Having Problems Getting 2 Weeks Old Son to Latch On

This might be a long shot but see if he needs his frenulum clipped. It is the skin under his tongue....I went to a lactation consultant.(usually the hospital has one) at no cost and she said that it might help him latch on and maybe even help with his spitting up. That didn't get better until 6 mo when he started sitting up but the frenulum being clipped did help he is 1 yr and I am still nusing. The diagnosis was actually called tongue tied. My husband and I both have extremely short tongues. It is worth looking into......Good Luck
G.

M.,, a couple of things to try try working your milk down so it is on the nipple so he can taste it, also there are slycone nipple shields you can buy at babies R us, these are very simular to the bottle nipple in taste and feel so this might help for him to adjust. Good luck and keep trying don't give up also go see a lactation clinic right away they are a great help. I had the same problem with my son he was a preemie and was taken to Nicu right away due to sugar problems they also have him a bottle and then he would not nurse. Also try pumping and putting the breast milk in the bottles so he can get used to the different taste. Good Luck!!

Before you give up, have a lactation consultant come help you or talk to the la leche league. I know it must be so frustrating but get all the help you can before you give up entirely. Maybe try when he is not starving but still a little hungry. Also try a hold where you have one of your hands free so you can cup your breast so that it goes in his mouth kind of like a sandwich. I hope things work out for you.

Have you seen a lactation consultant? Or tried different positios to hold him in? You could always pump a little too to make your breasts not so engorged so its not so hard for him to latch on. I know the first few weeks are pretty frustrating but it does getting better.

JUST KEEP WITH IT!!! I know this is easier said than done, but if you really want to breastfeed your baby, by all means do it! I ran into a similar situation when my daughter was born in December (my 4th child). They gave her a bottle or two of formula because of low blood sugar and she had a very hard time latching on and taking to the breast. I, too am large breasted and the best hold for me until the baby is about 3.5 months is the football hold. I've been through so much with this baby, from low blood sugar to jaundice to mastitis... and I have been very persistent with breastfeeding and I feel it is really just becoming easier after 4 months.

Hi M.,

Good for you for your determination to breastfeed!! Your everts and dedication are something to be proud of! I know a lot of people have already said to call a lactation consultant, so I just wanted to give you the phone number of Nursing Mother's Counsel, a free breastfeeding support group with free peer breastfeeding counselor's. The counselors are not certified lactation consultants, but have been trained in breastfeeding counseling and know when to refer you to someone with even more training. Their phone number is ###-###-#### if you live in Oregon, or ###-###-#### in Washington. They also have a website, nursingmotherscounsel.org. Please give at least someone specalized in lactation a call, they can certainly help you out more than anyone else! I know it helped me tremendously when I saw a lactation consultant, and I know countless other moms who have had the same positive experiences. It sounds like you already know that breastfeeding is best and you want to continue nursing, so finding the help you need is now just a step away :)

Regards,
A.

It could be your large breasts because the are so heavy I had a lot of probs with mine because if I did not hold them the right way they would pull away from her mouth try proping them up with a rolled up blanket soon you and he will get it figured out remember it feels awkward to all of us when we start we just gotta power through it good luck

My first son we gave a bottle for the first feeding since I was worried about breastfeeding, and couldn't get him to latch on either.
Call the lactation specialist, or go back to the hospital and talk to one, and ask for a breast shield to breast feed. It looks like a bottle nipple that covers your breast. You can use it for now (they work great and babies seem to like them!)and then when he gets a little older you can start to wean him from it and just go to the breast alone.
H.~
PS. Congrats on your new baby!

Maybe since he is having such a hard time latching on you should see a lactation consultant, they're usually at the hospital, or someone from your doctors office can put you in touch with them. Ort maybe you should just try pumping your breastmilk, so he can get breastmilk, but continue feeding him w/ the bottle.

you could always pump and give him breastmilk in a bottle... it's a pain but it is worth it.. get a good pump tho.. I bought my Medela pump in style used.. much cheaper and still great condition!! :) good luck

This might sound weird but but a little sugar on your nipple. If it's sweet he may latch on. Once he latches and tastes the sweet milk he'll like it better than the formula. try it

I had the same problem, my son was 3 weeks early, and I am a big breasted woman and I had problems getting my son to latch on also. The first night was so frustrating we ended up having to suppliment with formula, but then I started pumping. If your staying at home this should be fairly easy to be able to do. I would just pump every like 3 or 4 hours and then put it in the fridge. He would get the bottle and breast milk. Yes this is time consuming, but it is well worth it if your able to do it.

I'd recommend getting help from a lactation consultant asap. They are so helpful and encouraging and help a lot with nursing problems. Your hospital probably has them (I know Swedish has them available every day from 7am until 11pm). They are pretty "hands on", but I found it really helpful when my baby was in the NICU for the first 10 days of his life. He's nursing like a pro now, so don't give up!!

Try the lacatation consultant at your hospital. Also, it does make a difference when both mom and baby are frustrated! I had to make an effort to relax when my daughter wouldn't latch on. The baby will know when your not at ease and that makes them tense up as well.

If all else fails, I would pump. That way they still get the breastmilk, and the up side to this is his dad can feed him every once in a while too! Be sure to get a good pump, they're spendy, but SO worth it!!