Need Some Help/Advice!!!!

Adrian - posted on 02/25/2010

See a lactation consultant ASAP. Give yourself peace of mind. That is what they are there for. Better to get advice like this in person and from a professional that deals with sort of thing all the time. It will make you feel better. Good luck to you!

Carrie - posted on 02/25/2010

Congrats on your baby girl! I too had lots of work to do because my son was given formula in the hospital. He was in the NICU his first 5 days and got formula mixed with whatever milk I produced. When we left the hospital, I got a Medela breast shield, a thin piece of silicone that you put over your nipple to help the baby with latching. Because he was so used to the bottle that helped him a lot. See this website for some more information on the shields
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/tip...
After a few weeks he let me know he was done with the shield and ready for direct contact, and we've had no problems since (7 months on Sunday!)!
Do you have someone around to help you when you try to get her latched on? I would get my husband to help me sometimes when I was nervous at first, and I did eventually get a lactation consult, too, where she made me feel a lot more comfortable with what I was doing.
Because of our nursing problems, I would breastfeed for 10-15 minutes total, then give him a bottle of expressed milk, and then I would pump to keep up my supply. It's exhausting but totally worth it. If you're having latching problems and having to pump, it is wise to invest in renting a hospital pump to make sure you get the most milk you can. That hospital pump saved my milk supply!
Our hospital had a support group for new moms breastfeeding, so if your hospital has one, or if there is a La Leche League, you should try to invest that time into it. They are so helpful and supportive, and they are a good shoulder when you feel like crying.
Don't give up - you're doing a great job! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!! You are trying to do what's best for your daughter, and we're all happy to help in whatever way we can!

Melissa - posted on 02/25/2010

you wont make enought if you dont keep breastfeeding her, so dont supplement, just feed her more oftern to stimulate yourself into producing more milk. dont let your pump be the judge of how much milk you make!!!! a 9 day old babys stomach is only the size of a cherry, so picture that...and they need to nurse more often because it is so little. as long as she is gaining weight (she should return to her birth weight by 10-14days) adn having 6 wet diapers/day, then ur doing OK! make an appt with a lactation consultant, the hospital should be able to refer you if u dont know how to get in contact on your own. ask about a lactation aid. it is a small tube that u slip in along your nipple while the baby nurses, keep pumping and use whatever pumped milk you have with the lactation aid. pump after she nurses to mimic baby continuing to feed. you can do it! breastfeeding is very hard for some people (i was one of those ppl) BUT if you stick with it and get the right support you can do it! just rtemember the more you give formula, the less milk your body will make...dont make that mistake! good luck to u, have faith!

Frederieke - posted on 02/25/2010

All the others had great advise. I nurse my 3rd one now and both my girls (not my son) had trouble latching. i used the nipple shield (medela) too with both of them and that made it better. but i also agree that it is very helpfull to go and see a lactation consultant. in my hospital you see a LC twice before they let you go. sorry they gave you this formula advise. Hang in there and good luck!

April - posted on 02/25/2010

it makes me mad that they didn't encourage you to breastfeed in the hospital...grrrr!! how do they know how much milk you're making?? and breastfeeding is a supply\/demand system. nursing is even better than pumping for your supply! grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Shana - posted on 02/24/2010

About baby fussing, it may be because she's used to the bottle, I highly suggest you get a nipple shield, also the best advice I got from the lactation lady is... A hungry baby will eat, you just have to be willing to listen to them fuss and cry, but if they're hungry, they will latch and eat.

A bottle is easier because it is instant food, a baby has to work for food when she's breast fed. Don't give up Danielle! If you truly want to breastfeed I know you can do it!

Shana - posted on 02/24/2010

Congratulations on the baby! Don't give up if you want to breastfeed your baby! It takes time and it takes patience, it's not always easy but you'll be so proud of yourself if you stick through the hard time.



My daughter and I had a TERRIBLE start to breastfeeding, she would give me hickeys on my nipples, I would bleed, they were so painful that ANYTHING that touched them would make me literally scream. I'm so happy and proud of myself for getting through those first few weeks.



I went to see a lactation consultant, I had to go to another city to see her because my area doesn't have one, it's worth it! She showed me how to get my daughter to latch on correctly, what to look for when she's sucking, and told me how I can make things easier for us.



My daughter wouldn't open her mouth wide enough at first, so when she did open wide enough I had to be pretty forceful when it came to putting her on at first, it made me feel kind of bad to have to be so quick and almost violent seeming with her, but the lactation lady assured me that I was not hurting her.



When she latches if you hear noise (kind of like if you were to try to imitate the sound of a baby feeding, or any kind of wet slurpy noise) it's most likely not a proper latch, take her off and try to relatch her. If there is excessive pain take her off, if your nipple isnt round she was latched wrong. your nipple should NOT have a slanted side,



You can try using a nipple shield, using the shield probably saved my breastfeeding relationship with my daughter, you can get them at Target, I personally prefer the Medela brand. The shield allows for an easier latch on (especially if you have odd nipples like I do...) and if your baby has gotten used to eating from a bottle it gives them a bottle feel while still eating from you. You can always ween them off the shield once you both get the hang of things, its really not that difficult once you and baby are good at BFding.



You mature milk takes about a week to come in, and since you haven't been able to breastfeed your daughter your supply may still be low, but having her there to suck will help, pumping more frequently should also help.



The best advice you're going to get from anyone is to see a lactation consultant, or a LLL mother, Your local hospital should be able to tell you where you can get ahold of a consultant and you can find information about LLL here. http://www.llli.org/



This video has some good points in it for latching and what to look for and some tips on how to do it.

Danielle - posted on 02/24/2010

Thank you very much ladies I know I wasn't too happy when she started the formula in the hospital but I wanted to make sure she was getting something in her system. My other problem with BF is that when I go to latch her onto me she will start to fuss and cry and I'm just trying to feed her. Do I stop trying to latch her on when she starts doing this or should I try to get her to latch on no matter how much she cries or fusses?! I don't wanna be a mean mother and make her do something she doesn't want to do. Any advice on this problem!?

Liza - posted on 02/24/2010

First, Don't give up bf if you are determined to bf. Second, what terrible advise from the nurse to give your baby formula!

Remember that sometimes milk doesn't come in for a bit. It took me about 2 weeks to feel like I was "bf right". Sometimes different holds work better for different babies. For me at first I needed to be a room all by myself so both baby and I were relaxed. With my second I had to take her on and off a few times before she lached on right. Try calling a lactation consultant at the hospital or a le leche group

Laurie - posted on 02/24/2010

call a la leche league leader. their help is free! they nursed theiir own babies plus have training so they can help. pumping is generally not an indicator odf suppply for most women since a baby nursing well gets out loads more milk.

Tammy - posted on 02/24/2010

Well firstly, congratulations on the birth of your baby girl! Secondly, I cant believe the hospital made you start giving her formula, that is the worst thing to do when you are trying to get your milk supply up and established! At only nine days old, your lo is still learning to breastfeed and your milk supply being established, it does take time. I remember bf for first time and I felt really awkward, and had a lot of trouble myself, but now my son and i are old pros lol. Perhaps you may have a slow let down? perhaps you could pump until let down occurs, then latch her on straight away. I would definetly recommend seeing a lactation nurse. Also, how much milk you get out of your pump is an inaccurate measure of how much milk your baby is actually getting, your baby is far more efficient at extracting the milk. Some other mums may have some more ideas for you, but hang in there, you are doing great for persisting!