Please help me! (Introducing bottles early)

[Barhanita]

Sorry for a long story, but I need help.


My baby was born at 37 weeks (induction). First 24 hours she was nursing, but it was painful. They noticed that she had tongue-tight. They fixed it, but it was too painful to nurse. I started expressing milk and giving it to her with a syringe and a finger. I tried to latch her, and sometimes it work, but not all the time. She was getting most of her food though a syringe. We saw a lactation consultant . During the first visit not much happened. We came home, continued to latch her and supplementing with a syringe. The baby is either too sleepy or too frustrated and angry. And these stages alternate within minutes. She just switches of and falls asleep in the middle of feedings.

We saw the same LC the next morning. She convinced us to try the shields and bottles that don't really feed the baby unless she sucks. We agreed to those measures, as we were pretty frustrated and worried that the baby is too sleepy all the time and not getting enough.

She was able to latch on the shield, but she would passively suck for hours and then fall asleep. Not sure she was getting enough.

Anyway, we went to see a different consultant today. Her diagnosis was that the baby has two problems: bad sucking due to the sever tongue-tight (she was doing it wrong for months in uterus). And even bigger issue is her extreme sleepiness (as she insists, due to be born at 37 weeks). Also, due to all the frustration, baby starts getting stressed at the breast.So her verdict is to exclusively bottle feed with expressed milk, to let her gain weight and mature. And then start switching her back to breast. As of right now - only doing skin-to-skin, and allowing baby to latch in the laid-back position, if she wants it.

I hate this situation, and hate the idea of bottles, as I am afraid we will never go back. But everything she said makes sense... I think we will try doing this.

What do you think? Were you able to go back to breast from the bottle? I am very scared. It is all so stressful. and emotional. Right now we are sticking to this bottle routine. Joanna promised us that the baby will have all the chances of getting back on the breast. But I am scared.

 

[New Mrs W]

I would trust your LC. At the end of the day your baby needs food and if she isn't able to get it directly from you then I don't see that you have any choice. Stick with your LC, she is trained to deal with exactly this sort of situation.
Oh and congratulations on your new baby! X

 

[feedindy]

My first baby wouldn't latch well and lost a ton of weight so I started exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. I kept trying to get her to latch for 3 weeks but each time both the baby and I were left frustrated and crying, so I just gave her my breastmilk in bottles. I didn't try latching her because we were so stressed. Then on a whim at 7 weeks I tried to latch her and she did it. Then we nursed from that point on. So yes you are doing the right thing now, but give latching a try every so often and your LO might surprise you one day.

 

[WantsALittle1]

I have a friend whose baby was born at 29+3 and was given bottles in the NICU but absolutely refused to breastfeed. In fact, it delayed their departure from the NICU. When the baby reached her due date, she gradually started to take the breast more often until eventually she was breastfeeding like a term baby and only took one bottle a day so that her mom could feed her Neosure (which further helped her gain weight and strength). I think your LC gave you great advice, and I do think that you will be able to nurse sweet Lena in a few weeks once she has the strength to suck and swallow without becoming fatigued. Your breast milk is the best thing to help her reach that strength, so you are doing the best thing possible for her!