Breastfeeding trouble

apswayne · Jan 9, 2010

Hi,

My baby is 3 months old. I havent been able to breastfeed him successfully so far.

Initially, I could not feed him becasue he cudnt latch on. Later I started having cracked bleeding nipples. He was doing well for a while. But now he completely refuses to feed and starts crying the moment i put him in my lap. I have been pumping and bottlefeeding him so far. But am dying to feed him successfully. Do you have any tips to share?? Please help..

Gowri66 · Jan 9, 2010

Hi,

Welcome to Indusladies...

Check this link :
Breastfeeding & Formula Feeding - IndusLadies

Discussed in detail.. Hope it will you a lot.

loonypooh · Jan 9, 2010

hi momma,
the early days are painful for many moms when the baby is learning to latch on, chapped, bleeding nipples is what even i went through for the first 1 wk... but it gradually got better as we came home from the hospital...
there are two reasons, one being shallow latch which most newborns hv and another, that the supply those days is gradually building up, so with the tiny bit of supply that u hv in the earlier days and baby sucking too hard to learn, u end up with bleeding nipples
this is wat i used to do, tickle her lower lip, chin so that she opens her mouth wide enough for a good part of the areola also to go in, and not just the nipple.. but this was the early days.
your LO is 3 months old, and by this time babies do learn to latch on perfectly, provided they were being latched on and nursed all this while. but since he was given expressed millk via bottles, he does prefer that now, coz they really dont hv to work too hard to get milk via a bottle

and i guess that is where the problem lies, and he hence prefers the bottle to breast.
that said i am no expert in bfeeding and am a FTM..... so i am not sure how you would go about introducing breast once
i would suggest u call your local area la leche league or a lactation consultant if u would want to.
this are the excerpts of what i found on LLL , hope it helps

Breast Over Bottle It will, of course, be easier to "train" a 10-day-old newborn to take the breast over a bottle than it will a 5-month-old baby. A baby must work harder at the breast than at a bottle, so many babies habituated to bottle feedings may initially be reluctant to nurse. Make the transition a gradual and gentle one. Start by bottle-feeding the baby in nursing position, keeping her cheek close to your bare breast, and positioning her such that she must turn in toward you to take the bottle. Offer the breast frequently, and always before the bottle, but don't fret if she doesn't readily suckle. She will in time.

apswayne · Jan 9, 2010

Thank u for ur suggestions..

I was able to offer him breast first n then bottle for last 2 months. I wud always breastfeed him n then pump to give him the rest of the milk, hoping that he will learn to drink the entire breast eventually n the indicator of tht wud be reduced pumped milk. But it never hhappened. he had shallow latch n moreoover he wud fall into deep sleep after a few suckles. I tried number of ways to keep him awake, with little luck.

And now, he just doesnt want to breastfeed!! i agree that he is getting used to faster milk supply to him thru bottle. Will stopping bottles altogeter help at all? He drinks in his sleep, but starts crying the moment he is little more awake..

Anyway, I hope someone has already had same experience and worked thru it successfully, so that i can have some hope..

Meanwhile, i also wanted to know if pumping leads to reduced supply eventually? i have heard people's body stopped responding to pump later..does anyone have simillar experience?

sumanr · Jan 9, 2010

Hi ..... I second loonypoo. Make the transition gradual. He will take the breast eventually. You can give B 2-3 times a day and slowly increase it.
Also, I do not think Pumping will reduce the supply. Infact, I have heard that people pump to maintain their supply. Other ILites can give their thoughts here.