SNS success stories?

[ClairAye]

Just as the title says
I'm getting one tomorrow and I really hope I can get back to breastfeeding!

 

[sun]

I used an SNS with my son for 3 weeks before he was strong enough to BF independently. My friend used an SNS for almost a year (with donor breast milk) due to chronic low supply. She is still BF her son now without a SNS!

 

[kayaker]

I successfully used one to transition from bottle feeding when my son was a few weeks old. He was born a little early, was not feeding effectively, and even the SNS was not working well enough at first. So I needed to pace bottle feed for a bit, then got him going again with SNS feeds with the nipple in his mouth to promote good sucking, but to ensure adequate volume intake before he got too tired. It was a long process (6 or so weeks before he could BF on his own without any supplementation) but well worth it.

We transitioned to using a tube that was passed through a bottle nipple that had the syringe attachment end in a colistrum cup filled with milk. He got to the point where he was sucking some and could drain the cup rather than having to use the syring system. It was much easier for me to physically deal with for feedings. I can describe it more if that would be helpful.

Good luck. Hang in there.

My son is almost 11 months now, and BFing has been easy for a long time now.

 

[babyjan]

whats sns?

 

[kayaker]

Supplemental Nursing System.
Overall, tube feeding to supplement a baby who is not taking in enough milk from the breast. But it can be done alongside the nipple so he/she gets the milk as he is developing a better ability to breastfeed effectively. (At least that is my impression of it for what many people use it for.)

 

[seaweed eater]

How are things going, ClairAye? We used SNS when LO was hospitalized due to hypoglycemia. He was always a good nurser but took his EBM and formula supplements via SNS to prevent nipple confusion. It worked well for us, but the circumstances were different because it wasn't a nursing problem to begin with. I hope it's going well for you!

 

[ClairAye]

Shitty. She screams her head off if I try putting her to the breast Only two weeks ago she would still take it, I really don't know what to do! I wish I never started supplementing

 

[seaweed eater]

I'm sorry. I'm sure you are familiar with the kellymom page on nursing strikes? It is pretty comprehensive. Don't be afraid to take some time off trying if it's getting too frustrating for the two of you.

 

[AriBerri]

Is she refusing to latch onto the breast entirely or is she latching and then coming off and crying??

It might take a couple tries for her to get used to it but the sns is seriously a blessing. Well, out lactaid was but they're the same thing basically, just lactaid uses plastic bags and sns uses a container.

Did you have someone show you how to use it, like a lactation consultant? If not, you should place the string so it lies flat against your nipple and stops just short of the tip of your nipple, definitely make sure it doesn't overhang because that will cause your LO to gag and have trouble getting milk out. Once you have it positioned right, place the tape just outside your areola. Also, make sure you try both breasts, she might just not want to latch onto one but be fine with the other (I speak from experience lol I now have one b cup and one c cup breast to prove it). Also, how high or low the sns is in relation to your nipple will change how easily the milk flows out, if I remember correctly.

I loved our lactaid. My LO did latch her entire first month (at 8 months we found out she had a severe tongue tie and a lip tie so we think that's why) and had to transition from bottles to nipple shields to get her to latch. Once she started latching without the shields, she started refusing her bottles, but I wasn't making nearly enough for her and her latch still wasn't great. We got a lactaid and the day before her first birthday was the last day we ever supplemented because using the lactaid in combination with herbal supplements helped me build up my supply so much

If she's not latching at ALL and you're really desperate like I was (and I know some people don't like this idea but it seriously worked for us) I would say try nipple shields. I don't know if it was just transitioning from one plastic nipple to another kind of plastic nipple is what she needed or what but we got those and she immediately latched for the first time ever. I cried I was so happy that day lol