Latch on Issues?

I was in your shoes and learned to get comfortable using a breast shield. Saved my breastfeeding!

Don't listen to the doctor on this one. I had excessive BFing problems with my firstborn and only one doctor knew what he was talking about and helped me solve the problem.
She was slightly tongue tied and couldn't open her mouth really wide. No one in the town I was in would do the "operation" as they were calling it.
Finally I found a doctor 30 minutes away that clipped her frenulum. It took less than a second with almost no blood. She cried, for about 10 seconds, as long as it took her to latch on properly for the first time ever and have a real nursing session.
She was about two weeks old at that point and was just fine from then on but not so for me. I had repeat mastitas and abcesses, it was awful. I had not been pumping enough and she wasn't emptying the breast, once the cycle started it took a few months until I was totally well.
Since this is your second and you are already pumping you have more experience than I did at the time. Keep doing what you're doing and see if you can find a doctor to check out her tongue, it may be a one second fix.
Good luck and hang in there I know how difficult this situation can be, I cannot imagine trying to take care of a toddler at the same time. You're awesome!

Have you met with a lactation consultant? A REALLY good one? My first son never learned to latch - and I pumped for a year. My second son latched and was getting plenty of milk but I had severe bleeding - so much so that he was spitting up blood! The lactation consultant said his latch was fine but that his palate was so high and narrow, I needed a different "hold" to help us get through that. She also had me ask my doctor for "Dr. Newman's Nipple Cream" - it had to be compounded and was expensive (about $100) but it got me healed and the bleeding stopped and as my son got older, his palate got bigger and we didn't have these issues. I nursed for 14 months and only stopped because he was through - he is 20 months old now and would still be nursing if he had interest!

Here is a link regarding the nipple cream if you need more info but any good lactation consultant knows it:
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=...

It is NOT too late! Keep your milk production up though - I did have a period where I had to pump left and nurse right because the left was bleeding so bad! If you have trouble with your pump get a larger size falange (horn).

Hang in there! C.

Dedicated Mama!

I'd listen to the lactation consultant and not the pediatrician. Neither my pediatrician nor my OBGYN knew much about breastfeeding.

Luckily, I had no latch issues, but I think the lactation consultant can help you. Its @ $100 here for a lactation consultant visit.

I'm pretty sure its not too late.

I would go with the lactation consultant. I have a friend whose son was born 3 1/2 months premature. He was in the NICU for almost 5 months due to several issues. He did not latch on until almost the day he left the hospital. The LC there really helped her out with it. She pumped every day so no problem with milk flow.

i bet your going to find out. i dont see why you should not continue to give it a try even in a few months. who cares what either doctor or lactation consultant say. they do not know 100% either way. I think it would be great if you tried again and she took or even if she does not you can still try. God bless you woman. I did not know about exclusive pumping until it was too late. I wish more people could get on board because of my bummer of a bf run !

she will get it eentually just like u said ur son did. however a lactation consultant may be able to give u better hands on tips so id call one immediately....pediatricians get tired,and dont like to be bothered with issues they hear everyday and many still want bottlefeeding to be the answer...ur pedi might be that way idk but u can get a lactation consultant number from them or online thru lal leche league

Not too late-- ignore the ped, for the most part doctors know jack squat about nursing, continue working with the lactation consultant and find a LLL group near you! http://www.llli.org/webus.html

I agree with everyone else. Keep talking to the lactation consultant. Arrange some sessions with her (or another lactation consultant in your area) where they actually watch you nurse the baby and help you fix the latch. They have tricks to help you get the baby to open wider that they can show you. The sooner you work on fixing it with a professional, the sooner this will get easier.

I found that the best way to find a GOOD lactation consultant in my area was to call the local La Leche league leader. Even though I didn't have time to go to a meeting and join the group, she was really helpful, and knew who to refer me to. You can find your local leader online at the LLL website.

Also, for some latching tips, take a look at the resources on Kellymom.com, if you haven't already (http://kellymom.com/ages/newborn/bf-basics/latch-resources/). Common mistakes that new moms make that are addressed on the site include pushing down on the chin (which can make the baby resist and close more, or putting your nipple to low, which causes the baby to drop her head while opening her mouth (try dropping your head to look down toward your nek and then opening your mouth wide, impossible). Good luck!

It's not too late. My daughter is now 7 months old and nursing - I didn't think it was going to work in the beginning, but it did. In the beginning, she was a little tongue tied but not enough to do anything and didn't latch well. I consulted a few times with a lactation consultant and found a group at a small diapering shop that really helped. Within 3 months she was good. I also did a lot of pumping and bottle feeding, If they are too hungry they don't have the patience, if they aren't hungry, they won't try. I wouldn't say she was the best nurser ever, but it worked. Even now she nurses really well in the morning and that's about it. I still pump haha. My second one was a pro-nurser and I just expected the same thing with the baby, but they are all different. But don't give up, she can still figure it out like mine did.

No, it's definitely not too late! Trust the lactation consultant much more than the doctor. Remember who has had more training in breastfeeding ;) I assume the LC has checked to see if she's tongue tied right? I sometimes think it can be pretty darn hard for those little tiny mouths to stretch far enough. I would definitely keep trying to nurse at least once a day. The more practice she has, the better she'll get...but you've got to factor in the frustration for both of you. My son was a lazy latcher and I think he was about 2 months when I decided to essentially force him into the good latch until he started doing it on his own. He was annoyed at first that I kept pulling his bottom lip down or taking him off to reposition, but he quickly got the drift. I didn't have a toddler though, but I will next time. Keep up the good fight. We had more struggles than just latching on and I tried everything to be sure I wouldn't regret not trying something. I was just reading this blog yesterday and she pumped for a long long time but eventually got her older infant to exclusively nurse. http://mamaandbabylove.com/natural-parenting/breastfeeding/