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How long did it take you to get the hang of breastfeeding?

hb7hb7 member
in Breastfeeding
My son is 8 days old and we are still not successfully breastfeeding.  I have an appointment with a lactation consultant on Tuesday.  My milk has come in and I have been attempting to breastfeed him and then pumping and giving him bottles if he gets frustrated and does not latch. We have had a few times where he did nurse successfully but most of the time he does not look comfortable and either cries because he is hungry and frustrated or he just kind of gums my breast and falls asleep on me.  The nurse at the hospital said that he was being lazy and giving up too easily if he didn't latch.  The pediatrician recommended that I purchase the My brest friend pillow because I was not having luck with the boppy.  She said to try to nurse him and only give him 1 bottle a day, but that is not happening.  The pediatrician said that I have appropriately sized nipples for successful breastfeeding and my son does not have a tongue tie or anything that would prevent him from latching.  How long did it take you to successfully breastfeed every time?  I really want to breastfeed and do not want to give up.
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Re: How long did it take you to get the hang of breastfeeding?

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    meggymemeggyme member
    hb7 said:
    My son is 8 days old and we are still not successfully breastfeeding.  I have an appointment with a lactation consultant on Tuesday.  My milk has come in and I have been attempting to breastfeed him and then pumping and giving him bottles if he gets frustrated and does not latch. We have had a few times where he did nurse successfully but most of the time he does not look comfortable and either cries because he is hungry and frustrated or he just kind of gums my breast and falls asleep on me.  The nurse at the hospital said that he was being lazy and giving up too easily if he didn't latch.  The pediatrician recommended that I purchase the My brest friend pillow because I was not having luck with the boppy.  She said to try to nurse him and only give him 1 bottle a day, but that is not happening.  The pediatrician said that I have appropriately sized nipples for successful breastfeeding and my son does not have a tongue tie or anything that would prevent him from latching.  How long did it take you to successfully breastfeed every time?  I really want to breastfeed and do not want to give up.

    Some people come by breastfeeding easily, while others struggle for months. It's not necessarily easy. Hopefully the LC will help, or perhaps a La Leche League if there is one nearby you. You may also want to try pumping or hand expressing for a minute or two until your milk starts to flow before latching on. This might help with baby getting frustrated waiting for milk and giving up. Getting baby to latch properly is one of the hardest parts, especially in the beginning when you're both learning. Good luck!
    DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
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    CrystalEOhCrystalEOh member
    I recall we were near the two week mark before I felt like we were latching with consistency. It felt like forever at the time! Hopefully the LC will have some good advice and perhaps a breastfeeding support group to join. Best of luck!
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    elgieelgie member
    Have you tried a nipple shield? My little one can and will occasionally latch without...but it's always a fight. The shield has made things so much easier. 
    BabyFruit Ticker

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    A&LmommyA&Lmommy member
    I second the shield, only thing that worked for my first. Had to use it for every feeding for the first month since she had such a lil mouth. Keep trying different positions, the shield and pumping to relieve engorgement so its not like trying to latch onto a filled balloon. Good luck!
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    Lizbeth86Lizbeth86 member
    I agree that hand expressing first is really important, it encourages the baby and also makes the nipple easier to latch onto.

    I also used the nipple shield and never could have breastfed without it, but my issue was different. She was biting my nipple, the opposite of giving up and not latching enough.

    Hopefully the LC can help!
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    hisqueen78hisqueen78 member
    My baby is almost 3 weeks old and it took us until about last week for it for get better. At first she wouldn't open her mouth wide enough, then my milk came in and I lbecame engorged, then my nipples were sore and cracked (which they kinda still are). But we kept at it and it's getting better. I tried a nipple shield but that only lasted 24 hours because it kept slipping off and my nipples still hurt while using it. Don't give up I talked to the LC at my pedi office and my birth assistant and I looked at videos on YouTube to help me. Every baby is different this is my 3rd child that I have breastfed and this was the hardest.

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