Problems going from bottle to boob.

world cup

My baby is 13days old. He wouldn't suck from the word go, nurses said he was latching on fine, just not sucking, so we decided to express, bottle feed him the breastmilk and continue to try him on the breast as the penny 'might drop'.

No problems taking the bottle, but no joy on the boob. About five days ago a lactation consultant spotted he had tongue tie and strongly suspected this was why he wouldn't suck. Yesterday, he had the tongue tie snipped and after a half an hour drank directly from the breast for about an hour. However he hasn't done it since, and is getting more and more frantic every time I try. The more frantic he gets, the more upset I get and I have to give in and give him the bottle.

Has anyone else had any similar experiences or any suggestions for getting him used to the breast again?

liliq

are you doing any skin to skin?
if you just lie in bed topless with him just in a nappy and basically have your boobs available to him, he might just latch on himself.
will he latch on at all? if he will, try doing breast compressions when he's latched on to get the milk flowing which will encourage him to suck.
once they start getting bottles they can get a bit lazy- liquid flows so freely from bottles, but they have to put a bit of effort in to get it from the breast.

If you can get to one, a breastfeeding support group might help. There are often Cuidiu breastfeeding councellors or La Leche League leaders at them who would have lots of practical advice and tips!

There is a good list of support groups on the
www.friendsofbreastfeeding.ie website.

wmpdd3

Hi, I had the same issue with my baby in January, I sent you a message with what my lactation consultant reccommended, maybe you can ask yours if that would work.

But, try stick at it, sod all the visitors and things you wanted to do in the first few days, get on you PJ's and try relax with baby, it will all work out in the end, buy try noy get stressed. The fact you have engaged a lactation consultant and looking for advice, means you are doing everything you can for your baby and you are doing it perfectly!!

Good luck.

littlemissfixit

I have had to express for 6 wks with my little girl before she picked up bfeeding, it was very demanding and exhausting but it was worth it in the end. She had no tongue tie but was given a bottle in hospital on day two and her weight gain wasnt great so I guess she didn't have the energy of learning to feed from breast. Same thing, she would latch on but not suck for long. So I just focused on getting her the food she needed and putting her on the breast everytime before. I know that when I stressed about it I had problems with let down, so I just tried to relax and enjoy it as cuddles. When she passed the 6 wks growth spurt I went cold turkey from bottle for 3 days, had her weigth before and schedule one for after, and she eventually picked it up and I bfed her for 9 months.
Give it time and try not to stress about it, it will work out in the end im sure!

lounakin

world cup wrote: »

My baby is 13days old. He wouldn't suck from the word go, nurses said he was latching on fine, just not sucking, so we decided to express, bottle feed him the breastmilk and continue to try him on the breast as the penny 'might drop'.

No problems taking the bottle, but no joy on the boob. About five days ago a lactation consultant spotted he had tongue tie and strongly suspected this was why he wouldn't suck. Yesterday, he had the tongue tie snipped and after a half an hour drank directly from the breast for about an hour. However he hasn't done it since, and is getting more and more frantic every time I try. The more frantic he gets, the more upset I get and I have to give in and give him the bottle.

Has anyone else had any similar experiences or any suggestions for getting him used to the breast again?

My baby had a tongue-tie snipped too. Give him time! If the snip was yesterday and he drank for an hour he's probably a bit full! Just take him off, calm him and put him back later. Also, check that his tie hasn't reattached... hope not! And persevere, don't worry. It took my girl a few weeks to get used to her tongue (she was a bit older).

Hobbitfeet

I have no advice for you but I just wanted to say a huge well done for keeping at it. My experience with bfing came very easy and naturally, so I am just amazed and overjoyed when I see women like yourself who have major problems keep going. So many people would just give up so well done you for sticking through it. I hope everything improves for you and you and your baby have a happy breastfeeding experience

world cup

Lillmissfixit,

Thanks for your reply, it helps to hear of others' similar experiences...

Am curious to know how the cold turkey went for you, though? Was it torture??? I just can't imagine how that wld work for our little boy, he screams so much before a feed as it is...

world cup

Hobbitfeet wrote: »

I have no advice for you but I just wanted to say a huge well done for keeping at it. My experience with bfing came very easy and naturally, so I am just amazed and overjoyed when I see women like yourself who have major problems keep going. So many people would just give up so well done you for sticking through it. I hope everything improves for you and you and your baby have a happy breastfeeding experience

Thanks, Hobbitfeet, that's very kind of you. Even as adults, a little praise goes a long way...

wmpdd3

world cup wrote: »

Lillmissfixit,

Thanks for your reply, it helps to hear of others' similar experiences...

Am curious to know how the cold turkey went for you, though? Was it torture??? I just can't imagine how that wld work for our little boy, he screams so much before a feed as it is...

Slightly similar but not the same when I weened him off nipple shields. Babies at 6 weeks are a totally different thing to 3 weeks.

They are more aware of whats going on around them, they know they love to snuggle up in bed with mammy!

So I used to head up to bed at 8pm and just lie beside him and feed him when ever he wanted, if he fell asleep, I'd just unlatch him and then move slightly away form him. He had 12 hours knowing I was just a nuzzel away.

Bit by bit he stretched out his feeds and really emptied the boob, especially when he wanted to sleep, he'd be on turbo power! I was able to stop waking him up with a wet muslin!

Think how much you've learned about him in the last few weeks, what he likes and what he doesnt like and try use what he likes to introduce him to new behaviour.

littlemissfixit

Cold turkey I'll not lie wasnt easy, but I had fix terms to my plan knowing she was strong enough and that I would get her weight after 3 days, and that I was offering her to feed every 2.5/3h so I was confident she wouldn't starve in that short amount of time and that she was big enough and strong enough to figure out how to get her milk once she realised a bottle wasnt coming her way after 10 min.
As another poster says, they are different at 6 wks, I could not have imagined going cold turkey before I think. At 2 wks, the baby may cry endlessly from hunger and not have a chance of figuring out he can get it with just a little effort. But you'll know when its right, and if it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't.
But you know, I found that it came handy later on to have followed my instinct as hard as it was then and realised how they can amaze you with what they can learn and so quickly and I have used this confidence on numerous occasions, being getting them to sleep, getting her on sippy cup and more recently getting my boy to take the bottle after being solely breastfed for 6 wks. After a few weeks, I think they cry not only for their needs, but also from frustration just to tell you they preferred the way it was when you try to change things around, it's a power struggle that will last at least for the next 18 years I'd say

world cup

We are experiencing some success!!!

He's had a number of proper long feeds, which is great, but there are new issues now-first, he falls asleep before he can latch on properly and second, he's only fed from the right boob so far - isn't having any success with left one. I'm trying giving him left one only now and not the right, but he just falls asleep when he's not getting anywhere...!

It's so tempting to give up...

lounakin

Don't!! What positions are you using? Some are optimal and some are harder. Babies usually prefer one breast, for me it was the left she preferred so I made sure to give her a bit of the right one first. Just keep trying, your baby is still so young and you'll be amazed at how fast they learn.

world cup

You are right - I AM amazed at how quickly he's learning! Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I think I probably need to exercise a little more patience and belief in his ability. He's latching on almost straight away on the right boob now and I'm beginning to think that the problem with the left one is that the milk isn't coming out quickly enough for him. That's the next step to tackle now...

Everybody's right - perseverance works!

lounakin

world cup wrote: »

You are right - I AM amazed at how quickly he's learning! Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I think I probably need to exercise a little more patience and belief in his ability. He's latching on almost straight away on the right boob now and I'm beginning to think that the problem with the left one is that the milk isn't coming out quickly enough for him. That's the next step to tackle now...

Everybody's right - perseverance works!

I urge you to not think about the 'why' of your baby's boob preference. I'm telling you this from experience because I went through exactly the same thing and was always researching causes and consequences and while I did find some answers, it didn't change anything. If your milk is coming out too slow or too fast, I find that there's really nothing you can do. Baby will get used to it fast AND will change their preference. You'll see that sometimes he wants a faster flow, sometimes won't mind a slower one. If you think it's too slow, try pressing on it while your baby feeds, that helps. Try to give that side first.

How Strange

My son had a preference too. I used to stick him on the less preferred one first and then the other side. I think it's very common.

cyning

world cup wrote: »

You are right - I AM amazed at how quickly he's learning! Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I think I probably need to exercise a little more patience and belief in his ability. He's latching on almost straight away on the right boob now and I'm beginning to think that the problem with the left one is that the milk isn't coming out quickly enough for him. That's the next step to tackle now...

Everybody's right - perseverance works!

C would not latch on to the right side for me. My lactation consultant told me to feed her on the left side for a few minutes first so she wasn't starving and getting frustrated from hunger and then move her onto the bad side. I had to pump from the right side in order to keep supply up too. After about a week we had no more problems: my nipple was pointing off to the side abit so she just thought that she had to get used to it and it worked for me anyway