January 2012 Moms

breastfeeding issues

Hi,  I don't post alot on here....but I had my daughter on Saturday morning.  Throughout the whole pregnancy I said I wanted to breastfeed.  I started breastfeeding in the hospital and thought I was doing pretty well.  My only issue then was that she would take my right breast over my left...but I wasn't to concerned, because the lactation consultant said it would get better.  Well we are not home and this baby will not take either one of my breasts.  We are using the bottle and formula and my milk finally came in today and I have been pumping, but how do I get her to take my breast.  She gets so mad and starts screaming when I try to give it to her.  I've tried waking her in hopes that I could get her to feed before she gets mad, but no luck.  My boobs hurt, my nipples are sore and I can't stop crying because my baby refuses my breasts.  Any advice is helpful, thanks.

Re: breastfeeding issues

  • Are your nipples flat or inverted?  My left one is so I have to ue a shell to help draw it out.  Also, once my milk came in, my left breast got so engorged that the aereola was to taught for LO to grasp..I had to pump out 2 oz to get it to where she could take it.  But I would talk with an LC or the La Leche league
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  • When my milk came in DD freaked out for a bit and wouldn't latch on. My LC said it was b/c my nipples/breasts were so firm that DD didn't like how they had changed. Like pp said, you can pump a bit to make it easier for LO to latch. Try the football hold and squeeze some milk out and touch it to her mouth so she knows it's there. Also, try spending lots of skin to skin time with her even when it's not time to feed. You can also feed her your pumped milk using a medicine dropper instead of a bottle so she doesn't get used to the ease of drinking from a bottle vs nursing.
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  • Have you tried a nipple shield for transitioning from bottle to breast?  My baby was in the NICU for a week, so I was only allowed to pump and then bottle feed.  He never tried the breast until a week after birth.  We used a nipple shield for the first three feedings until he got the hang of it.  I would remove it halfway through a feeding to see if they get the hang of it each time.  It might be really helpful for both of you.  I was so happy there was such a thing...it made the transition super easy.

    Also, I don't know if positioning is an issue with you.  I currenly wear a 38E after my milk came in.  My boobs are so big that I have to do side lying for the baby to be able to latch ok.  The boppy pillow just wasn't working for us.  I hope that helps!

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  • Have you tried different switching positions on the boob that your LO doesn't like?  Football, cross craddle, side laying, etc.  Maybe you ccan coax LO into on of those holds onto the breast he doesn't prefer.
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  • With the bottle she has instant gratification. At the breast she has to suck for a little while first before the milk "let's down".  

    Sometimes I rub on my nipple a little first to help my let down come faster before latching her on.   Be sure to use slow flow nipples. 

    Here is a great article someone posted regarding bottle feeding a breastfed baby.


     https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/62849912.aspx

     ETA:  Also, Everyone on the breastfeeding board are all very helpful. You should post over there also.  

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  • My baby acted like this in the hospital, and a nurse came in and put a little bit of Similac glucose water on my nipple and he latched right on.  I'm thinking putting some milk on your nipple would do the same thing.  You could also probably mix up your own sugar water (this was a 5% solution so probably just a little bit of sugar).. It just took a few drops and I don't think it hurt anything.
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  • My LO was born on Saturday as well!  She's currently in the NICU and we only get 10-15 to try to bf every 3 hours because she's under the bili lights. She has problems latching due to a high palate and recessed chin. Using a nipple shield has been pretty much the only way she's been able to latch. To get her ready to feed we have her suck on our finger to stimulate her sucking reflex and then I pull my finger out of her mouth and quickly offer the breast shield covered nipple. This usually works in getting her to latch. 

    I know it's frustrating but keep at it and hang in there. I've had a ton of problems feeding the last few days but the lactation consultants and I have finally figured out the problems and things are finally starting to come together. Have patience, it will work out. Some babies just take awhile to get the hang of things. 

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  • Things are starting to improve.  I'm not stressing as much about it and have figured out that if I try and get her to latch for a few minutes and she doesn't, that it's okay to let her cry and then try to relatch.  This seems to work.  We haven't perfected positions and I'm not sitting comfortably, however, I'm just happy she is latching.  I'm kind of over the whole breastfeeding thing though and we are still using formula.  I am pumping and try to nurse her about 3-4 times a day.  I've kinda found it a hassle.  I do not find it easier than a bottle because of our latching issues and I like that my 11 year old daughter and husband can feed her when I'm sleeping or showering.  I will keep at this nursing thing for a while longer and see if it gets better, but if not, I'm completely okay with doing formula full time.  It took me a few days and lots of tears to come to this decision, but my husband is supportive of any decision I make and also stated that our 11 year old daughter was not breastfed and she turned out great...smart, honors classes and an all around good kid.  I do thank everyone for their input as it was very helpful.  Also, I will probably be posting on here more because this whole newborn phase is absolutely exhausting and even though I've done it before,,,it's like my first time.  I will also be posting my baby's birth story.  TIA
  • You might be engorged, in which case it could be hard for her to latch on. Or, if she latches and pulls away quickly and wont stay on your milk could be coming out too fast. Either way, try massaging your breast before (massage all the way at the back) and try to hand express some milk before you bring her in. Also, a lactation consultant could probably help correct it quickly.
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