Latch tips? (bf)

[pugz]

Give me all you got!!!!

[curbsideprophet]

We had major latch issues at the beginning, but eventually we got there. I found using a breast feeding pillow to be helpful. I liked my breast friend a little better than the boppy in the early days. We would feed DD from a spoon to get some milk in her to try and calm her down b/c if she was too upset there is no way she would latch.

DH would also put some milk on his finger and get her sucking properly that way, then we would try to transfer her to me.

Try different positions. Unfortunately it was a long time before we were able to do side lying nursing.

Pump a little if you are too full. Being engorged will make it harder for baby to latch.

I think I also tried to change the shape of my breast to help her out.

We had numerous visits with a lactation consultant.

Once she does latch, don't feel like you need to change sides just because you reached 10 or 15 minutes.

Check out kellymom and the the La Leche League website.

Good luck. I know how tiring/frustrating/upsetting latch issues can be.

[MamaMaui24]

Squeeze your breast from underneath (not the side) to flatten it to match the shape of baby's mouth.

Shove it in there when she opens wide. Should look like she's taking a big bite of a hamburger.

Gently hold the back of her neck (not head) to position her and keep holding while nursing.

Ditto my breast friend. Couldn't have done it in the beginning without it since i had one hand on the back of his neck and the other "sandwiching" my breast.

[otowngirl]

I found the the "football hold" was most effective when DD was wee small. And ditto PP about making sure her mouth is open wide-I'd get her to open her mouth then just kinda shove her on. Lol.

[aspentosh]

Latching was a challenge since my DD (like Gretchen) was so small. It didn't help that I had flat nipples and didn't realize it until it was impossible for me to get her to latch. What worked for me was:

Using a nipple shield for the first couple weeks. (I've been without it since then.)
Sandwiching my breast as much as possible to get as much areola in her mouth.
Using a boppy (or my brestfriend) was 100% necessary. Even though she slowly slipped down between it and me, it was still a lifesaver.
They say "baby to the breast not breast to the baby", but honestly my nipples were so torn up from bad latching that I could deal with the back pain until the cracks and blisters healed. So do what causes the least pain for you.
I also liked the football hold.

Also FYI: if you're getting cracks/blisters, switch up your position. It makes a big difference. And get APNO from your OB. I waited until my six week pp appt and that was a mistake. APNO cleared up the issue within a week. I wish I'd asked for it earlier.

And last piece of advice from the BFing board on TB: never quit on a bad day. It does get better.

[pierogigirl]

Don't wait until the baby is crying/hardcore rooting/really hungry as she will get too upset to latch. Watch for early hunger cues and feed on demand, even if it was an hour or less since the last feeding.

[thedash]

I really think the My Breast Friend pillow is worth the $$, especially with a small baby. It made things so much more comfortable.

Also, I paid $80 for a consultation with a lactation consultant and it was worth a lot more! DH came to observe and take notes. She even suggested we could video the techniques to watch later if we wanted. It helped a lot and I should have gone back to her when we started having reflux issues, but I was being dumb and didn't.

[bunch]

Boob taco! And a nipple shield, if you have flat nipples.

[karinothing]

Jul 12, 2012 5:44:02 GMT -5 MamaMaui24 said:

Squeeze your breast from underneath (not the side) to flatten it to match the shape of baby's mouth.

Shove it in there when she opens wide. Should look like she's taking a big bite of a hamburger.

Gently hold the back of her neck (not head) to position her and keep holding while nursing.

Ditto my breast friend. Couldn't have done it in the beginning without it since i had one hand on the back of his neck and the other "sandwiching" my breast.

Ditto all this. When you are making the nipple sandwich make sure your fingers are far enough away from your areola that the baby can get it into her mouth. The grabbing the neck to position really helped us out too.

Also, DS had a bit of a shallow latch at first. I would have DH pull his bottom lip down (since my hands were usually full doing other stuff).

[slug*bug]

The best tip I got was, while holding baby in one arm, use the opposite hand to hold your breast in a 'C' shape grasp (so, thumb at 12 o'clock, hand curved around the side of your breast in a 'C' so fingers are cupped underneath, basically holding your breast.) This allows you to compress your breast between your fingers and thumb (and it makes it easier to direct baby to a steady target with your opposite hand and arm.)

To get baby to open wider, you can trigger a reflex by gently stroking her cheek. I'd wait until they opened their widest then pop 'em on as quickly as possible (this is another place where having baby in one hand and boob in the other comes in really handy: makes it much more efficient to get them together quickly.)

To get a good roll of her lower lip (so it's not tucked under/rolled into her mouth preventing the deepest latch) I would usually just take my finger and stroke the skin on her chin until her lip would roll out into the best position. You can do this even if you've already got a latch and want to adjust on the fly as opposed to unlatching and starting over.

[ijack]

what areas are you having problems with exactly? Everyone has given you really good advice. You might have to be a little forceful in the beginning to get her where she needs to be.

[Deleted]

Try the laid back position. It takes away the flailing hands and puts the head bobbing to work.
www.llli.org/docs/0000000000000001WAB/WAB_Tear_sheet_Toolkit/01_laid_back_breastfeeding.pdf

[water*drop]

We had big latching problems at first. A breastfeeding support group saved me. No matter how awful I felt about bfing going into the meeting, I always felt better by the time I left. When I hit low points, I told myself that I only had to make it until the next meeting, and then I could re-evaluate. Each week I needed fewer pep talks between meetings.

We do weighed feedings at my support group, too, and that really helped me to see that DD was actually getting enough milk. The diaper tracking was telling me that, too, but seeing it on the scale was more helpful.

I hated all forms of pillows at first, so if they aren't working for you, don't feel like you have to use them.

Ditto to the APNO (all purpose nipple ointment) - get it ASAP if you have cracks.

[Deleted]

The best advice I can give you is to do what works for Gretchen. Every baby is different, and what worked for us may not work for her. If you find yourself with a good latch, repeat what you just did rather than what you "should be doing", KWIM?

She is going to eat all.the.time which is normal. Her latch will suck for awhile, that is also normal. She's a tiny baby and she has to learn how to latch, just like you have to learn how to help her latch. DS's latch got good at about 3 weeks, so it takes time.

Ditto PP with the "boob taco." She needs a LOT more of your areola in her mouth than you think she does, like really the whole areola. Wait until she opens wide, then put as much in as you can. To get DS to open wide, I took my nipple and stroked down from the bottom of his nose to his upper lip, like along the natural ridge there. He would then open wide and I would stuff my areola in there.

When I held him by the back of his neck like MamaMaui said, he would pop off (he has a HUGE head). After having trouble with that for a few weeks I asked my pedi about it, and he said DS may be unlatching because as his head dips back, he feels like he's falling. Our Pedi suggested palming the back of his head like a basketball to give him more stability. That worked GREAT.

I know a lot of people love their Boppy or Brest Friend, but again, do what works for you. I never used a nursing pillow and DS is almost 5 months old.

Don't give up! Nursing is great and oh so conveinent once you get the hang of it. It will get better, I promise. It just takes practice. One day very soon you'll look down and she'll be nursing away and you both will be so happy. Ask any specific questions you like, feel free to PM me. I think nursing is going well for us, I am more than happy to answer any questions you have.

[Ashley&Scott]

You've gotten lots of great advice! Have you had a LC visit yet since you've been discharged?

Hang in there it will get better

[sewpinkgal]

A good LC and/or BFing support group will be lifesavers for you. There is no way I would have lasted longer than a week of nursing without them. I think people here have given you good tips, but there is nothing like a well trained professional, in the flesh, to help you work out the kinks. Good luck!

[zeewifeandmama]

Jul 12, 2012 10:43:34 GMT -5 sewpinkgal said:

A good LC and/or BFing support group will be lifesavers for you. There is no way I would have lasted longer than a week of nursing without them. I think people here have given you good tips, but there is nothing like a well trained professional, in the flesh, to help you work out the kinks. Good luck!

Agreed

[pugz]

thanks so much guys! Super helpful info!

latch was going better at first, now that I have some milk she is getting really angry when she gets on. She may latch, but then pull away angry 5 seconds later. She is sleepy and rooting when I put her on, but quickly grows mad. Once she calms down a bit she latches better, but we are still struggling with her getting super sleepy and not sucking once she's on (I don't dare take her off to re-latch though!)

sometimes she gets really into it, sucks a bunch, and I hear her swallowing. I am getting some milk at this point, but not sure it's fully in yet.

just found out her billirubin level went from 9 on tues to 13 yesterday, so we have instructions to feed more often, keep supplementing (we are doing about 15-20ccs via cup feeding after we BF), and we have to take her back in for more labwork today.

going to try to make the BF group after the labwork depending on time. I have a private consultation with a LC at 5pm Friday. I am really hopeful I will have more milk at that point and she can help me with the latch issues.

as much as I hate supplementing, I am comforted somewhat by the fact that she is getting something at each feeding even if the latch/sucking didn't go well (seems like every other feed is great though, but the bad ones suck).

tons of wet diapers (9 yesterday!), and 2 BMs so far today, including our first mustardy/seedy one.

I know we'll get through this, I am trying to relax myself more at feedings and not get so tense.

[sewpinkgal]

I'm far from an expert, but it sounds like she is doing great! That said, I remember how stressful those first couple of weeks were with nursing - both of you are still learning and coupled with out of control hormones and little sleep, it can just be rough for awhile. I hope the support group is helpful and that the LC is able to tweak whatever needs tweaking for nursing to become that much more successful for you both. Big hugs.

[zeewifeandmama]

You are doing awesome!! Keep it up!!

[Deleted]

If you want to triple-multi-task, take a bath with her. (Wait until DH is home to help.) It's skin-to-skin, it's soaking your poor lady parts, and it's a relaxing, reclined place to try breastfeeding. If you have a yard, try to get outside for a minute or two sometimes, as well. The sun will help her billirubin and the fresh air will help your sanity.

Hang in there! You're doing great. So is she, especially for being a few weeks early.

[Ashley&Scott]

Hang in there Pugz! M was jaundice too. Have they put her on a biliblanket? I remember they said the more M ate the faster the bilirubin would breakdown & exit his system. I was offering to nurse 24/7 it seemed, any sign of rooting & I nursed. (It's hard when they're so sleepy.)

Awesome diaper count!!

Have you pumped at all? Make sure you pump every time you supplement so your supply doesn't suffer. (check with the pedi, maybe you can pump & supplement BM too?)

I promise it will get better ({) (})

[jenny1223]

If you're really having trouble, you may want to see if she is tongue tied. DS had plenty of soiled diapers and I was breastfeeding practically nonstop, but my nipples were tore up and I would literally scream and cry in pain every time I nursed. He wasn't gaining weight back at two weeks so we started supplementing. We didn't get a tongue tied diagnosis until weeks later and I so wish we had been able to address it and get it fixed earlier.

I don't know if this is at all your situation, but I thought I'd throw it out there!

[ijack]

I might try pumping until letdown and then putting her to the breast - that way you're ready to go and she may be less frustrated. It's a total pain, but you could then use that milk to supplement too. With her being early you probably have a couple weeks before she fully is raring to go when it's time to eat. What worked for us was her eating, changing her diaper, then her eating again. She tends to doze off when she's eating so a diaper change half way through helped wake her back up.

[karinothing]

I know it is tough, you can try hand expressing into a towel to get that intial let down out of the way if that is what seems to make her mad.

I also want to ditto pumping and supplementing w/breastmilk if you feel like it. The point is to get enough fluids in her to flush out the bilirubin so it doesn't matter whether it is formula or BM.

Also, when DS got really sleepy while eating i would run my finger along his spine or blow in his ear. It seems to keep him awake.

Hang in there, you are doing fantastic. It will only get better!

[pugz]

I haven't felt let down yet.

She just went to town on the left, sucked, glugged, and swallowed for a good 10 min and burped when she came off. She still hates my right boob though.

I will look into the pump rental, we are on our way to the doc now.

[karinothing]

Jul 12, 2012 12:50:58 GMT -5 pugz said:

I haven't felt let down yet.

She just went to town on the left, sucked, glugged, and swallowed for a good 10 min and burped when she came off. She still hates my right boob though.

I will look into the pump rental, we are on our way to the doc now.

I have never in my entire 8 months of BFing felt my letdown. The only reason I knew it occured is because DS would choke when he was little (and now I can see it shoot out when I pump). But yeah it makes it difficult to hand express right before letdown w/out feeling it.

That sounds great that she ate for 10 minutes! And don't worry DS has always preferred one boob over the other. She will get the hang of it.

[theintended]

Don't be afraid to relatch as many times as it takes. (Not always fun, I know.) If she gets on with a small latch, you can use the thumb of your opposite hand and put it on her chin (just below her bottom lip) and push down until she she opens her mouth wider, then stick her back on. Practice it on yourself, and you can see how much force you can use without it hurting.

[bunch]

Jul 12, 2012 12:50:58 GMT -5 pugz said:

I haven't felt let down yet.

She just went to town on the left, sucked, glugged, and swallowed for a good 10 min and burped when she came off. She still hates my right boob though.

I will look into the pump rental, we are on our way to the doc now.

that's fantastic! It will get so much easier.

[pugz]

I heart you guys. Just rented a hosp pump so we can supplement with my milk!