I need encouragement...

[Ms_CJ]

My son was 5 weeks premature and had a weak suck at birth, which interfered with our ability to breastfeed. I had to pump until his suck and stamina got up... Now that he can finally latch, my supply has drastically dropped. He also puts up a fight for a good half hour before latching sometimes, screaming and rooting for the nipple the entire time. Sometimes I just give in and give him the bottle. But lately, I've been having to supplement with formula since my supply is going down. I'm so close to just giving up on breastfeeding altogether, which would absolutely break my heart. Are there any helpful hints you ladies can give? We've already been working with a lactation consultant, but I don't know what else to do...

 

[PurpleIvy44]

You could try express pumping so that he continues to receive your breast milk and the more often you pump, it should increase your supply. Then you may be able to breastfeed and bottle feed as needed.

My LO is much like your son where she gets very fussy and it would take forever for her to latch, if she did at all. I couldn't go without feeding her so I had to begin express pumping and bottle feeding her. I still try to get her to take my breast each day and she might as long as its not when she first wakes up. If she's still hungry then that's when I try to get her on. I know how you feel and it can be very frustrating b/c it would make it so much easier and more of a bonding moment if they would just breastfeed.

 

[mommyof5]

I went through a point with my LO where she would scream and throw a fit before latching and I was freaking out, which made my supply lower. I found taking my shirt off and walking with her close enough where she could latch if she wanted to helped out a lot. The phase passed, so just remember when you are at your at the end of your rope, that it is only a phase and it will pass. Giving into the bottle is always an easy solution and sometimes it helps that frustration you are going through at the moment, but every time you do, you are lowering your supply. If your baby prefers the bottle try getting a nipple shield and adjust to that then introduce the bare nipple.

 

[kitabird]

My LO did the same screaming and rooting thing. It was frustrating for both of us and I got myself really worked up thinking why can't I even feed my baby? Try to avoid the bottle as much as you can as it's really important that baby establishes your supply. I found that taking LO away from the breast for a few minutes when he was fighting helped, then trying it again. For some reason standing up seemed to calm him down and make him more likely to latch, as mommyof5 says. He will learn to feed well in time, just try to relax and get in lots of practice!

 

[MommyJogger]

I third the suggestion to feed while walking around. It's instinctual that babies relax more when they are carried (otherwise, we'd have dropped a lot more babies in the history of the human race), so that definitely might help Jackson relax enough to latch on.
Second thing: how often are you offering a feed? Have to tried offering a little more often, even if he doesn't seem hungry to you? It might be that he's pretty hungry by the time you're feeding him and he's more likely to escalate quickly into the "upset and having trouble latching" stage. Skin-to-skin is calming as well and helps them reconnect with their natural latching instinct.
You're right at the cusp of 2 things: 1) supply regulation, where a lot of women's supply starts to regulate-- meaning you won't get engorged nearly as often (if at all) as you did before. It means your supply is closer to where it should be for your baby's needs, rather than being more than you need. And 2) the first several months is just solid growth spurt, so they'll be hungry often and will stay on the breast suckling a lot. It certainly doesn't mean you have too little milk. But giving formula, at all, in any fashion, WILL cause you to have less and less milk. So I'd really encourage you to drop the formula and bottles and just nurse, nurse, nurse, nurse if breastfeeding is something you want to continue doing. It's tough and scary, but the hard parts will pass and you'll be so glad you dropped the formula sooner rather than later because it's a really slippery slope to full-on formula feeding.
Keep track of diaper output. 4-6 wet diapers/day is normal for a full-term baby at 2 weeks, but consult with your IBCLC and double check a normal amount of wet diapers for your baby's developmental age, because it might even be less. Diaper output is the most reliable way of knowing if baby is getting enough.
You can do it, mama!