Is nipple confusion real??

mrskimm09 · December 2011

I was BFing at the hospital then we had a latch issue and so I pumped since Ive been home and now Im thinking of BFing again.

Can you go back and forth?

I cant seem to keep up enough with pumping alone. Id love to be able to BF and pump in between.

tokenhoser · December 2011

Plenty of babies eat from both bottle and breast. Some have no issues, some end up preferring the bottle because it's an easier way to get fed. There are suggestions here on bottlefeeding a breastfed baby that help make it easier to go back and forth. This link has ideas to get a baby back to the breast.

mrskimm09 · December 2011

Thank you.

When hes hungry he always trys to suck whoevers nipple is holding him. Im hoping thats a good sign.

EveryNameIWantIsTaken · December 2011

mrskimm09:

Thank you.

When hes hungry he always trys to suck whoevers nipple is holding him. Im hoping thats a good sign.

Lol, my daughter got ahold of my husbands through his shirt one time. Wish I had been around to see the look on his face.

Our pedi says that he doesn't think nipple confusion is real and that he's been to many seminars recently that agree. DD can go back and forth fine, she's just inefficient at the breast which we are trying to work on. She latches fine though.

tokenhoser · December 2011

Breastfeeding and bottle feeding use somewhat different facial muscles... I would think whatever a baby practises is going to be what gets stronger.

aspade · December 2011

Most pedis are hella stupid about bfing. Nipple confusion is real.

When a baby sucks YOUR nipple, the milk comes out more slowly, he has to work for it, and he can ultimately control the flow with different sucking patterns (when he learns how). He also takes your nipple all the way back to his throat, with his tongue underneath supporting it. He doesn't do that with a bottle nipple.

The absolute best thing you can do to get your baby back to your breast is to get in bed with him ALL DAY, with your shirt off or open, giving him constant access to your breasts. He'll love being near you! You can turn this around.

(And practice safe co-sleeping: no blankets or pillows near the baby--whose head is breast level!--, no alcohol or drugs--incl. prescription--that might make you less responsive, only YOU, and only on a bed.) You can lie with your body in a kind of C position, making a protective space for your baby.

But in the meantime, don't pump other than to increase your supply at this point, and don't give him any bottles until you're sure bfing is well established again (or pacifiers).

ec3under4 · December 2011

I would just spend a lot of time with the baby on the boob. The more time on the boob then the more practice he will get. Babies get lazy after they have bottles because they like the faster flow of a bottle nipple. If you have to use a bottle then make sure you are using the slowest flow nipple possible.

SnoopyLuv · December 2011

It was for me and she definitely preferred the bottle. When we switched to a sippy at 11 months she started nursing a lot more.

aztoid2006 · December 2011

We my LO was born he could not suck, so after 10 days of feeding him with a tube and syringe I started bottle feeding him (BM only). When he was 1 month old we started using a nipple shield, and at 3 months old we were able to stop using the shield and breastfeed naturally. He stills gets at least 1 bottle a day when I am at work, which he now fights. He totally prefers the breast, even though he had a bottle first! Do what you need to do! Your LO will adapt!

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