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breastfeeding troubles

mrs.rothmrs.roth member
in Babies: 0 - 3 Months
I'm a first time mom and I've been trying to breastfeed my newborn son for almost three weeks now. Right now i'm making less progress than we were two weeks ago while still in the hospital. He displays strong natural insticts by rooting and grabbing for my breast, but every time I try to put him to my nipple he cries and fights. I've been researching everything I can from different positions to issues on nursing with large breasts and no matter what I do my baby still cries bloody murder. Is this normal learning process behavior or am I just not meant to breastfeed?
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Re: breastfeeding troubles

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  • mrs.rothmrs.roth member
    I was working with a great lactation consultant during our stay at the hospital, (we were there for a week, id had a pretty troublesome delivery) and she said I was doing everything right and it wouldnt be long before he's comfortably feeding, but here we are two weeks later and getting farther away from the goal. My milk was coming in great, at one point while trying to get him to latch on I was dripping milk all over him. But the more down hearted im getting about failing to breastfeed the less milk im producing.
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  • uksteph11uksteph11 member
    My son had trouble latching and our lactation consultant gave us a nipple shield.  He latches great with it.  It definitely gets annoying to use, but it saved me from giving up.  It may be worth a shot and some babies are able to transition back to the nipple.  If you truly want to breastfeed, stick with it.  I promise it gets better!!!  I struggled for the first 6 weeks (LO losing weight because my milk didn't come in, poor latch, poor production) and went through a lot to get on track (hospital grade pump, power pumping, mother's tea, vitamins, syringe supplementing), but now breastfeeding is a breeze.  That being said, so what is best for you and your LO. Good luck!!!!!!!
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  • hrtbird3hrtbird3 member

    I agree that you should make an appointment with a LC. In the meantime though, I think you should definitely keep trying. I have large breasts and had some trouble at first with positioning and my son latching on. He would latch on, and two seconds later push me away and cry. It was so frustrating but I kept doing it over and over (tried different positions, took lots of breaks) and eventually we both got better at it. He still has bouts of fussiness now and then and his pediatrician said that is normal.

    Cluster feeding is also super stressful but luckily only lasts a few days. I also recommend a nursing pillow if you don't already have one, and to keep up your milk supply you should pump even if your LO won't nurse from the breast. When my supply was low I was told to try nursing, then pump 15 minutes later after each attempt. Since then my supply has been pretty consistent.

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  • mrs.rothmrs.roth member
    Thank you so much for all your feedback, its very helpful and I really appreciate it!
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  • PrimRoseMamaPrimRoseMama member
    Is it frustration? I have size H/I breasts-- so if you need more help in that department, I'm available. Also-- my son used to get upset that his attempts to comfort suck produced milk. He wanted the boob but not the milk. ;)

    I second the LC recommendation. They can help you work on latching & check his mouth for tongue/lip ties.

    Good luck!


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  • Lanna2014Lanna2014 member
    I have larger breasts and flatter nipples so i understand the frustration! My little guy kind of does the same thing at times. He wants to eat but when I go t start nursing he cries and pushes it away. One thing a nurse told me was to make sure i had a good grip around the back of his head, neck and shoulder area so I could control his movements and with my other hand to grab my boob and squish it like you would if you were eating a big mac. It helps push the nipple out and makes latching easier. She also told me the actions of him pushing it away is normal because they try to kneed at it like small animals do when they nurse. Also try a sheild. I used one for the first 10 days probably, especially at night. Dont get frustrated, it will just make it harder. Just keep trying, things will work out!
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  • martaboo18martaboo18 member
    I have trouble with my baby on breastfeeding as well, but my Lactation lady told me it's ok to do formula and breast. I feed my baby what I can pump out plus a little formula. If she's really fussy with my boobs I feed her a little formula first then I can get her to latch on. Your doing good, remember even the smallest amount of breast milk has so many benefits for ur baby. Don't give up I know it's a battle
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  • mariajose07mariajose07 member
    You can try the La Leche League. It's a free support group for bf mothers and they have LC available for free you can talk to and amazing free articles about anything to do on bf. My LO cries bloody murder but it's because I have large breasts and my milk comes down too fast. He also has acid reflux so he tenses up from it bothering him. So we take breaks in between burping him more often. Good luck and let me know if you need help.
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