Help with Breastfeeding - San Antonio, TX

I'm sure you already know this, but I think the best thing to do is to call a lactation specialist or the la leche league. La Leche members will come to your house for free and help you with issues you might have. Some hospitals will let you go there for help for free. Also, I highly recommend that you do not introduce a bottle for a very long time, if at all. My baby had to have a bottle in the hospital b/c of weight loss and after that he didn't want to latch on to my breast (I think he was so smart he knew the bottle was alot easier.) I ended up exclusively pumping my milk for 1 yr, which I would never recommend as nursing is the best!! Good luck - hang in there :)

Just keep at it. When my daughter and I were still in the hospital, after my c-section, she breastfed just fine. We were there for 5 days. Then when we got home she started doing what your newborn is doing. I just kept offering it to her. I'd get comfortable, watch tv and put on a button down shirt for easy access and just kept my breast available to her. After a few days she was doing just fine. Latched on everytime and no problems since. (as far as breastfeeding goes) Now she's a three yr old and we have a whole new set of issues! LOL
Anyway, I don't know why this happens to some newborns, my girlfriend went through it too. Try not to get frustrated. Just be patient and calm and if he continues to have trouble call your pedia. There is also the leche league that can offer advice. They have a website, I can't remember what it is but just use google and type in Leche League. That site helped me a lot. Good Luck. NB

Methodist Hospital has a women's center that has lactations specialists. Their services are available to anyone and they are great. They helped me with my first daughter during the first week when we were having problems with nursing. Here is their info:
8109 Fredericksburg Rd
San Antonio, TX 78229
###-###-####
I believe you need an appointment for them to actually physically help you, but they will give you lots of advice over the phone too.
Good luck, and don't give up!
A.

Sounds like you have gotten some great info from others...I though you might like to see this guideline chart, http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-54440449668440/Breast... it is on the Bloom Maternity website, http://www.bloommaternity.net/links.html. It is great info about how much milk your baby needs and what you should be producing! Best of luck.

Are you sure that he is hungry when you are trying to feed him. It's sounds to me like he isn't hungry. SOmeimtes we know that it has been 2 hours or however much since they've eaten and we are feeling the milk a'comin so we try to nurse. But that doesn't always mean that they are hungry. Just a thought.

Hi P.. If you get anxious or wait a minute too long and he starts to fuss, it may cause your milk to let down too quickly. It is possible that you could be too full when he tries to latch on and he can't get his little mouth around you. If that is the case, try to squeeze a little out at first to make it softer. He will smell it and it will make him more excited and you can pull his chin down to help him get latched on. It is hard the first week especially, but you will get the hang of it! Other possibilities: He could have thrush or gas from what you are eating. Good luck & hang in there!

Perhaps he isnt hungry when you are trying to feed him. Is he rooting before you put him on an showing other signs of hunger? My three month old will do the same thing sometimes when I try to latch her on when she is fussy but it will turn out that she is just bored or wants to cuddle and isnt hungry after all.

I'd say it's likely your milk has come in (mountains for boobs?). That enlarges your nipple and makes it harder for him to latch on. You might try hand expressing (or pumping) just enough to get a "normal" nipple back, then latching on.

Congratulations on making the best choice on feeding your son. :) And on getting your body back.

You can always contact a la leche league leader in your area if nursing consultants are hard to find. :)

S.

When you go to feed him, do you have a routine. Like changing his diaper first? Are you relaxed? Babie know when mom and dad are stressed. I have breastfed my 3 babies, my newest son had problems latching on at the hopsital but did good once we got home, but he also had a lot of gas. My daughter did too. He also still does not like it if I have spicey foods. It flavors the milk of what you eat. You may have to try a kind of bland diet for a few days just to see if that helps. You could also try mylicon drops, works wonders for the gas. Avoid gass food too, they get passed on in the milk also. I agree with the bottle, once they get used to that nipple they have a harder time latching on to the breast. My 5 month old will not use a bottle, he just chews on it, which is fine since I am nursing. Hope this gives you some ideas, and there are always the lactaion experts, but we do not have anything like that is my area so I had to wing it.

There is LL meetings held every 2nd Tues and BSA also has them. These are great for support. perhaps you are engorged, and need to release some of that engorgment. You could probably do this by using hot towels on your breast to help stimulate the letdown. La Leche League of the Panhandle- 11 a.m. second Tuesday of the month, Judith ###-###-####.

Don't give up! If he is nursing good once he latches on, then you're doing the right thing. Just make sure he really is hungry. I have a 2 month old and he does that if he's not really very hungry. But sometimes it just takes a while for them to realize that you are trying to feed them. If he's really upset, i would stop, calm him down and try again. Just don't get the idea that he needs to take a bottle instead. It is just a phase. at least he eats good once he latches on. Keep trying!! Good luck!

The best lactation consultant in town is Kathy Parkes. Her number is ###-###-####. Give her a call. This woman was put on earth to help moms nurse. Call her now and hang in there. By the time your baby is 3 weeks old you will both be pros at breastfeeding.

Hi P.. I have been breastfeeding my son for 10 months now. Something that you might try is pulling down on the baby's chin, helping to get the baby on the breast. If this doesn't seem to be the problem it sounds like you might need to offer the breast to the baby sooner. If he is getting too hungry before you offer then he might be in such a hurry and so frustrated that it is causing the difficulty. Offer the breast before he begins to fuss and see if this helps. A week old baby should probably feed around every 2 to 3 hours. Good luck to you. My email is ____@____.com if you would like to ask any more questons.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time! My first response is perhaps that the baby has gas? My daughter was like that for a few weeks after the birth once my milk came in.

Here is a link with some ideas (and the site is a GREAT resource!):
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/26baby_refuses_to_latch.html