Question
Trouble with nipple confusion
My baby was born early and was in the NICU for 5 days. During this time they gave her a bottle with a preemie nipple. Now that we are home I am having to pump then give her a bottle. I offer her the breast each feeding and she does latch on but loses grip on the nipple several times and I end up giving her a bottle so she doesnt lose weight. She will stay on for awhile if I have already fed her and she is about to go to sleep like it is a paci. I have also tried pumping a little to get letdown before nursing her and the milk is dripping out of my nipple so I know that she can get milk easily. Any suggestions on how I can get her to become a 100% boobie fed baby?
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4 Answers
I don't know if I have any helpful advice, but I just wanted to offer words of encouragement. Learning to nurse (mother and child) can be really tough even without the added difficulty of your baby getting used to the bottle first. I have only two pieces of advice that may or may not help. The first is to hang in there. She'll probably get it, especially since she does seem to be able to latch on. She may just need to get used to the idea that the boob is the best source of food for her. You might need to try offering only the boob for a period of time and not going back to the bottle so she learns. HOWEVER, since she's a preemie I'd suggest talking to your doctor first because I don't know if it's safe for your baby to go any length of time without breastmilk (for most babies it's okay for a short amount of time). The second thing I'd suggest is to find a lactation consultant. Check your hospital or a La Leche League chapter in your area.
Good luck, and keep trying!
Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum
Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum and Tri-Counties Moms, http://www.mothersclick.com/moms-club/tri-counties-moms-sb-ventura-slo-c...
My son was also a premie. Because I was intending to nurse the lactation consultant I worked with at the hospital didn’t let me take my son home until we had him successfully latching on and feeding. You will want to go back to your hospital and schedule an appointment with a lactation consultant. It takes different muscles for a baby to suck from a nipple than from a breast. For a nipple they use their tongue and for a breast they use their lips. For now always start her on the breast and keep her trying as long as you feel comfortable. She needs to build up her lip muscles. Don’t be surprised when she only feeds a little bit at a time. The different feeding style is a work out for her and will tire her out. At first she will probably not feed until full so following up with a bottle like you are currently doing will let her relax and fill up. I myself quit doing that after about a week so that my son would have to get more used to feeding from a nipple. The upshot was that it seemed like for the next couple weeks I was feeding him every half hour. I think because of the extra work involved he would only suck until he was satisfied or tired but not full so he would get hungry again quickly. Make sure when you talk to the lactation consultant you let her know what you plans are such as being a SAHM or if you are taking ML them returning to work. It makes a bit of a difference how they proceed knowing if you are going to try to eliminate the bottle. Good Luck with the little one.
My son was in the NICU for 15 days. He also never took to breastfeeding. I kept trying and trying, but it was never completely successful. Although it's definitely more of a hassle to have to pump all the time, I don't think it takes away from the closeness you will feel with your child, as some people seem to think it will. My son is now 3-years old, and he is definitely a mama's boy. So just hang in there, keep trying, and don't be frustrated if it never really happens. Your child will feel your happiness, your frustrations, etc. As long as she's getting that breastmilk, that's what's really important.
Hugs,
Heather
T.T.F.N. . . TA TA FOR NOW!
Hugs,
Heather
T.T.F.N. . . TA TA FOR NOW!
My daughter never learned to latch on correctly. I used 3 different lacation nurses and still nothing worked. By week 3 she was starving, my nipples were ripped to shreds and we both were hysterically crying. My husband finally calmed me down and asked what was more important to me...Breast feeding or Breast milk. I said "Breastmilk", he said "then it should matter how she gets it in her tummy as long as she gets it". Then he drove 45 miles to the nearest Babies R Us and bought me a Medela Breast Pump. My daughter would suckle for comfort until 3 months old but I strickly pumped and put my milk in bottles to feed for 15 months.
Talk and meet with a lacation nurse. Try everything they advise, but know that no matter how your precious daughter gets your milk you ARE giving her the best you can and you ARE a great Mommy for sticking with it!
Smile, it increases your face value!
Jodi
Smile, it increases your face value! :)
Jodi