- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Preemies
Help - breastfeeding a preemie
Hello, I had my daughter on Aug 5 and she was 5 weeks early. They gave her pumped breast milk with a bottle in the NICU. Since she came home ( 1.5weeks now) I have not been able to nurse her. I am pumping and she loves drinking from the bottle. When I put her to breast to nurse she gets frustrated, pulls away, cries and then gives up (ex. falls asleep or cries louder) .. . .as soon as I give her the bottle she is pacifed and happy. Will I be able to breastfeed? Is she used to the bottle? Should I not supplement with the bottle? Any experiences with this? I am posting on the preemie board too. . . thanks ladies! I want to breastfeed so badly. ...
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Help - breastfeeding a preemie
I would suggest trying a nipple shield, maybe, but mostly just keeping trying and do your best to be patient with it. My DD had difficulties latching, and it took us a little over 3 months until she was fully breastfeeding. I didn't really have any special trick, I just kept trying and she eventually got it. Seeing a good LC did help, though.
What sort of bottle are you using? You can try a slower flow nipple, so she has to work harder.
Our OT also suggested Second Nature bottles because they're more like real breastfeeding, but I just checked the website and it looks like they may have stoopped making them.
My Blog
A nipple shield has been a huge help for us in getting a good latch. Also, finding a good LC can make so much difference. It's great to have the extra support they provide.
My DD was born at 34w2d and was only able to leave the NICU after we introduced the bottle since that was less tiring for her than BFing. Since being home (nearly 2 weeks), we've slowly increased the amount of times per day that we BF - up to 2x / day now. At first, we exclusively pumped since I liked to see exactly how much she was taking in.
I've begun to notice patterns in DD's hungry behaviors and can identify when it will or won't be a good time to BF. If she's really hungry and riled up, she won't BF as well and will probably need a bottle as well. It makes such a difference when she's a bit calmer. HTH!
i sort of had the opposite problem... i had been exclusively breastfeeding, and when i tried to introduce a bottle (to get her home sooner and keep her from losing weight) she would desat and brady... the nipples they were using were allowing way too much milk to come out. i switched to the medela low flow nipples, and now it's just like breastfeeding for her.
i know that they can get used to how easy a bottle is, and become frustrated at the flow and work involved with breastfeeding. perhaps switching to a nipple that is more closely like bfing would help get her used to the work. (if you're not already using them.)