Hellobee Boards

First of all, congrats mama!!!

Second, I agree with trying different positions, Also, this website has some good tips
http://www.justmommies.com/babies/latch-techniques-for-breastfeeding

Congratulations!

Congrats! I could have written this post. My milk never increased enough but I highly recommend seeing a LC after you leave the hospital if you are still ahve problems. Maybe you could try the supplementor/tube to see if she'd latch better? We fed her like that for a while.

Have you had everyone check for a tongue tie?

Congrats!!!!

Utilize the LCs as much as possible and have the dr check for tongue tie.

In the early days, it helped to drag my nipple down to his mouth from his nose, for whatever reason it got him to really open wide. I had to kind of smush my boob in there in the beginning. Hand expressing a little just so there is a drop or two on your nipple was a good trick I picked up from my LC. LOs can smell better than they can see in the early days and smelling milk made him open his mouth really wide.

You can also play around with a pacifier, getting her to open wide for the pacifier, just as practice. My LO was lazy, he COULD open wide enough to get ample boob in but preferred to just latch on to my nipple... Ouch.

Don't fret over supplementing, we supplemented for a few weeks and went on to EBF from there and are still nursing at 13m.

@Mae: our LO was a very sleepy nurser, too. We had to feed her expressed milk and formula with a dropper while we suck trained her with our finger. Eventually, she got the hang of it, but we still use a shield.

You're right, it *is* hard! but you are doing a great job!

@Mae: Hang in there! The first few days are so hard when they can't figure out how to latch quite right and they're so tiny. My son had a lip tie and tongue tie, so that's why he couldn't stay on very well. He was also a sleepyhead, but it really helped to strip him down to a diaper for feedings...It kept him awake long enough to eat. Do you have an LC you can visit after you go home?

@Tidybee: @Mae: I agree with getting baby checked for tongue tie. There are also posterior tongue ties which can be harder to recognize, so make sure someone very experienced is evaluating. We also had my son see a osteopath (similar to craniosacral work) since he had a tight neck(only wanted to turn to one side) and jaw. Pediatric OTs can also give you tips on jaw massages to do. In Seattle we have NPs, NDs, and MDs that all specialize in tongue tie clipping and seeing postpartum moms with breastfeeding issues- search in your community for someone really knowledgeable in this area!

I have no advice about the latch bit just wanted to encourage you to keep asking for help until you get things figured out & try not to worry!!

Congrats!!!

This sounds exactly like my experience with my first LO. He had a tongue tie and a very small mouth. We got both upper and lower frenulums clipped at 5 days old but it didn't do much for my pain. I REALLY wish we had followed up with cranial sacral therapy for him to open up wider, but no one suggested it at the time. (And I never heard of it until HB!)

Here's the link about the therapy.
http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvaugsep01p82.html

To keep awake we would put a cold wash cloth on his back. Totally ticked him off but woke him up! I also would pull his chin down to open his mouth wider. Also was constantly hand expressing while he was feeding the first few days.

Google Jack Newman breast feeding and he has a lot of great information!

Congrats on your arrival!!! I hope she gets the hang of it soon