Poor Latch and Using Nipple Shield

As she gets older and eating doesn't wear her out so much, she'll become a more effective nurser. As long as you keep pumping so your supply doesn't go down you likely will be able to ween her off the formula (this is almost exactly what happened with my son. I was also able to drop the nipple shield after about 2 weeks). He went down to almost no formula at about 3-4 weeks, and had only the occasional bottle until I was ready for him to start taking more bottles at 3 months.

More importantly, if you can't wean her off the formula, that's okay too. It's not a failure on your part, and she will still be healthy and happy. You nurse her as much as you can and as much as she can do and that's all you can do. As a fabulous lactation consultant said to me when I was agonizing over supplementing "the most important thing is to feed the baby." You're feeding the baby. Keep up the good work.

I was actually able to nurse with the nipple shield for 8 months with my first. I supplemented a bit the first couple of weeks but then was able to focus totally on breast milk. I pumped a lot and nursed a lot. The docs told me to stop using the shield but I just couldn't wean my daughter off of it. It was frustrating to continuously use it but I did. And with my second, I didn't even use it in the hospital and was able to nurse with out it. Good luck.

Hi K.!
Congratulations on your new baby girl! My first child had very similar nursing issues. She was a "lazy" nurser with difficulty latching. I used the nipple shield for 10 weeks. I did the same as you...nurse, supplement, pump every three to four hours. I was able to supplement with solely breastmilk for about three months as it would come out with the pump if she couldn't get it out herself. After she got off the shield, I still had to nurse and then offer a bottle with more. She would take 2-4 ounces each time and we figured she was getting 1/3 to 1/2 from me and the rest from a bottle. I stopped after six months and went solely to formula.

What happens with you....it's all going to depend on her weight gain. If you'd like more help, see if there is a breastfeeding support group at your hospital or another near you. I went to one at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown CT on Tuesday mornings and it was really helpful.

Two things...you are not alone...and your baby will not starve. Trust your instinct and keep at it.

Oh yeah...last thing. Is she your first? Amazing thing for me was my second child was completely different. He nursed like a champ in half the time, didn't need supplement and I nursed him through almost 11 months.

Good luck.

contrary to what you are being told, supplementing with formula is doing more harm then good. I strongly suggest you contact a lactation consultant and a Le Leche League leader in your area. You need some expert advice on breastfeeding, and unfortunately pediatricians are not always the ones to go to for answers on breastfeeding. Good Luck!

my son would not latch right (my daughter either!) so I just went to straight formula with a larger nipple hole in the bottles.. made us all much happier.. keep an eye on her speech development when she's older - my son's problems were because of poor muscle tone in his mouth area which in turn caused a speech delay.. I"m not saying that will happen, just if she doesn't babble like other babies in a few months, then keep and eye on it and check with your ped about it.. You can always straight pump and bottle feed with larger holes too if you don't want to do all formula yet.. goodluck

Have you been able to connect with a lactation consultant? I'm not sure where you are, but Winchester Hospital has an excellent outpatient LC support. You don't need to be a patient there at all. I wasn't. You can get individualized appt or go to their support group on Wed afternoons. Melrose Wakefield Hospital's Baby Cafe is a simliar set up. If you aren't near these, try the website zipmilk.com to find someone closer. Good luck!!!

K., Congrats on your new little one & bf!!!
This is exactly how my first born was. We stopped supplementing w/ formula and just did bf from 4 weeks on. Not sure the ped wanted it, but we did it. Our son was below the birth weight chart for almost 1yr, but he was health and happy. He is still a bean pole, but healthy. I say follow your gut. Some ped like to count whats going into a baby (ounces), which can be hard w/ bfing. We followed our guts, wanting our children to be bf only.
As it turned out for us, our son was allergic to the formula, making him sicker, and once he was off of it, he did much better. Go figure!
Good luck to you. You and your little girl are doing great!! Remember there is a learning curve w/ nursing for each baby & mommy!! :)

You never know where you headed for - so don't fret about that. concentrate on now - and know that your baby can pick up on any stress you are feeling. I know - easier said than done. I've been there - I had problems with my supply, mastitis and thrush for weeks on end all the while my baby was in the NICU for months. My preemie didn't nurse until he was 2 months old - he never nursed exclusively, but he did nurse more and more until he self weaned at 16 months. It wasn't the butterfly and roses experience we come to expect - but once I gave that up it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. Do what is right for you and the baby NOW and the future will take care of itself.

My biggest suggestion is to use a supplemental nursing system - your milk (or formula if necessary) is in a bottle with tubes that attach to your nipples (not as bad as it sounds - after a a few days it's not very noticeable). This helps you maintain your supply, lets your baby learn to nurse while still getting enough nutrients. I had an expensive system a friend bought me but found the small one the lactation consultant gave me for free worked better.

Have you worked with the hospital/birthing center's lactation consultant? I found the Norwich CT Le Leche League to be very helpful and open to my needs (not as fanatical as some LLL groups) - and I also went to a breast feeding support group for the emotional support.

The most important thing is for you and your baby to be happy and healthy together - and for you to decide what is best for your family. Good luck!

I would nurse as aggressively as possible. Take off her clothes when you nurse her so she is wide awake- tickle her under her chin and when her mouth is wide push her right on to your nipple. If your breasts are too full pump a bit out so she can get on easier. Wake her up after 2 hours to try getting her latched on.
I would talk to your pediatrician about the formula to see when you will be able to stop- Im sure her weight will be on target very soon. Also, call a lactation consultant- or see if La leche league has a chapter in your town. They are an invaluable resource to nursing mothers. They have a wonderful book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeeding" that has tons of tips concerning every aspect of nursing your baby.
I supplemnt my 3wk old with formula because he is constantly hungry- He nurses about 10 times a day and takes 3 or 4 4oz bottles a day. Dont beat yourself up about the formula.
Sorry for the rambling...I hope I kind of answered your question!

Call your local Visiting Nurse Association NOW! I had the same trouble with both of my children. The first, I didn't get help and then ended up just formula feeding and it makes me sad to this day. Both were lazy eaters, would fall asleep while feeding, had difficulty with latching on, and were jaundice and low weight gain. With my son, I called the VNA the day I got home from the hospital and had a nurse come. It is free (covered in full by my health insurance) and she came three days a week. She weighed the baby pre and post feeding to see how much he was getting, monitored his weight over time, and most importantly helped me with latching on. I am proud to say that my son is six months old and I am still exclusively breastfeeding without any formula supplement! :) I am thankful every single day for the help that I got from the visiting nurse and am so glad I called for help...especially since it was free!

My daughter REFUSED to latch (would actually scream at the sight of my breast) right at birth. Her tongue was seriously tied, which made the problem. It was clipped (have you looked into that?) But due to how bad it had been, she still wouldn't latch. I had to pump every 3 hours, then feed her by letting her suck on my finger, the milk coming via a supplemental tube. (I had a fear of nipple confusion making things worse.) I also didn't want to need formula, thus I pumped around the clock. The more formula you use, the less your body thinks it is being asked to produce.

At 3 weeks, with the use of a nipple guard, she latched for the first time. It took her over 2 months to latch directly to me, but I was happy not to have to supplement.

The trick is to make sure you nurse often or pump. Your body will produce as much as it is asked to. Again, the more formula you add, the less your body will make.

Good luck--I can relate to your frustration, but do what's your instinct, not your pediatrician's formula (pun intended)!

Hi, K.-
Nipple shields can be a useful transition tool, but it can also be an impediment to continued nursing. It would probably be helpful to get in touch with La Leche League or a local lactation consultant (Mary Carey or Tanya Lieberman are great- also Kissy Mathewson, though I'm not sure if she's seeing folks now). Keep at it- nursing is so worth it, once you get past the hard part!
Best,
M.
(midwife & mama to two breastfed boys)

Dont worry, I am a new mom to a almost 5 month old little girl and she until just recently was solely breastfed. she was quite small at birth only just over 6lbs. It takes a LONG TIME to get the hang of latching on. Just keep perservering with it and you will be able to stop supplementing if she is gaining weight. the only thing my doctor looked for was that she was just gaining weight, it didnt have to be a lot but as long as it was consistent weight gain she was happy and i continued to breast feed solely for over 4 months. If your comfortable talking about it then try any of your local breastfed support groups (your dr can give you come names/phone #'s) and really hang in there. It took my daughter about 8 weeks for us to really get in the rhythm. good luck and all will work out in the end!!!!

It could be a muscle issue. My daughter couldn't latch on very well and never took to a pacifier or bottle. She ended up with a slight articulation delay and in hindsight there was the big "ah ha" moment with her pediatritian - that the muscles weren't developed and that is why she wasn't able to latch on and suck properly. Well my niece a few years later had the same situation and because of my daughters issues, ended up seeing a speech therapist (can you beleive it!!!) as an infant to work on building those muscles, by this time there were special sippy cups and everything for her to use - it may not be the same thing at all, but if latching on is an issue, it could be the muscle development and might be worth mentioing to her pediatrician. good luck --

I would keep giving her the formula until your appointment, but don't worry! You and her are both learning how to do this, and you will both catch on. My first month of BF was the same with the nipple shield, which I hated because it hurt, and then suddenly he got it, and breastfed exclusively for about 6 months. Hang in there. I know the first few weeks are difficult, but don't give up!

K.,

My daughter was the smame way. I didn't use a breast shield but got help from La Leche League. www.lli.org You can look for a group in your area. I would suggest calling the women and asking for help. After I got the help breastfeeding has been a huge success for us.

Another thing to have the doctor look at is if the baby is tongue tied.

Good luck,
L. M

Hi K.! Congratulations! Yes, it is possible for her weight to be up. Nothing can compare with 'mother's milk'. My little one was in the 10% for weight when born and would not latch on at first, I was pumping 20min. each breast every 3 hrs and feeding him with a medicine dropper after offering the breast (with the shield) eventually he got the idea of latching on with the sheild. At our 2mo. visit he was in the 50% for weight...not a drop of formula used. Now after 3 mo. we don't even use the shield. Hang in there, she will get the hang of it.

Hi K., Congratulations on your new angel! These are very trying times at this age (mostly because there is lack of sleep on your part). What if you were to wait until she was very hungry before you started to nurse? Would she work harder at eating then do you think? Or maybe you will have to pump for a while until she gets a tad bigger but at least she is getting your milk. Do not totally take her off the breast though or you may not get her back on. Also try and be as relaxed as you can when feeding her for they do feel your anxiety which I heard can go through the milk (not completely sure on that one). There truly is nothing like being able to nourish your child all on your own. I wish you and yours health and happiness! M. S.