Advice on getting back to boob

Bonnesetter27 · October 2014

Hi ladies,
DD is 8 weeks old and since birth we have had to use a nipple shield. She has a posterior tongue tie and lip tie that only 1 person can take care of and they are 4 hours away. DH and I aren't sure we want to go that route yet. I was using the shield but at her 2 week appt she had lost a pound from her birth weight and we could tell she wasn't being satisfied from me. I started pumping and nursing and using a SNS. It took forever for her to eat at breast and then I had to pump so eventually I gave in and just pumped and fed her via bottle. I did once a day still use the SNS though. My supply is great. I pump almost twice as much as she needs (41oz). But I want to try to get back to just BFing with occasional pumping. Today I used the sns and she took about 1 oz from it, I let her nurse for about 20 minutes before I hooked it up, then she fell asleep and seemed satisfied. But then I pumped and was able to get the same 3 ounces I normally get. I am almost ready to give up on nursing because pumping and bottle feeding is just easier but I know if I could get it to work bfing would be easier. I had read that at 8 weeks the latch gets better because they are bigger but this doesn't seem to be our case. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks ladies.

Novem06 · October 2014

I used a shield with DS and it would take him forever to eat as opposed to DD who didn't need one. Have you tried starting the nursing session with it on and then slipping it off after she's been eating for a bit? I also used to strip DS down to just his diaper...since he had to work harder he would fall asleep before really being done eating. Keeping him not as warm and snuggled helped. I'd also try lots of skin to skin...just hang out snuggling topless if you can and she might try and latch. Or pump a bit for letdown and then try and get her on without the shield.

Bonnesetter27 · October 2014

I will try to slip it off again but before she has refused to latch. Also I think I need it because of the tongue tie. I think that you are right that she is working harder and therefor falling asleep. She doesn't do that with the bottle.

Bonnesetter27 · November 2014

I saw 2 lc's. The second did a weighed feeding and she got less than an ounce during an hour long feeding with the shield. Even with the shield her latch still hurts. I think you are right about having to go to the pediatric dentist. That is the only person around who does it. We saw an ent and he said that is where we would have to go to get it done with a laser. He said it would give her a space between her teeth but the tongue tie might not cause speech problems since it is so posterior. We might get it done when she is older but the surgery scares us.

2junebabies · November 2014

AmyG* said:

Work with an IBCLC lactation consultant. they can help you figure out how to nurse without the shield if possible, wean from the shield, check how much milk baby can get when nursing etc. That is your best bet. I would definitely check for other options for tongue tie clipping, pediatric dentists and ents can do it. If it's interfering with her ability to eat at the breast, it may be bad enough to intervere with speech, teeth spacing etc. putting it off may only serve to make it a bigger deal.

I agree with this 100%. I don't blame you for being nervous about surgery, but it really sounds like getting it corrected would help both of you immensely. I know so many moms who got a tongue tie revised and they were all so much happier afterward.

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