BF moms, does it ever get easier???

my dd is 2 weeks today and I have been having a really hard time with bf'ing. I just dont think I knew how much work it was going into it, I just always knew I wanted to do it for the baby.
The cuts on my nipples are slowly healing and my milk is finally coming in better but the feedings every 2-3 hours are really killing me. When do they start feeding less often? I feel like I am trapped in my house b/c I don't have enough milk pumped yet to leave for more than 2 hours. Plus sometimes she gets hungry after 1 hour so I am afraid to leave. I also don't feel comfortable feeding her in front of people besides my husband, mom, and mil so it makes it hard to visit people or have people visit and make any plans. Has anyone else felt this way? I feel bad having someone come visit and then having to leave the room to feed the baby for a half hour if she gets hungry.
To top it all off my dr. still wants me to wake her thru the night to feed b/c he wants to be sure she gains enough weight. Half the time I find myself falling asleep while feeding and get so nervous.
I keep hearing it gets easier but I don't see how. Am I always going to feel like I am on call to her all day??
sorry thanks for vent.

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

First off . BF is hard work and applaud you for wanting to do it. And I completely know where you're coming from. There were times when DS was going through a growth spurt when he would eat every hour or two for 20-30 minutes at a time. And it was rough. But I promise it did get better and I managed to keep it up for 5 months. I also went back to work part time after only three weeks, so I had the added pleasure of having to nurse and pump. If you really get stuck, or really need a break from it all, there is nothig wrong with giving the baby a bottle of formula every now and then. You can use that as a back up plan. But i assure you, the baby will get faster at nursing and on a more predictable schedule in the next few weeks.

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

it does get easier.

But, while every baby is different, Sasha is 4 months old and still nurses (on average) every 2 hours during the day.

I leave the room when people are over, or go somewhere else if I am at someone's house. I will nurse in some public places (with a cover), but not just anywhere.

I have a freezer supply, but I dont think it's good-- I defrosted different batches, and I am just one of those people whose BM goes bad in the freezer. So, I am chained to DD pretty much-- with the exception of one bottle, so I *could* get out for 4 hours or so. I pump twice a day, so I have about 2 bottles or so worth in the fridge at all times.

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

It will get easier... hang in there.

My DD is 4 weeks and for the most part is now eating every 3-4 hours. For the first 2.5-3 weeks, she was eating every hour and half and occasionally she stills wants to eat more often. It was torture. I was constantly leaving the room to feed her if people were over and was usually gone like 45 minutes at a time, but I had to feed her and everyone understood.

I have been pumping and storing, but I haven't left the house for any length of time yet. I'm going to try to introduce a bottle this weekend so I can escape every now and then. I have cabin fever so badly right now.

You are not alone.

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

It gets easier but the feeding will be alot for a while Im not going to lie to you. I felt the same way with DD #1 and it got so bad I had PP from it. With DD#2 I have decided to give formula when Im away and 1 bottle before bed. I am a better mom for it she loves it and we are both happy. Its npt foreveryone but I hate pumping and I dont want PP again.. the feeling of being trapped sucks and I dont feel that way doing it this way..

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

I t definitely gets better. My DD is 3 months, and while i do still fed her about every 2 hours, she goes to bed at 10 and sleeps till 6, when i wake her, and then goes back to bed and sleeps till 10. I am back at work, so she gets some bottles, but she hates them, and takes them somewhat unwillingly. It doesn't hurt at all anymore, and I had a horrible time in the beginning! Around 1 1/2 months, it got so much better. You get used to nursing every 2 hours. It is inconvenient, but I started to really enjoy nursing, and would rather do it than whatever else i would be doing. I also am less anxious about nursing in front of people unless it makes them uncomfortable, which it doesn't. Good luck and if you have any questions, please ask!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

Posted by kimmie

It gets easier but the feeding will be alot for a while Im not going to lie to you. I felt the same way with DD #1 and it got so bad I had PP from it. With DD#2 I have decided to give formula when Im away and 1 bottle before bed. I am a better mom for it she loves it and we are both happy. Its npt foreveryone but I hate pumping and I dont want PP again.. the feeling of being trapped sucks and I dont feel that way doing it this way..

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

It does get easier, I promise! With my DD, I had every nursing problem under the sun in the first couple of months. Somewhere around 6 weeks, it started to click & then by 8 weeks things were a million times better. This time around, I had it easier since I have 2+ years experience, but it was still a little overwhelming for the first 6 weeks. My son is 9 weeks old now & it's been smooth sailing the last coule of weeks.

The beginning is definately the hardest, but hang in there because it gets easier & it's so worth it! If you have any questions, feel free to FM me!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

i can completely relate to what you are saying. BFIng is HARD work but this is especially true in the early early weeks. no one can prepare you for that. i hated it so much early on! i just stayed with it though. when DD started solids (cereal) at about 4 months and then on, it got SO much easier. it even got easier at about 3 months too, but the food thing helped a lot. then by the time she was 6 months it was totally second nature. later it just became supplemental to her solid feedings. when i had to wean suddenly after becoming sick at around 10mths i cried. i actually cried that it was over! i NEVER thought i would feel that way. BFing was the best thing i did.
however, you need to do what is best for you and do not pressure yourself! you need to be happy too! good luck!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

Thanks everyone, I am hoping to stick it out for a while longer and hopefully I will eventually get used to it... I am starting to pump more so hopefully I can have dh or whoever do a feeding every now and then so I can actually leave the house for more than an hour

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

Next to being a parent - BFing is one of the hardest things you will ever do. I remember when DD was 4 days old it seemed like she would eat for 1/2 hour, stop for 10 minutes and then want more. My nipples were sore, cracked and bleeding. I grabbed a pacifier, stuck it in her mouth, got in the shower and cried my eyes out over what a failure I was and how difficult it was, and how I was giving up.

DD is 18 months now, and still BFs 1x per day. I promise, it gets easier.

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

i promise, it does!

everything is just so new to you, to your baby it's the hardest time! your dd will go from nursing for-ever to getting a meal in 5 minutes. if you have any questions, just ask! someone on here said that the best advice they received was that they were told bf was going to be the hardest thing they ever did, that it would feel like it was impossible to continue...and that's normal. i wish i knew! i thought i was the only one who suffered, but lo and behold everyone went through it. big hugs! don't give up!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

Like everyone else said it DOES get easier! I love it. For me I am very comfortable bf'ing and have no problem doing it anywhere or in front of anyone. That is how I feed my baby and I am just really comfortable doing it. It is hard sometimes with getting time away and at 9 mo's I am still working on that. For me I hate to pump and find it to be a PIA so I'd rather just make sure I am around when she needs to eat, which can be as long as 4-5 hours now. I hope that you will push through this rough beg. part because it will get better.
Is your DD not gaining? I always just fed on demand, didn't really wake up dd to feed her.
Best of Luck to you!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

It DEFINITELY will get easier! 2 weeks for me, but some it takes longer!

Just one recommendation, I took DD out ALL the time. I would either nurse her in the backseat of the car (with a blanket covering and the shade up), or in BRU in the nursing room.

I never let BF stop me from going out, we were always on the go!

GL!!!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

In a word - YES! It gets easier. In the first two weeks, I wanted to stop a million times. I felt like I was constantly feeding them. They were eating every 3 hours, but it would take almost 2 hours to feed them both, so by the time I was done with one feeding, it was almost time to start another. DS had latching issues, and I wanted to cry every time it was time for a feeding.
I can't tell you exactly when it became easier, but it did. Now they are finished in 10 minutes. (DD usually takes only 5 minutes!). I wasn't comfortable with BFing in front of everyone either, but now I'll do it anywhere, even in the middle of the mall lol. I got myself a good cover and that really helps, although sometimes I'll just bring pumped milk in a bottle. Breastfeeding is hard, really hard. I didn't understand how hard it was until I was doing it myself.
Honestly, I can't say I enjoy it, but I don't mind it, and I do feel it is easier than bottle feeding.

Hang in there!!

Re: BF moms, does it ever get easier???

BFing is so hard in the beginning. I wanted to quit every day, especially during the middle of the night feedings. I promise it gets better, but it will take a while. It started getting a lot better to me after 6 or 8 weeks. The pain subsided and DS started going a little longer between feedings. Growth spurts are particularly tough b/c it seems like DC is constantly on the breast.

I have no problem nursing in public. I have a pretty good cover and will feed DS whenever he's hungry. I'd much rather BF than pump and didn't want to feel trapped b/c of DS's nursing schedule. Would you consider buying a nursing cover or would that still make you uncomfortable?