Breastfeeding stress

Baby is only a week old but I’m stressing about breastfeeding so much, everything about it. I didn’t have the best luck breastfeeding with my first baby but I want to breastfeed. I enjoy feeding and bonding with my baby. My issues are:

1. I get SO TIRED at night. She’s already waking me every 30 minutes to an hour, and no matter what I do or how much my husband takes over so I can sleep during the day when he’s home, I start to doze off. Because of this I also have extreme anxiety over falling asleep with her in the chair or bed and suffocating her.

2. How the heck do you all plan events, appointments, etc. around breastfeeding? My baby had her first doctor appointment a couple days ago and even thought I got my toddler, baby, and myself ready early, we were still almost late because then she was hungry right before we left and diaper changes and such.

3. I really hate the idea of breastfeeding in public. I’m super private with my body, I can’t get the hang of the cover for the life of me and use pillows and stuff to help breastfeed at home but obviously can’t do that out in public.

I just wish there was a way for me to breastfeed when we’re in the comfort of our home, but give her a bottle if she gets hungry right before an appointment and in public. I know I could pump and I do get some milk with my haaka but I don’t want to cause an oversupply because I am a SAHM and don’t *need* to pump and I don’t understand how the bottle fed with breast milk works either. I could freeze milk but what if I can’t properly thaw it before I have to go or am going somewhere where I would need multiple bottles and no fridge/cooler? What if I didn’t have time to pump fresh milk? I never saw an IBCLC at the hospital because they don’t have one. I live in the middle of nowhere. The closest one to me is three hours away and I don’t have time to go see her.

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COMMENT (4)

Co

Posted at
This is one the reasons I ended up pumping. Breastmilk is good a room temp for 4-6 hours and I usually never left my house for longer than that without my pump. pumping only causes oversupply if it’s on top of nursing. I’m the same as you, I’m an incredibly private person and yes I could use a cover but it’s still uncomfortable for me.

Ta

Posted at
I combo feed. I breast feed as much as I can when I’m at home. But I will eventually go back to work so my baby needs to be used to a bottle and formula so we’ve added that in since day one.I don’t give him a bottle everytime I feed but I’ll nurse on both sides and if he still seems hungry I’ll give him an ounce or two of formula.I’ll bring a bottle with me to appointments and stuff. Makes it easier on me.

Ry

Posted at
Can you make an appointment over FaceTime with an IBCLC? If you aren’t comfortable feeding in public feed in the car, at the doctors ask for a spare room. With newborns there’s never really a way to plan anything unfortunately

La

Posted at
I combo feed. Works well for us