HELP! My baby will not breastfeed - really need some advice...?

Question

I had an emergency c-section on Thursday the 12th, and had to be in recovery for almost a day, and didn't get to see my baby. He had to go to the NICU for 4 days. Meanwhile they gave him a lot of bottles. He gets latched on to my breast, he knows how to suckle his own hand but he can't seem to figure out how suckle on my breast!! He just tries it for a second and then screams. What do I do!! I have tried all kinds of positions. I have tried cutting out the bottle. I have tried different bottle nipples that are supposed to simulate the breast nipple. I have tried letting him pacify at the breast and try to figure it out himself. He does not get a pacifier. I have tried letting him figure it out when he is NOT starving or hungry. I have called the LaLeche league and other lactation consultants. I am about to give up - this is gut wrenching to hear him scream like this. There must be someone else out there who has dealt with this successfully?? If so please respond!!

Answer 1

Your son will be gay if you keep on breast feeding him. IThappened to me when my fat mom walked around naked! -
Truth

Answer 2

I breastfed and everything went surprisingly smooth. After my baby boy was born, I wanted to try to breast feed right away. It was a little hard at first but everything came along together. I found that the best way for my son to latch on was to take my thumb and index finger and pinch around my areola to make the nipple stick out. I would then bring him to it and he would be able to latch on easier as I was still holding my nipple until he latched on properly. For the first week or two it was hard and there was pain, but I took it and just kept going. I ended up breastfeeding for 15 months when I only wanted to breastfeed for 2. I just found it so much easier at night and I knew that it was better for him than formula. Another good thing was he never got a rash or constipated. Breastfeeding is a godsend! I also would pump and bottle feed with Avent, they make breastlike nipples and they worked great! Just keep trying and trying, I know that it is stressful, but once you accomplish it you will feel like a great mother. Don't try giving him a pacifier yet, it can cause nipple confusion since nothing comes out of the pacifier. I didn't introduce the pacifier until he was about 1 month old and he surprisingly took it very well.
Hope this helps, good luck!

Answer 3

Yeah, I have dealt with this issue! My first child did not want it! I successfully breastfed my second baby till he was 17 months old, I tryed to nurse the third, but as he too was in NICU for 10 days he refused, the fourth baby I breastfed till he was 7 1/2 months (would have nursed him longer , but I had a health problem at the time).
First, don't even have an artificial nipple or bottle around him. This is very confusing to a newborn to mimic the sucking action of the bottle where the milk is dispnsed easily, as opposed to the breast , where the baby has to have good suction. Next, I am assuming your milk supply has already came in, squeeze your nipple to allow the let down reflex to begin, Next, cradle the baby as you would for feeding and stroke the nipple on his/her cheek to allow the infant to reflex that way. Stroke your nipple, with milk on it, on the baby's lower lip, Instinctively he/she will open their mouth, then gently push your nipple in the baby's mouth NOTE: Do not put the whole damn areola in the babys mouth, just the nipple and a little behind that. You need to practice this several times to condition the baby back to the breast. I also found if you get the milk to flow in the baby's mouth when he or she opens it during the "rooting reflex" you will have better luck. Thats about all I can think of. Keep the pacifier off limits. Good Luck

Answer 4

I'm surprised La Leche League hasn't been more helpful. You need a lactation consultant to come to your house. Let me tell you my experience. I had a preemie, and she was too tiny and weak to breastfeed, so I pumped every 3 hours around the clock for the first 6 weeks and fed her from a tube, and later, a bottle. But, EVERY DAY, at least 2-3 times a day, I would just put her to the breast and let her smell it and feel it and try to squeeze a little milk out for her.

She would try to suckle, but couldn't latch on, and she would scream and cry. I wanted to scream and cry too. It was so hard! I was so upset and frustrated. I felt like a failure. It was awful. But, finally, after 6 weeks, she finally got it!

One thing that helped were the clear, thin, plastic nipple shields. She was able to get a hold of the nipple better with that thing. It was a pain in the *** to use, but it worked.

Your baby is probably frustrated because he is latching on but the milk isn't coming out fast enough. Do you pump? Do you think your milk is not coming out fast enough? Sometimes the let-down is not instant. Or, it could be coming out too fast.

Just keep trying! I know it's so hard! Good luck!

Answer 5

Oh hunny, I understand your pain. Great that you are wanting to breast feed. Plus from the Emergency C you are sore and tired too.

Have you been pumping and giving your baby your breast milk?

I would suggest finger expressing your milk, and squirting it into your baby's mouth, this will help your milk flow as well as get your nipple in the right shape for baby's mouth, so baby just has to suckle a little bit and swallow.

If you are serious about no bottle feeding, stop all bottles. Console him when he crys, but only offer him the breast.

Remember:
You are producing enough milk
It is best for your baby
as soon as he gets the hang of it, he will no longer cry and breastfeeding will be the best experience you and he will ever share!

If you need to talk to someone, just email. Without knowing what else you have tried, it is hard to give the best advise I can.

Answer 6

What have the lactation consultants said? Don't worry...my first was on a bottle for a few days and switched to bf'ing afterwards. Has the lac. consultant talked to you about a nipple shield over your own nipple? This may make it easier for the baby to latch on especially if you have flat/inverted nipples.

Answer 7

Why are they feeding him bottles? They dont have a tube or even the finger feeder. Thats what they did with my preemie. Plus the nurses should be trained in lactation. Get him off the bottle, its too easy and they get used to it. iI anything get a medela finger feeder.

Answer 8

I know this my sound strange but try wetting your nipple formula then put it in the babies mouth. It worked with my son because it always toke a with for my milk to flow

Answer 9

is this a troll question? i looked back at your other questions and this does not fit in because u r a guy.

Answer 10

HEY - EVERY ONE - SORRY i ASKED THIS QUESTION NOT REALIZING MY NEIGHBOR WAS LOGGED IN ON HIS ANSWERS ACCOUNT. I REPOSTED THIS QUESTION UNDER MY OWN - PLEASE ANSWER IT THERE. THANK YOU!

-ANGIE