Help needed - baby won't latch!

[hilslo]

I had Isaac last Wednesday and he has never latched on properly despite many attempts and help from around 8 different midwives whilst in hospital for 4 days.

He has all the signs if wanting to ( rooting, searching for nipple etc) but he refuses to latch on or if he does, he does suck for longer than a few sucks before coming off. After a couple of minutes trying he starts screaming and works himself up to a state of panic.

I don't know what to do. At the moment I'm expressing and finger feeding but it's proving impossible to keep up.

Any ideas?

I've tried hand expressing to get milk on the nipple, squeezing area around nipple/areola to "fit" his mouth better but nothing seems to work. His mouth has been looked at and there are no problems with his palate or tongue tie. He sucks anything near his mouth other than my nipple!! Desperately seeking guidance....

 

[Doodlebug88]

Have you tried nipple shields to help his initial latch?

 

[_Meep_]

One thing I've found during the 8 weeks I've been breastfeeding is that if you are at all engorged, which is very common for the first few weeks after your milk comes in, it can be really hard for the baby to latch. The areola becomes stretched and tight and they really struggle to get a hold on it. I only realised this recently following engorgement in one boob after a growth spurt, when my daughter was suddenly slipping off all over the place when I tried to put her on that breast. Then it all made sense - we'd had this problem before but I'd assumed it was just down to me holding her wrong on that side.

I don't know if any of this will apply to you. But what I've done when it has happened is pumped about 20ml or so, to soften the breast enough for her to be able to latch, then encouraged her to feed on it for as long as possible to get rid of as much milk as I can. She feeds every couple of hours, so the breast doesn't really have a chance to become engorged again. It has only ever happened (after the first couple of crazy weeks) when she has been upping my supply during a growth spurt and it does calm down again.

Probably a stupid question, but have you tried latching him on after you have expressed?

If your boobs feel very hard, swollen, stretched, heavy, lumpy, etc. you may be engorged. I know people say not to pump in this situation as you might increase your supply further but I'd rather that than have my baby at risk of going hungry!

Sorry you are struggling. Breastfeeding is SO hard and nobody tells you that beforehand!

 

[hilslo]

Thank you both for responding to a mum in need!

I have tried expressing beforehand to soften the breast but alas no success (but thank you!).

Nipple shields - I thought these were to protect sore nipples from munching babies? Though thinking about it I can see that it might help bubs realise where he's aiming for. He does suck well on my finger whereas my nipple is much softer so he might not realise he's supposed to suck.

I'm sending dh to buy some this afternoon so will report back on progress

 

[noon_child]

Midwives don't always have the best training in this area. I really recommend phoning LLL, NCT, ABM or similar lactation organisation and asking for a home visit.

 

[_Meep_]

Nipple shields are useful because they give a much bigger target for baby to aim at (as well as allowing sore nipples to heal) - my mum told me recently that she used them back in '83 with my sister and she then went on to breastfeed me and my brother too, so they must work lol. Especially in 2014!

Really hope they help you!! It's so satisfying when it finally goes right.

 

[purplecupcake]

What is your let down like? If your let down is heavy, it can make the baby gag or choke and pull off the breast after a couple chokes (or panic, like you describe). Try different positions, once you get a latch gently hold back the portion of your breast that covers his nose so he doesn't have to unlatch for a breather.

I agree with finding a lactation consultant. Where I live we have a "Baby Cafe" that you can walk into and get help from professionals as well as other moms - see if there is anything like that around you.

 

[Ashley9876]

Hi there, I would like to say u have described exactly what my baby did and still does every time I try and latch her,
She is now nearly 6 weeks old and has still never latched, I have tried everything, literally I have seen so many different "specialists" it's ridiculous!
She starts off absolutely fine and rooting at the nipple and doing everything right then she starts to get frustrated and starts screaming, once she has got to this point there is no going back,
She has only sucked a couple of times both times only for a couple of seconds, she's doesn't hold the latch at all! The only times she has sucked is in the bath, it's meant to take them back to birth, I don't know if this is true but she did latch twice just didn't hold it! So it may be something to try?
I have been expressing 8 times a day from birth and was hoping as she got bigger May be able to latch, but now she just plane refuses to try, I also got a tongue tie fixed to see if that helped, it didn't!
I'm exhausted by it all! At first my milk supply was ridiculous, I was getting so much like 12 oz every 3 hours, so I have a massive freezer supply but all of a sudden it stopped I now only get about 12 oz a day which breaks my heart but I know I need to start combi feeding soon before my milk supply dries up, and I do skin to skin and try her at the nipple every feed!
I thought I would let u know that this does happen and there's nothing u can do, it can get upsetting when nobody knows why ur baby isn't latching but sometimes they just don't, don't put urself down u can only do what u can, that I have learned!
Just try not to stress it will only damage milk supply!
Oh and also I did try the nipple shield that may be a good idea she did latch with that I just found it very difficult to keep on because once again although she sucked she didn't hold the suction so it kept falling off,

Sorry for long winded reply just nice to see I'm not alone,
I really hope Isaac latches for you or some of these ideas help, but as I say don't let it get u down if it doesn't we can only do what our body's will let us, good luck xx

 

[Maxy1]

Is the top lip flanged out for the latching process? Definitely see a LC, check for lip tie and tongue tie. Latching on and falling off is a sign of lip tie or tongue tie, those conditions prevent good suction and are easily remedied. When you pop your little finger in the mouth does he suck it really hard??

 

[Bellybump89]

I strongly recommend seeing an IBCLC. They are well versed when it comes to this and know exactly what to look for with tongue tie and lip tie and most midwifes can't diagnose a posterior tongue tie at all.

I'm sorry to say if this is what is going on you have a journey ahead of you.. But if you Just stick with it then it will be soooo worth it in the end and thankful that you didn't give up!

 

[prettyunicorn]

If possible please see a lactation consultant. They are very helpful and much better qualified at identifying issues/solutions.
My baby had difficulty latching for the first few weeks. These things helped me at that time and were recommended by an IBCLC. Try feeding a little with a syringe/cup/bottle to ease the hunger then try to latch. Manually express some before trying latching to get the breast soft. Try the sandwich squeeze to make it easier for lo to latch. Gently roll the nipple or use cold wash cloth to help firm the nipple. Use nipple shield. After a week of trying nothing seemed to work and I was getting so discouraged. Then I saw the consultant again and she saw him struggling with the latch (lasted 5 sec max). She told me to take a break for 5-10 days to avoid breast aversion. So I kept pumping until I tried again. It started to work and by 2 weeks we were bf using a nipple shield and directly by 3 weeks.
I believe nipple shield worked for us the best. I also would suggest to be very calm and get another set of hands. It can get tricky to feed, express, place the nipple shield, and attempt latching with a crying baby.
Good luck

 

[hilslo]

Nipple shield purchased and used for the first time this feed. It seems to be working!!!! Early days and definitely not a total success as he only took a little bit but it is the longest he has ever latched on for long enough to get some milk.

Really hoping that this might be the first tiny step....

Pretty Unicorn - thanks for posting. Your story has inspired me to keep going

I also really appreciate the other poster's honesty that for some, no matter how much you want it and try, it just won't work. It is nice to know I am not alone and that if it doesn't, then I will try not to beat myself up too much. If we have done everything in our power to make it work and it doesn't, that isn't our fault I will try but know that I may not get there.
Btw - I'm impressed by your initial milk production!! 12oz per 3 hours!!!!