Last July I gave birth to my daughter, after a very long and stressful labour that ended in a C section. We then had some problems getting her latched on to feed properly. I had a lovely midwife who was very helpful, then the shift changed, my daughter wouldn't latch at all and the next midwife decided she would need a formula feeding without even watching us attempt to feed. Being an exhausted first time mum I did as she said. The night midwife came back on and got us back on track although latching was still very hard.
From this point things only got worse. I went home and the pain began. I asked my midwife, then my health visitor, I went to group after group. Everyone said her latch looked fine and they left me to it. Breastfeeding was so painfull for the first 6 weeks that I would bite on a sock while I fed my daughter. My partner would come home from work to a screaming baby and me crying that I couldn't feed her anymore. The pain eventually decreased at 8 weeks and was more manageable.
My daughter fed every 20 minutes all day and every couple of hours at night until she was 13 weeks old, when it mercifully extended to every 45 minutes. I would feed her, put her in the car, drive to the shops. and by the time we arrived I would need to feed her again. My house was in chaos and there was nothing I could do but sit on the sofa and feed my daughter.
We moved areas to Norfolk when she was around 3 months old. My new health visitor said she didn't think I should be breastfeeding as it looked like trouble, which was hardly what I needed to hear.
Not one of these health professionals thought my daughters constant feeding was cause for concern. A friend mentioned tongue tie as a possible cause for her issues, so I rang my health visitor to find out more. They palmed me off on my GP, who said as she had got to 5 months with no weight issues they wouldnt treat it. So I paid for a private evaluation of my daughters feeding, we said a lactation consultant who is also the infant feeding coordinator of the local hospital. She has been a godsend. She refered us to a brilliant surgeon and he fixed my daughters tie.
So now I have a baby that has gone from constantly feeding, with obviously painful hiccups, wind, never ending drool, sucking blisters on her lips, frequently green stools, I would have to use the flipple technique for every latch and even then she would pop off and/or I would have to adjust her latch 2/4 times in any 5-10 minute feed.
Well now she latches effortlessly, she only drools when teething, rarely hiccups and has lovely bright yellow/orange baby poo. The blisters are gone and she feeds every 2-3 hours day and night. It has changed our lives and I'm finally able to enjoy my daughter. No thanks to the NHS.
"Lack of tongue tie knowledge"
About: Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust Norwich NR2 3TU The Great Western Hospital / Maternity The Great Western Hospital Maternity SN3 6BB
Posted by Unhappymummy8991 (as ),
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Update posted by Unhappymummy8991 (a parent/guardian) 9 years ago
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