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Any tips for getting baby to latch on after having a bottle?

Hi ladies,

My baby is 4 weeks old and I haven't been able to breast feed as my milk never came in. I tried for 3 weeks giving him my breast then bottle and then expressing to stimulate production but had no luck and he ended up in hospital with dehydration. I had been working with a breastfeeding specialist mw and she told me last week to let it go as if my milk hadn't come in by 3 weeks it wouldn't be coming in at all.

Well last night I woke up and my boobs were aching and leaking and when I hand expressed to try and relieve it milk squirted in my face! I have been desperatley trying to get Jason to latch on today but he is just not interested and howls the house down. He didn't have any problems latching on at all in the begining but its like he's forgotten how in the last week!

Has anyone had any luck getting a baby to latch on after he has gotten used to the bottle?

Faith x

Replies

  • http://www.lactationconsultant.info/rebirth.html

    Try rebirthing and a lot of skin to skin...offer regularly before every feed, when he's content, sleepy, NOT when distressed...he will get the hang don't worry!
  • my lo failed to latch on since birth and i ended up expressing till NOW ( she is 8 months old), looking back, i think it could have been done if i was just calmer, the stress of getting her to lacth was stressing both of us, just begin by once a day, sing to your lo, and out in your mind that if it works it works, if not then no problem.

    Also try to release some milk from your breast before you try, if your breasts are engorged it would be harder for your lo to latch on.

    i tried this medela supplementary feeding systen, it a bottle you wear around your neck with expressed milk and a thin tube is taped to your nipple, so actually your baby gets expressed milk and practices latching on, again i was too stressed to make it work.

    Good luck hun and dont give up

    Renee
  • this happened with my ds, what i did was gave him some milke from a bottle so he wasnt starving, then used a nipple shield, which is shaped more like a teat, for the second half of his feed, then once you get into a routine of that, once he is sucking on the nipple sheild for a coupld of minutes, sneakily slide it off, so he is actually breastfeeding from your nipple. it might take a few days to get it right, but it worked for us! good luck.

    ashy xxx
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