Breastfeeding Advice - San Leandro,CA

Hang in there! Breastfeeding is HARD, but well worth it. No one tells you how hard it can be. I cried off and on for 3 months with my first, but with my second, we had it down pat in 10 secs. But 3 months of struggle!!!!!!

Breast feeding is difficult & the mechanics don't come natural ( at least for me , it didn't). I had a very difficult time. Cracked , bleeding nipples, pain, baby & mom tears, it sucked. I went through several lactation consultants. After speaking to one, she said positioning is important, if everything else has been addressed & correct. Like princess momma said, nursing, lying down on my side solved all our problems. So, I suggest experiencing with positioning & latching.

Good luck & I feel for you. Like others have stated, DO NOT beat yourself up over this. If it doesn't work out , you haven't failed anything. You mentioned your sons health ... I want to add ... I BF'd one son for 9 mos. , he was never sick. I BF'd the next kid for 15 mos. & he had every gross child illness possible. So, you never know. Hang in there!

Engorgement can make latching difficult or even impossible. Whenever this occurs, express some milk with your hand first to soften up the breast. A trick I learned from the lc was to rub the nipple around the baby's nose and chin until the mouth open wide. Also, I'd like to add that as long as your nipples aren't cracked or bleeding then the pain is most likely normal. It can take weeks or even months for the soreness to go away. With my first I struggled for months and cried every feeding because it hurt. I have hard letdown and that made breastfeeding even more uncomfortable. But with my second it was much easier. Try different positions, too. Babies often nurse better laying next to the mom. Good luck. All the difficulty is definitely worth it. :)

Get some nipple cream and use it. I got some from my doctor and it is a lifesaver. Your nipples will crack and bleed when you first start nursing but the cream will heal them and you nipples will toughen up.
As far a the latching on, just be patient. Sometimes it helps to lay down, on your side, with the baby laying next to you alongside your body to nurse. Get really comfortable, a pillow under you head and relax. Sometimes it helps to have the TV on or listen to soft music. You may have to place your finger on your breast just above the nipple to provide a space for her little nose so she can breath.

Is your breast and the brown part around your nipple hard when you are engorged? Use a hot washcloth on your breast and nipple to soften it up. It's hard for baby to latch on if your breast is hard.

Also try to put breastmilk on your nipple and let it air dry after you nurse. That will help heal your nipples since they are so sore. There is a lanolin cream that you can buy that is also supposed to help.

Perhaps if you cannot work this out, you need to either pump and give your baby your breastmilk from a bottle, or give up breastfeeding if you can't do the shield long term. I worry about more mastitis for you and so much exhaustion due to unsuccessful latch-on that your milk supply dwindles and hurts your ability to feed your daughter enough.

It's not the end of the world if you can't breastfeed. I did both, T. - breastfed and bottle fed. My babies didn't care which one and there is no difference in how they turned out.

Please don't beat yourself up if you can't continue.

Dawn

I nursed my son for a wee bit longer than most would(due to him being a preemie). He had a real hard time latching on.

I was engorged most of the time, not to mention I kept having to have my OB and Midwife come in my hospital room because the Nurses wouldn't let the lactation consultant come in to help. I at one point had to manually express milk into a cup and was spoon-feeding it to him due to being so engorged. They wouldn't let my pump into the hospital. When the nurses tried to stop me, I screamed at them to get the heck out, and called my OB who made sure they never came back to bug me.

One trick I used after I got home was getting an AVENT Isis breast pump(manual), and pumping milk out several times a day(it helps to be less full so that baby can latch on easier). Even if you can't nurse naturally, pumping manually stimulates milk production a bit better, and you can bottle feed your milk. You DO have to pump on a schedule though to produce consistently(friend did this with baby #2).
If you are trying to feed on a schedule, take a quick hot shower just before feeding time. Also, if you are getting engorged, real quick, hot showers relieve the pressure, so it's easier to pump/nurse(My mom taught me that trick, and she nursed me and my siblings).
Lansinoh makes a HUGE line of breastfeeding products that are perfectly designed to help. My best friend used shields from them, and said it made a world of difference with baby #3. Using their lanolin on the nipples also is gentle and keeps them from getting sore and cracked, not to mention it will help to massage that on afterward to make them feel a bit better.

Keep at it Mom! It will get better!

I used a nipple shield for several weeks. I think what might benefit you most is going to a lactation class and talking to other moms. Talk to a certified lactation consultant. Get your questions answered and know that the first weeks can be trying but it will likely all start to come together soon. 6 weeks was a real turning point for me and DD. Part of my DD's problem was I had serious overactive letdown - without the shield, she was drinking from a fire hose. So find out why she can't latch without the shield and work from there. Keep asking til you get the answer you need. Don't give up.

kellymom.com is a great site.

http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/wean-shield/
This is the section on Kellymom about nipple sheilds. Kellymom is a fantastic site with so much wonderful imformation.
Congratullations on your new baby! I hope you can work everything out.

I agree with averything the others said, breastfeeding is not for the faint of heart. I remember sitting there crying with my first thinking why can't I get this right? I did eventually but it took 3 visits to the lactation consultant as well as a lot of patience. If you need to use the shield do so, if you need to pump do that too. Any breastmilk you baby get is good for her. The more the better. If your nipples get sore you now get this really good product called a soothie. It's a gel pad that you put on and it helped me immensely with sore and cracked nipples.
Here's a link. I think you can buy them at Target. Good luck.
http://www.lansinoh.com/products/soothies-by-lansinoh-gel...

Use the shield for as long as you need... it takes a few weeks to establish a good breastfeeding routine and as long as the shield works for you keep using it. Then when you feel more confident wean her (yourself) off the shield.
I nursed for 19 months. I remember those first few weeks when I was worried and simply not confident in my ability to nourish my baby.
The one and most important advice I would give any mom that wants to breastfeed is to take it one day at a time. No one was born the perfect nursing mom. It's a steep learning curve for both you and baby and it is hard work during the first few weeks.... I feel that sticking out the tough times was totally worth it, I LOVED nursing after the initial difficulties and it does get easier!
Good luck.

Every nursing baby is different. My 7 year old daughter nursed like a pro from day one with no issues. I know others might think I am lazy or crazy, but I nursed my 5 year old son using a shield for 14 months. I am currently nursing my 15 month old son using a shield. My boys seemed to have issues latching on to my flattened nipples.

If you need to use a shield and it works then use it. If you can feed you baby successfully with a shield then use it. It is your baby and your body. You can breast feed and if you need a little help with the shield then so be it. Good luck and keep nursing and if you can wean your baby off the shield then great but don't push it for a few more weeks once your baby is a better nurser. Don't beat yourself up. Take it slow and enjoy your baby.

I'd pump and bottle feed before I'd give up and let my milk supply dwindle. There is always the chance they will prefer the bottle and reject breast (thats what happened with my first). But even just to give your body a chance to heal you may want to pump and bottle feed a few feedings a day. I had mastitis, and thrush and developed an open soar on my nipple. I cried while bf it hurt so bad, but hour by hour, day by day I pushed through the pain while we treated the yeast. I'm glad I didn't give up. It was a difficult road, I got lots of help this time with a lactation consultant, and she nursed until she was almost two.

I had to use a shield when I nursed mine. I was eventually able to nurse without the shield and everything worked out well, but I did have to use the shield until they were a little bit bigger - usually 5-6 weeks old. If it's still not working without the shield, keep using it and try again later. I read somewhere that women generally need to use the shiled 30-45 days until they are able to start nursing without.

My daughter used the shield the whole time she nursed her first two babies. With the third she was able to wean her off after a few weeks. I suggest that some babies need the shield. You may eventually be able to wean her off but don't worry about it. It's stressful enough to get a good routine going. I wouldn't even try to wean her off of it until you're more comfortable with the process. My daughter thinks she was able to wean her third off of it because she was more experienced and less stressed.

Don't feel badly if you have to continue using the shield.

Here's a GREAT lactation consultant who use to work at Dr. Sears office. She does phone consults and saved my breastfeeding relationship with 3 of my kids. By the 4th, I had things figured out!

http://www.beforebabybeyond.com/ABOUT.html

Call her. Don't hesitate. Everyday of waitting will lead you down the same path.

Do you have a lactation consultant? They can be life savers. Call your OB, or the hospital for a referral. Good luck!

You absolutely can use the shield until she learns how to latch on properly. Just remember this is natural, everyone has issues with this. My best friend has nursed 6 children until about 2.5 and she said it was harder each time. There is always a new issue with each baby. My nipples were so sore and bleeding and cracked when I was nursing both my children. I hated nursing because it hurt so bad but I knew that I needed to hang in there and I just would hold my breath each time they would latch on and after a few mins. it would feel a little better.
Laninosh makes these little circular nipple covers that have a gel on the side that touches your nipple and the outer portion of the cover is a plastic material. miracle! miracle! They gave me so much relief. as soon as I placed them on (after nursing) I felt so much better and they heal your nipples literally over night. I think they are called soothies. The ones I just found online on google were reusable but they ones I was referring to are one time use and they have medicine on them.
One way i found to get my son to latch on in A. "ok" position and not give me lipstick nipple was to have him in a football hold. Google it! It worked wonders for me. Other than that I needed him to laying down beside me. I could not nurse my son in the normal cradle position, he could not latch on right and it hurt so bad.
Newborns yell to nurse ALL flippin' dAY. They frequently seem hungry. Bottle fed babies are generally calmer and eat less often (way less often). You dont see a baby on the bottle almost 24-7 but you see a baby on the breast 20 hours a day :) They are getting what they need but a little at a time as opposed to the bottle and fills them up right away.
you can do this Mamma. You are made to breastfeed. message me please with any more questions, I would LOVE tohelp.

God bless.

Oh Honey! Baby Mama Honey! Breathe and hold on to your goal. I would talk to some friends or a counselor or energy worker to help move that energy. It sounds like the fear from the last go round is trying to hold itself and be made manifest. You can move through this and break that wall that feels like a block! YOU CAN DO IT!
First, even if she's not latching quite right, make sure you keep pumping your milk incessantly so the production stays up. (By hand works!) If the milk gets flowing, the baby will want to catch it. They say to put your entire aureola in the babes mouth. Hold the underside of your breast and DON"T put it in until the babies mouth is WIDE OPEN. In this way, you're teaching your child not to habituate into having a little, closed mouth. Sometimes tickling th face to get the babe to open her mouth helps. And talk to her.

So many people think that babies don't understand what they say but of course they do! (How else would they learn language or multiple languages? Or if they are secure or loved? etc?) Talk to your child aloud and in your thoughts when going to bed. Tell her how important it is to nurse her and how much it means to you to be successful in this way. Tell her you need her support and that she needs to open her mouth wide to get a good latch. (THIS REALLY WORKS.) Thank her in advance and let this wish be in your prayers too. (if you pray.)

Also note, does she have an attached frendulum? My son couldn't stick out his tongue b/c the underside was attached. We had to get it snipped and I'm convinced that this affected his nursing and even his jaw structure!

Good luck sweet mama. Please process the old energy of the last story out of your system. Do you have the book Birthing from Within? It's full of art therapy kind of assignments. A simple way to move energy is to get out your markers/paints or crayons and draw the picture of what you feel. THEN draw a picture of what you WANT to feel! After, visualize yourself embodying the reality you want. YOU CAN BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD! Go mama GO! May the Force be with you! <3

My advice is to keep using the shield!! I used the shielf for 3-4 months until it stopped hurting and my son never had a problem latching onto my breast once I was ready for that. The shield is a little bit more of an inconvenience but very well worth it if it's hurting your nipples so much! Good luck!

If you're still experiencing pain 2 weeks PP, there may be latch issues. Here are a couple of great latching videos:
http://www.ameda.com/resources/video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq5dWoOGJbM

I highly recommend you see a lactation consultant again, and if you can find someone to come to your home, all the better! There's also a great resource for you in the Bay Area called Nursing Mothers Counsel. We're a non-profit organization supporting moms' breastfeeding goals through FREE one-on-one phone counseling. We also provide free classes (mainly for pregnant moms) and home visits when available. If you're truly in the East Bay, it may be a little more difficult to find an NMC counselor who can do a home visit, as most of us are on the Peninsula, but if you'd like, I can make a request for you. Otherwise, find an LC!! I'll see if I can find 1 or 2 who do home visits for you.

Also, were you shown how to PROPERLY use the nipple shield?? Nipple shields are a very useful tool when needed. For now, it seems like you need to use it. Most babies will wean themselves off the shield around 4-5 months, but some can be weaned earlier. Try not to get frustrated with using it (it CAN be a real pain in the butt!!) and just trust that for now, this is what she needs, and it's enabling you to breastfeed!

And here are a couple of really great resources just FYI:
http://www.secretsofbabybehavior.com (it's a mom blog with LOTS of great blog entries; you just have to sift through them)
http://theleakyboob.com/2011/08/baby-explains-normal-newb...
http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/index.html

Finally, a friend made a great point: Never give up on a bad day :) Try to find friends to come help you with your son, so you can get some sleep or just take a break.