plz help my friend

[Inspired007]

I have a friend whose baby is 3 days old. He will not nurse. She said that he screams as though she is killing him when she tries to get him to latch on. She said she does not have inverted nipples, her breasts are full but I am not fully convinced her milk is in yet because she said she tried to pump and can't get anything out. This of couse has increased her anxiety some and led her to believe thay maybe she doesn't have enough so she's also been giving baby formula via syringe. So, what could the problem be? I told her not to pump yet but she tried again and got a few drops. I'm thinkin its just colostrum. What can she doe to help baby take the breast? She said that baby screams until he gets the formula. I told her to keep putting baby to breast at every turn and stop giving formula. She tried, but said baby won't nurse so instead of backing off formula she gave 1/2. What can she do? Iam concerned abt her and want her bfing relationship to work!!

Thanks in advance!

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

really if the baby won't nurse at all, and she is unable to pump, and she has no access to donor milk, she is doing the best she can. the baby needs fed, and though artificial infant milk is not the first (second, or even third) choice, it is the best way to make sure the baby doesn't become too weak to learn to nurse due to dehydration/lack of nutrition. the fact that she is dupplementign viz syringe insead of fake nipple is a huge plus. she needs to see an lc or lll l though, as sometimes it is a simple fix position wise etc.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

that being said, i am ep for my littlest son, as he won't nurse either. but his is mostly severe nipple confusion'prefference paired with i guess something else still.

[CoBabyMaker]

Has she contacted a lactation consultant or LLL leader? They may be able to give more hands on help or suggestions.

I told her not to pump yet but she tried again and got a few drops

I don't understand why she shouldn't pump. She needs to be stimulating her supply if baby isn't nursing. She should be pumping frequently but not worry about how much she is getting right now.

I would recommend lots of skin to skin time. Has she tried nursing after the baby has taken a little formula (or pumped colostrum)so that he is not frantic? If she does get letdown at the pump she can try pumping till letdown and then trying to latch him. Nursing in a warm bath can also be helpful.

My DD also refused to latch and screamed at me whenever I tried, it's SO disheartening! For me, because of a bad birth experience and terrible LC's at the hospital having someone else come and touch me or my baby would have felt like a nightmare. I know that they are "controversial" but what worked for us was a nipple shield. She latched away with it and all that mattered to me is that she was at the breast. It didn't damage my supply at all. Yes, they were a pain to wean off of and it took us nine weeks but they totally saved our nursing relationship. (I have a friend who was able to ditch them after 2 weeks.) Hope that helps!

[Inspired007]

Thanks so much for thr replies. I admit my post was a little scattered so I'll try to clarify. I told her not to pump b/c I didn't want her to avoid nursing. I didn't realize until right before my post that he wasn't nursing much at all. I agree that if he's screaming at the breast that she probably has little choice but to supplement with formula and expressed bm. I thought about telling her abt the nipple shield but didn't b/c she said she didn't have inverted nipples and I wasn't sure if there was a benefit in that case. So its something she cvan try?

[Inspired007]

I am out of town and am posting on my cell phone(so sorry for the typos). Can someone help me find a la leche league leader phone number she can use? Is the help available overnight and on Sundays? She lives in Phoenix AZ so I am not sure if that matters with regards to a local chaptr or national. I appreciate all the help. The early days of nursing are pivotal in my opinion so I truly consider this an emergency. Thanx!

[ewe+lamb]

OK we need to look at how the baby is being handled first of all, when she's putting baby to the breast I would highly recommend using the biological nurturing position - look up www.biologicalnurturing.com it really lets the baby do his thing with no interference from anyone and maybe this would do the trick, I've used it with newborns who refuse to nurse and I've seen it work wonders - it looks sometimes if the baby will fall - but they really won't so have confidence in yourself, this is a key point - confidence is an important thing - it's half the battle knowing that this is what our breasts are actually made for, let her understand that her baby's tummy is just the size of a small marble, see if you can find one - seeing one is really the key, it doesn't take much to fill them up unless they have been really filled with formula, at three days old the baby's tummy is around the size of a large marble, this size change is due to the change of milk from colostrum to milk - but this also depends on if her milk has come in or not. Try to post to let us know what the birth was like, medications which were used - long trying birth or not, how the baby was placed at the breast for the first time etc, again really look at the biologicial nurturing position to get a handle on it and see if you can help and reassure her that all will be ok. If you want you can PM me and give me the telephone number to call - as long as it's not a cell phone or high tarif calls; I can call the USA for free - I say this as I know that many LLL Leaders and maybe the helpline don't take calls on a Sunday - or at least I think that's the case.