Obviously I have milk there because she IS getting some breastmilk sometimes.

I seem to have got a touch of the flu off dh too, which probably doesn't help.

Anyhow, any advice would be welcome: I am not easily offended (I know this can be a touchy issue) and although I am bottle feeding, I wish I was breastfeeding, so I can see both sides of the arguement.

Thanks
Di (Jazmin's Mum )

[HelenA]

I also had a C-section and it was 3 days before my milk came in, I had already decided to bottle feed, but maybe you could talk to a lactation consultant or health visitor/midwife about the BF issue? Other than that I can't really help but wish you good luck xx

[PamelaRose]

It's not too late at all; it may be more painstaking for both of you, but if it's important to you, you can certainly make it work. My breastfed baby did great with both bottle and breast, so it is possible to do both. Good luck!

[emily]

No! Definitely not too late! It is really hard to give advice over the internet, but there must be some resources available to you there. I had a hard time getting my baby to take the breast too in those early weeks. Many of us have struggled in the beginining but keep going and keep asking for help because you can do it!

[Kadinga]

My milk came in on day three after my CS, and at the same time I came off the pain killers and then discovered how poorly attached my determined little sucker had been and was so sore I screamed when she tried to suckle. I had to express for 48 hours, but my hospital is so anti-bottle that they wouldn't let me give it to her that way. Instead she was syringe fed (the syringe was about the same distance into her mouth as my nipple would have been, and while I was supposed to gradually squeeze it in, half the time she sucked it through unaided).

I put off going to a lactation clinic (here they are called "lactation day-stays" held at our maternity hospital) because I wasn't convinced that I was really dealing with the problems they could help me with. I eventually went when DD was 4 weeks old. I SO wished I had gone earlier. When I got the attachment right it was like flicking the switch off on the pain. It really was that immediate! After 4 weeks of crying, and wishing I could just drive myself into town to get a formula kit things finally fell into place.

These services exist to help anyone who needs it, and it made all the difference. Maybe if I had gone earlier I wouldn't have developed mastitis, which brings me to my next concern for you because it presented as flu to start with. It's very serious stuff and you should get checked out.

I really hope that you get through this, as breastfeeding is such a beautiful experience when it finally starts to work. Hang in there, but do get as much support as you can. You're not supposed to be a hero, the services exist to be used.

Amanda

[Janehh]

Di,
It's not too late. I know women who struggled for a couple of months and finally got the baby back on the breast. Definitely get some help--many of the lactation people really know their stuff, although be sure to listen to yourself if you think one is giving you bad advice. They can be kind of pushy and militant. I got some great help this time around and Suzy is finally getting most of her food from bfing. With my ds I got BAD advice and lots of guilt and it never worked.
If it's something important to you you should definitely pursue it!
Good luck,
Jane