My son is 5 days old and I am having serious problems getting him to latch on. sometimes he is doing it great and is content after his feed and other times (most of the time) he isn't getting enough, cause when we are finished after about 5/10 minutes he is shaking his head left to right and wanting more. I nearly gave up but spoke to the nurse at the hospital and she suggested that I put him on the bottle for a day and give my poor nipples a rest, I did do that and he ate great, then the following day I picked back up with the brestfeeding with the assistance of a nipple sheild. I use the sheild for the first few min. and then i take it off and get him to latch on naturally. My biggest concern is that he is eating for 30 min. for example and then when he is done when he should be sleeping cause he is full he wants more, i get just about enough time to wash the sheild and then i have to put it back on again :(
I found sitting in my rocking chair was the best place to feed him. Today I pumped my brest to only get 1 1/2 oz out of it, but when i gave it to him in the bottle he couldn't finish it and he is still asleep now. When he has the formula he is taking the full 2ozs. Anyway if I have made any sense in here please give me some advice, i really don't want to have to give up with the breast milk but I can't keep feeding him so often, i must get this latch thing sorted out. I have read leaflets and the different positions that I can have him him and holding my breast "c" and all that, I just need a Mom to tell me like it is. Thanks ↓
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| Name: firewife | Date: Jun 14th, 2006 11:05 PM |
| Does the hospital have lacation consults that are available for outside appointments? If not get a trusted friend, your mom, or even your OB to watch and see what the problem is, I'm a visual person I don't think I can explain it. Maybe 3x nursing mom can help, she gives good advice. Please don't give up breast is truly best, I wonder if your milk supply is not fully in? Sometimes it takes up to 8 days for the full supply, although offering a bottle leads to nipple preference and decreased supply, I am surprised the nurse recommended a bottle. I would only give supplements in a dropper or spoon, or give the SNS a try. I used the SNS in the begining with my son it worked out great. (BTW SNS is the straw like tube you tape to your breast so baby nurses and gets supplement.) Good luck to you, hang in there, it gets better. ↑ |
| Name: Tamekia KIlkenny | Date: Jun 15th, 2006 5:45 AM |
| have you tried lying down and trying to feed.. it worked for me.... if you would like to talk some more then add me [email protected] ↑ |
| Name: msdark | Date: Jun 15th, 2006 6:57 PM |
Well, I have had to resort to pumping the breastmilk and I am feeding him one bottle of breast then one of formula. Yesterday I couldn't even get him to remotley latch on, he was getting so fustrated, then i later read that once they have the bottle they tend to want that as the sucking is different with bottles and breast.
Have I blown it now ever getting him on the breast??? I am keeping the milk supply there but I must admit that I am not getting much about an oz and i am pumping every 2 hours!!!
Tomorrow he has his first appointment at the Dr's and I hope that she can help.
Tamekia: I haven't tried the laying down position, i was doing the football hold and the cradle, i don't know if it is to late but maybe i should give that a try.
We have got a lactation lady in our county but she only works part time, getting hold of her can be difficult. ARGH! this is so hard :( ↑ |
| Name: Fiona | Date: Jun 16th, 2006 11:54 AM |
You're not going to be able to breastfeed successfully if you're giving him formula! Babies prefer having formula because they don't have to work hard in order to get it and the large volumes of the stuff will make him feel nice and full-up afterwards!
Breastmilk only comes out in small quantities to begin with. It can take a while in order to build up a decent supply. Please don't supplement with formula.
Take a look at the La Leche website - just type La Leche into a Google search.
When I first started to breastfeed my son he took a while to get the hang of it - about 10 days - then he would feed almost continuously.
Breastfeeding isn't like giving a bottle - it's not a case of just plugging him in and he gets full up with your milk. It takes a little more work than that.
Please try to get some help from your midwife or the La Leche people - they probably have a helpline to call.
and please don't give him forumula or you'll never get him off it!!!!! ↑ |
| Name: lbarnwell | Date: Jun 20th, 2006 2:11 AM |
| I agree with Fiona. La Leche League is awsome. They will help you with anyting you need. I go to their meetings all the time. When my son was only 3 days old I got engorged and called the La Lache League leader and she gave me a free breast pump and helped me. She even called me later that day to see how I was doing. They will help you anytime you need them. ↑ |
| Name: Amysmommy | Date: Jun 20th, 2006 5:51 PM |
| When my 4 month old was born, I was so engorged when my milk came in that she had trouble latching on, so I used the shield. What a life saver! It helped with my sore nipples too. My daughter would eat 25min on one side and 25 min on the other side so her feedings were almost an hour long. Eating every 2 hours I felt like I was ALWAYS feeding her! But it does get better and they become more efficient. She only eats every 3-4 hours now and is done in about 10-15 min. I remember crying out for help with the amount of time spent feeding the baby during the day too! But, don't give up, it will get better. Oh, by the way...I used the shield for 2 months. I agree, you should really try contacting La Leche. They have women that you can call and talk to over the phone. I have called a bunch and they were always very helpful. ↑ |
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