I have to pump a lot because my son doesn't latch on well, he's 3 wks. And if he does latch on, it's only for a couple seconds %26amp; we have to start all over w/ trying to get him to latch on again. The only way he will latch %26amp; stay latched is if I use a nipple shield - which is hard to do cuz sometimes when he rubs his face by my breast he knocks it off or when he lets go, it falls off. How can I get him to latch on to my nipple without the shield better? My nipples aren't inverted or anything.Need breastfeeding advice - latching %26amp; staying on problems - experianced breastfeeding moms please?
This can be a hard thing. My youngest son took a long time trying to figure out how to latch on. Sometimes it would take up to 5 minutes to get him to latch on. I would stop , sit him up, give him a second to calm back down, and then put him back on and he would usually do better. He did figure it out, and is still nursing at almost a year old. Some babies take longer to figure it out. Also, he may not like to position you are holding him at. I have always used the cradle position, but for ones that old, sometimes you need an extra pillow under them or under your arm to get them in the correct spot. Some babies like the football hold better, but I never tried it. I have never used a nipple shield, so I have no advise there. The best last thing I can say is, wait until your baby opens his mouth as wide as he can, and then shove as much of the nipple in as you can. That will give him the best chance at having enough to latch on to. Also, most hospitals have a lactation consultant, call her. They have wonderful advise. And at this age, if you keep giving him the bottle, he will get confused and not want to nurse because it is more work. Stop the bottles and give him up to 10 minutes to latch on at each feeding.Need breastfeeding advice - latching %26amp; staying on problems - experianced breastfeeding moms please?
Stop using bottles. It sounds like your LO has classic nipple confusion and the breast shield is shaped more like the bottle nipple. When you pump, you can give him the milk using a syringe or dropper or a lactation aid (a kind of tube that you slip into the side of your baby's mouth during nursing so he is getting plenty of milk, it will encourage him to stay latched on too). Then give it time. Keep trying to latch him on without the nipple shield. He's only been doing this 3 weeks, he's not an expert yet!
Go to Babyfit.com (Or babycenter.com, but I know babyfit better). Click on the ';community'; tab and you will see a Breastfeeding forum in the post pregnancy and parenting section. There are tons of moms there with expert advice for every issue.
Also, read Kellymom.com, which has everything you would ever want to know about breastfeeding.
you need to find a le leche league leader or a lactation consultant. you need a real person to watch you with the baby and help you figure out what you need to do to help the baby. have 5 children (all breastfed) and needed help from a lactation consultant with 3 of them. my youngest is 3 weeks old and i had to start over many many times and still do occassionally to get her latched on right. good luck and please don't give up. the womanly art of breastfeeding is an excellent book.
Man, you just took me right back to my first...Try this...When you nurse him, put a couple of pillows on your lap first, so that when you go to put him on, he is even with your chest...Have him on his side with one arm tucked away...Make sure, as Im sure you know, that his mouth is wide open..Keep trying this..It worked really well with my daughter..Dont give up...Remember, both of you are learning. Good luck
Practice makes perfect. My suggestion is stop pumping. If you take the bottle away, and he is forced to eat from your breast, than he will be more likely to learn. My son had a huge problem in the beginning, but I kept with it and by 4 or 5 weeks, we were both pros. Try to get him to open his mouth as wide as possible. Then make sure you are completely in his mouth, not just the tip of the nipple.
Good for you for not giving up! You are doing a wonderful things for your baby:)
It's hard to explain, feel free to e-mail me with more specific questions.
Call the hospital that you delivered him at and ask to speak with their lactation consultant. She might be able to come to your house to help you. Or they might have a breastfeeding support group that you can attend. You need someone who can be there and watch as you try to latch him, so that they can correct the positioning.
My daughter also didn't latch well. It didn't help that I didn't produce a lot of milk either, so I ended up quitting after 8 weeks. It's definitely not as easy as some people make it sound, so please don't feel bad if it doesn't work out for you and your son. It's great that you are trying!
The best advice and demonstrations are from Dr. Jack Newman. Google him or check out his pamphlets online:
http://www.bflrc.com/newman/articles.htm
His advice helped us a ton when we started! We had a rough few months but we are pros now and SO VERY GLAD we stuck it out. Best of luck!
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