Newborn struggling with latch

[Kirsty3051]

Evening ladies.

My son is 3 days old and is bottle fed pumped breast milk. I tried breastfeeding again this afternoon but he's really struggling to stay latched. He'll feed happily for a couple of minutes, unlatches, gets frustrated and won't latch back on to my breast or take a bottle.

We're considering switching to formula altogether. Having to pump every 2-3 hours and then spending up to an hour feeding him is exhausting. We're getting worried that he's not eating enough.

What would you do? all advice is welcome!

 

[Jen_H]

Congrats on your little boy!
BF can be really hard at first, keep trying and i'm sure you'll get there - its so frustrating. I've not really advice from experience as I didn't have that issue but if he takes the bottle is he frustrated when u offer breast since i think it different for them (so it might be harder for him to get milk from you as feeding from a bottle is easier for him?) - I hope that makes sense! I think i was advised not to introduce bottles for at least the first 6 weeks so bf can be established. xx

 

[Jen_H]

Also do u have a nct or bf councillor near you as they can help you lots and check his latch is correct - it may be his latch is wrong?! They will definitely be able to help you and usually have helplines you can call xx

 

[Kirsty3051]

Thank you!

He was born a couple of weeks early so we know it might take him a while to pick things up. I had a lot of help in the hospital but he was struggling so we opted for the bottle rather than a feeding tube. The only advice I got was to keep trying if breastfeeding was what I wanted to do. X

 

[Missyann]

Colostrum is thicker and he has to work hard to get it. When your milk comes in, he may have an easier time of it.

 

[SoupDragon]

As someone who badly struggled with latching issues and has ended up combi-feeding with pumped milk and formula, I would really recommend seeing a breastfeeding counsellor or lactation consultant. We only saw one last week when DD was 10 weeks old and found out she has a posterior tongue tie which none of the midwives or doctors spotted. We've decided not to get it snipped and to carry on as we are, but if it'd been spotted when she was newborn, we would have had it snipped.

I hope it is just that you are both learning and it will all click into place for you soon, rather than an experience like the one I've had...but I found that all the midwives had different advice, none of which was particularly helpful, and it was really the lactation consultant we needed, had I known it at the time!

Good luck and congratulations on your little boy!

 

[Kirsty3051]

Thank you all. He's fed directly from my breasts all day today and I'm only pumping a tiny amount after he's finished his feed. I was a stresshead for no reason by the looks of things.

 

[HelenJane]

Nooo its always the way. As soon as you start to worry or ask advice things change and you feel like you've over reacted or something lol. Glad things are going well

 

[newlywedtzh]

My advice is: Stick with it!!!! Try to avoid giving bottles if you can as this can kind of work against your latch issues onto the breast (the nipple/flow of a bottle is much easier for a LO then breastfeeding). If you want to have a breastfeeding relationship than I would always offer the breast first and avoid the bottle if you can.

Breastfeeding is a learned process- natural yes, but also has a learning curve. You have to learn as well as your little one. BUT trust me when i say- with time and dedication - it will all click, and all be worth it. The more you breastfeed, the better your newborn will become at latching.. then before you know it, everything will be second nature.

 

[Kirsty3051]

Thank you for your reply. I don't know if I mentioned it on this thread but my son was born early and breastfeeding wasn't an option for us right away. We only bottle fed because it was either that or a feeding tube. Luckily, he's now a pro and is only feeding directly from my breasts.