Breastfeeding Help - Pataskala, OH

I was never able to get my son to latch on. So I chose to use the breast shield for the whole year. It was like placing a bottle on my breast and it worked really well. I hope this helps.

Is she tongue tied? If so she may need her tongue clipped to help. If not, my daughter and I benefited from a nipple shield when we had latch on problems. Ask a lactation consultant to try on. Good luck!!

my son had the same problem ( he was early) I was given a nipple shield and it helped tons! eventually he learned to latch on and stay on. good luch!

I had this problem with my son who is now 17 months. I ended up pumping and giving breastmilk in a bottle. He got 7 weeks worth and I had to stop because A hewas a little pig and ate every two hours and B his big sister, then 2 and a half, kept climbing all over me and him while I pumped, "what are you doing mommy?" with my chest hanging out LOL!!! You could try this and see if it works for you. Keep up the good work!!!

You might want to look into whether she has a short frenulum, or not. My daughter had to have her frenulum (that skin under your tongue) clipped. It was horrible at the time, but made all the difference with feeding. Good luck!

The only thing I can think of that might be wrong is if your baby's tongue might be attached a little more than necessary.
I have heard of cases where the membrane under the tongue would need to be snipped a little by your doctor to give more movement to the tongue.
Also, your baby is able to breathe ok while nursing isn't she?
When your milk lets down, is she having trouble swallowing fast enough?
Has she been doing this since the beginning?
At 7 weeks she should pretty well have it down.
Does she have most of the aureola in her mouth when you get her latched on?
If she is drinking from a bottle at all then I would eliminate that so that she does not get lazy.
Sorry you are having this problem....I know it must be very annoying since you have other children and want things to go smoothly as possible.

Hi Krisitina - A couple of things to think about, is your baby getting enough nutrition to maintain her weight? If so although frustrating she might be okay. You mentioned her tounge maybe she is tounge tied? THis can create significant feeding problems and can be fixed with a quick snip of the frenulum (piece of skin under your tounge). stick with it.

Yeah, my son does that too. He is about 3-1/2 months now and I think a lot of it is just because he gets distracted. I decided I would just roll with it because he does feed well at least once or twice a day (usually when he's half asleep) and he's certainly still gaining weight!

Sorry, that's probably not too helpful. This may not help either, but I read on this one mom's website (www.tribalbaby.org) that when her son pops on and off a lot during nursing it means he has to pee. she holds him over a bowl so he can go, and then he will settle down. This occasionally works with my son too. (Only occasionally. More often he just keeps fidgeting, even if he did take a good pee.)

Anyway, everyone else's advice sounds a lot more worthwhile, just wanted to throw that one wacky suggestion out there, and let you know you're not the only one with a popper-on-and-offer. Hang in there.

K., Hi. I would go back to the LC. It is so difficult to tell you without seeing her. The only thing I would suggest would be trying a different position. That may help. Babies pull of if they are getting too much at once. If that's the case, try to slow down you milk flow. The lying down position and cradle hold are good for that. Babies also pull off if they aren't getting it quick enough. I had to massage my milk ducts with my youngest and feed her in the football hold. Give those things a try if you haven't already. It could also be that she's used to a bottle and doesn't want to work for it or that her stomach hurts. Godd luck! J. (Mom of 3 and breast feeding peer counselor for 3 years) By the way, I have helped several women with babies having trouble latching. A nipple shield can be used for inverted, flat nipples or other problems. Babies have been known to lose weight with nipple shields. However, it is more common with the old shields than the new ones. I have not seen this happen at all. Good luck!

My nephew had the exact problem. And as well as coming on and off, he would do a lot of fussing. My sister was so frustrated and then her midwife (she lives in England) suggested she try nipple shields. And she has never looked back. Her baby now latches on fine with the nipple shield. Some people give her grief because they say nipple shields are a temporary measure and they can interfere with milk production but she hasn't seen that at all. Would they rather she use formula? He weighed 6lbs 12oz at birth. He is now almost three months and is coming up on 14lbs. My sister always has plenty of milk and even has extra to pump for trips out of the house. They are not easy to find but medela makes them and you can get them at Target where I live at least. You could probably get them at the hospital where you delivered. Good luck!

Call a la leche league leader immediately! They will help you! Google la leche leauge for someone in your area!

Hi K.,

My son also had trouble latching on. There was nothing wrong with him physically, He just wouldn't latch on. He lost a lot of weight and I had to pump and give him bottles. I finally got to a lactation consultant who suggested a nipple shield. (They are not just for inverted nipples. My daughter nursed fine without any help.) The shield helped him tremendously. He is now a healthy 20 pounds at 7 months. He still uses the shield but it is worth the hassle. Don't let anyone tell you that using one is not good, do what works best for you and your baby. Good Luck and I hope you find something that works for you and your little one.

K.

If you can, go to The Breastfeeding Center in Massillon (google it and you'll find her site--I don't think I'm allowed to put it on here-advertising). It would be well worth the drive if you have to travel. Betsy is amazing and will help you with all of your problems. It's a one time fee of $30 for a consultation and then you can come as many times as you want for help and it's free from then on out. WELL WORTH YOUR TIME. Trust me!

Hi Kristna,

I think I will probably say the opposite of what most others are saying. Frist of all, breastfeeding is a wonderful gift for all the reasons I am sure are listed below. But it does not always work for many reasons. It did not for my son, and after 7 very frustrating weeks, I gave up. He had been supplemented during that time with formula due to extreme weight loss. It was so stressful that it was not good for either of us. Keep trying if you want, but let yourself give it up. It is ok!

K.,
I had a very similar problem with my 2nd child. He was tongue tied. I found out that I was too, never knew until it happened to him. My pediatrician sent us to an ENT and he had to clip his tongue. After that, it was amazing how different he nursed! Keep it up, it is rewarding and trying, but worth it. I nursed both of my sons for 13 and 14 months. You and your baby will get the swing of things...just keep at it and relax, enjoy the precious time.

Hi K.! Is it possible that she is "tongue tied"? It is where the frenulum (the little piece of skin under her tongue) is too short and she can't move her tongue as effectively. It happened to my girlfrien's baby, and all they did was clip it in the doctor's office. She said it's as simple as clipping your nails. There was the slightest amount of blood, and her baby didn't even cry. It made all the difference in the world for nursing him. Talk to your doctor and ask them to check it out. It's worth a try! Good luck!

I work in childcare at a daycare and two of the babies in my infant room were having the same problem and their tounges were tied....you may to ask your pediatrician.

Sarah, I have to disagree. My son was tongue-tied but was not diagnosed until he was 14 months old. We had SOOO many problems for the first year. We used a nipple shield for 5 months, basically until he was old enough to stretch his tongue more. If it weren't for the nipple shield, we would not have been successful. A tongue tied baby can not stick out their tongue and therefore can not cup the nipple... with a nipple shield, it sticks out further, requiring less stretch to cup it. Thanks to the nipple shield (and my La Leche League support system) we are STILL nursing and he is 25 months old!!

i read your responses and just want to recommend not using the breastshield unless it's an absolute last resort. that will get her used to a foreign tool rather than your nipple. so she may revert to wanting the shield and then a bottle. keep trying, i know it's hard but those lactation cons. are awesome at their job.

Hi K.,

I read the responses and lots of people mentioned the tongue--my first thought. only one other has mentioned her being able to breathe properly--she may be getting off the breast so she can breathe with her mouth, if her nose is blocked, either from your breast pushing against a nostril or from something blocking her breathing on the inside of her nose. Most babies like nursing/eating, but breathing trumps nursing every time.

just a thought, check with the LCs and La Leche League too. Best of luck and enjoy your baby!

K. Z.

I'd suggest meeting again with the lactation consultant, and explaining the problem--and if the one you met with isn't helping, find another. Not sure where you live, but there are very good consultants at Miami Valley hospital. Good luck!

All mothers and all children are not built to breastfeed, so don't feel too bad if it doesn't work out.

You might try breastshields. They are a plastic cup that fits over the breast. It provides a longer nipple for the baby to suckle from. You can get them from lactation consultants at the hospital. I got mine from Dupont hospital in Fort Wayne.

You might also try pumping milk instead of nursing. When baby breaks the latch, sometimes you can't be sure how much milk baby is actually drinking. Additionally, baby drinking from the breast may not provide enough pressure or suction to keep your milk coming in as needed. You can rent Medella Pumps from the hospital. I prefer those over the ones available in the stores. Double pump is definitely the way to go.

Nipple shields are made for inverted nipples, not tongue problems. Have you tried calling a La Leche Leader? They are always willing to come to your house or meet you somewhere to help.

K.-

I understand what you are going through. Have you had your doctor look to see if she is tongue tied? My son who is 11 weeks was born that way and he could not latch on at all and we had his tongue clipped at 4 days old.
It helped but he has not mastered breastfeeding yet due to other sucking issues, but he can nurse some. I end up nursing and then pumping and giving him a bottle bc/ it takes him so long to eat.
Is she gaining weight okay?

Hope this helps if you have any questions let me know I can send you some information.

I'm assuming that the lactation consultant has checked to see if she's "tongue tied", but you might want to check just to be sure if she hasn't already. If she is tongue tied, her frenulum (under her tongue) will be attached close to or at the end of her tongue (sometimes giving a heart shaped appearance if she tries to stick her tongue out a bit). If it is fenulum linguli, it's an easy fix and makes nursing SO much easier. Three of our four children were tongue tied.

It can take up to a couple of months for breastfeeding to become well-established. So, stick with it.

Is she tongue-tied? That is, when she sticks out her tongue, does it go past her gum line? Or, when she cries, does it sort of look like a heart (the middle of her tongue pulled down toward the bottom of her mouth)? These are signs of a tight frenulum. Both of my children had this problem. We took them to an ENT (ear nose throat) doctor and had the frenulum clipped. It helped immensely with our son. It helped with our daughter, but not as much because I think we waited too long.

One thing you can try to do with her when you are preparing to feed is to tickle her top lip with your nipple until she opens her mouth REALLY big and has her tongue down and forward (sticking out, basically). Then, bring her chin in first and then her upper lip up and over the nipple (which should be pointing to the top of her mouth). That can help get a better latch.

Most importantly, be patient. Babies can pick up on your stress level and then become stressed and frustrated as well just making things worse. If she continues to come on and off, it's ok. Just not always comfortable, right? You can also try wearing a nursing necklace (or any old cheap costume jewelry thing with the big chinky beads or wooden beads) to give her something to look at and play with as she gets older.

Stick with it. It does get easier. But, even if it doesn't totally go away, you'll eventually get used to it, lol. My son is now at the point where he is just nosy and won't stay on because of too many distractions. So, the on again off again feeding is pretty common around here, lol.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me. I'm more than happy to help any way I can.

God bless,
A.