Should I give up?
Hi all, so sorry for long post but I just don’t know what is going on. I have a beautiful 7 week old boy and I’m really starting to struggle. I have been breastfeeding him since birth and it was going really well for about 2weeks then things started to go wrong. I thought everything was fine, he was latching well ( from what I could tell) he had lots of wet and dirty nappies and he was a very content baby but very sleepy. He would fall asleep when feeding a lot and feeds stared to take 1 - 1.5hrs. I have had a big oversupply from the start (up to 6oz on right side unfortunately only 2-3 oz on right) and my breasts have never felt empty after feeding.
At his 2 week check he had not returned to birth weight and the doctor recommended weekly weigh ins. The following week he only put on 100grams. I was really upset by it and started questioning everything as I thought it was going well. The nurse wanted me to feed him every two hours (he would sleep up to 3/4 hours at a time) which was virtually impossible for me when every feed took up to 1.5 hours and I have a 3 year old who needs me at home too. I started pumping as a result and gradually introduced a bottle (one a day) of 4oz so at least we knew he was getting one full feed. He drains the bottle every time we give him one sometimes needing more. We continued with bottles here and there and breastfeeding and at 4 weeks he had put on 330g in a week which we were so happy with and the nurse discharged us.
At his 6 week check with GP he had put on 465g in 2 weeks but she said he is not going up in percentiles as fast as she would like and I am just questioning everything- every time he feeds, my breasts are always full and never feel empty & he has had green mucus poos consistently for the last couple of weeks but he’s so content? Lately we’ve been introducing more bottles as he is becoming increasingly frustrated at the breast and I’m finding it hard to handle, I don’t know if he’s getting any milk at all. I saw a lactation consultant at 3 weeks and she checked him for a tongue tie but didn’t think he had one. We did a weighted feed and he took in .5oz in 45 minutes on a very full breast, we then readjusted and worked on positioning and he took in 1.5oz in 15 minutes! So now I am constantly switching him and repositioning but he never seems happy, his latched has also suffered. I am wondering if I should just give up and either exclusively pump or just move to formula. I’m so worried I’m doing my baby a disservice and I feel like I’m reaching for the bottle more and more because I can’t handle it.
My whole life seems to revolve around my breasts at the moment as they are constantly full and engorged and I have to hand express multiple times every day to stop clogs (they are constant and I’m afraid of mastitis) I am always covered in milk and have to change my clothes so much. I wish it was working or there was more that I could do or even figure out what the issue is. Any advice, guidance or support from you lovely people would be appreciated. Thanks.