My 1 month old is having a great deal of trouble latching on. She will feed, but I can hear her sucking in air as well. I nursed my son with some problems here and there, but this has been going on for almost a week. When I try and detach her and re-latch she just pushes me out again and if I put myself in too far she just gags. I try to re-latch her as much as possible, but at some point we both just get tired of it and by that time she is screaming because she is so hungry. At this point I am feeding on demand because she is awake more throughout the day. I know the detach/re-latch solution tends to be everyone's suggestion, I am just wondering if anyone else had this problem, and if so how long did it last/what did they try?
Thanks for any help/sympathy stories
Thanks everyone. Sometimes it is just nice to hear that you aren't alone. She is almost 3m now. I still hear sucking sounds, but she eats well most of the feedings and is definitely growing and seems happy 90% of her awake time, so i guess I can't ask for much more! She really doesnt like a paci and because of the poor latch she just sucks in air with that and then is full of gas.
Thanks again!
Will she take a paci? Sometimes at that age I would start my daughter on a paci, then pull it out and slip my nipple in...worked really well for us.
I agree. I would see a lactation consultant. I've had trouble with a couple of my children and they were great! Good luck :)
I'm surprised no one has mentioned la leche league. I'm sure there's a group in your area.
There's no charge, it's just "moms helping moms" with the whole process of breastfeeding.
They literally came to my rescue! When I had my first child (back in 93) lactation consultants weren't as common and affordable as they are now. After a week of trying to nurse, my son was screaming, my husband was questioning, and I was crying with the pain of not one but two severely cracked nipples. I was in hell :( Then, after one desperate phone call, a la leche league mom showed up at my door, lanolin cream in hand, and helped me figure out exactly what was going wrong. It turns out he wasn't getting the entire nipple in his mouth, just the tip, hence my cracking and pain.
Your problem sounds different but I bet they could help you figure it out just the same. Good luck & congrats :)
Is the issue that you can hear her taking in air or is she having issues eating because of this??? I would agree that a lactation consultant would help, you can call Le Lecha League or the consultant from the hospital and they may be able to assist you over the phone. In the meantime, if she's not fussing when nursing I would let her nurse how she is and just burp her more frequently and see how that works.....
Have her checked for being tongue tied and definitely get in touch with an IBCLC or CLC right away!
In the meantime, www.kellymom.com and www.drjacknewman.com are great resources!
I know I am late in answering this, but have you tried expressing milk yourself before she latches on.....also it might help if you anticipated her hungry time early so she wouldn't get so frantic......also you can try changing her position in relation to your breast, such as using the "football" hold (with her legs at your side), or you lying down, or with her vertical in front of you.....don't let your breasts get so full that your nipple is hard to grasp, that is especially where you need to express milk first and get the nipple pliable....hope it is going better. As she gets bigger she shouldn't be gagging on your nipple.......
does she use a paci? sometimes they can help develop the sucking muscles.
My 5 month old has a *craptastic* latch, BUT she's gaining weight/growing very well (97% for both height and weight) and I'm not in pain....so I've just let her be. She's obviously getting what she needs!
You could try a lactation consultant, but if she's growing well this just may be the way she does things. Also, she may 'grow into' a better latch as she gets older and you keep correcting her.
I would spend the 70ish bucks (some ins covers this) for a lactation consultant ... meeting in person can really help in these situations.
My hospital had a lactation consultant, maybe you could contact your hospital and see if someone can help you.
My son needed a nipple shield for about 2 months because he wasn't keeping a good latch on just me, he kept popping off. After about 2 months he understood how to suck and keep suction when resting and I didn't need the shield anymore. Maybe it's something as easy as that?
Are your breasts too full when you feed her? I know when mine would get too full they weren't soft enough to mush around my baby's mouth so until he emptied them a little the latch was iffy.
Good Luck!!!!
I would try pointing your nipple downward or straight back, I know this isn't what they tell you to do but it was the magic key that I looked for for 7 months trying to breast feed. Doing this might also help with the gaging. Give that a try, and of course try to get her feeding before she is starving.
Try taking a bath together, so you are both relaxed and hold her in a cradle position and let her root around and latch herself on. by being relaxed and lettering her rooting reflex take over you guys can start fresh like she was just born.
good luck :)
Hmm,
I agree with the bath and letting her latch herself. Another good idea is to lie on the bed put her right beside you and let her latch herself - might be better to do it in the dark so you dont interfere with what she is trying to do - it is quite amazing how they can get themselves on and will probably get a better latch than with you trying to do it aswell
Goodluck
L.
Looks like you already got some great advice. I just wanted to add that I've had nursing problems with all 4 of mine and that it seems to get easier around 6 weeks. They just seem to get it. My 3rd didn't latch at all his first 6 weeks I just pumped all the time I tried to get him to latch daily-then at 6 weeks he latched (I never pumped again) and nursed for the next 2 years:) So, I definitely feel your pain and frustration. I have a 7 week old right now and have been struggling with a ductal yeast infection for 5 weeks and I can't tell you how great my lactation consultant has been. Mine also told me that to get a good latch you want to point your nipple to the roof of their mouth where their hard palate meets the soft and they'll latch better. Also much easier if you're not too full of milk. An LC is worth every penny just to have the support and knowledge of someone who wants you to succeed. Anyway, good luck to you and congrats on your new baby:)
could she be tongue tied? Talk to your doc if it keeps up just to be sure if you haven't already. Also someone else said it, if it doesn't bother her, and doesn't cause you pain, then let her be. My son latches on funny on one side and will let out these very manly burps after nursing on that side, but otherwise does just fine and I'm not uncomfortable, so we nurse less on that side but still switch back and forth, I'm just conscious of the fact that he has to burp after nursing on that side so that the gas doesn't build up and he stays comfy.
Does the hospital where you gave birth have a breast feeding clinic? See if they can give you some advice.
I also agree that if she is nursing alright...and the taking in air is bothering YOU more than it is bothering HER...just let her continue to nurse and stop to burp her more frequently.
Does it seem to persist throughout the feeding period or is it worse at first and then gets better? I am wondering if it could be that when your milk lets down that it is coming in so quickly that she is "gulping it down" and so it sounds like she is taking in air...whether she really is or not.
My youngest grandson who is now 16 months old and still breastfeeding has ALWAYS had a funny latch...almost like he doesn't take enough of Mama into his mouth. She struggled for the first few weeks, trying to make him "latch on right"...then she finally decided that since it was working well for him...she would just let him do it his way. He was gaining weight...seemingly content between feedings and it just seemed silly to keep fighting what seemed to be working just fine. Maybe it is the same with your daughter...is she gaining weight? The doctor hasn't said she is dehydrated has he? If everything else seems fine...relax.
Hi J.. My one week old and I have been having breastfeeding issues and I was referred to The Breastfeeding Center in Massillon, OH by my midwife. Betsy Studer, RN, MSN, IBCLC is awesome. Her consultation fee is only $30.00. She is very knowledgeable and has a great center full of support and supplies. Please give her a call - she is well worth the drive! ###-###-####. Best of luck!!
I would talk to an LC and I would also consider whether she had a tongue tie or if a nipple shield could be a short-term solution.
check with your hospital & dr office if they have a lactation consultant. I've also heard nipple shields help. I had a friend who's son never latched she pumped and bottle fed for a few months. Good luck!
First things first: You need to make sure your baby is gaining weight. Is she?
Next, you need a lactation specialist. If your baby is not nursing adequately, weight gain will be a problem for her. And if she isn't taking enough milk from you, then you are going to have supply issues. Take it from me, I had trouble with my third child. He had a weak suck which caused him to not gain weight and because his suck was weak, he wasn't taking out enough milk to signal to my body to make more. I then had a supply issue. I consulted La Leche League in my area who put me in touch with a lactation consultant. You need to get help A.S.A.P. if you want to continue breastfeeding successfully.
Your OB, pediatrician, or your local hospital should be able to put you in touch with either La Leche League and/or a lactation specialist. The labor and delivery nurses should know this information and be able to help you. IF not, look them up online.
