Breastfeeding
wendygirl09
member
problems breast feeding
wendygirl09
member
My baby is 15 days old and we still have not gotten the gest of breastfeeding. I am getting discouraged and frustrated. I have cried several times over it. We have some complicating factors hindering us from being sucessful. I have short nipples and she has a high palate and is tongue tied. We try most every feeding to latch on and suck. She does ok but very little swallowing goes on. Then I give her a bottle of either breastmilk or formula. Any suggestions or is anyone else having this problem? I am getting to the point of giving up but feel so guilty that I am letting her down.
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Re: problems breast feeding
Get yourself to a Lactation Consultant or to a La Leche League person, or both (you can get to a LC by calling the hospital you delivered at, they'll probably have some you can talk to... you can get LLL by calling 877 4 LALECHE... they're free volunteers who are the serious experts on BF'ing.
If your child is tongue tied, have you discussed getting her frenulum clipped? Many doctors won't do the procedure, but it's fairly simple, and if you call your local LLL people they'll have referrals to docs who will.
I am the 99%.
Hi! DONT DESPAIR! ?It took me TWO MONTHS to get DD on the breast. ?We had so many problems at first, and I felt so inadequate and cried quite a bit. ?But, I found an amazing LC, and she got me going. ?For me, part of the problem was that my breasts were very large, and DD's mouth was very small. ?It just took a while for us to fit together right. ?
Please see an LC right away - they can help.
Also, I recommend reading How My Breasts Saved the World by Lisa Wood Shapiro - it is an account of her first year as a first time mom/breastfeeder. ?She had all the problems, and she is such a funny, engaging writer, it will feel like you just had a long conversation with your best friend about breastfeeding. ?I wish I had read her book when I started out - I found it by accident after DD was 6 months old.
?Also - if you need to quit, don't feel guilty. ?Do what is best for you and the baby, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.
Good luck!?
we had a rough first few weeks too. It will get better, but if you need to use formula, then so be it.
get to an LC if at all possible. If not, try to find an OB, midwife, or pediatrician who might be able to help.
for now, always offer the breast first. then if your little one doesn't take it, try to pump as much as possible, and on the highest setting you can take. This will draw your nipples out and establish a good supply. Even if you aren't able to get them to latch, they will still be getting the benefits of your BM (and you will get the benefits of the hormones and burning calories, etc).
we fed DS with a SNS feeder on my finger the first week or two until we got his latch and my supply going. This helped me understand what my son was doing and i could move my finger in his mouth to stimulate the proper suck. (nail down against his tongue, and press slightly on the roof of his mouth with the pad of my finger. (Some people use the SNS on the breast if you are having supply or flow issues, but that doesn't sound like your case.)