Intro and BF question

sugarellie

Hi ladies ,

My LO was just born on Monday night .. He was 36 weeks 3 days. So just a little premature. He is really struggling with latching and swallowing though. I nursed DS so I know the ropes of bf and he is not having it. He gets very frustrated and mad within a few minutes , I have been pumping to combat his lack of nursing and my milk is now in. I get about an oz per breast at each pumping session , the lactation consultant seemed to think once my milk came in he would latch but that isn't happening . I broke down this morning and gave him a bottle with pumped milk because he wasn't eating and he took a whole oz. His swallowing also seems off, he gulps in even when he does latch and seems to have a hard time breathing through his nose and swallowing at the same time. Because of this he swallows a bunch of air at every feeding .Have any of you had preemies with these issues ? Is there any hope of him latching ? I am willing to EP but I don't want to if it can be avoided .. Any advice would help ! Thanks ladies !

KTZ17

From what the LC in the NICU told us, those are pretty common preemie issues that should resolve by your due date. Something that helped us was using a nipple shield. Does he drink a bottle well? Because if he doesn't have a problem with the bottle nipples, a nipple shield might help. We used one from when she came home from the hospital for like 3 weeks and then stopped cold turkey and she latched like a champ. At first it seemed like she couldn't get a deep enough latch and she didn't stay latched long, but the nipple shield helped with that. Eventually he will latch! Good luck!

sugarellie

KTZ17 said:

From what the LC in the NICU told us, those are pretty common preemie issues that should resolve by your due date. Something that helped us was using a nipple shield. Does he drink a bottle well? Because if he doesn't have a problem with the bottle nipples, a nipple shield might help. We used one from when she came home from the hospital for like 3 weeks and then stopped cold turkey and she latched like a champ. At first it seemed like she couldn't get a deep enough latch and she didn't stay latched long, but the nipple shield helped with that. Eventually he will latch! Good luck!

That is exactly what is happening , I feel like he latches for a suck or two and doesn't get a deep latch . I try at most feelings to offer the breast but he gets so frustrated so fast .. Thank you for the advice and hope that it will work eventually !

sugarellie

runningmommy519 said:

Yep.  DS really struggled with nursing at first.  We had to take it slow.  One session per day then eventually 2... then 3... etc.   He caught on and we nursed until he was about 16 and 1/2 month old.  Don't give up. Keep at it!  Do not compare BFIng this LO with your previous.  I am told nursing a premie is way harder than a full term baby. 

Thank you for the advice , I am hopefully getting a call from a lactation consultant tommorow .. I really want it to work . Pumping every 2-3 hours is getting exhausting on top of giving a bottle of BM every 2-3 hours .. Thank you for giving me hope !

Mmm79

I had a 36 weeker with similar issues. I used a shield for the first month along with giving bottles of pumped milk and formula. I worked with an LC and attended a BF support group and worked in more and more nursing sessions as days went on. Suddenly at around 5 weeks post birth he just "got it" and started latching w/out the shield. He is 6 months now and still nursing.

MinaE01

I will second the suggestion of a nipple shield. It really helped my 32 weeker learn to nurse. Has your pedi checked for a tongue tie of any sort, just to rule out a physical issue? I would also try to see an LC again for more help. GL!

jbranden12

It is hard to nurse and then pump, especially with a reflux baby who needed to be held up after eating! I I never mastered pumping while nursing or even holding LO while pumping, but some people say it helps. 

Anna didn't get good at BFing until a couple of weeks after her due date. When we gave a bottle we used a Dr. Browns preemie nipple. We filled the nipple 1/2 to 3/4 full and paced her so she would pause to take breaths. 

As she got better at BFing, I slowly dropped pumping sessions. First I pumped after every meal, then every other meal, then every three meals, and so on. For weeks I still pumped even when she BF all her meals to fill the freezer and only recently started only pumping for missed feeds.

I second seeing a LC and a pedi to make sure there are no physical issues!