High Pallete and Breast Feeding

My son has a high pallete also. His was so high that i was unable to breastfeed him. We brought him to speech pathology an we hooked up with a swallow specialist in the area. They recommended us to use Haberman (a.k.a. Special Needs) Feeders. He has been doing so good since he has been using them. You can find them at http://www.motheringfromtheheart.com/catalog/150ml%20Habe...

they are a little pricey but he started eating so much better after. I hope this helps you!

Have you tried contacting anyone in La Leche League? I just looked to see what was in your area and I found this http://www.llleus.org/web/DedhamMa.html
They will probably be a very big help.
I was never really a pro at breastfeeding so I can't really offer you any advice except don't give up (not that it seems like you're going to). Good luck and I hope everything works out!

M.,

I would contact La Leche League - www.llli.org - I have always found the women to be very knowledgable and helpful when ever I have had an issue. They also have training thru La Leche League if you want to talk to them about that as well. Good luck.

L. M

M. . i would take him to a dentist hue just does children . i no he is onley 6 moths old. but his doctor cant do anything about that. have you ask his doctor what you can do? if i where you i would take him toa dentist. thanks
B. mello

HI M.,
Wow, he is 6 months old already and you have been doing this that long. It is great that you are sticking it out. My 4th is tongue tied and a very difficult nurser too- now he's 11 months old!
Have you tried a pacifier at all? I wonder if you let him suck on that for even a minute, then switch to the breast- maybe he will have a proper latch with the tongue under ( and maybe stay under) for the feeding? This worked for my baby for a while. Each and every painless feeding is worth the effort. Also, in my situation, the more diligent I am about 'forcing' as much breast into the mouth as possible- the better the latch.

Good luck. Don't give up on LLL- someone should be able to come to your house, at the very least, talk you through it on the phone. I bet they have dealt with this before.

I would go to either a la leche league meeting (check the website for meetings near you) or call a lactation consultant for a home visit. One will come to your house as I have had friends who have arranged that service. Remember to put Lanolin on your nipples to help with the soreness. Kudos to you for not giving up!!

You need to see a lactation consultant! Did they not offer that to you when you were in the hospital after you had your son? My son was "tongue tied" just a little & they thought that would be an issue for breast feeding but luckily it wasn't. They also noticed it in the hospital right after he was born. In the hospital because they knew I was going to breast feed they has a lactation consultant come see me. She showed me the correct way to nurse & what NOT to do, she was great. She also gave me her home phone # with any ? I had after my hospital stay. Some will even come to your home if you cannot get to them, or you can just tell them over the phone what is going on. Check out the La Lache League they have a website or call your hospital (labor & delivery) & ask for the lactation consultants phone #.

I would suggest calling a La Leche League leader. They can be such a wonderful resource and good support.

My baby also sucked his tongue (putting the tongue on top of the nipple. I would draw a bit of expressed milk into a very small syringe and put the tip, along with my pinky finger into his mouth, making sure the tongue was under my finger in the correct position. I would only push milk out of the syringe if he was sucking correctly. Once he was sucking properly I would latch him on. This worked really well for him, and he quickly associated the correct sucking with getting milk. It only took us maybe a week to work the problem out.

I don't have much advice about the high pallete though, sorry. I used LLL's website to submit a question once and the volunteer was really helpful though, if you can't get to a meeting or a lactation consultant.

Good luck, and great job on keeping it up for so long!

Hi M.,
If you live near Nashua, NH call So. NH Med. Ctr ###-###-####. The LC there was wonderful. I had my 4th there and she told me not to nurse 10 min and then to switch sides. Instead to nurse one side for the entire time and next time offer the other side. I never got engorged at all. It was wonderful.

I nursed my 4 kids anywhere from 1 to 2.5 years. It is the most wonderful experience I ever had with my children and swear it is why they were never sick before they went to school.

Good luck.
D. C

Have you tried using a breast shield when nursing? They sell them at our Walmart here in Mexico so I imagine they would have them in the States as well. It sits over your nipple and looks a little like nipple from a bottle, this way he can suck on this nipple and not directly on yours. I think this might just work!
Good luck!
S.

There are lactation consultants who will come to your home or you can talk to them over the phone. Try going to www.thenewbornbaby.com. I had a lot of difficulty nursing my daughter when she was born, and they really helped me.