I had been pumping all of my milk and bottling it, as my infant would cry everytime I would try feeding him from the breast. But today at his pediatrician appt, they told me to start back on the breast. I didn't know that this was not a "good thing" to be pumping all of the milk, instead of feeding hinm directly from the breast. I got used to pumping everything, and kind of enjoyed the flexibility of the bottle. I was having to supliment with formula, because I was not able to pump enough milk for him though.
Does anyone have advice on how to transition back from the bottle to the breast? He is four weeks old and has been on the bottle only for about three weeks. I tried today, and he did latch on...but was very fussy about it. He didn't eat much, so I gave him some beast milk from the bottle after he tried on the breast for a few minutes. I am wondering if the best way to transition this is to offer the breast each time he feeds first, then follow up with the bottle if he needs more, until he gets used to it again. Has anyone been in this situation? Thanks!
WOW! I really needed this! Thank you to each women who responded to my request. I can't tell you how much it means and helps as a first time mom. Sometimes, I really just feel like I don't know what I am doing so it really helps to hear from other experienced moms like yourselves.
My son was 10 pounds when he was born and had low blood sugar. The hospital gave him bottled formula in his first few days, to supliment what I was able to give him until my milk came in. Well, the little guy got used to the bottles and was finicky about the breast from the beginning.
I think that I was just thrown by my doctors comments yesterday, as I really didn't know that I was doing anything "incorrect" and that is how I was made to feel. I thought that as long as he was getting breast milk, he was fine - whether it was from the bottle or breast.
Over the past 24 hours, I have been trying to get him to latch back onto the breast. It has definitely been a fight. He will temporarily latch on for a few seconds, but not for long and he screams the entire time.
So moving forward with this process - here are the things that worry me.
I had an infected breast duct that put me on antibiotics last week. I had heard these are sometimes caused by not consistently emptying the breast of milk. Because I am not pumping now, this worries me because he is not eating much from me. Should I still be pumping?
Because I am not pumping and he is not eating, is my milk production slowing down?
I am trying to keep as much milk inside of me, thus the not pumping thing. But now I am giving him more formula than I normally would. This is not the idea.
Thanks again for any advice you can give!
C.:
first off you need to to what works for you... not the physician... if you are happy pumping and bottle feeding then that is what you should do.
if you want to transition back to the breast call a lactation consultant to help
P., RLC, IBCLC, CST
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions
Contact you local LLLI chapter. They are wonderful for FREE support. Many of the leaders will also make house calls or meet you somewhere
With my 3rd child I had to pump because he was not breastfeeding. It ended up he was 'tongue tied' and could not latch on properly. Be sure this is not an issue before driving yourself nuts over it. I ended up pumping and bottle feeding for about 6 weeks (and had about a month of frozen milk) before going to straight formula. I breast fed both of my other kids exclusively - so this was not an easy choice - but it made the most sense at the time. .
I am just curious as to why your pediatrician would tell you to put him back on the breast? Breast Milk is Breast Milk! I am an exclusive pumper for my 5month old son, one day at about 2 1/2 months he did the same thing. Screamed when I latched him on so I just started pumping and he still gets the same benefits from Breast Milk. I think you need to do whatever is best for your son and dont feel guilty if you cant get him to latch on. Pumping is just as good and as much work (if not more) as breastfeeding.
K.
I too had a hard time getting my son to latch on after birth, but with persistence and a lot of patience we succeeded. He now takes the breast with me and bottles when I'm working. It worked best when I offered him the breast first, both sides with burping in between, then feed him the supplement only if he's crying for more. If he wants to eat again in 1-2 hours feed him again. This way he's stimulating your milk supply. Once we figured out what position he liked best on each side (cross hold on the left and football hold on the right)I started feeding him then pumping afterwards to start saving milk for when I went back to work. It also helped to stimulate my milk supply. Make sure you're drinking plenty of fluids also. I can pump 8-10 ounces at work when I'm hydrated, but only 4-6 ounces when I haven't had enough water. Good Luck!
C.,
Find a good La Leche Leader in your area and ask for help or pay a Lactation Consultant to come to your home and help you. Sucking on a bottle and nursing from a breast are two different techniques. Your baby is used to the bottle and may have a problem figuring out what to do on the breast. There may be other issues that neither you nor your doctor recognize. You might have some success with getting him to latch on if you put him to breast before he is completely awake. I really do think that you need some help in person from someone with the knowledge and experience to assess the entire situation.
Good luck.
M.
Hi C., I have been pumping breast milk and bottling it too for my 5 1/2 month old son. Your doctor might be confused about what it in the bottle. He might think because you are using a bottle its is formula that you art feeding your baby. i know I get that a lot that people think its formula because you are using a bottle. i would clarify with your doctor about going back to the breast. I did the same thing with my twins until they were 8 month old. Its the breast milk that has all the benefits, not the breast. I was never told to "breast" feed my kids, just that breast milk was best if I could give it to them. Hope that helps!
Hi C.,
I think the concern here is that your milk supply may diminish by just pumping and you may have to supplement more with formula, which is fine if you are okay with that. Some moms only want to give their child breast milk, but nursing can be a really challenge the first 3 months. I have twins and have been nursing them for 9 months. I remember the first 3 months were hard and my son and he would cry or pull himself off. For about 2 weeks I had to use a nipple guard. It took time for him to adjust, but it worked. I was told that if I just pumped I would never be able to produce enough milk for my babies. It was a personal choice for me to continue to nurse. You have to do what is right for you and your son. Getting a baby use to breastfeeding is tough and takes time. A baby gets more milk out than the pump, so even if he nurses for a few minutes, he may be getting all he needs and he may not need a bottle after. The best times to nurse is the morning feeding right when he wakes up and just before bed. If you pump throughout the day your body should be able to adjust. If you pump all the time, you body may not produce enough milk and you may need to supplement. You just have to do what you think is best. For more information, you can always call a lactation consultant, they may offer other suggestions.
It does seem that you have gotten a lot of great advice. I'll try not to repaet much of what you have been already told.
I nursed my adoptive daughter, after she had been bottle fed formula for the first month of her life. the transition from that to the breast was tough but we were successful and it was well worth it.
Things that helped us:
The LaLeche Leaugue was a tremendous support and resource for experienced moms willing to caoch us through the process.
Supplemental Nursing systems like the ones available from medela http://www.selfexpressions.com/supnursys.html or from Lact-Aid (my personal preference) http://www.lact-aid.com/
Herbal supplements - Mother's milk Tea was the most effective for me.
Skin-to-skin contact - spending as much time as possible hold my baby with just her diaper on against my bare chest. In order to do this we also invested in a sling baby carrier.
Additionally, We used a Consultant for one session, & a breast shiled for about 2 weeks.
The combination of oall of this worked for us. Bless you for your efforts and good luck!
I did something similar with my first child. He wouldn't latch because he got used to bottles he had to have in the nicu due to low blood sugar issues. I struggled adn struggled trying to nurse him but he kept refusing so for a couple weeks we would try to nurse and end up in tears, then I would have to let him scream while I made a bottle/pumped. Then, at about 4 weeks, my Mom encouraged me to try again and lo and behold he latched on! The convenience of nursing directly is soooo much better...no bottles to clean, no pump parts to wash, no worries about making enough (pumping is not nearly as efficient as nursing...the baby gets a lot more milk out of you than a pump does). Milk is always the right temperature and always immediately available. I also believe that breast milk does lose some of it's good properties when it is stored for a while...still better than formula, but might as well let him have the best. I would try not to supplement with a bottle unless you just absolutely have to. It would probably help if you saw a lactation consultant and have them weigh him before and after a feeding...they can also help you with proper latching techniques.....the weighing will help you know how much milk he is getting at a feeding.
Hi C.,
My little guy had been drinking EBM from a bottle for the first 5 weeks of his life...when I was able to switch him over to nursing directly from the breast, it actually saved time - no more in-between step of pumping!
Anyway, a lactation consultant advised that we stop the bottle as much as possible, and spend a week doing the following: for every feeding, I would put a finger in his mouth - kind of far back, where the nipple would be if he had a good latch; then, we would slowly squirt in EBM from one of those plastic syringes. That way, he gets used to how his mouth will feel when he is latched onto the nipple correctly. We did it for a week, and then, after the week was up, I tried putting him directly on the breast...and it worked!
We didn't give him any more bottles after he switched over, and I wonder if we perhaps should have - maybe just one - to keep him from despising bottles because you're right, sometimes it is just a bit more convenient. But, again, it actually speeded up feeding times once I didn't have to pump anymore...which was especially helpful in the middle of the night!!
Anyway, good luck, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need clarification on what we did....
M. S
Hi there C., You got some really good advice and I should follow all of it I just wanted to add some thing that I thought you might find helpful. The suggestion about the nipple shield is a really good one. If your baby is having difficulty latching on this should make things a little easier for both of you and ease the transition from bottle to breast. Try and not wearing any perfume or lotion when you are breastfeeding. Babies have a very acute sense of smell and find comfort by breastfeeding by smelling you and their food. Any smell of lotion of perfume can interfere with that. Also try using Fenugreek or a tea called organic mothers milk
(http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisp....
Both will help to increase your supply while you pump. You can absolutely stick with the pumping. I both breastfed and pumped and my daughter got breast milk until she was 15 months old. Good luck in what ever you decide and I hope the advice helps to make things a little bit easier.
My son was 6 weeks early and was in the hospital for 2 weeks. I had no choice but to pump my breastmilk. Taht was all he knew and that was what i did. I tried and tried to get him to latch but being concerned about his weight gain was much more important and if he was getting the breast milk through a bottle, so what. At least he was getting the breast milk. So try getting him to latch, but i wouldn't stress about it. Like i said, as long as they are getting the breast milk, the way they are getting it is not the important thing! Good luck!
Just keep at it. You and the baby will be fine. It's just a change, and even babies resist change! Milk comes out of the bottle faster so he's used to an easier time. j
I'm surprised your doctor cares how he gets the breast milk as long as he does get it. Even when I had my kids (last one was weaned in 2000), the doctors were not very interested in anything related to breastfeeding. It's a good thing but you can call the shots here; you're the mom.
I think you're on the right track, C.! I would definitely give the breast first, each and every time. If you can stomach it, the best way to get your supply up is to *not* follow up with the formula. Yes, he's going to protest loudly at first, but your body is going to produce what is needed, (supply will equal demand,) and the only way it can get there is if more is demanded of it. Breastfeeding "empties" the breast better than pumping. It will take a couple of days, but he's not going to let himself starve. Perhaps plan a couple of days where you have the time for persistance, and just keep him hooked to you all day. ;)
I was in a similar situation with my first son. With my second, he's getting breastmilk exclusively. I was even pumping a little extra every day.
That being said, it was a huge time commitment to get where we are. I couldn't breastfeed OR pump for a few days after my son was born, (long story,) and my suppply dwindled to nothing. It wasn't easy to get him back to the breast and I was in tears at times, (maybe it was the post partum?) and I can't tell you how close I was to giving up, but it was worth it.
Whatever you do, I applaud you. My sister and friends were almost jealous when it looked like I'd just have to use formula because it's *so* much easier than even pumping. You are doing a great job already! It sounds silly, but breastfeeding is definitely the hardest thing I've done in my life.
Good luck and sending good thoughts your way! :)
I breastfed both of my boys for 13 months. It can be very frustrating because the bottle is more convenient and easier. However unless you are pumping every couple of hours your breast milk will decline. Offer only the breast for a while until your child is nursing regularly. It may seem for about a week that all you do is nurse but you need to get your milk supply back up and the baby will taper off the amount of times of feeding once there is ample supply at one feeding. If you give the breast and then the bottle, the baby will overeat because the bottle comes out much faster
The lactation nurses at Palos Hospital can really help with this. There is also a nursing moms network that they run that meets on Tuesdays in Orland that is very helpful for any breastfeeding issues. Just give the hospital a call and ask to speak with a lactation nurse and they will connect you.
GOod luck.
J.
try to use nipple shield( sold in babiesrus) or regular nipple from the bottle, worked great for me
C.,
your pediatrition is a guide - you need to do what feels right to you. as long as the baby is getting the breast milk, the pediatrition should be happy. some doctors feel the "breast is best"; some feel that as long as they can get the breast milk - i don't care how you give it to the infant. i went though the same thing...i pumped and my two daugthers drank from bottles. you need to do what feels rigth to you...if your baby likes the bottle, let the baby drink from the bottle. why confuse the little one!
Check with your ob/gyn about a breast feeding consultant. I used one with my last baby & it was a huge help! Don't give up.
Babies often find it easier to get milk from the bottle, rather than the breast. Nursing simply takes more work. I suspect you will have far better success if you stop using the bottles altogether, or you may find that he will only nurse for a moment and then want the bottle because it's easier to use.
Your milk supply is better able to adjust to your baby if you nurse rather than pump. The pump just isn't as efficient as your baby at getting milk out, and this will affect your milk supply.
Your milk supply will adjust to accomdate your baby's needs. If he's nursing more often, you will produce more milk. The more baby drinks, the more you make. However, strictly pumping milk can interfere with this natural process, since the pumping tends to be a more consistant quantity - you're never requiring more milk. If you're supplimenting with formula, then your body isn't getting the signals that more milk needs to be produced. That's may be what your doctor is concerned about. You are not increasing your milk production through pumping alone.
Try to return to nursing alone, and put away those bottles. Not only will you likely have more success with the transition (since he won't be tempted by easier sources), but you will also start to increase your milk supply.
Don't forget to drink drink drink! Your body requires liquid in order to produce liquid. Drink lots of water!
Good luck!
You CAN get your baby to relatch...it just takes some time and patience with your little one. It's not necessarily "wrong" to exclusively pump but it can be very difficult especially if you want to do it long term without suppplementing. Babies are more efficient at removing the milk from your breasts than a pump is.
From my own experience, I supplemented with pumped milk and a little bit of formula for the first few weeks and found it difficult to stop using the bottle. But at one point I decided to trust my body and my baby and just threw the bottles out. After a few days of fussiness and latch problems, we made it. Now at almost 9 months old she's still exclusively breastfed.
The most important thing is to relax and put your baby to breast as much as possible.
First let me say you are doing great trying to get as much breast milk into your baby as possible. Don't get too worried about the details of how she gets it. That said, if you want to feed at the breast, I'd really recommend www.kellymom.com They really know their stuff and they're free. You can post in the 0-6 month forum and they will respond to your questions. Also if you are anywhere near St. Charles, I'd recommend Carol Chamblin at www.breastbabyproducts.com It will cost to have her consult with you, but it may be cheaper than continuing to supplement with formula.
A few things to think about.
-Pumping and giving bottles is great for your babies nutrition, but it's probably a lot harder on you than nursing (in the long run that is).
-When giving babies a bottle it is easy to overfeed. They have trouble turning off the flow of the bottle so they tend to eat more than they need. Be sure to check how much your baby should get (I think the general rule is one ounce per hour. So if she feeds every three hours bottles should be three ounces of breast milk - but check this at kellymom.com).
-If you are supplementing with formula you should also be pumping and doing other things to increase your milk supply, because your supply is based on the demand.
If you are concerned to pump because you want to give the baby a chance to nurse, perhaps you could offer the breast and then pump after. Then your supply would benefit and you could give the pumped milk instead of formula. Even if you breastfeed, supplement with formula, and then pump - you could put the milk in the freezer to supplement with in the future.
I think you can do this! Just reach out for the help you need, with people who specialize in breastfeeding.
I hope this makes sense, my little guy was up a lot last night:) Gotta love the infant stage.
My husband was actually wishing I would do what you are doing - pumping all the breast milk - with our 2nd child, rather than exclusively nurse as I did with our first. (he hasn't gotten his wish quite yet)
Kudos to you if have the discipline to pump as is needed to keep up the supply.
I have a girlfriend who nursed the first 2 and was committed to the 3rd getting breastmilk for the first year of his life, but just felt she did not have the time to give to nurse, and so chose to pump. - And it gave her the freedom she needed.
You've gotten alot of good suggestions ... hospital lacation consultants and LaLeche leauge support ... I guess the only other part is looking at the baby and how he's doing. Is he growing, gaining weight ... etc ... and if all is well there ...
brrrrrrrrrrrrrh to the doctor.
Hi C., I had this same experience with my daughter as she was given a bottle in the NICU and then never wanted to nurse. For me I was never able to get her to nurse, I tried off and on for about 6 weeks and she always cried for about a half an hour and then I gave up and gave her a bottle. I did pump my breastmilk and give her bottles of that exclusively until she was about 4 months old, the problem is that I never had a very big supply and it was a HUGE time commitment. You absolutely have to pump every 2.5-3 hours 24/7 to keep up your supply and it is exhausting. I did that for 8 months and it was brutal...on top of that I also had to supplement between the ages of 4 and 8 months before I went exclusively to formula.
Last year my son was born and I was adamant in the hospital that no one was to give him a bottle. He latched on and nursed really easily and has had no problems whatsoever being able to nurse. He is now 8 months old, I have a great supply and he's been exclusively breastfed the whole time. It is a million times easier than bottlefeeding and especially pumping and bottlefeeding. You have to do what you are comfortable and what keeps you sane :) If you decide to pump and want someone to talk to about it I would gladly share what I can remember (it was about 4 years ago). Give me an email if I can help out.
Good luck,
K.
____@____.com
Hi. I have been pumping for my son now for 4 months. His pediatrician knows this and said as long as he is getting the breast milk it doesn't matter how it was delivered. I'm not sure why your doctor wants you to switch. If it is a matter of getting enough for him you might try breastfeeding a couple times a day just to help with your production, but pumping the rest of the day. Good Luck!
Contact your local La Leche League. Their website has information about local groups. One of the leaders would have suggestions or would be able to point you to a good lactation consultant. La Leche League is a wonderful organization and everyone I have met is very understanding and helpful. I would not have been able to do it without them! Good luck!
i'd talk to your OB or lactation specialist about a nursing shield it may help him latch on easier and get more milk as most of them make it flow easier.
Try contacting the hospital where you gave birth and see if they have a lactation support center. At Christ Hospital, they offer lactation support for free even once you are discharged. Both of my sons (now 7 and 4) had extended hospital stays after they were born. I pumped at first, and the lactation consultant helped me to get them to latch on once I had them home. They gave me a rubber nipple that fit over my breast at first and this really helped. After they latched on with the rubber nipple and nursed for a bit, I would take it off and try to get them to latch on without it. It took some patience, but eventually it worked.
my baby would cry everytime i would feed her too. i went to a lactation consultant and that really helped. i would definately spend the money and go see one.
Hi C.,
You've gotten a lot of good advice. I would just like to add, keep trying to get your baby latched on and you may surprise yourself.
My son was 4 1/2 weeks early, but didn't have to stay in the hospital. We got home 2 days after he was born and he was back in the hospital 2 days later for jaundice. They told me if I planned on nursing, I had to pump so they could see how much he was taking in.
I saw a lactation consultant after he was released and no matter what we tried, nothing seemed to work. I don't know if it was because he was early, I was a first time nurser, or a combo of both. I pumped exclusively for 6 weeks. One day, I was so tired of pumping, I tried getting him to latch and it worked! I ditched the pump until I had to go back to work where I would pump during the day and nurse him whenever he needed to eat and I was at home. I also nursed all weekend to help my supply.
Keep trying, hang in there and know what you're doing for your baby is wonderful!
I had some difficulty with latching my son after bottle use and used a nipple shield; it makes your breast feel like a bottle. Is there a lactation consultant near you? She can show you how to use one.
I'd try to get your son to nurse, but if it doesn't work breast milk from a pump is better than nothing. My son never did figure out how to nurse so I ended up pumping for six months and then had enough frozen milk to feed him exclusively breast milk for four more months.
My son had pneumonia when he was born and had to be on a respirator for about a week so I to had to pump. To get them to breast feed instead of a bottle is sometimes a challenge because bottle feeding is so easy for them and when they breast feed they have to work at it that is why the fuss so much. First you need to have patients because they will fight you on it. Secondly, what helped me is to strip them down to their diaper. The skin on skin contact comforts them and they seem to calm better. Make sure you put a blanket over him though so he doesn't get cold. If you hold your ground and don't give in with the bottle so quickly he will eventually take to you. I hope this helps.
My daughter didn't want to nurse and preferred the bottle from the time she left the hospital. She would fuss quite a bit about having to nurse, but my husband was laid off and I needed to save the money by nursing. I couldn't pump because I would sit for 20 minutes and get 2 oz....waste of time. So anyway, I just kept giving her the breat. If she fussed, she fussed. She would eventually take the breast and nurse. Sometimes I had to feed her more frequently because she didn't get enough but she finally caught on and nursed well after a few weeks.
It is all about who is more stubborn.
My husband did give her one bottle at night (which probably confused her) but I needed the sleep.
