Hi, I'm a new mom with a 5.5 week little boy and have been exclusively breastfeeding. I need help/tips/advice on breaking my son free of nipple-feeding. No matter what I try, he always seems to clamp down on or slip down to the nipple only and sucks it the entire feeding time. I wait for his mouth to open wide enough, and "sandwich" my nipple area, then stick it all in his mouth, yet he always seems to slip down to nipple. Is there any way of breaking him free of this habit?
Another option is to seeing a lactation consultant is to call a La Leche League leader in you area. Many of the leaders will do home visits and there is no cost. There are also monthly support meetings for McHenry County twice a month. http://www.lllusa.org/IL/WebMcHenryIL.html
Set up an appointment with a lactation consultant so they can see what exactly is going on and how to best help you and your son - you'll be glad you did!
Anita:
as MR said... set up an appointment with a lactation consultant so that they can help you find out what is going on and help with how to "fix" it.
P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions
www.breastfeedingandparentingsolutions.com
First of all, congratulations on your decisionto breastfeed! I wanted to ask a question. Does he do this towards the end of the feeding as he is drifting off or does he begin the feeding like this? I would recommend you keep him pulled in good during the feeding so that he can't pull off or slip off. Using a rebozo could help you/ Also, if you know of an LC (lactation consultant)or CLC nearby, call or go by so that they may be able to see what is going on and offer you some suggestions. Good luck Anita and hang in there!
Definitely talk to a lactation consultant. Also it may just be a matter of gently detaching and re-latching every time until he gets it right. I know that can be frustrating and time consuming, but it is better than the pain you will have if he continues to just nurse the way he is.
I had this issue with all three of my breastfed babies! It's so frustrating, right? Not to mention painful. At five weeks their mouths are still so small, so I think part of it may be just waiting until they "fit" better. I did do the sandwiching thing and that seemed to help me a little with my last one. Just hang in there through the tough part because that will all just be a distant memory soon and it will get a whole lot easier!!! Sorry if this is not much help:)
I had similar problems early on-I would go see a lactation consultant. I did and at 4 months things are going great! stick with it-it's so worth it.
Good luck!
M.
My daughter clamped down and it took me eons to figure out that she did so because I had an oversupply and she was getting too much milk.
Check out http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml.
Dr. Newman is wonderful. It took my daughter some time, but we got there and she just self-weaned at 12 months.
Be sure you are bringing baby to breast and not breast to baby. Sit comfortably supported so that you are not slouching over or leaning down to the baby. That may help you get more control over him and keep him from slipping back. Good luck.
You may want to try a nipple shield so he gets the sensation of latching on to more. You may also be able to redirect him by unlatching him (just your pinkie in the corner of his mouth) and trying again (and again and again...). Good luck and bravo to you for making a great choice to give your son the good stuff!
Hi Anita.
My son is only a week old, and I just went through this. I went to a LLL meeting in lincoln park. they told me to hold his chin down with a finger, and bring his head to the breast. Also, bring you nipple up to his nose, so he will look up and open wider. they also told me to have his head almost looking up when he is nursing so that he has more of a wide mouth open.
As for the pain, I put lanolin on after every feeding and try to air them out as much as possible. Good luck.
