This is my first time breastfeeding directly. I love it, because it's something i missed out on with my first daughter while she was in the nicu and it got hard to pump with her. my new daughter is a week old and most the time it's like she's just playing around. She will latch on and suck for a second then unlatch herself. but she acts like she wants it. Also after she unlatches herself she just cries. this goes for about ten minutes. after different positions and all of that she will eat just fine. i want to keep feeding her, just want to know if there is a way to make this go smoother. so any ideas would help greatly. i feel really bad at night about this cause it keeps my sweet husband awake during the whole thing. i'm not questioning to stop feeding just wanted to know if anyone has ran into this. thanks in advanced.
Don't give up. Thats the best advice. The other. Contact a lactation specialist and make an appointment. I used one several times with my first and even my second. They are the best resource. Call your pediatrician. They, more than likely have one on staff. Good luck.
I don't know how you hold her when you nurse her, but one thing you could try is taking your free hand and gently holding her head to you so she can't pull off completely, sometimes, when they're that little, they're not trying to unlatch themselves but they simply don't have control over their head and neck. Helping to support her head in the right position may help her nurse better.
Does it feel like she's latching on correctly? Is she starting to drink when she pulls off?
There could be a variety of reasons she's pulling off. It could be an overactive letdown, so she pulls off because it's just too much milk right off the bat. If that's the case, pumping for a couple minutes before you nurse will fix that.
If she's not latched properly, she could be pulling off because she's not getting anything.
Does she seem to be in pain? It could possibly be thrush. Is there patches of white on her tongue or inside her cheeks?
Lastly, it is rare, but some babies are "tongue tied". If you look under your tongue, there is a bit of skin that kind of anchors your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. Sometimes there's too much of that, and it makes latching very, very difficult for a newborn. It's quickly fixed at the pediatrician's office.
Most hospitals offer free lactation consultation services, and a lactation consultant could help you figure out which of those issues it could be, if nothing is immediately sticking out for you.
If it were me, and I was too shy to call right off, I'd look at the overactive letdown first and work from there.
best of luck to you. I breastfed all of my kids, and it was honestly one of the most rewarding parts of parenthood so far.
I have a 3 year old and a 5 week old. My 3 year old was Fabulous at nursing. He latched on right after birth and never had a single problem with nursing for the year that we did it. Not bragging -- just want to include that info so you'll understand that is was all him and not ME! My new baby was not so good at nursing at first, and will still sometimes unlatch and get upset about it. My sister is a lactation specialist (and she's a postpartum nurse so she helps lots of new moms with BFing) and she was able to give me a few tips for my specific problems. Get in touch with a lactation consultant (your insurance might even cover the cost) -- they can watch you and baby and how you are working together on the feeding, then give you pointers on how to make it easier for both of you.
Keep being persistent. Pay attention to what feeding position(s) work best for her. She will get the hang of it eventually. Hang in there -- breastfeeding my son and daughter are some of the best bonding moments I've had with them!
