Having a wobble

Can you ring a midwife anyway and explain? Or out of hours for yourself to check it's not mastitis?

[clothmama]

Pretty sure I have a blocked duct burning hot red patch just below the nipple, right where that pain was.

It does sound like it are you feeling well in yourself? Make sure if you start feeling fluey you go and see someone. Have you been doing the hot towels / massage / hot shower jets? Keep that up (but as I said last time don't hurt yourself going too mad with how hard you do it) or start if you haven't been!

Clara is being a nightmare, she slept from 5pm till 12 on Friday night and nothing I could do wakened her! I tried to express a little so I could spoon feed her but got nothing! She had a reasonable feed at midnight then I couldn't get her to feed again till 7am and still didn't express a single drop! Lots of short feeds today but not enough to empty my breast. She's been latched on now for about 90 minuets but she's mainly suckling and not much swallowing. I'm at my wits end with her. 111 won't see her as she's having plenty of wet and dirty nappies and she's content between feeds. I just don't know what's going wrong!

She was jaundice but her eyes are clear so don't think that's the case anymore.

It sounds like she could still be a bit jaundiced, they can have it lightly without the eyes being yellow and from what you have described that is fairly normal jaundiced behavior. You are doing all the right things and I know it feels like it is all going wrong but it isn't, the fact that she is having lots of wet and dirty nappies is the best indication of that. it is still less that 8 hours between those feeds you mentioned and while she did have 2 long sleeps in a row it is perfectly fine / normal for even very young babies to have one long sleep each day. Keep trying to wake her 4 hourly at night (unless the nappies reduce then you'll need to do it more often - 3 hourly) and 3 hourly in the day. Strip her right off (open a door or window a little if it is very warm) and skin to skin with you are probably your best options. If you really can't wake her that is obviously an issue and you need to call someone. Hopefully the HV that comes tomorrow will be able to help and if not and you are still concerned get her to refer you to someone who can help.

In terms of the expressing that is not an indication of how much she is getting, I could never express anything with my first 2 and fed for 1 year and 2.5 years so obviously had plenty! Have you been shown how to hand express and tried that? Some people find that easier to start with.

How was your night @BekkiLB ?

I know it seems liek it is really tough but within a day or two this will have passed and you guys will be going strong

I developed a temperature during the night so went to out of hours. The doctor I saw was a breastfeeding mum so she was so lovely and showed me how to hand express properly and we managed to get the duct partially unblocked so that feels much better. She wasn't convinced it's mastitis, the boys have had a cold for 2 weeks so she thinks I've got that and I'm just run down. She took blood from Clara and she is still jaundice, but not enough to need treatment so she thinks I'm the next few days it's going to get easier. Of course, to make me out as a fibber Clara fed from both sides the entire time we were there! I feel a bit better today so we will get there!!

Ps, it's so lovely to have you lot. I posted the original comment in my local mums group and they all started telling me that there's no shame in switching to formula and when I said I didn't want to was told I'd make my baby ill just because I want to be better than everyone else

So glad you got some help hopefully she'll carry in feeding well now, little tyke!

Ps, it's so lovely to have you lot. I posted the original comment in my local mums group and they all started telling me that there's no shame in switching to formula and when I said I didn't want to was told I'd make my baby ill just because I want to be better than everyone else

I'm so sorry that you had that experience, it's not the most helpful.

[clothmama]

I'm so pleased you happened apon such an awesome doctor so few would have been able to teach you to hand express! I'm so glad she did as it is just a fantastic tool, particularly with blocked ducts. I think I need to crochet a boob and do a video

Ps, it's so lovely to have you lot. I posted the original comment in my local mums group and they all started telling me that there's no shame in switching to formula and when I said I didn't want to was told I'd make my baby ill just because I want to be better than everyone else

Sadly this is everywhere, the hospital I did my MW training and the one I worked had peeps like that coming through and you knew no matter how many teaching hours I gave them they would go home and stop at the first hurdle or reason!

I hope today and tonight is going a bit better @bekkiLB

[clothmama]

How was last night @BekkiLB ?