Breastfeeding
peregrinefalconx
member
What to do with a "disorganized sucker"?
peregrinefalconx
member
At one month, my daughter was diagnosed with a tongue tie and lip tie, which I had treated at that time. My LC diagnosed it after I came with very sore nipples and questions about milk supply. Apparently DD is one of the 10% who doesn't instantly improve with sucking. I went to several lactation support groups with our uber-LC in the area who then sent me to an occupational therapist. I've seen her 5 times to help with the suck issue. In the last 1.5 weeks, I am back to being in constant nipple pain. And it doesn't help that baby now wants to launch off of arm chair, gets distracted and pulls away or worse, down, while nursing. It's the olympics down there.
I would have gone for the full $200 lactation appt with uber-LC but everybody was going on vacation when I was desperate. I'm now about $300-400 with all these appointments are more frustrated then ever. Even better is that the exercises I have to do haven't helped but then again, I can't keep up with them. But I never felt they were helping anyway. They are not ones that would seem at all related (like put your hand on belly, then clavicle, then mandible, head, then back to belly). She is gaining weight appropriately (1.5-2 lb/month) but is still very small--now in the 10th percentile. I will be going to pumping 3 days per week for my PT work and I'm hoping that will help my nips.
What are you supposed to do when you are so frustrated but unwilling to give up? I don't want to keep throwing good money at this issue. I don't see enough positive response from doing the exercises so I fall off the wagon. And I always feel like she is hungry bc she wants to nurse from about 3p-10p nonstop (she just turned 3 months old). I've read up on this stuff quite a bit but wonder if others have been through this.
I would have gone for the full $200 lactation appt with uber-LC but everybody was going on vacation when I was desperate. I'm now about $300-400 with all these appointments are more frustrated then ever. Even better is that the exercises I have to do haven't helped but then again, I can't keep up with them. But I never felt they were helping anyway. They are not ones that would seem at all related (like put your hand on belly, then clavicle, then mandible, head, then back to belly). She is gaining weight appropriately (1.5-2 lb/month) but is still very small--now in the 10th percentile. I will be going to pumping 3 days per week for my PT work and I'm hoping that will help my nips.
What are you supposed to do when you are so frustrated but unwilling to give up? I don't want to keep throwing good money at this issue. I don't see enough positive response from doing the exercises so I fall off the wagon. And I always feel like she is hungry bc she wants to nurse from about 3p-10p nonstop (she just turned 3 months old). I've read up on this stuff quite a bit but wonder if others have been through this.
*****Losses Mentioned*****BFP MENTIONED*****ALL WELCOME******ALL ABOARD!!
Me: 42, DH: 46, Married: 11/12
Losses: MMC#1 11/12 BO, MC#2 11/13 at 8w BO?, MMC#3 8/14 chromo healthy M @12 weeks, stopped growing at 10.
Negligible AMH, FSH finally went high. Pursued DE.
DD born at 38w2d on 5-27-16. Finally!!
Pregnant again with OE. EDD 11/9/17 Girl!
Me: 42, DH: 46, Married: 11/12
Losses: MMC#1 11/12 BO, MC#2 11/13 at 8w BO?, MMC#3 8/14 chromo healthy M @12 weeks, stopped growing at 10.
Negligible AMH, FSH finally went high. Pursued DE.
DD born at 38w2d on 5-27-16. Finally!!
Pregnant again with OE. EDD 11/9/17 Girl!
Re: What to do with a "disorganized sucker"?
I sympathize with your pain & frustration! Have you tried using a nipple shield, and have you tried more than one LC? Sometimes one may see something that another doesn't see.
I have a similar story but it is now hopefully resolved at 2.5 months. My nipples were in so much pain they were unusable before i even left the hospital so i had to pump & use formula until milk came in. Saw an LC and had the procedure for tongue & upper lip done when LO was 9 says old, but I didn't notice much difference, so LC had me use a nipple shield and alternate nursing with pumping/ bottle feeding every other time to let nipples heal. At 2nd LC appt my nipples were almost healed, so she said to try to reduce the bottle feedings and do more direct nursing (with shield). I did and pretty soon LO refused bottle altogether so I had to only nurse directly (w shield).
I did that until about 2 months bc i was traumatized by my early pain, and every time I tried nursing without the shield I could successfully feed her but suffered for at least a day afterwards. So I stopped trying for a while and kept using the shield. I did notice that milk was leaking out with the shield and i know it's not ideal.
At LO's 2 month appt she had gone down in weight percentile so I saw another LC who helped me get off the nipple shield. (I think LO is finally big enough and has better motor skills). So now we are finally nursing correctly and I'm praying her weight gain is ok. Seems like so far it is.
So I can relate to a lot of money and effort spent on this, but I'll be really grateful if we can successfully nurse for a while. Good luck to you!!