Need Breastfeeding Help!!! A bit TMI.

Little miss Gabriela is five days old.  We have actually been doing fairly well in the breastfeeding department.  I am proud to say that I have not supplemented one time with formula (and by this time with my other two daughters I had).  I have some soreness since day one but fairly manageable - it usually only hurts when I get her latched on which the lactation consultant at the hospital said was okay.

I tried to pump yesterday with a manual pump and I think it hurt me a bit.  Also, she's been feeding every four hours, not every 2-3 like they recommended so now I am wondering if she's just super hungry and is being aggressive on the poor boobies!

Tonight I fed her and on top of being excruciating, she threw up vomit and blood.  I am fully aware that this could likely be a positioning problem.  I have been trying to position her differently and follow all the tips they gave me.  I'll also be calling the lactation consultant tomorrow morning.  I just need to make it through tonight and early tomorrow without caving and giving her a bottle of formula (which is what hubby wants me to do to give the poor chest a rest.) 

I want to just cry!  I really want this to work.

Maybe try feeding her after 2.5 hours and see if her latch is any less powerful if she isn't as hungry.   Are you using any cream on your nipples (it's called lan-something).  I hope the lactation consult goes well!    And remember giving a baby a bottle of formula isn't the worst thing in the world!
Amy

If she's breastfeeding well, and having plenty of wet diapers, I would skip on the pumping for a few days. That can be very rough at first on your fragile skin. The ointment you need to get is called Lansinoh. It's wonderful stuff!

What I would do (or advise my patients to do): Try and encourage her to eat every 2.5-3 hours so that she is not as hungry or aggressive. After each feeding, express a few drops of milk, and rub that into your nipples and let it air dry. After it dries, dab on a bit of the Lansinoh cream. The more air exposure your nipples get, the faster they will heal. If they are cracked and bleeding, the blood will not hurt Gabriela at all. Try different positions (the "football" hold may help her to get more of your breast tissue in her mouth).

Feel better soon!

Just feed her a little more often and stop trying to pump, I don't really feel like trying to pump between feedings so early on actually helped me at all! Also, get some lansinoh for your nipples!

Hi Riah,
I would say feed her more often, I nurse even at 11 weeks every 2-3 ours and don't pump your baby is the best pump and it makes more milk and she won't have to suck as hard. There is a great Lanol something ointment mentioned above you can even get at Walmart and it works great. But really if you don't need to pump I would say cut that part out as I think the pump causes more pain than baby.
Best of luck!
Beth