Help Please?

Question

ok here is the situation, my wife and i just had a baby a month ago and my son is unable to latch on so he cant breast feed so my wife and i decided breast milk is best so she is putting and giving it to him in a bottle, before we had baby we bought a breastpump which the motor went out so we bought a manual one, and since she has had 2 cases of mastitis and has been told that a double electric pump hospital grade is what she needs which costs 300.00, we have already spent 150.00 on the other 2, she still uses the manual one and will continue to use it if we get the other one like in the car, ect. but i am hestitaing because i dont want to spend that kinda money on one and then also because i dont want someone else to tell her in a month that she needs a different one. she is upset because she has to use the one manual one for 20 min each side, is it fair if i tell her no we should just deal with the one we have?

i want her to breastfeed him but i am tired of spending money on them, and what if they say that after she gets this pump in style one that she needs a better one

renting one is our area is by the month which is 80.00 whichis not bad but the deposit to start is 170.00 we have the money to do it dang i am sick of this breast pump stuff

Answer 1

(this is not andrew, but his wife) One suggestion is looking on Ebay. There are many new in box pumps on there. You could find a great deal.

I looked into renting but it was way too expensive for me. If there is a medical reason, usually your insurance can covor a portion of it, ask your doctor. If he/she is the one saying your wife needs one, than they can write a prescription for one and recommend somewhere.

Answer 2

Okay after that run-on sentence I can see you are stressed out. First of all, it IS possible to get that baby to latch on and both he and your wife will be happier. I would get in touch with a good lactation consultant. Your wife's OB should be able to give you some information on that. The LC can find out why he is having trouble latching and help you to correct that.

Second, is your wife on WIC? They have a free breast pump program. For a hospital grade double electric pump it's just a $25 deposit and the new parts and use of the pump are free. A manual pump is not going to sustain her milk supply.

I hope all goes well for you and I KNOW that a LC or a La Leche League leader can help your wife and child get back to nursing at the breast. It is very possible and there is no reason to give up!! I personally know an infant who was tongue tied and on a bottle until she was four months old who went back to the breast after surgery on her tongue!! Good luck to you all.

Answer 3

You should see a lactation consultant. Your son can and will latch onto the breast you just need some help learning how. Its great that your wife has been pumping and keeping up her supply, but she should keep working on his latch as well... all babies have the ability to nurse sometimes it just takes a little more work than people anticipated. Call the birthing center your son was born in, they can recommend someone for you to speak to. Or look up La Leche League on the net and they can help you find local help.

As for the breast pump, the Medela Pump in Style is a very good pump. If you can come up with the money I would reccomend buying one rather than renting, that $80 a month will quickly add up to more than the cost of owning your own.

Good luck, and don't give up on the nursing. It gets better and it is so worth it.

Answer 4

The first thing I would suggest is talking to a La Leche League Leader (see sources section below). She will be able to help your wife go back to nursing instead of pumping--something that will cost *nothing*! Even a baby who is a month old and has never latched on correctly can be taught to nurse again. La Leche League Leaders are all volunteers who work from their own homes while raising their own kids, so if you don't get through right away, try again, or call a different Leader. Their help is *completely* free, although if you care to make a donation to the organization, they appreciate it.

It may be as easy as just putting the baby to the breast. Sometimes a baby who won't nurse early on *will* suddenly be willing. Your wife should offer to nurse once every day or two just to see. Eliminating all artificial nipples (bottles and pacifiers) will help even more. Until baby is nursing, you can cup feed instead. And is baby is willing to try to nurse but isn't doing well at it, syringe feeding will help.

To cup feed a young baby (it's used in some hospitals with babies an hour old), fill a cup about halfway with pumped milk. Place the cup on baby's lower lip, then tilt it upwards so that the milk touches his upper lip. Let him slurp it up alone.

To syringe feed, buy a syringe (no needle!!) in a pharmacy. Fill it with milk and place it in the corner of baby's mouth while he is nursing. Drip milk in to encourage him to nurse.

If your wife bought a pump and the motor died, she should return it to the store or to the manufacturer. Any reputable manufacturer will replace it for free. If you bought one from a company such as Evenflo or Playtex, you may just be out the money (but it's probably just as well that she *isn't* using it, since it can do serious damage to her body!!).

Answer 5

I had the same exact problem with my girl. We had a lactation consultant come to the house and tried all kinds of things. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to spend the money. We got the same thing and it works great. Don't bother with the manual ones. They work best if the baby is breast feeding fine and the mother only needs to pump a little. We also started with the manual one and it is no good. My opinion, spend the money. It is so much better and it's a great investment. You won't have to buy another one. New additions to the family are expensive!! But it's worth it. Good luck!!

Answer 6

Before you spend that much money (I had a Medela Pump In Style Advance and spent $325.00 on it), have her rent one from the hospital for a few weeks to make sure she is able to pump. The problem with breast pumps is, once the seal on the box is broken (even if you haven't opened the flap and taken anything out) it's yours...they will not return it or give you store credit. If you decide that you need one (after renting it) look on eBay or in the paper for a used one. The pump itself is fine...no milk touches it. You can order replacement hoses, etc. from the manufacturer for not a lot of money.

Answer 7

Contact Le Leche League Organization & they will loan you pump, or one of their members will loan it. If they do not have any available, they will tell you who to contact. Contact through Internet the maker of 1st pumpfor refund - guarantee should be much longer than a month. Manual pumps do not work as well, this is why your wife got mastitis. Why are you deciding if she breast feeds & whether she gets an electric pump? Do you want what is best for your child? Save money elsewhere.

Answer 8

When I had my first daughter I was able to get a double electric pump. All i did was go to what is called here (MI) Airway Oxegyn and you can rent them for a small fee. I know what you are thinking rent one that somebody else used yuck! That is what I thought also, but the only thing that you really are renting is the mach.pump. All of the stuff you get is new and sterile, the breast cups, the milk holders, the tubes, EVERYTHING! So chek your phone book for medical supplies.
P.S. it was great, just start it and it has different suction speeds and resistance, do it for 5 min and your done

Answer 9

You can rent them for about $40 a month if you don't want to buy one outright. Contact La Leche League, there's one in every area. Not only that, but they have volunteers that can come over and help your son learn to latch on and eliminate the pumping all together. You can also contact a Lactation Consultant through the babies pediatrician to help with latching on problems.

Good luck, and kudos for pumping, that takes dedication.

Answer 10

Contact your local La letche league.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/

Not only will they be able to refer you to pump rentals, instead of buying, but they will halp your wife to learn tecniques that will help your son latch on correctly. Also, you will be spending about $50/ month on formula or more if your wife gives up breast feeding. So it is definatly worth it financially to try to continue.

It is good to hear that you are being so supportive of your wife breastfeeding, even through all this. Keep it up! GO DAD!

Answer 11

When I started breast feeding my first son he had problems latching on. So my grandmother told my to put a little bottle nipple on my breast. I know that sounds funny, but it worked. My beast nipples were too big for him to put in his mouth. Take just the nipple from the bottle and place it on the breast nipple. Have the baby suck on the bottle nipple. The suction works like the breast pump. I don't know how to explain how it works but try it. Trust me!