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Looking for Advice/Encourgement

laurenann89laurenann89 member
edited April 2014 in Breastfeeding
Hey everyone! I'm a pretty active bumpie over in the March14 board, but this is my first time here :) My LO was born on March 23, and he's now just over 4 weeks old. We tried exclusively breastfeeding first, but he had trouble latching and he developed jaundice soon after he was born, so his doctor had me supplement his feeding with formula.

Unfortunately, this led to bottle feeding, which led to latch issues, which led to pumping and supplementing rather than breastfeeding like I wanted. After meeting with a lactation consultant last week, she told me I could still breastfeed even though he had been bottle feeding for 3 weeks.

We've been trying and he latches on to my right breast pretty good, but it makes my nipple/breast hurt during and after he finishes for a while. Is this bc he's latching incorrectly, or is my breast just getting used to breastfeeding?
My left breast has a flat nipple, so it's harder for him to latch on. When feeding from the left he pulls off quickly and screams and flails. I don't know if this is a let down issue, or the flat nipple, or flow confusion from bottle feeding.

I should also mention my AF started after just 3 and half weeks. Does this change things? I've noticed my supply on the pump drastically reduced around the time I started AF. I went from pumping 3-4 ounces per sitting to barely 1.5 ounces.

Breastfeeding was already overwhelming, but even more so since we've had a rocky start. Is there anyone else out there who breastfed after their baby was established on the bottle? Advice is welcome!

Edit: forgot to mention something.
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Re: Looking for Advice/Encourgement

  • arheinsarheins member
    I had an emergency csection and was not able to see my LO till over 2 hrs after she was born. She just did not want to eat from me and they told me i would have to give her a bottle so that she could have some kind of food. So i EP for over 9 weeks and always tried to give her my breast atleast once a day. at 9 weeks she decided to latch on and she has been eating like a champ ever since. i only have to use my pump at work now and it has been amazing. my period (5 months PP) still has not come back yet but i also had an IUD placed in at around 6 weeks. i have heard that AF can cause a drop in your supply but my pedi told me to start taking fenugreek supplements to help- with my supply and they have worked great so far from me. Generally when i pump the first few weeks i was only getting an oz out of each every 2 hrs but now i am up to 6 oz every 4 hrs.
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  • laurenann89laurenann89 member
    Thanks for the advice you guys! I'll pick up some oats and look for milk boosting recipes! I'm thinking about getting a baby scale so I know exactly what my LO is getting at each feeding. Someone said I could find them around $30 online, so it seems like a good investment.
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  • flclflcl member
    @laurenann89: first of all, I want to commend you on starting BF back up with you LO.  We're only on 7 weeks of BFing but I have to say that it's one of the toughest things I've had to do so far as a mom... I ran into a ton of problems, latching being one of them!

    It sounds like your LO may still have a latch issue if you're having pain during the entire feed.  It usually hurts or just feels weird for the first 30-60 seconds but then it should feel fine.  Are you still working with an LC?  If so, ask her to take a look at his latch.  As for your left side, you should be able to tell if it's a let down issue when he pulls off (you'll be gushing with milk).  That happened to me when I had engorgement and oversupply issues.  I would hold a burp cloth to me until everything slowed down and then LO was able to latch on to feed.

    Some other things that helped me build up my supply in the beginning were drinking lots of water, feeding LO on demand, and pumping.  You can eat and drink everything recommended but it won't make a difference if you're not BFing and pumping consistently.

    I hope things go well, BFing isn't easy but it's one of the best bonding times with my LO.  GL! :)
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  • crash916crash916 member
    Just wanted to offer encouragement to you. Bf is one of the hardest parts about having a newborn. I would keep offering the breastf if for nothing than keeping your supply up. Baby's saliva helps trigger a hormone release which helps supply.
    Good luck with your LO!
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