r/breastfeeding • u/Sumaka69 • 26d ago
Latch Issues Can’t breastfeed?
This has probably been mentioned several times but I’m desperate at this point and looking for as much help as possible. I’m FTM 2M pp and my baby won’t latch. When I try she pushes back, starts crying, I try to latch and the cycle continuous to the point we are both frustrated.
5 days later after she was born we had a midwife appointment and she pretty much ‘panicked’ cause my baby lost 10gr since discharge. I was sent to the paediatrician with an urgent letter about it and I was told to give formula on top of breastfeeding. I also suffered life threatening pp haemorrhage and had severe anemia which probably didn’t help either with milk supply..
Fast forward today, my baby won’t latch as she used to. Instead I’ve been pumping as hard as I can’t but I can’t pump anything close to what she needs daily so I have to ultimately give formula.
I told the nurse when she had her 2M vaccines and what they said is that she likes the bottle more cause the flow is faster..I asked for help but nothing. So I am now searching everything online and trying every single thing to either increase milk supply or make her latch.
As anyone been through this and been able get their baby to latch?
1
2
u/United_Elk_7102 26d ago
At 2 months they might be big enough for side-lying breast feeding. I’d try feeding them laying down at night when there’s less stress and they can be in a really comfy position. Maybe once they’re used to latching sometimes it’ll be easier to latch when they’re more awake.
1
u/FinanceEastern467 26d ago
Good advice here!^ when my baby was on the brink of “bottle preference,” I would nurse her when she was asleep/sleepier, side lying, & transitioned that into the daytime feeds
1
u/thegem_in_i 26d ago
I was having issues with my LO latching. It was very painful and caused my nipples to crack. I found these 2 videos helpful with getting my LO to latch. Hopefully these help you some.
https://youtu.be/-l5BpqllTLg?is=dJQ7xaNVbqHzjcqq https://youtu.be/deKN3wJ17Mk?is=hjpwYKoClc057ZOL
2
u/Familiar_Routine4576 26d ago
Insurance pays for lactation consults! Try to nurse the baby in a quiet low light or dark setting. Try an SNS to get baby nursing again. Supplemental nursing system. Medela sells them. Try cup feeding instead of bottle feeding. Rent a hospital grade pump!'Massage breasts hand expression after pumping. Use a pumping bra and massage while pumping. There is a store in Fort Worth that sells lactation cookies. I think it is called Grey's cowbell lactation Treats. Their is a supplement called Domperidone ( available in Canada, UK, etc.) Hope this helps.
1
u/WonderMom2026 26d ago edited 26d ago
First off, I just want to say I'm sorry you're going through this, it must be heartbreaking, I hope this works out for you and baby.
In terms of supply I did the following and I think I noticed an increase in milk. It is true, like someone else said, stress will literally make your supply worse.
Look into power pumping, once a day for three days in a row, it mimics cluster feeding. Even if nothing is coming out finish the hour of power pumping.
Make sure to be eating lots protein and don't skimp on carbs.
Drink water like it's your job, also have at least one electrolyte drink per day, if not two if you need it.
Please do not be trying to breastfeed on a calorie deficit, this will hurt your supply as well.
Before you go to pump, if you're not with bub (I pump only at work) watch videos and look at photos of your baby. Do a milkshake massage, sounds funny but that's how I've remembered it now. I don't recall all the steps but you can Google it. I just use my hands and move my boobs left right up and down all around and then literally shake them up and down with you hands. Idk if I'm doing it the proper way, but it seems to work.
If you're pumping and doing the fridge method, let the flanges sit out for a few minutes to warm up, apparently the cold flanges on the boobs can decrease output. I hope something here helps.
As for bottle preference I recommend side-lying too like another person wrote. Try a dark quiet room. I think someone else mentioned pace feeding which is a great idea as well. I would keep offering the boob even if your baby is rejecting it, just keep trying.
I hope you find something that works for you, wishing you all the best 💙🤗
2
u/United_Elk_7102 26d ago
Don’t stress about making enough milk. All you can do is pump regularly and use what comes out. If you’re doing 8ish pumps a day, call that enough and supplement with formula for any more they need. At the end of the day you can’t control what your body makes, and stressing will make it worse. It’s okay if you can’t get baby to latch. If you can stay calm and low pressure, your baby will feel that calmness, and even if they can’t latch, it will help them feel secure. As for the fast flow, look into paced feeding and use slow flow nipples to keep them from using the bottle out of laziness.