My little man is a week old. We had a few health issues in hospital such as suspected wet lung, concern for infection due to that, and he was very sleepy for the first 3 or so days. This then led to concerns regarding jaundice and we were on 12 hourly checks for this with instructions to keep up his fluid intake. As a result of these compounding issues and a non-interest to attach and feed, he has been syringe fed with EBM. We went home on day 3 with re-admittance hanging over our head if we didn't keep him hydrated enough to fight the jaundice. It's been a hell of a week and I'm certainly feeling the pressure.
My ideal is to BF however I/we are struggling with that. We tried in hospital but everyone had different techniques and advice. One feed I saw 3 different midwifes with no real positive outcome.
We tried to establish BF from yesterday once we had the jaundice all clear however it was not successful over night and we reverted to syringing this morning at the advice of my midwife (from birth centre). She checked him out yesterday and thinks he may have a short tongue, ie not coming fully forward which was one of the attachment cues I was looking for. He seems to just 'tickle' the end of my nipple rather than being able to suck all along it, so my breasts get sore.
We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with a specialist regarding this possible diagnosis so will hopefully know more then, however I'm just not sure if BF will be possible. I'm really sad, although I know I should be happy that I have enough supply to express. Do we just accept, express and use bottles to feed, do we continue with syringing until he's a little bigger and able to attach more (he was 3 wks early and people have said that may be effecting his ability?), if we express and bottle feed, can we try to re-establish breastfeeding in a month or two (depending on the outcome of the specialist appointment tomorrow)?
Sorry if this doesn't make much sense. I've spent today mostly in tears, so I'm not sure I'm thinking and writing things down straight.
Just the briefest of replies - because I really need to go to bed. But, you will breastfeed - and sooner rather than later. It's what babies are designed to do! the first rule is *feed the baby* The next is maintain your supply. You will be astonished at how quickly it all comes together when the jaundice passes. I know it seems in many ways like the longest week of your life - you have already encountered many hurdles. But it's only a week - he will change on a daily basis. Let me know what happens tomorrow - there are some very good people in the ACT in regards to tongue/sucking issues. Make sure you express every 3 hours - yes, day and night. The rest will come together. Have you tried a nipple shield?
I'm just weaning a bub that was sent home from hospital mostly on ebm bottles - and is now 2 and a half.
Keep bub hydrated, keep expressing, and keep seeking help. Try attaching whenever you can - but don't get stressed about it or let bub get too upset - give it a few minutes, and if it doesn't work then go for the ebm. In the first weeks we would have 1 suck feed and the rest bottle feeds each day. If you can express enough to be one feed ahead of bub then that makes things much easier - you try and attach, if it doesn't work (or even afterwards as a top up) you grab the EBM, and then express afterwards, once bub is fed and happier. My DS ended up finding the swoosh of a pump quite soothing.....And by the time he was a couple of months old he was back bf-ing full time (to the extent that we had another battle later on to get him to take a bottle or a cup when I went back to work!)
So much will change in the next couple of months - most importantly that little mouth will grow, the jaundice will go away and you will have a much stronger baby.
Hang in there!
Ce. You are doing brilliantly under tough circumstances. I bet you are tired too after your huge last week. Barb's advice sounds really good. Hang in there if you can. My friend who gave birth 15 weeks ago is still expressing her beautiful BM and feeding by bottle and it is working really well for them. Though with some help you should be able to get attachment going.
I will text you a local lactation consultant details who I know nearby who can help you in your own home if you are interested. She is a local ABA member and I know others that had lots of difficulties in the early days who are now successfully BF after her help.
A great lactation consultat is a wonderful thing! It can work out with time and the right advice and support
Well done on your hard work feeding your baby - those early weeks are tough even under the best circumstances
My little lump of lard couldn't quite work out what to do with a nipple at first either. He's still lousy at getting latched on his own, I have to squish my aerola and stick it in his mouth or he just nibbles. But he's got it all worked out now, and is ... a lump of lard. Took less than a week, but then I've done this before. If he was my first baby I think I would have had some major issues. You need someone who knows what they are doing to see you in person and check out what you are currently doing.
Did you have any pain meds during the birth? Some of those can make your baby very snoozy for several days, which makes you feel like a failure (not helped by nurses prodding you to BF) but it really just sets things back by several days.
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Ce. You are doing brilliantly under tough circumstances. I bet you are tired too after your huge last week. Barb's advice sounds really good. Hang in there if you can. My friend who gave birth 15 weeks ago is still expressing her beautiful BM and feeding by bottle and it is working really well for them. Though with some help you should be able to get attachment going.
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