Can anyone help me with breastfeeding?

Question

I gave birth to a healthy baby girl this past Wednesday with every intention of exclusively breastfeeding. It's something that I believe strongly in and wanted so badly for my baby and myself. I read about it, took classes on it, talked to mothers, and generally thought I was really well prepared. The first few attempts didn't go well and we never got her latched on, despite help from the lactation consultants at the hospital. On day two they said we needed to give her some supplemental formula because she was SO hungry and MAD, so I said okay to that. Now we're on day 4 and I still have yet to get baby latched on, even for a minute. My milk has come in but she just wont even try to nurse! I've tried and tried and then tried some more to get her to latch but she just gets frustrated and starts screaming and I end up giving her a bottle. I'm afraid if I don't get her breastfeeding soon I wont produce more milk for her and I'm SO disappointed with the way this has gone. Help!!

Answer 1

First off, get a pump, preferably rent a hospital grade pump if you can. Pump every 3 hours for 10-15 minutes to keep your supply up, and of course you can give the milk to the baby in a bottle. But I would stop all bottle feeding immediately, get a REAL lactation consultant to show you how to cup or syringe feed.

Seriously a real lactation consultant would have had you pumping after 12 hours, never given the baby a bottle or formula unless you weren't producing anything. You can also contact LLL https://www.lalecheleague.org find your local leader. They should be willing to come out to your house and help you, also you can go to meetings. They should have a list of qualified LCs as well.

What worked for me was a nipple shield (you buy them at the drug store), my baby wouldn't latch unless something was poking the back of his mouth, which my nipple didn't do. This is partly because of suctioning and delaying breastfeeding because hospitals suck. You should have an LC if you are going to use a nipple shield. However I really don't see how you can screw it up, however with a nipple shield you may have to pump to keep up your supply. It will take a few attempts to get a good seal with a nipple shield but you can do it. I wouldn't use the ones that aren't round, they are supposed to allow contact between the babe an you, but they are harder to use. Do wash the nipple shield with dish detergent after each use, do dispose of it if it gets sticky of cloudy, or crumbly. Don't worry you will probably stop needing it sooner or later. You can also use a SNS, but that you need an LC for.

Also give your babe some milk so she isn't starving and then try.

Another thing just because you latch isn't "textbook" doesn't mean it isn't right for you and your baby. My latch doesn't look right, but it works. My 8 month old is 26 lbs.

Oh and you really need to squash your nipple in the begining, and position right. It can be hard to figure out.

Get some help! And keep trying!

e-mail me if you want.

Answer 2

Congratulations on your baby!

The key to a successful breastfeeding relationship is to ditch the bottles. Bottles are so much easier than nursing. She's getting frustrated because she's used to the instant gratification of a bottle and doesn't want to work for the breastmilk.

My favorite thing to do when we were having problems was to nurse in bed. Get a little snack, some water and a book. Take the baby into your bed. Lie down on your side with her right next to you. You might want to try hand expressing a little milk first so letdown won't take so long.

If you aren't going back to work, don't worry about not giving bottles right away. If you are, don't introduce the bottle again until she's at least three weeks old. You're supply will be established by then and she will like nursing more than bottle feeding.

Below is a great breastfeeding site that has many answers to questions you have.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!

I commend you for your efforts and wanting to breastfeed exclusively. I have a 10 month old and we also had a few struggles in the beginning.

I used to work as a WIC nutritionist and alongside lactation consultants so I was lucky for having a little bit of knowledge in those early months but even with all that information I still was not completely prepared for breastfeeding.

What I did not catch on to until I became really sore was that I have not inverted nipples but flat nipples. Once I realized this I asked my mother in law to by me some breast shields to help draw out my nipples. After a week they started to come out more and more and my son's latch improved significantly.

Here are some tips that may help you:

If your nipples do not come out when the baby latches you can either use a hand pump to draw them out or use breast shields to draw them out.

Keep trying and don't wait until your baby is starving to try and get her latched. Watch for early signs of hunger-hands in mouth or sucking on hands, rooting for the breast & rapid eye movement. Crying and Fussing are late signs of hunger and more often than not it is harder to get the baby to latch. When my son would cry because I just did not seem to catch his early hunger signs I found it so much harder to get him to latch.

One method that seems to work for some moms is to express a little breastmilk and put it on your nipple. Draw the baby close in to you rub your nipple on the baby's mouth and wait for the baby to open wide when the baby's mouth is open then try and get the baby to latch.


If you are still having problems I would highly recommend you talk to a lactation consultant or with someone from la leche league. They will help you achieve your breastfeeding goals!!!!

Good Luck and keep up your hard work!!!

Answer 4

My son was the same way. We decided not to suppliment but rather let him get the nutrients from my colostrum. Thats really all they need for a little bit. He use to get all mad because he didnt want to latch on and work for his food. But little by little every time we worked together on it, keeping calm, he would understand how it works. Dont give up. Supplimenting isnt bad. Just make sure you keep breastfeeding her and work with her as calmly as you can. I tried to pump but the best milk extractor to get your supply up is the baby. Lactation consultants are great helpers. Mine was awsome. Some insurances even pay for a personal one to come to your house! Lalecheleague is a great place to search for info on breastfeeding. Good luck and dont give up! The first month and growth spurts are really tough. But just know you are doing the right thing and the best thing for you and the baby.

Answer 5

I have a breastfeeding support group, look me up anytime u need to. First of all, pump often to keep ur supply up, at least once every 2 hours, and use that milk to feed the baby, a nipple shield can help, don't get discouraged if it take a while to figure it all out. try to stay calm, she can tell that you are stressed and that will make it rough on her. when u begin trying to get her to latch one, massage ur nipple to get a little milk in her mouth so that she can realize that is where it comes from, some babies figure it out quickly once there is milk in their mouths. above all, remember that you can do, your body is designed to do it, and you are a good mother for wanting the best for your daughter, even if things don't work out they way that u want them to.

Answer 6

Try taking your nipple and putting it in the babys bottle nipple, I know it sounds weird but it worked for me. I took some of the formula and put it in the nipple then made sure it didnt leak out then I kept doing that till she latched on the nipple and started drinking , it took several times to do it but I am so glad I did.

Answer 7

The hospital can give u a plastic nipple cover that will protrude your nipple out get one of those or put your nipple in the nipple of the bottle, but pump in the mean time so you don't lessen your supply