To wonder why some babies just won’t breastfeed?

[Summermeadowflowers]

And what would have happened to them in times before formula?

I am wondering this idly as I express milk for my DD as we couldn’t latch, and have had to order a replacement part for the pump so have very painful breasts at the moment!

It is awful but would they just have died?

They used animal milks, wet nurses or mixed things like flour and water
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24577423/

The nipple shape is often the problem, a child with a strong latch might succeed, another baby might not. Hence a wet nurse could work for a lazy latcher. My first couldn't latch at all, I took it very personally. I eventually weaned him onto the boob through shields but it was slow and difficult and didn't last too long. I found pumps almost impossible to use, I didn't have the supply.

A few years later I had twins and one was an amazing feeder from the moment he came into the world. He made it possible for me to feed his twin, she wouldn't have latched otherwise. Even when he wasn't feeding I could lift him while asleep onto the boob for a minute and he would latch and suckle like crazy until I had a full flow, then I'd put him back down and pop sister on and feed her! My friend had 2 kids exclusively pump fed as she couldn't get a latch, then 3rd baby came along and fed really well and exclusively.

Yes, i think that’s sadly the case, unless they could get a wet nurse.

My son never latched, and I could only ever express less than half of what he needed. Very grateful for formula and I’ll be using it again with my second next month.

How old is your dd?

Things change, their mouths get bigger, their muscles grow/develop, it might be worth revisiting.

On the pump front, I'd have a couple maybe. You can get them cheap second hand on eBay and just get new collection parts if you don't want even sterilised parts someone else has used, on you.

I got a great spectra hospital grade pump.on eBay for £30, minus a power adapter, and when I contacted the spectra supplier in the UK, they sent me a replacement adapter for free (!) Used it with freemie collectors cups you can push into a sports bra.

But Medela etc are supposed to be decent too.

Also the in bra, mobile ones look worth a go - the Evie and the other one, can't remember the name.

Someone mentioned nipple shields, did they make no difference?

Btw apologies of you already know this but you're supposed to pump holding you bub or looking at them or at the very least looking at a photo of them and ideally listening to baby noises.

Not sure how you could pump holding a baby!

With a one-sided pump you can! I've done it! It is a faff though and tbh it made absolutely no difference to me whether I was near baby or looking at them or in a completely different place thinking about something else entirely. Double pumps are much more efficient.

DS wouldn't bf. Tried everything and he only had moments of managing it over his first few weeks. I had to pump and ff.
His sister took to it like a duck to water. It was very odd.

My great grandmother was a ‘village midwife’. She fed a baby who was ‘difficult’ on goats milk , via a piece of flannel dipped into it and then put between his lips.

he lived and thrived enough to be conscripted in 1915.