too late? (long)

NicoleeBonsai

i had my twin girls 24 days ago. i had a pretty rough c/s, lost a lot of blood, and did not breastfeed the first couple of days.

on day 3, i decided to try BFing, and one of the nurses at the hospital tried helping me. we only attempted it with one of my daughters, and it didn't really go well. she sort of latched, but only momentarily and then she would stop and start screaming. i didn't attempt with my other daughter - i was already overwhelmed that my first attempt didn't work.

i decided then that i would pump, and have been pumping 6 or so times a day since. we rented a medela classic hospital-grade pump, as all the LCs at my hospital said i would need something more powerful than the PISA i had purchased.

currently, we are at about 60-40 BM to formula and my girls are doing great. it's just now that i am recovered and have my energy back, i'm starting to regret not nursing them. i really want that bonding experience.

i've tried getting either of them to latch the last couple of days, but it's not working. i'm not sure if i'm choosing a bad time (when they wake up hungry and crying right before a feeding) and they are too crazed to latch. last night i gave it about 5 minutes per girl to get them to latch, then i gave up and gave them their bottle to appease them. maybe i'm doing it wrong, honestly i have no idea.

should i give them more time to latch? is it too late and they don't know how to latch now? i want to see an LC, but MIL is here right now and i don't want to deal with seeing an LC with her here as she is sort of judgy and i can't send her home right now. the soonest i could see an LC would be this weekend.

sorry if this is rambling, i just want to get you as much info as possible. sorry if i'm asking dumb questions, i just don't know where to start. thanks so much for your advice.

jandy09

I would definitely see an LC as soon as possible.

Other things to try:

1. Start a feeding with a bottle and switch to nursing mid-feed
2. Try nursing while they are really sleepy
3. Pump a little to get a let down and then try nursing

Try to remain as calm as possible when you do try, they can sense when you are frustrated. GL, you are doing a great job already!

pitterpatter129

I'm sure it's not too late at all!  I would go ahead and make an appointment with the LC.  She can show you positioning and give some tips on how to make it work.  I always felt better after a visit to my LC.   It might just be that babies are used to the fast, immediate flow of the bottle and don't like to have to suck for awhile before a letdown.  You can pump a little beforehand to get the milk going and then latch them on to help with that.  I found this website helpful because it has some videos showing good latches and showing how to latch baby on.  I would definitely make an appointment with your LC though.  I would even go with MIL there if it were me.  Then you could get out of the house too!   I learned right after I had the baby (although I only had one) that sometimes I just had to tell my parents and in-laws to go away.  If you can't get comfortable and breastfeed with them there, then you are going to have to be a little mean.  It might be nice to take MIL with you to meet with the LC though, so she can learn too and maybe be less judgy.  I would also take your husband with you so he can be helpful when you get home.  My hubby always remembered things I was too panic-y or flustered to remember. 

beckalecka

I don't think it is too late. My DD was in nicu for 7 days after she was born and we had latch issues and they had to give her formula in bottles because my milk didn't come in right away. I for a couple of weeks used a nipple shield and that seem to work for her since the texture is similar to the nipple of a bottle. I would also suggest expressing a little before you feed them so the milk comes out fast so they don't have to wait too long for the milk to come.