If your baby "would not latch on" to the breast, then...?

Question

Then how did they 'latch on' to a bottle?

I have never bottle-fed a baby nor seen somebody bottle-feeding save from a distance; I may be missing something here.

There're a tonne of women here who say 'My baby wouldn't latch on, so I had to bottle-feed,' and I'm confused -- I would assume not latching on = very sick baby, or something, who would have trouble taking milk from a bottle, too. Why/how when a baby has trouble feeding the way a baby generally knows how to feed, does an artificial nipple work?

re. "different type of nipple, it drips freely" -- AH, okay...

I was also curious as to why cup and finger-feeding seem so rare, but if a bottle is going to make with the milk as easily as that...hmm. 'Nipple confusion' makes a little more sense now, too.

Answer 1

A baby with a cleft palette can not latch on, but that is about the only thing I can think of that would cause that. I am sure there are other disabilities too. A normal healthy baby would have no trouble. The trouble is that women do not know how. We live in a generation where you don't see it everyday, as women did in the past. Also, we are a generation of convenience, it is more convenient to pop a bottle in then feed your own baby.

I started giving bottles at 12 months, to start weaning to solid foods. Babies have to latch on to them too, so you would need a specially designed bottle for a child who could not do it.

Answer 2

I hear that all the time when I give my clients breastfeeding education. When I get to the root of the problem... usually the baby has had a bottle while the mom is learning to breastfeed. The artificial nipple makes the baby get very impatient and lazy when breastfeeding.

Usually, these are the moms who give up very quickly on breastfeeding and grab for a bottle. BUT, there is on occasion a baby who just does not latch to the breast, in that case, he or she would have to be cup fed, syringe fed, or use a feeding system or bottle.

I've worked with moms who's babies have already gotten used to that "immediate gratification" with the bottle and it can take weeks or even months to get the baby to latch.

Answer 3

There are a lot of different reasons why a baby might not latch on to the breast, and I'll let the more experienced mothers answer that. But as far as why bottle feeding generally works when breast feeding doesn't? For one, there are different shapes of nipples to choose from that might be easier for the baby to suck on. Also, when breast feeding, especially in the beginning, not a lot of milk comes out, so the baby could get discouraged and give up. With a bottle, there is a steady flow of milk, and it's generally easier for the baby to get it out.

Answer 4

bottles are easier, don't require a "latch" per se, as they go effortlessly into the baby's mouth & the milk flows very easily from them.

sometimes being tongue tied can cause a baby to be unable to get a good breast latch as well, as in the case of my 2 nephews. (they also had to have speech classes starting at age 3)

also, if a mom can breastfeed immediately after birth (within 5-10 min) somehow that helps with them learning how to latch on... so if the mom had to have meds or a c-section or some other complication (or just not knowing) arises that prevents immediate breastfeeding, it can make it somewhat more difficult to establish a latch later on.

Answer 5

Many babies are tongue tied, and their parents or physician don't notice it. Some babies position their tongue wrong to facilitate correct latching. And then, some babies just jump on the breast like they were never off of it. All babies are born with a general instinct of how to suck and feed, unless they are premature. Bottles are just easier to latch on to. What exactly is your question anyway? You can figure out in the matter of a day whether your child is a natural breastfeeder or not. If your child is not latching correctly, then you give it a bottle, because you don't want it to wither and die... Then you consult a lactation specialist to find out what's wrong and if you can correct it! Then take away the bottles... is that what you needed to know?

Answer 6

A bottle feed is a different type of nipple, it drips freely and requires a different type of suction to get milk/formula. I have inverted nipples which made it very hard for my daughter to latch on and then my doctors had me stop trying because I'm on insulin for diabetes and it was passing through the breast milk. Not a good situation, so I had to put my daughter on formula, and I was ok with it. It was the best option for us, especially because I went back to college the week after I gave birth, and wouldn't have had time to pump and store anyways.

Answer 7

latching on means the baby is able to suck on the actual nipple on the breast not the bottle.

Sometimes the baby has a shorter tongue or the mother has a short nipple (lots of ways this can happen) so the baby just can not suck the milk from their mother. The nipple on the bottle is longer and easier for the baby to suck on.

Latching has nothing to do with the health of the baby except that they might not be getting enought to eat from the breast. Mothers turn to the bottle to make sure the baby is well fed.

Answer 8

well 1st thing that came to my mind was 'nipple confusion' i know from my sister in law that once the hospital offered her baby a bottle it was a little harder to get him to take to the breast, i assume because in nursing the baby must wait for the let down and the flow is less, where the bottle kind of pours out... just a thought, in the end i think it all boils down to you either want to nurse and be dedicated to it, or you dont and in many cases dont want to admit it so make excuses (or dont have support or info and give up)

Answer 9

My friend had a problem that the baby wouldn't latch on. So basically freaked out and kept asking the nurse for help. The nurse says some babies just automatically latch on and the rest just have to learn. It's a learning experience for both the mother and the baby. It took my friend a week to finally figure it out. She just kept asking the nurse for help., The nurse tried and told her not to worry about it. Then the next morning a second nurse that had lots of experience teaching mothers to nurse came in and taught my friend. She is an expert now (nursed all 6 of her babies), but it took her lots of practice.

Answer 10

Breastfeeding requires some extra work and patience on the part of the baby, which is why many mothers have difficulty. However, if you are patient and work at it, almost all babies will eventually start to latch on.

Bottles require very little work on the part of the baby, and the milk is there instantly so it requires no patience, which is why some babies will suck on a bottle but not breastfeed.

Answer 11

Bottle feeding is easy--there's less needed to get milk to flow.

Breast feeding is much more difficult--it requires a proper latch for the child to get the right flow, as well as comfort for the mother. If it doesn't go well, the mother gets frustrated and the baby gets frustrated.

Babies know how to suck, but sucking from a mother's nipple/breast requires quite a bit of coordination!