I could use your opinions!!!

[pyzia]

As some of you know I am an exclusive pumper for the most part and once in a while can get Ds to latch onto my breast provided I use a nipple shield. He has gerd and that is what caused a lot of our latching problems early on. I went to see a LC the first few weeks after ds was born but I will be honest it is expensive and I just do not have the money to pay for one again. Do you think that it is possible to get ds to latch full time again?????? He is now 2 1/2 months old.

[woodchick]

I think you could definitely do it! We used a nipple shield for a while (to ween DD off the bottles she had while in the Nicu) but were able to get her to latch on without it.

It took a few weeks and a TON of patience. I would let her use it on the first breast, but not the second. Or I would have her latch on with the shield, eat a bit, and then latch on without it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Little by little we were able to ditch the sheild all together.

Good Luck!

[timneh_mom]

Hello Mary,

Do you have La Leche League in your area? They are free, and often can help without needing to see a LC. Some even will come to your house for free and you don't need to wait for a meeting.

I haven't been through this but there are a few things you can try... you could get a supplemental nursing system (are you familiar with those? Let me know if you're not) and put your milk in that, it would still give you breast stimulation and help him get used to getting milk at your breast instead of from a bottle. Some moms find it helpful to woo their babies to the breast in a warm bath, or at night/naptime when they are a little sleepy. Another thing to try would be to give the first part of the feeding in the bottle and let him comfort nurse on you. I hope other moms here can give you some more tips. I think it's definitely worth a try!! I admire you for your perserverence!!

[daniedb]

Originally Posted by woodchick

It took a few weeks and a TON of patience. I would let her use it on the first breast, but not the second. Or I would have her latch on with the shield, eat a bit, and then latch on without it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Little by little we were able to ditch the sheild all together.

Good Luck!

ITA - it took quite a bit of time and patience, but over the course of a few weeks, Henry learned to latch w/o the shield. I would let him nurse with it for a few minutes until he wasn't ravenous anymore, and then offer him the breast without the shield. It was a debacle for a few days, and slowly, very slowly, we both got the hang of it. I hope you find the same success.

[Valian]

If Dc latches with the nipple shield, then there is hope! I think its possible, even without the LC.

Ds was a preemie and also has GERD so we've been there. Honestly, getting bm into Ds was our biggest goal so we used a nipple shield for EVERY FEEDING for months and months. Ds finally showed signs he was ready to wean off at 6mo. At that point, he went practically cold turkey (wanted it twice more when really sleepy). He's a nursing champ now at 10.5 mo!

My suggestion is to try one of two things:
1. Change to starting every feeding at the nipple. You can pump a little first so the letdown is quick and he gets a fast 'reward' for latching on and sucking.

I swear the shield saved our nursing relationship because my milk would let down while Ds was fussing/screaming with hunger, anger, and pain so the milk would collect in the shield and if I could coax him back on he'd get milk right away.

2. Other idea, start Dc on the bottle and when he's relaxed and not feeling super hungry/anxious then try switching over to the nipple. Again, you can pump a little first so there is milk ready when he latches and starts to suck.

The key thing is not to stress the baby over feeding. With gerd, there are often enough bad associations with eating, you want to make nursing comforting not scary which is why I don't reccomend going off bottles cold turkey and giving Dc as much time with a shield as he shows he needs.
Try different nursing positions and let him just comfort suck if he's amenable.

Don't get discouraged! For so many months I couldn't imagine a day when we'd have the kind of nursing relationship where baby cued hunger, I lifted my shirt and presto. It felt like some fairly tale, but with perserverance we made it! I know EP'ing is hard, hard, hard and nursing with a shield isn't always a piece of cake (buy some extras) but I say go for it!

[pyzia]

what is a supplemental nursing system????