Nipple confusion

[bluecloudsaviva]

My daughter has nipple confusion plus i think she prefer the bottle because of immediate milk flow and relief from hunger. How do we go about correcting it? Also when i manage to latch my daughter on, she will only latch on for a few minutes. It will always be less than 15mins. Is it because my milk flow is too slow for her? Also, i dont't know whether i have any let-down or not when she is sucking. When she cant get milk, she will unlatch and i will keep forcing her to take my breast again. Sometimes she will but most of the time she will just keep on crying until i feel like i'm torturing her. Sigh.....

[Starbat11]

Hi hi, you are not alone. I am also like that. Can any mums help pls?

[diymummy]

My baby was also like that. He was born through emergency c-sect and because I was under GA, I was too sedated after the op to start breastfeeding my son. So the hospital started with bottle feeding. I did try to latch my baby but was also met with resistance.

When I brought my baby home, I mixed breastfeeding with bottle feeding (eg, I would pump and feed or I would feed formula at times). When my baby was 3 weeks, I decided to go on full latch on direct breastfeeding. My baby rejected my breast at every feed.

Usually I would try to latch him for half hr. If he still resists, I would let him wait a while then give him the bottle. My baby is on a 3-hr schedule feeding so I felt that half hr was a good time to try to latch him. After 1 week of trying to latch at every feed, he finally took on to latching directly.

I found that the best time to try to latch him was the middle of the night feeds when he's sleepy and quite unaware of his surroundings. He would just suckle and then when there's let-down he will drink. Usually there's a tingling sensation when there's a let-down and you will also notice that he would suck at your nipple differently.

If you're curious to find out how your flow is like, you could try to pump your milk and watch how many let downs you can get in 15min.

My baby only start to drink 15min from each breast when he was 2mths old. Before that, it was just 10min at each breast and sometimes less.

How you would know if baby is getting enough is from his weight gain.

dont't worry mummies... It is a very tough journey at times getting our juniors to latch. But the young ones adapt fast. They just need us to teach them repeatedly so that they will be able to understand.

HTH.

[babymiki2003]

just to share i had the same prob as well. baby was in special care for 2days and my milk flow only came in on day 5 after i delivered.

hence, baby was bottle fed and i didnt have milk for him to suckle.

however, after 3 weeks, baby finally managed to latch on but not without difficulties. he will still cry and scream for a bit but be persistent and if hubby is around to help, it will be much better.

just remember not to give up. and do not be shy to ask qns.

all the mummies here are very willing to help!

[snowbear]

Originally Posted by bluecloudsaviva My daughter has nipple confusion plus i think she prefer the bottle because of immediate milk flow and relief from hunger. How do we go about correcting it? Also when i manage to latch my daughter on, she will only latch on for a few minutes. It will always be less than 15mins. Is it because my milk flow is too slow for her? Also, i dont't know whether i have any let-down or not when she is sucking. When she cant get milk, she will unlatch and i will keep forcing her to take my breast again. Sometimes she will but most of the time she will just keep on crying until i feel like i'm torturing her. Sigh.....

My baby was bottlefed ebm for a month coz she couldn't latch in the first month or so and always rejected my breasts and I found cup feeding too tiring. You can try latching baby before she's too hungry then she may not be so impatient with the slower milk flow from your breasts. Actually without letdowns, there is still milk, just that it's a much slower flow (there are periods of time that there's no milk but not to worry, the milk flow will come back again soon). If she can latch on for 10minutes on 1 breast, I wouldn't be too worried about it coz she's probably gotten to the hindmilk. Most babies feed about 10min on 1 breast then switch to the other side for another 10min.

[bluecloudsaviva]

Sad to say, my daughter is the super super super impatient type. When she wants milk, she wants it now. Then when i try to latch her on, she will refuse, refuse , refuse. Cry, cry, cry. When she cry, i will force her onto my breast because this is the only time, her mouth open big big. Somtimes she will suck, most of the times she will continue crying till i gave up and give her the bottle. I also dont want to force her so much that she is put off from my breast. I did try giving her some feeds before trying. But she will be the same too. Didn't drink enough. Cry for more, cry for more, cry for more. Hahaha....

When i pump, i dont see any let-down actually. It will be full spray initial and i think that is due to the strong suction by the pump after that it is just slow flow. Sometimes out of the blue, i will feel tingling sensation which is the let-down but when i'm pumping or BF i dont't feel that.

The 1st time i manage to latch her on, she quietly suck on both of my breasts for 15mins each. Now less that 5mins, she will give up . She is super lazy sia. If she suck less that 5 mins, is it any use? Or is it better than nothing? Hahaha.... Then when i force her she cry until i like torture her, then my mom will start scolding me say why i make her cry until like that. Wait she will have alot of wind and things like that.


I want to continue. I dont believe that i cannot do it. I also dont believe why my milk flow is so so so pathetic. I already fail to breastfeed my 1st for the same reasons <low milk supply & nipple confusion>. I dont want to fail again for the same reasons for my 2nd one.

Sometimes the stress, the pain, the sore nipples, discouraging milk supply being tired, dealing with my 2yr-old toddler, dealing with my mom who is frustrated by my son, all of it is too much. I really feel like quitting. sigh....

I know it is not good to be stress as this can affect milk supply too. But how not to be stress? I cant wait for my confinement period to be over and i can feel more like a normal person. Then my mom can go home and we wont be so stress and frustrated with each other. My son will go to child care where he will have more interaction with other kids and my mom and me will be more sane.

Sigh... good to get all this out.

[bluecloudsaviva]

Originally Posted by snowbear My baby was bottlefed ebm for a month coz she couldn't latch in the first month or so and always rejected my breasts and I found cup feeding too tiring. You can try latching baby before she's too hungry then she may not be so impatient with the slower milk flow from your breasts. Actually without letdowns, there is still milk, just that it's a much slower flow (there are periods of time that there's no milk but not to worry, the milk flow will come back again soon). If she can latch on for 10minutes on 1 breast, I wouldn't be too worried about it coz she's probably gotten to the hindmilk. Most babies feed about 10min on 1 breast then switch to the other side for another 10min.

Sad to say, it is eve less than 5 mins. Is it my position? But sometimes she will suck and look comfortable for 2-3mins and suddenly she will start crying and spit out my breast. Hahaha... I know the latch is not wrong because i dont feel any pain when she sucks. Instead my electric pump is more painful. All my nipple pain now is from my pumping session with my pump. Hahaha...... I was so relief when my daughter 1st latches on and i thought i can give up on my pump for awhile. Sigh.... Happiness is short-lived. =P

[bluecloudsaviva]

I have try night time to latch her on but she is cry until i'm murdering her like that. Then will disturb my son to wake up and it be even worse because i have to deal with 2 kids. Hahaha...

[diymummy]

Hehe... I think she spit out coz she thought no more milk already. Continue to try... She will know that there is actually more milk if she keeps stimulating your breasts.

[diymummy]

Originally Posted by bluecloudsaviva I have try night time to latch her on but she is cry until i'm murdering her like that. Then will disturb my son to wake up and it be even worse because i have to deal with 2 kids. Hahaha...

Oh my... Like that better just stick to trying in the day... Hehe... Jia you!

[shirley tan]

Hi Mummies,

Im a 10 days old mummy and having the same problem as you... im very worried that baby didnt drink enough...

[diymummy]

Hi Shirley, if your baby is gaining weight, she should be drinking enough

What was your baby's birth weight and what was the weight when you went to see th pediatrician?

That time I used a kitchen scale to weigh my slightly pre-mature baby. He was born at 2.3kg. At 5days, he lost 200g. But after 1 month, he was 3.1kg.

[shirley tan]

Hi my baby was 3.63kg when born and after 6 days he was 3.635kg but was admitted to hospital coz of jaundice lvl 19.5... doc say he did not drink enough thats y the jaundice goes up... he was discharge yesterday and everytime i latch him now... he only suck for 5 to 10 mins and refuse to eat anymore... =(

[PinkDiamonds]

hi mummies, you can try buying the Medela Supplemental Nursing system. It consists of a bottle and tubes that you attach to your nipple. You can add some FM inside, so that your baby will latch on, and this will thus stimulate your body to produce more milk.

What I do is I will let her latch on and drink my breast milk first. The tubes are already attached, but i dont't invert the bottle to let the milk flow out first. Then when I see signs that she is starting to fuss, I will invert the bottle and allow the milk to flow in. I found this quite effective to get her to stay latched on, which is quite impt to stimulate milk production. After a few days when you have more milk you can stop using it. Also teaches your baby that mummy's nipple = milk. heh heh

[diymummy]

Originally Posted by shirley tan Hi my baby was 3.63kg when born and after 6 days he was 3.635kg but was admitted to hospital coz of jaundice lvl 19.5... doc say he did not drink enough thats why the jaundice goes up... he was discharge yesterday and everytime i latch him now... he only suck for 5 to 10 mins and refuse to eat anymore... =(

Hi Shirley, dont't fret. 10min is good to work with. If you can encourage your baby to latch 10min per breast, it should be enough. My baby was doing 10min per breast until 2 mths. After that he did 15min per breast.

You're doing fine. If your baby has already increased some weight (3.63kg to 3.635kg) it's a sign of growth. My baby was jaundiced for 1 month! As long as he is gaining weight, you're on the right track.

[diymummy]

Originally Posted by PinkDiamonds hi mummies, you can try buying the Medela Supplemental Nursing system. It consists of a bottle and tubes that you attach to your nipple. You can add some FM inside, so that your baby will latch on, and this will thus stimulate your body to produce more milk. What I do is I will let her latch on and drink my breast milk first. The tubes are already attached, but i dont't invert the bottle to let the milk flow out first. Then when I see signs that she is starting to fuss, I will invert the bottle and allow the milk to flow in. I found this quite effective to get her to stay latched on, which is quite impt to stimulate milk production. After a few days when you have more milk you can stop using it. Also teaches your baby that mummy's nipple = milk. heh heh

WAH!! So advanced!! I really should have gotten myself one of those!!

[PinkDiamonds]

Originally Posted by diymummy WAH!! So advanced!! I really should have gotten myself one of those!!

Aiya you pro already dont't need!

[snowbear]

Originally Posted by PinkDiamonds hi mummies, you can try buying the Medela Supplemental Nursing system. It consists of a bottle and tubes that you attach to your nipple. You can add some FM inside, so that your baby will latch on, and this will thus stimulate your body to produce more milk. What I do is I will let her latch on and drink my breast milk first. The tubes are already attached, but i dont't invert the bottle to let the milk flow out first. Then when I see signs that she is starting to fuss, I will invert the bottle and allow the milk to flow in. I found this quite effective to get her to stay latched on, which is quite impt to stimulate milk production. After a few days when you have more milk you can stop using it. Also teaches your baby that mummy's nipple = milk. heh heh

Wow! Didn't know that such a wonderful invention existed. I'm sure it can help many mummies out there!

[PinkDiamonds]

Oh forgot, it costs about $70 I think. I personally think this is useful especially for mothers who start to BF their newborn but got low supply. Rather than just give bottle, can use it to feed the FM, and still get the stimulation

[diymummy]

I'm so gonna get this for my next baby.

[jgongzu]

Hi Bluecloudsaviva,

Have exactly the same prob as you. My baby is coming to 1 month old in a few days time. My mother who is helping me with confinement introduced bottle to my baby when my baby was discharged from hospital as she keeps telling me that I do not have enough of breastmilk. I have no choice but to express by pump. My nipples are painful due to the strong suction of the pump too. Worse than latch on.

I tried numerous times to latch him and my mum will came in and carry my baby away as my baby will cry till super loud just like someone is going to force him to drink poison. My baby is also super impatient type. My attempt to latch him cant count by time rather by how many suckles. Initially a few, towards the end, he refuses to suck even once. Maybe for your case, you still have hope. I heard from my friends who successfully BF managed to latch on at later stage 3-4 weeks later. So do not give up.

For me, I might need to stop pumping soon as after confinement no one is helping me to take care of my baby. So if you still have someone helping you, do not give up. Jiayou and all the best.

[Triquetra]

Originally Posted by PinkDiamonds Oh forgot, it costs about $70 I think. I personally think this is useful especially for mothers who start to BF their newborn but got low supply. Rather than just give bottle, can use it to feed the FM, and still get the stimulation

Does the tube fall out easily?
Cant see very clearly from this picture.
My dear daughter also doesnt stay latched on and she seems hungry all the times when I directly breastfeed her.
Nowadays I will express out but due to tight schedule I couldnt express regularly so by now I still get about 60ml each session from both breasts.
Out of the 60ml, 10ml from left and 50ml from right -_-''

[bluecloudsaviva]

Originally Posted by jgongzu Hi Bluecloudsaviva, Have exactly the same prob as you. My baby is coming to 1 month old in a few days time. My mother who is helping me with confinement introduced bottle to my baby when my baby was discharged from hospital as she keeps telling me that I do not have enough of breastmilk. I have no choice but to express by pump. My nipples are painful due to the strong suction of the pump too. Worse than latch on. I tried numerous times to latch him and my mum will came in and carry my baby away as my baby will cry till super loud just like someone is going to force him to drink poison. My baby is also super impatient type. My attempt to latch him cant count by time rather by how many suckles. Initially a few, towards the end, he refuses to suck even once. Maybe for your case, you still have hope. I heard from my friends who successfully BF managed to latch on at later stage 3-4 weeks later. So do not give up. For me, I might need to stop pumping soon as after confinement no one is helping me to take care of my baby. So if you still have someone helping you, do not give up. Jiayou and all the best.

Hi Jgongzu,

My daughter is coming to 6 week but still unsuccessful in staying latch on. Sometimes i think it is by luck, sometimes she latch on and sucks for at least 5-10mins. But most of the time no luck at all. The latest development is that she will suck and sounds like she is choking and she will spit out milk cum saliva. Sigh... She is really stubborn. She just refused my breasts.

I'm still pumping but very irregular because i need to take care of my toddler son while my mom help out with my daughter then housework too. But i still keep on pumping. Even if it is irregular, i still keep on pumping. A little bit of breast milk is better than nothing so you should not give up too. you can pump while yr baby is sleeping. Abit tiring but it is worth it for yr baby.

I'm going for my 6-week check-up this week. Hopefully my gynae will give me med to increase my breast milk. =)

[jgongzu]

HI Bluecloudsaviva,

Yup. I will still try to latch him when my mum left & if i am not successfully again, I hope that I can con't pumping but really not sure whether i can cope. My baby refuses to sleep after feeding. He wants me to carry him for awhile before he will get back to sleep so by the time he settles down is almost time for me to pump again. Now my mum is helping me during the day time to pacify him so I am still able to catch some sleep. But by the time my mum is not here, really dont know i am able to continue pumping or not. I will still try & see how it goes.

By the way, my friend taught me to try to latch my baby at night (without light on). The baby might be confused and suck on. Another method i heard is to engage LC to your house to guide you and see whether they can help on this. They will charge for the consultation fee. Not sure whether it works but can try if need too. You can also try fenugreek. I heard it helps to increase the milk flow. I am going to try that too.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by shirley tan Hi Mummies, Im a 10 days old mummy and having the same problem as you... im very worried that baby didnt drink enough...

same same, i worry cos i cant see how much my baby suck .. even though she seems happy enough to fall asleep after around 20mins on each breast (sometimes one side only).....
When i pump i get about 40ml from both sides and this further reinforces my worry that she is not getting enough....