I've worn a nipple shield to be able to breastfeed, and now my daughter is 4 months, and have FINALLY got her off of the shield. But now she eats happily for just a few minutes, and then is off and on the breast eating, and wanting to be done on one side after only 5 minutes. I know she is getting more efficient, but I'm afraid she isn't getting enough of the hind milk. I don't know how to convince her to stay on one side longer before switching to the other side. With the shield, she would nurse for 15 minutes on each side usually. I've tried to use the shield again, but she turns her head to remove it.
Her diapers are fine, but she is only in the 5th percentile in weight. She has always been in the 10-25 percentile. She is gaining, but slowly. I don't think I have a supply issue, but am considering herbs to make sure. I have a pump, but since she eats every 2 hours, I don't get much of a chance to use it.
Any ideas to get her to nurse longer?
Ok, first, she is not too thin. My son is in the 5th percentile and perfect in every way developmentally. If I were you, I would perform an experiment. Use the shield, and see how long she stays on. After that, go shield free and see. She may still need a bit of help with her latch. Another quick question is have weighed her before a feeding and then after? A lactation consultant or pediatrician could help you with that.
Some advice I received from a lactation consultant was that you could start to pump or manually with your hands massage your breast until you have a letdown. Your daughter may be getting frustrated that she isn't getting her milk immediately. Once you have your let down, let her latch on and see if she's more content to nurse for longer. Good luck and good for you for sticking with nursing!
5 minutes is not long to get enough.
Is she really latching on properly?
Is the entire nipple/areola in her mouth? Of is she just sucking at the tip of the nipple?
Do you actually see and hear her swallowing???? (this would indicate that she IS suckling and drinking).
Is she waiting for the letdown?
Some babies do not wait.
The Letdown is not instantaneous sometimes.
Do you feel the letdown?
Some babies will only suckle, when the letdown is occurring then stop when it stops... ie: they don't work at sucking....
You could go and see a Lactation Specialist to check her latch.
Is the Pediatrician concerned about her weight?
In any event, something like that happened to my friend's daughter. It turned out she was not suckling effectively nor properly. Thus her baby was not getting enough intake, even if she was nursing on demand.
Best thing I can say is, allow her to switch, then within a minute or two switch her back. Also if you try laying down on your side to nurse with her next to you, the other breast is harder for her to reach and may make it easier to nurse from just one side.
Unless she was a preemie, she is much too thin. 5 minutes is barely enough time to get a proper letdown much less get any hindmilk at all. Nurse her every 2 hours and if she rejects one side put her on the other and keep switching. She is probably finishing so soon because she is not getting enough. I took blessed thistle and it really improved my supply, but my son LOVED to nurse so that helped too. Keep at it, you are doing great!
First, breathe. You are doing awesome.
Here's the most important thing to remember: Watch the baby, not the clock. Is she happy, satisfied, growing on her own curve? Is she having the appropriate number of wet/dirty diapers? Here's some really good info on how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html
Here's the other thing to remember: Shields make nursing really, really inefficient. Babies have to work harder, milk transfer isn't as effective, and it just takes longer. Now that she's off the shield, she's able to efficiently get the milk she needs! Chances are, she's getting even more now that she's able to nurse directly from the breast without the shield in the way! I know that based on research AND my own experience with the shield. Nursing got way faster and easier once we were able to toss the blasted thing.
Don't worry about foremilk/hindmik. Your body produces exactly what your baby needs in just the right way. Relax, breathe, and trust in yourself. You are already doing so awesome! Keep it up!
My DD was always a short feeder. If you think she's not getting enough, offer her both sides and encourage her to nurse when she's tired and not distracted. You can also block feed where she nurses from the same side twice then then switch.
I would keep whatever you pump because it's still useful. We all get thirsty. And, as the weather gets warmer, your body will adjust to keep her hydrated.
You can try cutting out any distractions. Nurse in a darkened, quiet room.
I wouldn't worry though, just nurse as often as she wants, and she will get enough.
First, so wonderful that you are nursing through your frustrations! So many others would have given up. You are giving your baby such an amazing gift! If her weight has been consistently in the same percentile since birth, I wouldn't worry.
My son did this too and it made me crazy! The bobbing! I was lucky if I got 2 minutes.
I got a large yoga ball and sat and bounced on it while I nursed him. Something about the gentle bouncing made him eat longer. The "bobbing" phase only lasted a few weeks.
Maybe go to the Pump Station if you still have questions.
Where and what kind of atmosphere are you nursing? I find that my 4 month old eats better when there is less distraction - visual and sound. She also eats better when she is fully rested or relaxed. She also eats for about 4-7 minutes only on one side every 3-4 hours however she's in the 75% percentile for weight. I don't worry much about switching out during one feeding, rather I switch out from one feeding to the next. With my first she always drank from both sides but with my newest one, she's just not a big eater though she is obviously gaining weight.
What I've also been doing (since I work full-time) is I pump right before I'm about to see her so that she is getting more of the hind milk. And when I pump I usually get about 4 ounces of the watery stuff (fore milk) - which I dump out and then continue with about a 1/4 to 3/4 ration of fore milk to hind milk. Mainly because like you I was worried she wasn't getting enough hind milk in such a short about of time.
