Help needed badly on my bf problem...

[cyanidebaby]

Hey all,
I am a 9 day old mummy who is having some bf problems, hoping you girls can help to answer some of my doubts since I am not getting much support from home. Hubby is supportive, but he's just as clueless as me.

1. Right breast nipple is typically flat after I remove my bra, but when I pinch the aerola, it does show but just short. Nurse said that I let baby suckle on it, but it is really difficult for baby to latch on, but when he did, it gets so painful. The nipple protrudes for awhile, but goes back in when I wear my bra..same cycle repeats. Now nipple is all sore & chapped.
Anyone has a flat nipple problem & can offer any remedies or advice?
Is expressing the only way to go?

2. Because of flat right nipple, I have been feeding baby on my left like 95% of the time. Left nipple is getting super stretched, sore & huge.. How to you unlatch the baby in a less painful manner or baby is supposed to unlatch automatically when he is done?

3. Massage lady said my milk is thin. Any idea on how to 'thicken' the milk? How do I know if baby is not just drinking the 'fore' milk but is also drinking the 'hind' milk as well? Is it because I am not eating enough?

4. Baby seems to wake up more frequently at night for feeding. He can be latched on for 25mins, fall asleep, and when I put him back in cot to change his diapers he cries for food again. (He does that bird mouth twitching action), There are several nights where he would cry for food every hour. Is it because I am not producing enough milk like what my elders are saying? It is really depressing to feel you cannot produce enough to feed your baby.

Help girls help!
Super thanks in advance!

 

[PinkDiamonds]

Hello mummy, congratulations!

1. I have no experience with flat/inverted/short nipples, but according to my MIL who had similar experience she said she had to pump first to get the nipple out before latching on. I had sore & chapped nipples during the first few days because had very little milk. You can try to get those nipple cream and apply after feed to ease the pain. No-cost method is to squeeze out some breastmilk and apply it over your nipple and areola area, then air for 10-15minutes.

2. To unlatch your baby, you can insert your pinky finger through the corner of his mouth in between his gums. This way you can unlatch without hurting you or the baby. I made a big mistake last time by just pulling out and it was very painful! Also, do try to let your baby feed on the other side, even if it's only a few minutes as the beginning. Balancing between both sides also prevents lopsidedness.

3. Women in warmer climates often produce thin milk. The milk will look very diluted as compared to formula milk. This is very normal as babies in warmer climates require more hydration, thus the thin milk is the result of more liquid. Babies in cooler climates will have thicker milk as they need to keep warm.

To ensure that your baby obtains the hind milk, make sure your breast is emptied out before you switch sides. You know your breast is emptied when it feels very soft. Please eat well and drink as much water as you can. It is very normal to feel thirsty throughout the day. Eating well also ensures that your body is producing enough milk.

4. I had the same problem as you because my girl will fall asleep during feeding. If your baby falls asleep and you are quite sure he has not have enough milk, wake him up. Sometimes they cry because they want to be held close to you. Babies love the skin to skin contact with mummy!

Please try not to be so stress! Stress will make your body produce less milk, and this may also be a reason why you need to nurse more frequently. Try to get as much rest as possible. If baby sleeps, take a nap as well. Sleeping will help your "factory" to produce milk! Don't worry, as long as you still have milk, it will be enough for your baby. It's only a matter of latching more often

 

[meiteoh]

Hey all,
I am a 9 day old mummy who is having some bf problems, hoping you girls can help to answer some of my doubts since I am not getting much support from home. Hubby is supportive, but he's just as clueless as me.

1. Right breast nipple is typically flat after I remove my bra, but when I pinch the aerola, it does show but just short. Nurse said that I let baby suckle on it, but it is really difficult for baby to latch on, but when he did, it gets so painful. The nipple protrudes for awhile, but goes back in when I wear my bra..same cycle repeats. Now nipple is all sore & chapped.
Anyone has a flat nipple problem & can offer any remedies or advice?
Is expressing the only way to go?

2. Because of flat right nipple, I have been feeding baby on my left like 95% of the time. Left nipple is getting super stretched, sore & huge.. How to you unlatch the baby in a less painful manner or baby is supposed to unlatch automatically when he is done?

3. Massage lady said my milk is thin. Any idea on how to 'thicken' the milk? How do I know if baby is not just drinking the 'fore' milk but is also drinking the 'hind' milk as well? Is it because I am not eating enough?

4. Baby seems to wake up more frequently at night for feeding. He can be latched on for 25mins, fall asleep, and when I put him back in cot to change his diapers he cries for food again. (He does that bird mouth twitching action), There are several nights where he would cry for food every hour. Is it because I am not producing enough milk like what my elders are saying? It is really depressing to feel you cannot produce enough to feed your baby.

Help girls help!
Super thanks in advance!

First of all, congrats on being a mum!

1. I have no experience with inverted nipples but what I can tell you is that your nipples WILL hurt when you're starting to breastfeed. Think of it as nature's way of toughening up your sisters. What helps is to air them as often as possible and apply some cream (Lanisoh or anything with pure lanolin) or breastmilk. I think you can get some breast shields or "gadgets" to help make your right nipple "pop" out.

2. Like PinkDiamonds mentioned, try to feed your baby from both breasts, especially in this early stage when your supply is coming in and your breasts are adjusting. To feed only from one side would just encourage overproduction for your left boob, and dwindling production on your right boob. Plus it may lead to severe problems with your right boob as your milk is not draining (clogged ducts and such).

As your baby ages, s/he will unlatch automatically but for now, you can unlatch your baby using the technique explained by PinkDiamonds. What you need to remember is to break the suction applied by your baby - babies suck and if you dont't break the suction, s/he will end up pulling/tugging your nipple which will lead to blisters, cracks and so forth.

3. Breastmilk is made up of foremilk and hindmilk. ALL women produce the same type of milk no matter what you eat. How to know if your baby is taking in only foremilk and such is this by observing the following:

a) Is your baby satisfied after a feed? If so, how long? If your baby wants to be fed every one hour (and it's not a growth spurt), it could mean that s/he is taking in only foremilk.

b) What is the colour of your baby's poo? Transition poo is a result of your milk coming in and is usually more green than yellow. If your baby is taking in sufficient amounts of hindmilk, his or her poo will be yellow like mustard and grainy (the grains are actually fat curds from hindmilk).

c) Is your baby putting on weight? Foremilk is like skim milk and doesn't contain the necessary proteins and fat that baby needs to put on weight.

d) Is your baby more gassy than normal? Foremilk contains natural lactose which causes gas buildup in babies.

While your baby will still get sufficient nutrients in your breastmilk even though you're not eating a balanced meal, the result will be that YOU will get tired easily and such so it's important to take in a balanced diet (remember that you'll need an additional 500 calories to your diet so take in more protein, calcium and fats like DHA - found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel), some supplements (calcium, lecithin - to help prevent clogged ducts - and a multivit) as well as lots of water to keep yourself hydrated. Breastmilk is 80% water so if you're not taking enough water (ideally, you should be downing at least 2 L of water a day MINIMUM and this is pre-pregnancy numbers), it'll definitely impact your supply.

4. It's normal for babies to fall asleep while feeding. The act of suckling produces a hormone that relaxes and calms both mother and baby. Plus babies who are suffering from jaundice tend to sleep more as well. It's important to feed your newborn every 2 hours to ensure weight gain and growth.

If your baby is sleeping at your breast, you'll need to wake him/her up by the following ways:

a) Tickling their feet or chin
b) Undressing them - dont't worry about your baby catching a chill. The nursing positions will ensure that they remain nice and warm. In fact, they fall asleep easily at the breast because it's warm and cosy!
c) Changing from cradle hold to football hold as eye contact will help keep baby awake for slightly longer periods during feeding.

As for your baby crying at night, well, it's normal too. Remember that your newborn has just left the comfort and security of your womb. As such, this world is new to him/her, especially at night when it's dark, and strange. Hence why they want to suckle or be held because it gives them 1) comfort and 2) security. Crying is their way of telling you that they need you. And you being there will build their sense of confidence and security, making them become independent faster.

Some babies dont't do well at night and scare easily (normal as well) - my Eva was like that in her first few weeks. She would cry if I left her alone in the crib and if it's pitch black, resulting in her wanting to feed for every hour on some nights. So I had to sleep with the light on and with her on my chest for the few couple of weeks. Over time, I'd slowly "train" her to sleep on her own in the crib and with dimmer lights. At five weeks old, we could put her down in the crib in a dark bedroom and she'd go to sleep by herself.

Remember to put yourself in your baby's shoes and you'll find it less stressing whenever your baby cries. This is a brand new world for your little one...

And oh, as much as it's easy for me to tell you to NOT stress out, really, dont't get too stressed out as your baby can feel your stress and it impacts him/her too.

*big hugs*

 

[uddermummy]

my nipples were flat when i first started and what the nurse said is correct, constant latching will pull the nipple out. At first, my dear daughter also prefered one breast, but i kept forcing her to take the other one as well. Now, she has no pref.

It was very painful for me at first and I suffered from sore and bleeding nipples for more than a month. What helped was the lasinoh cream, the max amt of normal panadal, and hydrogel pads (you can get from medela, mother's mate etc).

Human milk will always appear thin when you compare it to fm or the normal milk that we drink out of a carton. But human milk is the gold standard, so we really shouldn't keep comparing it to cow's milk. Human milk is tailored for human babies, and cow's milk, erm, for little cows.

Your milk can appear as yellowish, bluish, greyish etc. There is no correct colour for breast milk.

To make sure that your baby gets the hindmilk, let him empty the breast-- the breast will look deflated and you will not get much milk when you squeeze it. When you squeeze the milk, the milk may look richer than the milk you started out with.

And to make sure that you continue to bf, please dont't listen to pple like the confinement nannies, massage ladies etc etc. In fact, dont't even listen to the doctors if they are not pro-bfing. I would only listen to pple who have bf successfully and lactation consultants. Most of the time, the other pple are really clueless about bfing.

 

[diymummy]

My comments in blue

Hey all,
I am a 9 day old mummy who is having some bf problems, hoping you girls can help to answer some of my doubts since I am not getting much support from home. Hubby is supportive, but he's just as clueless as me.

1. Right breast nipple is typically flat after I remove my bra, but when I pinch the aerola, it does show but just short. Nurse said that I let baby suckle on it, but it is really difficult for baby to latch on, but when he did, it gets so painful. The nipple protrudes for awhile, but goes back in when I wear my bra..same cycle repeats. Now nipple is all sore & chapped.
Anyone has a flat nipple problem & can offer any remedies or advice?
Is expressing the only way to go?
I know at mothercare there are breastshells you can buy to ease the sore nipples and cream to apply to ease the soreness as well. For inverted nipples I read before that there are also breastshells that help to extend the nipple before feeding. Maybe you can get your hubby to go to mothercare to check it out??? You can surf around this site called babycenter.com.sg and read up on inverted and flat nipples. Their information is quite useful.

2. Because of flat right nipple, I have been feeding baby on my left like 95% of the time. Left nipple is getting super stretched, sore & huge.. How to you unlatch the baby in a less painful manner or baby is supposed to unlatch automatically when he is done?
You can use your last finger and stick it into baby's mouth to break the suction. My baby likes to unlatch himself but he does it by pulling his head away which is very painful for me. So best is when you feel that your breast is almost empty (for me, it's after 3 letdowns) then I will unlatch my baby.

3. Massage lady said my milk is thin. Any idea on how to 'thicken' the milk? How do I know if baby is not just drinking the 'fore' milk but is also drinking the 'hind' milk as well? Is it because I am not eating enough?
If you pump your milk, you will notice that the foremilk is really like plain water that is just a little bit milky. The foremilk usually runs for 2-3mins when your baby is suckling after your first letdown. After that it will be the hind milk. Eating nutritiously is impt as it not only goes to the baby but also replenishes your nutrient stores. If you are not eating enough, then your body will deplete the stores in your body so that your milk will be nutrious for baby. I also drank a lot of water when I was breastfeeding. I noticed that when I was well-hydrated, my flow is good. When I am not, my flow is very slow and thin and bad.

4. Baby seems to wake up more frequently at night for feeding. He can be latched on for 25mins, fall asleep, and when I put him back in cot to change his diapers he cries for food again. (He does that bird mouth twitching action), There are several nights where he would cry for food every hour. Is it because I am not producing enough milk like what my elders are saying? It is really depressing to feel you cannot produce enough to feed your baby.
Babies have growth spurts which occurs usually around 7-10days, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. During these times, my baby would cry every hr for milk except for at night. My baby would fall asleep when feeding too coz very comfy in mummy's arms mah. So I will just wake my baby up to finish up his meal. I try to feed my baby on schedule so that he would be predictable except during growth spurts where I fed pretty much on demand. My milk flow only came in after his first spurt which was when he was 1 week old. His spurt lasted abt 5-7 days... At that time I was soooo tired coz all I did was just to breastfeed him!!! Don't worry, keep latching your baby and your supply will increase in no time. Your body works in a demand and supply system.

Help girls help!
Super thanks in advance!

 

[cyanidebaby]

Thank you so much mummies for your advice & words of encouragement.

diymummy, Hubby bought the avent breast shells for me last night but the rubber backing kept getting sucked to my boob, it was rather uncomfortable. I'm sure my profuse pespiration doesn't help either. Tried airing like what Meiteoh suggested, though I woke up with a pool of milk stains on my shirt & bedsheet, nipple does feel alittle better =)

PinkDiamonds, I've reattempted the 'pinky finger in the corner of the mouth' method to break suction. But I am not sure if I did it in a wrong angle, baby gave a yelp. Wonder if I had poked his gums or something.

mummies, if the foremilk suppose to run 2/3 mins, I can presume that if baby suckle longer than that period of time, he is getting the hind milk? Baby can suckle ranging from 20mins to 1hr His poop is typically mustard yellowish brown, sometimes watery, sometimes grainy, & he does fart like once or twice during feeding, burps, occasionally has some milk flowing out from the corner of his mouth. I take that as a cue he has had enough :S

btw diymummy, how do you figure the number of letdowns you have? Thats pretty amazing. You've also mentioned growth spurts. Baby actually lost 160g in the 1st week, I've reweighed him last night, he just barely gained back the weight he lost. I presume that is not considered as a growth spurt? :S

uddermummy, it's comforting to know that the success story of a mummy with a similar flat nipple problem. I will just have to keep trying, but sometimes it hurts so bad that I'll just break down & cry. WIth baby also crying, I have no choice but to feed him on my left boob again..

My boy is still not latching on to my right. Maybe it is my positioning issue. Football cradle seems awkward. Not sure if it's because of my inadequate asset. Read online it's more suitable for large boobs or twins. because of my constant cradle position on the left, baby has a habit of sleeping on his face turned right, hopefully it won't have an adverse physiological effect on him.
Current status: Left boob = swollen grapefruit, Right boob = orange sized deflated balloon

 

[uddermummy]

hi cyanidebaby,

you poor thing. sayang, sayang.

sore nipples can be really traumatic, especially when you are sore and aching in so many other places.

When my nipples were really sore and bleeding, and even panadol didn't help, what i did was to stop for 1 day and express out the milk to let my nipples heal.

Yeah, you may want to try diff positions until you find one that's comfortable for you and bb. Maybe you wanna try the lying down position? That was a lifesaver for me cos bb can drink and i can sleep.

the trouble is that now dd always wants to latch on before sleeping.

 

[diymummy]

I guess you can safely presume that if your baby suckles more that 2-3min that he's getting the hind milk. If he suckles for 20mins on 1 breast, I'm very sure he will get the hind milk. You can judge if he has had enough also by the number of wet diapers he has. Your son should have at least 6-8 wet diapers daily.

My son lost 200g in the first week. He only started to pick up again after 1 week. That was when his spurt started. He was 2.3 kg at birth, 2.1kg at first week and then 3.1kg at first month.

When I have a letdown, there's like this tingling feeling going through your breast. And my son will suckle differently when there's a letdown.

My assets also very small and my boy also did have a preference for my left than my right. I usually will start with my right boob when he is very hungry so he's desperate and he'll try to figure out how to get milk from it. But sometimes he will struggle and cry non-stop when he can't figure it out then bo bian I will go back to feeding him on my left. So it's also a lot of trial and error on my part with my boy.

Just try your best with your right boob so that both breasts will have milk for your boy. It'll get quite painful for you when his intake increases and you're only feeding from your left breast.

As for sleeping, maybe can try to lay him to rest on his left just to even out bah.. Sleeping my boy has always been sleeping on his tummy since he was born. So can't advise much on this.

I think you're doing great. Jia you! Just try your very best!

 

[meiteoh]

Personally, I think you're doing just fine.

I was told by my midwife (when I was in Switzerland) to make sure that Eva suckles for at least 15 minutes on each boob to get to the hindmilk. This was in the beginning when my milk first came in. After that, she told me to let her drain one boob first and then only offer the other if she wants to eat somemore. Maximum time per boob should be around 30 minutes - by then, you'd be sure that she's getting in hindmilk.

Judging from what you're saying - poop being grainy and all, it means that your little one is taking in some hindmilk.

And dont't worry about your assets being small - I have small ones as well and the football hold works just well, although it is tiring for my wrists. If the pain is really bad, try using those hydrogels for 2 days, then stop and see how it goes. My midwife got me to use them in the beginning when my nipples were very sore but she mentioned that you shouldn't use them often as they aren't good for the baby. Two days should be good enough and you should change them the moment they are discoloured.

*big hugs*

 

[snowbear]

I dun have flat nipples so I can't help you on that. As for unlatching baby, it is best to let baby unlatch on his own rather than you unlatching him. This is because when he's done and full, he'll unlatch and that's his way of letting you know that he's done. If you unlatch him, he may not have had his fill yet. If bb pulls on nipple when he unlatches, then just tell him sternly not to do it. You'll be surprised and amazed how much little babies can understand. You just have to be patient and keep reinforcing the msg

There isn't really a fixed time when foremilk suddenly becomes hindmilk. You may wanna read this for more information about foremilk and hindmilk. If bb consumes too much foremilk, the poo will be greenish rather than mustard yellow so I think your bb is doing fine! In general, if bb wets enuff diapers and poos yellowish poo he shld be nursing enuff.

One impt thing to note is to chk bb's latch all the time. Bb may be latched on but sometimes not latched properly to remove milk efficiently from your breast or he may have fallen asleep and though 'latched' on, his suck is too weak to remove any milk and so although 25min have passed, he's still hungry. Please ignore ignorant people's comments about bfding. You're trying to give the best milk to your son. Jia you!

Btw, you can't just rely on one side for feeding otherwise you'd end up with lopsided looking breasts. You still need to express the milk out from your other boob which is in pain. Let the nipple heal over time and when your nipples have stopped hurting (I think mine took a month before I stopped feeling nipple pain - I had sore, cracked and blistered nipples), you may wanna even out the size of your breasts and the milk production.

 

[cyanidebaby]

Thank you mummies for the words of encouragement, but I really feel awfully down.
baby suckles for 1hr on my left boob and still cries for more when he unlatches. The only time he doesn't do that is cus he dozed off while bfing. Even after I feed him my expressed milk, ranging from 60 to 100ml, he will still cry for more milk & will only stop when he latches on.
Strangely, baby does quiet down when mum cradles him.
Is it me? Cus I smell like his cow, so he only associates me with food?!
I feel like I am going bonkers with all the pain & frustration..

 

[MommyEtrini]

Thank you mummies for the words of encouragement, but I really feel awfully down.
baby suckles for 1hr on my left boob and still cries for more when he unlatches. The only time he doesn't do that is cus he dozed off while bfing. Even after I feed him my expressed milk, ranging from 60 to 100ml, he will still cry for more milk & will only stop when he latches on.
Strangely, baby does quiet down when mum cradles him.
Is it me? Cus I smell like his cow, so he only associates me with food?!
I feel like I am going bonkers with all the pain & frustration..

hey babe , i totally understand what u're going tru .. my baby girl now *2mths old* still keep latches on , whenever i take her off from my breast she keeps crying unless like what u say , only when dozed off from bf den she will stop crying . they feel comfy to latches on , im also very frustrated by the pain & the tiredness . she doesnt wants pacifier nor bottle . so the only things i can do were just latch her on . cheerup okays . u can add me on msn etrini._.etrini@hotmail.com .
Chat with you soon k

 

[uddermummy]

Thank you mummies for the words of encouragement, but I really feel awfully down.
baby suckles for 1hr on my left boob and still cries for more when he unlatches. The only time he doesn't do that is cus he dozed off while bfing. Even after I feed him my expressed milk, ranging from 60 to 100ml, he will still cry for more milk & will only stop when he latches on.
Strangely, baby does quiet down when mum cradles him.
Is it me? Cus I smell like his cow, so he only associates me with food?!
I feel like I am going bonkers with all the pain & frustration..

60 to 100ml sounds like a v decent amount to feed, depending on the weight of your bb.

maybe you could start balancing the amount of milk in your right breast by offering your bb the right breast too?

Young bbs can cry a lot, and mummies can get easily frustrated because we don't always know what they want.

It takes a bit of trial and error before we figure out what they want. Sometimes, it's a burp, sometimes they are cold, wet, uncomfortable. Sometimes, like what you've said, they just need a cuddle from mummy.

YOu may want to take note though, if your son shows great discomfort after or during feeding, like arching his back etc.

 

[diymummy]

Hi cyanidebaby, is your baby now latching on to the right??

 

[bluecloudsaviva]

Errr... I wonder is this a stupid qns?

When expressing milk, both fore & hind milk will b express out? Also, when i express my milk, i don't feel the let-down sensation, is this normal?

How should i start latching my daughter? What i mean is that since she is born, i try to latch her on but only manage to latch her for 1-2 times. Most of the nurses at the hospital also try to help but in vain. In the end, i start giving her FM through bottle when she couldnt manage to drink anything and keep on crying. When i went back home, due to all the stress, pain and alot of things, i actually gave up in BF. But as a mother, i wanted the best for my children so i start expressing my milk to give her to drink. My milk supply is pathetic. It is like FM is the main course while my BM supplments her.

Now my milk supply is still pathetic. around 30-40mls after 30mins of expressing for every 3 hr. So can only supplement her for 2 feeds per day. But better than nothing right?

Now i want to latch her on. Becoz i;m afraid the longer she is on bottle, the more difficult it is to latch her on. Now when i try to latch her:

1st: she will push my breasts away.

Or

2nd: she will latch but unlatch herself immediately. Dont even suck just unlatch immediately.

3rd: she latch on suck for a few minutes, unlatch then start crying and fussy. I will push her back to my breasts to latch but she wont latch. She will just cry and cry. Then i will end up giving her the bottle.

4th: which is the biggest problem of all, she tend not to open her mouth big enough to take in my nipple and breast.

So should i stop her FM and just start training her to latch on. As without FM, she will in the end accept my breast?

 

[diymummy]

How old is your baby now? I was in the same situation as you. When my baby was born (pre-mature by 1 mth and quite small, 2.3kg). He was small and had no strength to suck or would fall asleep. My flow was also not very good at the beginning, only after 1 week then it picked up. I also started to pump and supplement while feeding FM from bottle.

BM works on a demand and supply basis. And no pump would work as well as a baby's suckle to stimulate your breasts. That's why it's always best to latch direct, not to mention all the time and effort saved from bottle washing and sterilising.

My baby was on FM for abt 3 weeks before I started to try to latch direct. I was met with very bad rejection as well because the flow from the bottle is immediate while breastmilk had to wait for letdown. I would also give up after trying for half hr and feed FM by bottle. But every time my son was hungry, I will always offer breast first and try for half hr. After this painful process of abt a week, my baby started to accept drinking from the breast direct.

As for no let-down sensation, one of my friends also experience that so it might be ok... Initially when my flow was low, I also didn't feel the sensation.

 

[cyanidebaby]

Hi cyanidebaby, is your baby now latching on to the right??

No diymummy, baby still not latching on my right.
Perhaps it's a combination of awkwardness on my part (I'm not too good with carrying baby on my arm), baby's impatience & the soft breast with short slanted nipple despite pitching and expressing 1st..I wonder if my nipple will permanently sticks out & not retract back after pumping for some time..

uddermummy, I meant that my baby cries for milk whenever he's awake, no mater how I try to coax him, rock him, pat him, talk to him..but when my mum holds him, there may be a tendency that he will drift back to sleep...It's like awake + mummy = food

Gee, with bottle feeding introduced to baby, he now gets impatient when he's on my left breast when the let down is not fast enough. Or when the flow of the letdown is too fast, he will puke out the milk.

 

[snowbear]

Errr... I wonder is this a stupid qns?

When expressing milk, both fore & hind milk will b express out?

Yes, if you express long enuff you'd see the colour of your milk changing to a more creamy opaque white colour. If the total expression time is 30min for both breasts, you shld be able to see this change in colour.

Also, when i express my milk, i dont't feel the let-down sensation, is this normal?

Yes. Some women never feel a letdown but are able to nurse effectively.

How should i start latching my daughter? What i mean is that since she is born, i try to latch her on but only manage to latch her for 1-2 times. Most of the nurses at the hospital also try to help but in vain. In the end, i start giving her FM through bottle when she couldnt manage to drink anything and keep on crying. When i went back home, due to all the stress, pain and alot of things, i actually gave up in BF. But as a mother, i wanted the best for my children so i start expressing my milk to give her to drink. My milk supply is pathetic. It is like FM is the main course while my breast milk supplments her.

Now my milk supply is still pathetic. around 30-40mls after 30mins of expressing for every 3 hr. So can only supplement her for 2 feeds per day. But better than nothing right?

Now i want to latch her on. Becoz i;m afraid the longer she is on bottle, the more difficult it is to latch her on. Now when i try to latch her:

1st: she will push my breasts away.

Or

2nd: she will latch but unlatch herself immediately. Dont even suck just unlatch immediately.

3rd: she latch on suck for a few minutes, unlatch then start crying and fussy. I will push her back to my breasts to latch but she wont latch. She will just cry and cry. Then i will end up giving her the bottle.

4th: which is the biggest problem of all, she tend not to open her mouth big enough to take in my nipple and breast.

So should i stop her FM and just start training her to latch on. As without FM, she will in the end accept my breast?

Yes, 1-2feeds of bm is still better than nothing. And it's great to hear that you're trying to bf again after giving up. It's normal for milk supply to be pathetic at first, esp since you gave up earlier. Just have to keep up with the pumping and try to latch whenever you can. If bb refuses to latch, then just pump and try latching when bb's older. My bb also had problems latching earlier and it was only a month later that she started to be able to open her mouth big enuff to latch properly. Even if bb doesn't want to latch, you can still give ebm so it's really no big deal not being able to latch (altho bb's latch is still considered the best pump, if other pumps can get the milk out for bb, it's perfectly fine!). I pumped exclusively for the first month when dd couldn't latch and though I didn't have the best pump to stimulate milk production, I still had loads of milk so honestly I think it is fine to exclusively express if you really have great difficulties getting bb to latch (my sil also expressed exclusively for 6mths).

Most imptly, dun make the nursing session become a war otherwise bfding becomes an unpleasant experience (as it was for me in the early days). After forcing my dd to take my breasts a few times, I realised that she started to have aversion to my breasts and loved the bottle even more after that. But after all that, she still managed to latch properly after a month so I think just give your body some time to build up supply and by then when you have more milk, perhaps your bb may want to latch.

 

[meiteoh]

I dunno if this will work for some of you ladies but when my milk first came in, I read that in order to get baby to enjoy suckling, one of the tips is to not immediately put to the breast when it's time to feed but to get let down to occur first then put baby to the breast. A way to get let down to occur is to play with baby, smell her and just do all sorts of things that reminds you of her.

In my case, I just play with her for a bit with my nipples exposed and a minute or two later, end up with sprays of milk all over her! This tip also works with those who are pumping and experiencing slow milk let down.

As for her not opening her mouth wide enough, that's the major problem with young babies who are used to suckling from the bottle. Suckling from the breasts requires babies to exercise their jaws and such by opening wide. The way they suck on the breast is also different from on the bottle. When they are put on the bottle, they get a little lazy because they don't need to open their mouths very big to get reward with streams of milk. So when they are moved to the breasts, they complain (re: cry like crazy) and get fussy. Mums tend to give up at this stage. In short, you have nipple confusion going on. But really, you should re-train your baby to take your breast by using your finger to force her lower jaw down and open up her mouth. It's frustrating and tough but it's part and puzzle of breastfeeding. While you're re-training your baby, also, always do this - offer breast first THAN bottle. And while you're feeding the bottle, make sure she takes it like she's taking your breast. That way, she won't be inclined to get all lazy.

But really, don't force her - slowly train by trying at one session. If she is fussing, stop and do it again another time. It's not an overnight change that you're aiming for so be patient and persevere on ya?

 

[JazN]

Hi cyanidebaby

perhaps you'll like to ask the nurse or salesperson selling the breastfeeding products to help you on the right breast cos you'll need to utilise both breasts. 1st month is definitely 'hellish' for parents. Tired, have to pump out milk after bf ends then it took a long time & by time fallen asleep shortly your baby wakes up...having the same routine everyday, etc..So cheer up. For me by 2 months + (depends on each individual baby) it's getting easier

not necessarily baby awakes it's always feeding time. do check the diaper, room temperature, needs a burp, most importantly all newborns need a cuddle at this point baby need to feel the security of their parents (read in a book is ok & up to 6mths) so do not feel afraid of cuddling & we'll not spoil our children bcos of this.

Take care!

No diymummy, baby still not latching on my right.
Perhaps it's a combination of awkwardness on my part (I'm not too good with carrying baby on my arm), baby's impatience & the soft breast with short slanted nipple despite pitching and expressing 1st..I wonder if my nipple will permanently sticks out & not retract back after pumping for some time..

uddermummy, I meant that my baby cries for milk whenever he's awake, no mater how I try to coax him, rock him, pat him, talk to him..but when my mum holds him, there may be a tendency that he will drift back to sleep...It's like awake + mummy = food

Gee, with bottle feeding introduced to baby, he now gets impatient when he's on my left breast when the let down is not fast enough. Or when the flow of the letdown is too fast, he will puke out the milk.