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Breastfeeding
In tears, new mom needs help :(
My daughter is 8 days old today. She breastfeed great in the hospital but came home this past weekend and we had a terrible time. She goes from sound asleep to furious in seconds and then it is impossible to latch her on. The pediatrician had us supplement with formula this past weekend every two hours. The baby didn't nurse for almost three days. I'm barely making milk. Since then I've been in touch with the lactation consultant at the hospital who is having me cut down on the formula and try more of a feed on demand schedule so my milk supply increases. (I don't see much of a change yet but I'm trying to be patient). However the biggest problem is still that the baby is so furious that I can't get her to latch on at all... only a little formula will calm her down enough to latch, and she won't nurse on one side at all now. I feel like I am going backwards. (If I can't get her to eat how can I make more milk?)
I really wanted to breastfeed and am heartbroken that I can't make it work. Anyone have any suggestions or even just words of encouragement? I'm so close to giving up. This is definitely the opposite of bonding for me and my daughter.
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Re: In tears, new mom needs help :(
OK first calm down! I know thats easier said than done but the baby can sense your stress and frustration and I am sure thats not helping smoothly latch on. I agree with LC about feeding on demand and really limiting formula. You will not produce milk if baby is not on the breast. Can you go in to see the LC or make an appt with another. The best way for them to help you with the latch issue is really to see why the baby is not wanting to latch so I would recommend meeting with one ASAP.
Know it gets better. The fact that you are sticking through it and trying is huge deal so be proud of yourself and be patient. I hope everything works out for you.
Start pumping as often as baby eats to build your milk up. Try to offer the breast, if she won't latch, pump and give the breastmilk not formula. IN the meantime get an appt. with an LC and she can help with the baby latching. I was never able to get my daughter to latch, we had many of your same issues. I hate to say but 6 months later I am still exclusviely pumping. I did not want to give up because the benefits of breastmilk are too strong for me to want to give formula.
You are doing great and it really does get better. Right now this and being tired, it seems impossible but I promise by week 3 it will be getting better.
I had trouble in the beginning, too. Breastfeeding is a huge challenge early on. But it will get better! My best advice is to hire a lactation consultant to visit you at home. I did this, and it was THE thing that saved me. I paid $125 out of pocket, although some insurance companies will help with that cost or pay it entirely. My LC stayed with me about 90 minutes and taught me so much during that time. Then she gave me her card and I was able to call her directly at any time when I needed more help over the phone. If I hadn't done this, I probably wouldn't have continued to breastfeed.
Good luck with it. I hope you get the help you need.
You sound like me after I had my first baby. I ended up using the medela nipple sheild to get him to latch on. It is kind of a pain to use in the beginning but it gets easier. I used it for three months and then he was able to latch on without it.
Don't give up. Make sure you are pumping every two hours to better establish your milk supply. Even if your daughter never latches on, you can pump and bottle feed her your breastmilk. GL!
I agree with PP completely!
In the hosp LO would latch and feed great and then the next feeding FORGET IT! It was sooo frustrating! The baby night nurse had be bait with formula...if you have it mixed, or the premixed use a very little on your breast to get her to latch (only if expressing your milk doesn't work- LO was NOT having the expressing it so using the formula worked). I only had to do it for a few feedings.
Good luck!
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Hang in there mama! It is so hard at the beginning - but it gets easier, I promise. Don't give up yet!
I was having trouble getting DS to latch and stay latched and my LC (at the hospital still) suggested a supplemental nursing system. It kept DS on the boob, but he wasn't so frustrated/furious with me...and still signaled to my body to make more milk, etc. We only had to use it for about a week before my DS got the hang of it.
https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastfeeding-devices/51/supplemental-nursing-system-sns
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My LO has a great latch, but like your's she sometimes gets so frantic I can't get her to latch.
Have you tried expressing some and letting it run on your nipple and then offering it to her? What about glucose water? They gave it to me at the hosptial and I put a couple drops on my nipple to get her to latch and some drops to keep her latch.
When she is really frantic, I offer her a paci and play her sea horse until she calms down. Then I offer her my nipple when she settles down.
I had a rough time breastfeeding after we brought DS home. He was in the NICU for 5 days (I was discharged after 2 days) so he got used to being bottle-fed. The first night home was a nightmare because he didn't want to latch on. I spoke to a LC the next day and she suggested trying to get as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. She also told me to try putting a little formula on my nipple to entice him to latch on. I did both, and within a day or so he was latching on much better and we haven't had any issues with latching since. HTH! GL!!
All of this is exactly what I needed- so much encouragement. Thank you all so much. My family hasn't really been supportive, all telling me not to feel bad that I may have to do formula when being successful at this is really important to me.
I should have made clearer that the supplements of formula have been given by medicine cup or syringe and not a bottle so hopefully there will be less problems with the latching.
Today was a little better, I am going to keep trying!! I'll keep you posted on how it goes! And with all sincerity- thanks again.