Breastfeeding Blues

While we were in the hospital - Drew would not latch for anything, wanted nothing to do with the breast. I pumped a few times and he would drink that but was mainly on formula. The lactation consultant at the hospital never showed for our appointment (real professional I know.)

Now that we're home, I've attempted to get him to latch at almost every feeding. He had no interest - until this morning. He randomly decided to latch and he did it well. He latched again later. But now is back to refusing it.

I k now I'm not supposed to give up and keep on trying but I'm getting sooo frustrated. Its almost as if my boobs are too big for him or something.

Anyways - does anyone have any good tips on getting the baby to latch more frequently?

Drew goes to his pediatrician for his 1 week tomorrow - I will ask him for a referral to another LC but I wanted to get some advice here first.

Thanks!

Sorry no help here but I hope you are able to figure it out soon. How awful that the lactation consultant didn't show up at the hospital. I will be interested to see what replies you get as this will probably be in a few months. I worry about how large my breast are as well, lol. Good luck on what ever you decide to do!
hugs,
Kim
 

Shauna,

My experience with BF has been that if you want to be successful and you are having a baby that does not want to latch on, do not give in and feed them with a bottle.   Unfortunately, the milk just basically runs out of a nipple and they do not have to work at it.  The breast they really have to work.  They ARE human and find out they can get their food easily, and don't want to have to work at it...LOL  I too had very large breasts and my babies all had a hard time latching on at first.  There is a nipple shield that you can use that helped me tremendously.  Ask the LC for one.  It just fits right over your areola and your nipple and is quite long, so they can feel it and get it in their mouths easier.  

I am so sorry you are having a hard time, and I can oh so relate.  I wa**** and miss with all of my babies.  I had a couple that were just naturals at it, and a couple that it was just a real struggle.  

Good luck with this, I hope you can figure it out so little Drew can be successful with BF and you can feel good about it as well.  

Laura 

Are you trying different holds?...like the football hold and such. And are you using a boppy?  I haven't had any personal BF experience but I did work with a lactation specialist at the hospital when I was in clinicals during nursing school and learned quite a bit from her.  She said that different babies are more comfortable in different positions depending on Mom's breast size. Also is he breathing through his nose well? Reschedule with the stupid LS cause it is important to get evaluated but certainly don't give up. After all, what are babies for is not teaching patience? Best of luck!

Hi Shauna!
Congrats again on your baby .. I am so happy for you!
Ok, now BFing. Its tough, make no bones about it! For some women and babies, it comes so easily - Lydia and I are not that woman or that baby. She's almost three weeks, and my milk still has yet to come in fully.
I am sorry that LC did not come through for you - that's a bummer! It's so easy to get frustrated and feel like you aren't doing the right thing, and there are a ton of tricks and postures that can help, so I would suggest finding a La Leche meeting and support group near you - I have two support groups I go to that are led by LCs and they are so helpful. I know Drew is really young, so if you don't have time to research, let me know via PM what city you are in and I would be happy to do some research for you while Lydia is napping.
As frustrating as it is, don't give up, and find a group near you. It will help!

Shauna,
Do you have flatter nipples? My son would not latch well for that reason. I bought a breast shield and it worked like a charm. You can get them anywhere. It gives them more to latch on and it pulls your nipple out. I would put him on the shield for like 2 mins take off the shield and he would latch right on to me with out it. Try it!! I had no idea my nipples were flatter.

This is what I'm talking about! It saved me from switching to bottle feeding!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2901997


Jackie

Hang in there sweetie!  For something that seems so natural it sure is hard to get the hang of.  Have you tried expressing a little milk onto your nipples and areola before having him latch on.  That may help him realize that more good stuff is in there lol!
Good luck,
Amy

Is he sucking well otherwise? Was he early sometime if they are a little early the reflex is not there. I had a horrible time with my first child we stuck at it and finally after about 2 weeks and many tears he got the hang of it. 

If your boobs are too big, try the football hold w/ a nipple shield.  Worked great for us.

We supplemented 1- 2oz bottle of formula a day and BF in the beginning.  It was awesome.  Best of both worlds IMO. 

 Try different positions, for the first week I could only get Rowan to nurse if we did it laying down in bed. They have strong preferences sometimes!
If you do supplement with formula, make sure to use a very low flow nipple. Or, if you're using bottles that have an anti-gas air system in them, sometimes screwing the lid on tighter slows the flow down as well, that way the bottle isn't so "easy" and they learn to suck harder.
I know how frustrating this can be!