i need help asap!

[@llli*epicmommyof2]

My son is now 2 weeks old and ive been breastfeeding him until 2 days ago. I feel like i have a low supply of milk he feeds for an hour and 10 minutes later he'll be hungry again. So my mom bought some formula for him to ensure hes eating and he looks like hes doing alot better on the formula then on my breastmilk . I also have been going through pain the entire time ive been breastfeeding and i havent stopped but instead have been pupming to make sure he still gets some breastmilk as much as possible and also to give my nipples sometime to heal cause theyve been extremely raw and sore and it was starting to burn when i fed him and i was using a nipple shield due to the pain, but now that i have stopped and have only been pumping to keep my supply up i have been engorged and on top of that my nipples feel as if they are on fire, they hurt more when engorged so ill pump and the burning still continues while i pump and then goes down to where it still hurts but barley but then once again will start hurting when my breast get full again, i dont know what to anymore ive tried everything, from warm compresses to cold compresses, ive tried using the lansinoh but doesnt seem to be helping the burning, ive also tried hot showers, ive done everything i can possibly think of. My mom and hubby say to stop but i dont want to, ill feel like a faliure if i do, i dont want to give up on my son and i dont want to be in this pain either, its come to the point where anything my breasts come in contact with they start to burn i cant even walk without them burning since they rub inside the bra and on the nursing pads, it hurts to have him close to me while carrying him this is destroying me i dont know what to do someone please help me, for i dont want to give up .

[@llli*epicmommyof2]

also thought i should add that gel pads dont help either

[@llli*auderey]

hi mama! congratulations on your new baby, and on struggling through to breastfeed!

i hope someone else will comment on the burning nipples, but first i want to reassure you that eating ALL THE TIME is just what newborn babies do. breastmilk digests very very fast so it is COMPLETELY normal for them to eat for an hour and be hungry again in 10 minutes. the best thing to do then is just settle in a comfortable chair with a book or a computer and nurse nurse nurse. keep swithcing sides if baby still wants more. put your mom and DH to work bringing you food, doing laundry and dishes, and all that. for at least the first month, your job (ideally) is only to feed the baby.

when you give a bottle of formula, not only do you risk baby developing a preference for the fast flow and lazy eating from the bottle, but also you tell your body that you need to make less milk. this will eventually become a cycle and you will lose what supply you do have.

and a few questions:
when you say it looks like he's doing better on formula, what exactly do you mean?
has anyone ever helped you with latch? like an IBCLC or LLL leader?
what kind of a pump do you have? is it new? how much (frequency, volume) are you pumping?
how much formula is baby getting?
is baby gaining weight?
is baby having at least 5-6 wet diapers per day, and 4 poops?

[@llli*mommal]

Good advice from the PP.

Often moms start supplementing when they don't have to. The best quick gauge of milk intake is diaper output: if your baby was having normal output of wet and poopy diapers prior to supplementing, then you didn't need to supplement. However, when mom is in pain throughout the feeding and even afterwards, that implies that something is going on which needs to be looked at. Therefore, I'd really like you to pick up the phone book and find a lactation consultant, preferably an IBCLC. Nothing beats hands-on help when you have a problem with a new baby!

Please assert yourself with your DH and your mom. Tell them that they need to support you, and pushing you to stop is not the support you need. You need them to do the dishes and the laundry and the diaper changes, and to tell you that you are doing a fabulous job and that you are a great mom. Nothing else.

At the very least, they must stop pushing you to stop. Because right now you can't. If you are getting engorged and are experiencing burning pain, there's a real possibility of a breast infection setting in and the best way to prevent that from happening is to drain the breast frequently and completely.

Definitely talk to the LC about thrush, make sure she checks baby for tongue tie (you may want to talk to your pediatrician about this), and have her observe a nursing session and a pumping session. Make sure you're using the right pump and that you have properly sized shields. You may want to rent a scale and do some before and after feeding weight records to determine how much your baby take in over the course of a feeding.

[@llli*esthervegan]

Greetings epicmommyof2!
When I saw your post and when I read about your pain symptoms I felt as though you were describing the signs of thrush.
Your level of discomfort points to thrush. Your baby might not have any symptoms, but you sound as though you do.
I have had thrush but my baby was older so he had symptoms too.
Thrush is a common yeast imbalance affecting the nipple.
There is plenty of information available on this website about thrush.
Good luck!

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

This does sound like thrush, and I would suggest getting treated and starting to nurse directly instead of pumping. Pumping means you have to sterilize all kinds of stuff on top of pumping and feeding.

[@llli*mer.mer]

I agree with PP. Just wanted to say that the nursing pattern sounds very similar to my DS. He nursed ALL THE TIME. Get others to help do whatever needs to be done and leave the rest. This will go by so quick and then you'll be wishing he was still that small. I do at only 5mos. I also thought that the engorgement means your making plenty he is just nursing so consistently that it doesn't feel like anything is in there. I went through feeling the same thing and I actually have OS. I can't help with the thrush issue other than to seek help. Side note on the nipple shield. It worked great for us with the nipple pain for a few weeks and then it started to burn and be very painful with the shield. I decided that since it wasn't helping with the pain I wasn't using it regardless of how painful it was without it and that is how I got rid of my shield. My nipples off and on healed got worse for about 3 maybe 4 weeks but we've been good since then.

[@llli*proverbs.wife]

I am sorry to hear about all your problems, isn't great how the whole pregnancy we are told bf is natural, easy and painless..... all lies at first. My daughter is 7 weeks and it is starting to get better, but I also have the burning sensation. I was checked for thresh because I had mastitas, but nothing was found, I was then told that I may have Reynolds phenomenon. You may want to look into that, but I hope things start to get better for you.