Needing some words of advice and encouragement plz

izzetoot · September 2016

Hey ladies, Ive been Bump mia for a few days because LO got breastmilk jaundice. I didn't even know this was a thing, but apparently it is and happens more often with babies born around 37weeks, which Monte is, and when they are between 10-14 days old. He stopped nursing on Saturday night and hardly ate anything until we were able to get him to the doctor on Monday. He had lost quite a bit of weight and was already tiny so was down to 5lbs 15oz, turned bright yellow and was completely listless and very difficult to wake up. Our pedi told us about breastmilk jaundice and that it occurs when the babies liver isn't formed well enough to break down breastmilk and switched us to formula for 72 hrs. Thankfully the formula worked and we had a weight check yesterday and he jumped back up to 6lbs 3oz, yay! And now we are supposed to feed 50/50 formula and breastmilk till Friday. But now since he's been 100% bottle fed for three days he refuses to go back to the boob. I am spending hours juggling him back and forth between left and right boob. He latches starts sucking then stops before the milk starts flowing and starts crying. I am crushed, super relieved that he is thriving, but super bummed because I had an extremely difficult time nursing my first and was hoping to nurse better and longer this time around. My production is stellar and I'm pumping 5-6 oz every 3-4 hours but am worried if he won't nurse my production will go down and then fade out. I was only able to BF LO1 for 3 months because my production was super low and then stopped all together. The LC recommended a breast shield which I ordered online and will try. Does anyone have any experience with reintroducing the boob after an early intro to bottles? Or advice on how to get him to latch with or without the breast shield?

Cricket Bug · September 2016

Take everything I say with a grain of salt because I was never able to breastfeed (DD was just too small, and my head space was just too fragile) and exclusively pumped for 6 months.

These are things recommended to me by my LC when we were struggling. She suggested manually expressing a little bit of milk and leaving the drips on and then helping LO latch. Once on/at the nipple, manually express as LO sucks so that they are getting some milk regardless. When they get a bit stronger and you let down, then gradually let them take over. Same idea with the nipple shield - fill it with a bit of manually expressed milk for an instant feed and rebuild having them work for it. Hope that helps!

steminist · September 2016

FTM, but along the same lines as Cricket Bug, a friend of mine mentioned that when her son had trouble, she would rub some formula on her nipples first so that he wouldn't get so frustrated while waiting for let down. She said once he got a bit bigger, he could suck more effectively and fit more in his mouth and it got easier. I'm not 100% sure about if she had used bottles before/at the same time though. Good luck, and as long as you're getting good volume in the pump you can always keep trying to get Monte to latch!

AnnaS930 · September 2016

Can you use the pump to prime your breasts (the fast part of the pump before it transitions to the slower pull after let-down) so that his first few suckles you are already letting down? This is coming from absolutely no experience, so no idea if it's a good idea or not.

let me also say, 1. I'm sorry you're going through this and 2. Thank you for opening the rest of our eyes to such a condition, it's nothing I've ever heard of. When my sister had her twins she spent the same amount of time as you are trying to juggle babies to latch and it was mentally and emotionally very taxing on her. She eventually chose to exclusively pump, which was the right answer for her but not everyone. Rest assured that there are other options, though I sincerely sincerely hope that your ideal situation of successful straightforward breastfeeding working for you.

izzetoot · September 2016

Thanks ladies, Ive tried to expressing a little and leaving it on my nipple and that seems to get him more interested but not long enough to full on nurse. I haven't tried continuing to express while he's sucking @Cricket Bug so I will def give that a try! The pump let down was also recommended by the LC and it worked once but hasn't for the last day or so of trying, but I will try again. And again and again and again...

AnnaS930 · September 2016

izzetoot said:

Thanks ladies, Ive tried to expressing a little and leaving it on my nipple and that seems to get him more interested but not long enough to full on nurse. I haven't tried continuing to express while he's sucking @Cricket Bug so I will def give that a try! The pump let down was also recommended by the LC and it worked once but hasn't for the last day or so of trying, but I will try again. And again and again and again...

Can you put some breastmilk into a syringe and run a little tubing along your nipple to push some milk out until your letdown? When Emmett was born we fed him with a Supplemental Nursing System type of device (just a tube hooked to a little 10mL syringe) and had him suckle on my nipple or even a gloved finger while pushing the fluid to help him out.

Something like this?
Medela Starter SNS with 80ml Collection Container Sterile

Medela Starter SNS with 80ml Collection Container Sterile

When doing it at the breast you might need an extra hand to help hold it in place/press the plunger on the syringe to dispense some liquid.. but might be able to wrangle it all yourself??

mom2adoodle · September 2016

The syringe @AnnaS930 idea is one we were taught by the NICU. I plan to use it as soon as Finley is able to latch. He too had jaundice so I understand the frustration and fear. I'm also worried about switching to breast feeding about just using pumped milk in bottles...the Lactation consultant said all I can do is try him at the breast twice a day and see if it clicks one of these days. Here is to hoping!! You're not alone and I understand your concerns- I have the same ones! Amazing work on your supply- 5-6 oz is wonderful! Pumping is hard work so I admire your dedication to your LO.

RedMar · September 2016

No advice, but stopping in to give you a hug! I know how hard it is to pump, but def take the advice the others have as it sounds amazing to get Monte back on the boob!

izzetoot · September 2016

Thanks AnnaS930! That syringe looks really intimidating... I just got the shield in the mail and am going to try to use it when he wakes up. @mom2adoodle let me know how it worked out for you and Finley. How is he doing? Is his jaundice gone? Monte is almost in the clear and has regained a lot of alertness and is much more pink than yellow, but I am wondering if he is still to weak to nurse. Maybe he just needs a few more days? My LC said breastfeeding is harder for them than it is for us, hard to imagine! Poor babies :'(

KimmySchmidt · September 2016

I hope it works out that he latches. I encourage you to follow you LC'd advice and remain in close contact with her.

But, if it doesn't work out, know that you haven't failed. You made the right call to keep your baby healthy. Formula is literally a life saver. Just because your plan may have to change, doesn't mean you are any less successful at caring for your baby.

pizzaandwine · September 2016

He probably got used to the faster/easier flow of the bottle, so it might help if you help things along once you get him latched. I agree with pumping a bit first to stimulate a let down (so he doesn't get frustrated while waiting), but then you can also squeeze your breasts toward the nipple to help kind-of force more milk out. I guess it's a bit like you're milking yourself.

UnwritteN12 · September 2016

I'm so sorry. But I'm really glad he's doing good better. It really is frustrating when you have trouble breastfeeding and it's something that you really want to do for your little one. Speaking from experience though, SNS that @AnnaS930 and @mom2adoodle mentioned can be fantastic! Since O&J were in the NICU, I had to work extra hard to get them to breastfeed. They were bottle fed from the start. But the LC showed me how to use SNS an ditch was great. They're both doing really well with breastfeeding now. Thinking of you and hoping it works for you hun!!

izzetoot · September 2016

So he latched onto the shield pretty well! It was hard to tell if he was actually drinking vs suckling on it like a pacifier. So, I pumped afterwards to see if I was still full and I only got about an oz. If this works, that means I will need to ween him off of the shield at some point. Probably sooner rather than later. But the satisfied look on his face when he passed out milk drunk was worth the last two sleepless nights

SuperFudge00 · September 2016

Here for support and solidarity. I don't have any new suggestions but DS1 had jaundice and weight loss because I had no supply. He also thrived on formula and I would supplement with what I was able to pump. Although I went through a different experience, I grieved my inability to breastfeed, I feel your pain.

Fingers crossed that you find something that gets your LO latching.

mom2adoodle · September 2016

@izzetoot Finley had two rounds of photo light therapy for his jaundice and it's finally cleared up! So happy not to see him get poked for blood draws anymore. Yes, we were told the same that breast feeding is tough on some babies. Finley gets so frustrated at the breast

Interestingly my Lactation consultant doesn't want me to use a shield. I've actually seen quite a few since fin was in the NICU and they cruise around talking to all moms there. For now I'm just putting him to breast, squeezing my boob so that milk comes out to entice him to suck and making a little sandwich out of the breast so that it stimulates his sucking reflex. I just think it's a lot harder than the bottle so when he's hungry it's double the work

I'm trying to put him to breast at the end of his feeds so he's not thrashing around out of desperation. I can't say it's been too successful though...perhaps in a week or two!

I'm glad the sheid worked for you! Perhaps you can do a weigh feed weigh with your consultant to see how much he is getting. I hear what you pump isn't always indicative of what they get from the breast (ugh, another thing to worry about lol).

RG1 · September 2016

I just wanted to pop in and say I admire everyone's commitment to BF when the going gets tough! You ladies are so dedicated!

jensou · September 2016

I'm sorry you're going through this. All the suggestions sound pretty good. The only thing I can think to add is maybe consider the nipple on the bottle you're using. Is it the slowest flow they make? I don't know much about the brands but Avent. Their bottles all come with a size 1, but the company makes a 0. Perhaps if bottle feeding requires a more vigorous suck, Monte will be able to transition a little easier?

So glad the nipple shield was a success. We're all cheering for you two!

abberson · September 2016

So glad you're having some success! I had a love / hate relationship with the nipple shield. I loved it because it allowed out bf relationship to work (she refused the breast, like due to some molding issues). But I hated the hassle and the work to wean from it. And how long our sessions were. A friend told me that her son weaned from it when he was big / strong enough. Sure enough, around 6-7 weeks when she hit ~8 lb, she started nursing without it (I offered sans shield first most sessions). Those weeks were hard and frustrating, but I was so happy we got through them because it was so easy after that. You got this! You're doing great and trying all the right things!

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