Need help with breastfeeding

Cassie - posted on 12/31/2009

get some one to go to target and in the feeding baby isle they have nipple shields its a silicone nipple that fits over your nipple and is much easier for the baby to latch on too and when i used them they actually helped draw the milk out making it much easier on the baby.ones ur comfortable u can ween the baby to your bare nipple it worked great for me

Jessica - posted on 12/31/2009

Make sure he's latching on really well. Turn him sideways so his body is wrapped around you. Make sure his chin is deeper in your breast verses flat against his face. Try using football hold if you haven't already, he might like it better. Use one hand to hold him and the other to hold your breast and get the nipple really in his mouth. If he hasn't been latching well for the first week he's probably mad so just be patient with him. It takes about an hour to feed a newborn so just hang in there. If you can call a lactation specialist then definately do it. It'll help a lot. Or, get a book. There's some good ones out there, you'll need pictures. And stop using bottles if you are using them. Bottles are easier then breastfeeding so he'll want whats easiest.

Aicha - posted on 12/30/2009

Hi can you have a lactation consultation come to your house? contact LE LECHE LEAGUE here is their website http://www.llli.org/nb.html they have women who will help you with your latch on problem

Kelly - posted on 12/30/2009

i have 4.5 yrs nursing experience and i can say for sure that if baby wont latch then use a shield...just for 24 hrs..then start to wean baby off it. for example, start with it on, then slip it off. I do not recommend using it for more than say, a few days...it will hurt your milk supply. and no bottles, for the first 6weeks. if you are worried that baby isnt getting enough, then get a feeding tube attached to a 10ml syringe (i get them from my mom who works in NICU) you fill syringe with formula, attach the tube, put baby on breast, then slip end of tube in the corner fo the mouth. press the plunger while baby is sucking. she wont know that you are supplementing and no nipple confusion. This will prevent breastfeeding jaundice as well.

Sarah - posted on 12/30/2009

at the hospital my son had a problem latching. they recomended a nipple shield. i dont really feed comfortable breast feeding . i give him breast milk in a bottle. that way i can monitor how much hes eating. i pump A LOT. ive tried multiple times, he just doesnt like it for some reason. if worse comes to worse, pumping into bottle (and freezing milk for backup) isnt a bad idea.... it makes life much easier for me. anyone can feed him, not just mommy. and i know how much hes eating. you could always try it though. MUCH LUCK.....

Sandy - posted on 12/30/2009

Vivien...has your milk come in yet? I know with my daughter she would latch on but only for a few minutes until my milk came in. If this isn't the case then I would definitely contact a lactation consultant, or your local WIC office. They have lactation consultants on staff and typically on call 24/7! Good luck!!!

Ashley - posted on 12/30/2009

I would take a warm shower right before nursing. This will help ur milk come down and you will relax in the process. find a nice quiet comfy spot with low light and try a new position. I nursed my twins one on eithe side of me, propped up on pillows in the football hold. I had one baby tucked under each side of me. I liked it bc I could see what was going on with both boys. It was easier for me to make sure they were latched on properly.
get into position and brush your nipple across ur lil ones mouth. I used to start from the bottom of the nose to the top of the bottom lip. I would only have to do this a few times before they would open up wide. Wait for that wide open mouth before you let him latch on. If you do this right after a shower then just a small amount of suckling will make the milk flow. Sometimes if it takes too long for the milk to come out (especially if they have been given a bottle) they can get frustrated and stop nursing. I personally would rub my boys backs and cheeks while they nursed. Once you get him latched on just relax. The more you relax the faster your milk will dropand the more relaxed baby will be.
I agree with the others as well, no more bottles. If he won't nurse you may try expressing some milk and putting it into a syringe. place ur pinky nail down into his mouth and slowly squirt the milk into the corner of his mouth. This will also help if he is overly hungry and having a hard time latching on. once he tastes it he may be more willing to latch on and give it a go. I also used to let a little milk drop onto my boys upper lip so they could smell it. This always made them want it.
I hope some of this helped you in any way. Good luck and I hope that you can get that boys latched on. offer the breast as often as you can and soon enough he will take to it.

Lia - posted on 12/30/2009

Hey there, one of the things I found helpful when my daughter was getting frustrated was to do a lot of compressions to help express the milk. Then she would be a bit more satisfied with what she was doing, and it would keep her interested. Like the others have said, there are people who can help over the phone and come to see you as well. About the nipple shield, be careful about how much you use it as it could decrease your supply especially in these first 2 or 3 weeks. It happened to me and I had to bottle feed for 2 or 3 days and pump to get enough supply. If you really feel that your son is not getting enough, try pumping after each feeding, then give it to him through a bottle AFTER you have tried to nurse (or tube while nursing). Good luck!

Dawn - posted on 12/30/2009

lie him across your lap and line up his ear, his shoulder and his hip. tickle his chin and push him onto your breast. a breast feeding pillow will help bring him up to your breast level is he is tiny. dont take him off once he is on. there is NO need to remove him to the other side until he is GOOD AND READY! let him drain the one and then offer the next the same way. my lac. consultant practised this with me in my living room for a couple of hours and within 4 days my baby gained 500 grams.

good luck and let us know how he is doing! and happy new year!

Brenda - posted on 12/30/2009

Hi I bought the pump machine in walmat fo like 40dollars it works great for me,I give my daughter fomula and breast milk so she can have all the nutrients good luck ok god bless.

Neah Cristina - posted on 12/30/2009

just be patient with him, he wil learn this by instinct just guide him thru and relax so you will be able to producemore milk. Massage you breast or apply hot compress before feeding...

Katy-louise - posted on 12/30/2009

sometimes babies dont always take expecially if its your 1st just persist with it try not to get stressed and trust me i know its hard not to just grab your nipple tickle it to his nose wait til he has a ig enough mouth then put your nipple into his mouth hel soon take if he comes of repeat the same sequence nipple to nose stroke it down to his lip then pop into mouth x

Anastacia - posted on 12/29/2009

With my first daughter I had alot of trouble breastfeeding her. The nurse gave me a nipple shield but it didn't work for me. I was young and didn't really know what I was doing. She ended up being formula fed.
With my second who is 2 months old now, I was very determined to make it work this time. I never used any other nipples. I did use a nipple shield this time on one breast because of a very painful crack, but only for 2 days while it healed. After that I was fine. I have never had another crack or anything and it is very comfortable now. I wish I knew that all I needed the first time around was determination! lol.
It can be very overwhelming trying to learn (it was for me the first time anyhow). Looking up and trying different positions is really helpful too. Just stick with it, it's so worth it! Best of Luck!

Rachel - posted on 12/29/2009

I would suggest hand expressing some of the milk onto your babies lips and mouth, then, if he goes in for the latch, make sure you move him to your breast, not your breast to him. I have large breasts and nipples and used a "pancaking" method where I would squeeze my nipple flat to get more nipple into his mouth. What might be happening is he is wanting the milk right away so becomes frustrated that it's not coming out right away. Hand expressing can begin the let-down, and he knows food is close when he gets a taste. His mouth should be open wide. My son was a "barracuda" in that he had an aggressive suckling technique. Maybe try the hand expressing and pancaking if it might work for you, but most of all, find what works for both of you and keep it up. Don't get discouraged, your both learning each other! Your doing great! :)

Nakia - posted on 12/29/2009

I found it useful to have a look at step-by-step pictures showing positioning etc of attaching bub to breast in feeding. At the start we had a step-by-step routine in helping with attachment and I would talk it through with bub (so he knew what was happening - or more for me??), now it just happens......
Good Luck - but I think the main thing is, stay relaxed and try not to stress about it!

Naomi - posted on 12/29/2009

Oh, also, at this age babies go through growth spurts ALL THE TIME (it feels like lol) he may seem hungry and unsatisfied after every feed for a few days and then settle down, there is no need to turn to formula, your body can and will make enough milk. I had definite confirmed milk supply issues, and for medical reasons had to supplement formula for 5 weeks (under careful medical supervision), but after that was able to EBF. you can do it! if you're still worried, get some fenugreek tablets (sold at many health food stores) it works for me really well, and I've heard that all mothers in india are given fenugreek tea as a standard thing just to help establish their supply.

Naomi - posted on 12/29/2009

I too had to use a shield, because my son had a tongue tie, but we used it under supervision from a lactation specialist and my midwives.It worked great for us, but I'd agree to use it as a last resort and make sure you are finding help as well!

Christy - posted on 12/29/2009

I used a nipple shield for the first 3 weeks because my son had trouble latching on. after 3 weeks every time he nursed i would try without the shield first and if it didn't work then i would use the shield. after about a week he no longer needed the shield and we have been successful for going on 10 months now. keep the faith!

Monika - posted on 12/28/2009

In Canada nurses come to visit you the first few days you are home to make sure everything is going good with breast feeding and so forth. Look for your local La Leche League group and contact them for advice. A lactation consultant are here La Leche people. There are resources out there that visit the home, call around and have someone come in so they can see what you are doing and how and where you are feeding your baby. Just switching chairs and getting an extra pillow helped me when a nurse came in for a home visit.

There is a book called "Breastfeeding made simple" it made a lot of sense to me and was recommended to me by my breast feeding class I took before my daughter was born.

Amber - posted on 12/28/2009

I had latching issues with my son as well and I used a nipple shield for the first three weeks and was able to get him to latch without it. The lactation nurse always had me try the breast without the nipple shield a few times a day.

I would definitely try to get a lactation specialist to come to your house.

Good luck!

Catlin - posted on 12/28/2009

you could try getting ahold of a post partem doula in your area. they are knowledgeable about breast-feeding

Chelsea - posted on 12/28/2009

I would like to recommend having a La Leche League Leader come to your house. They are trained to help with issues such as these are a wonderful resource. They do house calls on a regular basis in most cases. Here is the link in order to find a LLL in your area

http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 12/28/2009

Quoting Vivien:

what do u guys think of using a nipple shield to help him latch on??

I think it should be a last resort.  If you feel you've tried other things then go ahead and use it. If you can get him to latch with the shield it may help you relax a little. Once he starts latching well you can start a feed without the shield and see how long he'll nurse without it.



I had to use a nipple shield because of my nipple shape.  I started weaning my daughter off the shield at 3 months and it took almost a full month to get her off of it.  I'm definitely not against them it just takes a little extra work when your ready to get rid of them.  I  like the suggestion of lots of time skin to skin too.

April - posted on 12/28/2009

have a lactation consultant come to your house!

Laura Zoey - posted on 12/28/2009

Quoting Vivien:

what do u guys think of using a nipple shield to help him latch on??

i used a nipple shield for one of my breasts because the nipple was quite short and the breast was really big, it helped so much and made me relax that he could nurse on both sides,

but as soon as he is really good with the shield try without it before you put it on so he begins to adjust to nursing without it

ont bother trying to nurse without it during the night at first that would be a pain

my son quit using it sometime around 2 mo and is nursing strong at 8 mo

Vivien - posted on 12/28/2009

what do u guys think of using a nipple shield to help him latch on??

Jamie - posted on 12/28/2009

i agree. see if a lactation consultant can come to your house.
try napping with him, lying side by side. when he's drowsy, encourage him to nurse. he will be more relaxed. those first few weeks are the hardest, hang in there! remember, he's learning just like you. it takes a lot of patience and persistance, but he'll get the hang of it.

Katreena - posted on 12/28/2009

Try calling the local hospital to have a lactation consultant come to your house. I know that in my town, they do this. I also would recommend stimlating the nipples or pumping before you latch baby on. That will help them get less frustrated. Also are you sure your milk has come in? Good luck. I am praying for you.

Paula - posted on 12/28/2009

Try spending somemoretime skin to skin, letting him play aandlie closeto you, could be that your sonain't comfty in one position feeding off you try lying downwith him. sometimes they can pick up on your feelings if yor tence about feeding and stressed that he may nnot take, he will pick up on that. Relax put some musicon, talk to soothe throughout lots of skin contact. Let him try alot, the more yo put him to your breast the more milk produced... have faith therewill be enough milk, breast feeding goesin waves with growth spurts, where you feel not producing enough, sothey will feedmore. The key is to ride it through, get himused to having when he wants andyou will watch him grow and thrieve on the best gift you could give him.goodluck your doing great keep trying!

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 12/28/2009

You can call your local hospital and get the number for the lactation consultant. She may be able to help you over the phone. Try to make sure you offer the breast before he gets so hungry that he's crying. If my daughter did get to the cry stage, my husband would take her and walk around with her for a few minutes to calm her down. If he's only latched a couple times, are you giving a bottle? He may have nipple confusion. Stop the bottles and stick with the breast. If he's getting frustrated waiting for a letdown, you can pump or hand stimulate your breasts just enough to get a letdown and then latch him on.