I have a question about breastfeeding. I would love any advice

Question

Okay, I had my baby August 9th and she is a healthy baby. I started out breastfeeding and she did good. She latched on like she was supposed to and everything was okay. Well as I was feeding her every 2 hours like I was supposed to and one of the nurses said that she wasn't getting enough to eat. So she suggested that I bottlefeed and breastfeed.

I was very skeptical but she kept saying "Oh she just isn't getting enough b/c the only thing she is getting is watered down milk." When that is the best for the baby to eat(I know that she was in the wrong for saying that) So I was confused but she kept saying that she needed more to eat.

Well, now that she is being fed by a bottle and by a breast, she won't latch on right anymore. She only wants my nipple instead of getting the bottom part of the areola in her mouth.

I have tried to correct this but I was very unsuccessful. I really want to continue breastfeeding but right now she is just using me as a pacifier instead of getting the milk out of my b*****s.

Moms I really really will take any advice. Plz help me.

Answer 1

Please contact your local chapter of the La Leche League, llli.org .  They will have some one who will be able to help you.  Good Luck.

Answer 2

don't give up on breastfeeding... don't listen to any nurses... ask your baby's doctor on her feeding.  children knows how much to eat and doctors monitor their weight..  watch your diet also.. what you eat is what you give out.

Answer 3

Have you tried posting on yahoo answers? They might read your entire question.

Answer 4

She was wrong to tell you that. You may need to feed more frequently. I had very low production too and had to feed every 90 minutes for the first couple of weeks. Exhausting but it helps your supply come in good.

Your baby likes the bottle more because right now it flows easier out of the bottle than your breast. When your supply is increased the flow will be stronger. Get rid of the bottle, it will only make you loose your milk. If you must use a bottle use a slow flow or breastflow nipple so your baby doesn't adapt to the bottle more. Try the mothers milk tea and herbal supplement if the frequent feedings don't help enough.

As far as positioning, I recommend the football hold in the beginning because it gives you a lot of control with just one arm and you can use the other to hold your breast. Wait for the baby to open her mouth wide and shove the breast in her mouth. Sounds a little aggressive but it works. You may have to keep hold and redo periodically till she figures things out.

Answer 5

lol that is a funny reply from probably a 10 year old and I love the name lol  Look up (put in google search)  breast feeding problems and you will get tons of reliable answers.  Good luck and always get a second opinion one nurse's is not always the correct info.!

Answer 6

It's pretty normal for a baby to get confused at this age after being presented with both the breast and a bottle. I would just keep offering the breast. It can take a few weeks to get the hang of it. The best advice I can give you is to contact a lactation consultant at the hospital you delivered at. You should be able to get an appointment and they will be able to trouble shoot with you. The hospital I delivered at even had a drop in class every week where the consultants offered advice and helped out. If they don't offer these services they should be able to at least get you in contact with someone who can help.

Answer 7

I too did not produce enough milk to satisfy my babies and there is a prescription medication that enduces enhanced lactation.  Maybe you should speak with your ob about this and see if it is right for you.  I can tell you it worked for me and I was able to go back to just the breast; however, I lactated constantly and it was a little hard to leave the house for more that 30 minutes!  I continued until my maternity leave was over and then I had to go back to the combination feeding.  Good luck and congrats on your baby girl!

Answer 8

my only advice is too throw away the bottles. I have to put them away sometimes because my daughter, who only gets the bottle about 2 or 3 times a week, will start to prefer the bottle over breast. (I work part time)

My husband likes to give her the bottle instead of bringing her to me at work. I live right next to my work. So I have to make strict instructions for him to bring her when she gets hungry. So my daughter has no choice but to get it from me.

But I would contact your local la leche and get an appointment there, and then I would call the hospital you were at and report the nurse. Their job is to support you not change your mind. When I said I wanted no bottles for my daughter at my hospital they reminded me of that. I was really tired and she cried the whole time. all she wanted to do was suck and my milk hadn't come in yet, my nipples were literally blistered from her sucking for hours straight. I wanted to.....help her stop crying... :)

You can do it, it just takes a little strength and stubbornness.

Good Luck and God Bless

Answer 9

first of all, if you are passionate about breastfeeding then....DON'T GIVE UP!!! That nurse had absolutely NO IDEA what she was talking about. How did she even pass schooling? Anyway, be consistent. Stick with breast feeding only. It will be very discouraging and frustrating at first since she has to retrain herself how to suckle. But stick with it. She should get again. Babies don't actually have an appetite when they are first born. So, don't worry, she won't starve to death. Try putting her on when she ISN'T hungry, this should help with the frustration, since she'll only be on there to basically play. She should again get the milk during "play time" and realize she can also feed on this thing. LOL!!!  You can also contact the le' lache breast feeding organization. (That's not the exact name, but try researching it online or call your local hospital and ask them to give you the number to the breastfeeding org.) In the meantime.....again....DON'T GIVE UP!!!  If you are having trouble getting her to latch on you can always pump your milk so they don't dry up while you try to get every thing straightened out. I hope I helped. I wish you the best.

Answer 10

Good for you for not giving up!  I'm sorry that the nurse gave you the wrong information, but you are doing the right thing... has your milk come in yet?  I had a C-section and was in the hospital for 4 days and was at home before it came in -- the first part (the part that the nurse said was "just watered down") is the most important, and your baby is getting a lot of nutrients from it, so don't stop yet.  Do you have a local La Leche League contact?  Check this website out and see if there are resources on this website -- or contact someone to ask questions.  They are there for you!  http://www.llli.org/

good luck, and congratulations on your new baby!

Answer 11

First and foremost- ditch the formula and the bottles.  Right now.  Get up and throw them out.  Flush the formula down the toilet.  Aside from that nurse that gave you c**p advice- it's your worst enemy.

Try to get baby to open her mouth wider and then put your boob in her mouth.  Put your nipple on her nose so that she opens her mouth really wide and then put your boob in her mouth.  If she only grabs the nipple, take her off and try again.  Your baby is only 2 days old, and she hasn't developed a preference yet.  If you get rid of the bottles, she'll forget all about them

That nurse has NO business giving you advice like that.  Your baby was not getting "watered down milk"... she was getting colostrum and she needs it.  

Keep up with the nursing, I'm sure you're doing great!  If you need any more advice, speak with a board certified (emphasis on that) lactation consultant.  Not just a nurse that has no clue what she's talking about.

Good luck, mama!

Edit:  You don't need any prescriptions or suppliments.  Your baby will get enough breastmilk, I promise.  Just keep nursing her on demand (even if it is every 15 minutes- babies are supposed to do that).  As long as baby has enough wet diapers a day (at 2 days old, she should be peeing twice.  3 days- 3 times.  4 days- 4 times. etc.... after they're a week old, it should be 6-8 urinations a day), she's getting enough to eat.  Don't count the amount of time she nurses.  Don't count the frequency of her nursings.  Don't  count the time between nursing sessions.  Count urinations.  That's how you know she's getting enough.  Sometimes babies will nurse every hour on the hour- and that's normal.  Sometimes babies will nurse every 4 hours- and that's normal.  Every baby is different.  Unless you're part of the 3% of women who don't produce enough milk (and for some odd reason, that number is grossly over-represented here on Y!A.  Lots of moms who "didn't make enough milk" come around here...), you'll do just fine with nursing.  Good luck :)

Answer 12

Obviously, the nurse was wrong.  Your baby is getting enough from you for every 2 hours.  I wonder which nursing school did that nurse go to??

Anyway, try to delay her feeding. When she gets really really hungry, she will start sucking your breast.  I did that to my son.

Good luck.

Answer 13

Is your baby gaining weight ok ? If she is ... then stop the bottle completely. Your baby WILL go back to your breast ! I had to giv emy baby the bottle in the first week he was born becoz he had jaundice and my milk hadnt come in then. Also, since he didnt latch I continued to pump and feed him. Once his bilirubin count had gone to a mangaeable level and once his wieght was ok ( he weighed less at birth ), the pediatrician told me to completely stop the bottle. I was soooo worried that he wud starve.. but after the initial protest, he accepted my breast again. Thereafter it was a struggle to get him back on the bottle 5 months later when I had to go back to work ;).

Just remember ( and these are my pediatrician's words ) babies that young are FEEDING MACHINES ! So if you stop the bottle, they WILL go back to the breast.. and sooner than you think !

Answer 14

What an odd statement for that nurse to make!  Babies only need colostrum in their first few days of life, which may look like watered-down milk, but in truth is full of beneficial nutrients.  

As far as latching on properly, you can view all sorts of videos of proper

latching-on at www.breastfeeding.com.

Basically, you'll want to tickle the side of baby's mouth with your nipple, wait for her to open her mouth WIDE and then insert nipple and areola.

If she doesn't latch properly, insert the tip of your finger into the corner of her mouth to break the seal, and try again.

Just as you are learning to breastfeed, so is your baby, so don't get too frustrated, things will get easier with patience, practice, and time.

Best of luck to you! And congratulations!

Answer 15

Ask to speak to a lactation consultant. Also, maybe you could try to wait on the bottle, so she will be hungrier. She might make more of an effort to nurse if she is truly hungry. Good luck to you, and I hope it works out so you can keep nursing!

Answer 16

first of all Congratulations!!!

I would keep trying to give her the breast more than the bottle, she may not be getting used to your breast but keep trying...Thats all i can say cause my baby never wanted the bottle, she was breastfed only and her pediatrician said it was ok because thats all they need at the beginning and it has all the nutrients they need

Answer 17

Well the nurse gave you the wrong advice for one thing.  If baby wasn't having enough wet diapers (a common indicator for not getting enough) then the suggestion is to nurse longer or more frequently, not with a bottle.  I understand this.  My 3rd child did the same thing.  Despite my request, they gave her a bottle in the nursery several times, even though she was a pro at nursing and had no problems--she was born at home and even nursed on the way to the hospital!  However, I went through about 3 weeks of frustration and discomfort trying to re-teach her how to latch on properly.  It took a while of basically shoving the whole areola in her mouth each time she had to re-attach, but eventually she did figure out that she got the good, fatty, let-down milk if she did that, rather than just the foremilk.  She was nursing too frequently when she was only latching my nipple because she wasn't getting the more filling hind milk, but once she finally got it, we were gold.  It was very frutrating and painful and I very nearly gave up even after nursing two other kids for a long time!  But you can get her back on track, just be patient.  I just weaned mine 2 months ago--she's 2 1/2 years old! (I confess I didn't actually intend to nurse that long, it just kind of dragged on.)

Answer 18

That nurse is freakin retarded. Your milk does not officially come in until 2-3 days after your baby is born. whenever you can feed her by breast, do it. Make sure she opens nice and wide and bring her onto your breast and not your breast onto her. And yes, she is going to use you for nutrition and for pacifying. Try to feed her whenever possible. Only let other people feed her a bottle, like your husband or the babysitter. Whenever, it's just you, give her the breast.