Newborns sleep a LOT, I found in the hospital getting her down to a diaper and taking my shirt off and doing skin to skin really helped to keep her awake, try keeping all the lights on while you're feeding, too. Newborns eat very little the first few days, you only have colostrum right now, your milk isn't in yet, it's very minimal but it's nutritious. When she's latched make sure she has lots of the aureola in her mouth, the best way for me in the early days was to grab both sides of my nipple/aureola and squeeze it like a hamburger and get her to take more aureola that way. If she's getting plenty of the aureola then the pain will subside. It's not uncommon for the first week or so to be painful, your hormones make your nipples sensitive, and your nipples will "toughen up" quickly. I got soothie gels, lanolin cream, and expressing milk and rubbing it on your nipples and letting them air dry helps, too. It gets easier, I promise!
Thanx for your comment, you have managed to put my mind at ease its only early days I'm sure it will get better with persistance
My son was in the nicu and I had to pump every two hours. It was like torture. Soak your nipples in warm salt water and use lanolin and breastmilk. It won't completely take the soreness out, but it will help them heal and not crack. It takes a bit for your nipples to toughen up. I agree to make sure there's enough areola in baby's mouth.
My son was a preemie and he still sleeps a ton and he's two months old. And falling asleep is normal. Try not to stress and rub baby's back or shoulders while feeding to try to wake him up.
I got stressed yesterday and my milk dryed up I have been expressing every three hours to try to bring it back I just pray when I try to get her to attach again she learns quickly. I really want to go home now!!
If your baby was a couple weeks early, the sleeping all the time is especially true. The advice above is good. Keep pumping if there is no latch. That will keep your milk coming also will increase is if it gets low. Don't give up on her latching on. Both my sons had problems latching on and I had the pump so I gave up - but I pumped for 8 months for each of them and that was a slow torture. It was worth it, my boys are 11 and 13 and very seldom sick, but I should not have been so easy too give up - I might have made it to a year, at least without being tied to that darn pump. If you have gone this long trying, you both can do it!
when it comes to attach my daughter will not attach (she is a premy andnis now 5 weeks old)until d lactose consultant advise me to try a nipple shield which change everything!!!no pain an shebattached straitgh away!! d consultant that as she grows she wont need it anymore....her twin brother did not have any issue tobattach!!
It will get better. I am sorry you don't have better person to person support. That's terrible IMO. Try also Googling proper latch, etc. because many of us could try explaining it but by looking online, you can see pictures and most likely watch a video to make sure it is correct. Whether it's correct or not, you will be sore so expect that on some level. For dryness and cracking, try getting some Lanolin creme. Good luck :)
Ask your midwife to check for lip and tongue tie on your baby.
I agree with the lip and tongue tie. My daughter's latch looked perfect and it wasn't painful, but she had a clicking sound while nursing, she was losing suction because she had a tongue tie that was restricting her tongue.
As for pain while pumping...the horns aren't one size fits all, even though it may seem like they are supposed to be. You may find a different size horn fits you better and doesn't cause pain. You also don't need to have the suction turned very high. I use a light/medium suction and tweak the speed to mimic baby's nursing until letdown. I start with a quicker speed like baby and then slow it down like when baby has longer pulls when the milk lets down.
