Need help now with newborn!

[aloneinid]

Just had my third baby and he has a shallow latch. Midwife came over last night for 3 day check and tried to help with his latch by holding his lower jaw open and "pushing" him onto my breast. he did latch better, but after she left he refused to nurse, screaming after latching on for 1-2 seconds. We were up all night and every time I try to nurse him he roots and sucks for 1-2 seconds then comes right off screaming. He hasn't nursed since last night and I am getting really upset. Any ideas? I have two calls into LLL. (I nursed my older two children for two years each and didn't have this type of problem. My milk is in, but I am not totally engorged yet).

[ewe+lamb]

Hi, if you say he has a shallow latch have you yourself looked at the tongue? i would recommend that you do that first of all, does it lift up, stick out etc? Reply back and we'll go from there .....

[aloneinid]

Yep, not his tongue. Think it is due to recessed lower jaw/gums.

[annettemarie]

As per the forum guidelines, I am going to move this out to the main forum.

[ewe+lamb]

OK well 'pushing' baby onto the breast does not help encourage anyone let alone an infant nurse, imagine what happens when you're being forced to drink a glass of water, your instinct is to push back on the hand that's pushing you forward - really not a sensible thing, i would highly recommend doing this www.biologicalnurturing.com and maybe seeing if you can take a bath together to instill a new birthing sensation for your baby, and do the biological nurturing position or laid back nursing with your baby and see how things go. Let us know how you get on - it's the weekend so try and concentrate on nursing the baby and let your dh handle the other kids if that's at all possible. Good luck.

[SilverLace]

Have you checked out Jack Newman's website? I think there are some pretty helpful videos on there.

http://www.drjacknewman.com/

I also think that really good swaddling helps a lot of little ones focus.

What have you tried so far?

[aloneinid]

Thanks, everyone. Obviously the baby was upset by the "forced" latching (my midwife is very sweet and only meant to help because he was not latching properly and not getting any milk). It took him about 24 hours to calm down. I got out my pump, which I had never used with a newborn or really at all, for that matter, and had to pump to get the milk flowing for him and then spend 20-40 minutes getting him latched on before he ate each time. Also, I am having to wake him to feed him, which is very different from my first two babies. Now, at 8 days old he is latching on without the pump for the last 24 hours, but I still have to wake him to eat. I think we are in the clear now. So scary to have a baby that isn't eating, especially when they are so tiny.

[maddymama]

Hugs Mama,
I'm so glad everything is going much better now, and I'm so glad you stuck with it!
~maddymama

[ewe+lamb]

Great news - keep going - you're doing a great job!!!