Bad latch is it my fault?

[BeanoNoir]

Ds is 18 weeks and feeding is going really badly. He always takes over an hour to feed, falling asleep a lot at the breast.

His latch either slips to lips just around the nipple, or if I manage to get his latch nice and deep he pushes away with his hands until he's just round my nipple.

He's feeding every 2 hours day and night and has been for about 6 weeks. I'm obviously getting next to no sleep and feel like it's starting to affect me mentally/emotionally. I also have a two year old to look after.

Hv has suggested topping up feeds with formula. He will take between 1 and 5 oz after a feed. But still feeding so frequently. Last night he was in bed at 9 I was up at 11, 1, 3, 4.30 and 6.30 this morning - and that was quite a good night. I try and bf for as long as possible before giving the top up but feel as if he would just bf forever.

I don't want to stop bf but I'm in tears and overtired all the time. Does anyone have any tips or is it time to go to bottles? I just wanted to breastfeed but it's been so hard this time.

Had posterior tt snipped at 8 weeks.

Thanks if you can help.

[mathanxiety]

Is there any way you could get even an air mattress (and blankets obv) for you in the baby's room? Or a bedside/clip on cot for DS in your room?

How about having your DH give bottles if DS wakes up from 1 am onwards, so you can get some sleep? Just to take the edge off the exhaustion for a bit?

Has DH tried giving him a dummy or is it just you? Sometimes a baby will accept a dummy from someone other than mum.

Does he nap at all during the day? Are you carrying him around a lot?

[Xmasbaby11]

It is entirely possible you don't have enough milk. I didn't with DD. BF consultant could find no explanation, there just wasn't enough. It is a myth that everyone produces enough.

[Rollermum]

Sympathies, that sound very frustrating and exhausting - especially with another LO.

I had a similar situation at 9 weeks - DD suddenly breaking each latch to make it shallow which was painful and feeds took ages. I have a great HV who got me to slightly alter my position and that basically solved it. I felt I should have been able to figure it out - did research, called LLL etc - but as others have said having a good and experienced person look at you really helps. I feed rugby style and DD had grown so I needed to sit more forward and turn her on her side. Obviously each person will be different, but the change was effective but looked like nothing different iyswim.

I also baked lactation cookies. Not convinced they work on anything but a placebo level but my boobs felt fuller and leaked for the first time in ages. Also DD seemed more content with one side (which had been the previous pattern). Recipe: www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/breastmilk-supply-increase-breastmilk-lactation-cookie-recipe#.Upc-KmQgGc1

Hope you get a break / improvement soon.

[Xmasbaby11]

Personally I'd sooner formula feed than cosleep - or at least do mixed feeding. Do formula at night. DS may go a bit longer, but even if he doesn't, your DP can do a feed and you can get some sleep.

Every 2 hours sounds horrendous at 18 weeks. DD was down to every 3 hours by 4 weeks, and it was still knackering. I have no idea how you are surviving!

[neunundneunzigluftballons]

Shields definitely help with painful latch I found them an absolute godsend. Many women I know used them with no adverse effect the modern ones are thin silicon. That said if he is a slow feeder that might make him slower it was not an issue in my case. If you use shields you might like to try breast compressions as well.

[neunundneunzigluftballons]

Definitely sounds like tt is back I had a world of shit info on tt for years and 3 children. Everything you have described fits with the tt.

[CheeseTMouse]

Don't think anyone has answered where you can get nipple shields from -places like Boots in with the baby stuff. They are inexpensive and helped me when my daughter bit me and I was in pain from that. Not sure about the effect on a latch, but worth a try.

[Sunflower1985]

No advice as such as I have many of these issues with my 18wo ds, so just sending supporty thoughts.
Your perseverance is admirable.

[Chocchip88]

Beano my (now toddler) had a very shallow latch and used to feed 2 hourly but had started to space it out a bit more by the age of your DS. I was on my knees by 12 weeks (also have older DS too). I can't imagine how you must be feeling now : (
He still has quite a shoddy latch now and kind of pushes away at the breast until he's less deeply latched. I don't have much advice I'm afraid. Have you tried taking him off every time he makes the latch more shallow? But him back on w a deeper latch and then when he pulls away take him off again - repeat ad infinitum until hopefully he starts to 'get' that the deeper latch is better?

[tiktok]

Beano, it's gonna be difficult for a talkboard, or a bf support group, to help you properly with this. I think you need real life face to face help with someone who knows what they are about, breastfeeding wise, and who doesn't clutch at (totally non-evidence-based) straws like your HV (your exhaustion has will not impact on the quantity of milk you are producing.

I would suggest an experienced breastfeeding counsellor (not a peer supporter - their training is great but it does not 'fix' long-standing and complex challenges like yours, or a good LC.

Your breasts sound normal - the softening you describe is normal.

His weight, growth, health and development I take it are normal.

So....what clues do we have here? You are topping up a lot - not only is it disheartening and time consuming to be feeding this way (at most feeds? With a baby who is feeding often? He may be taking large amounts and this will impact on supply, so he becomes less satisfied at the breast. He also clearly likes to suck and would bf forever if he could....if you get supply issues addressed, or rule them out, then I agree a dummy might be worth persisting with.

Would your partner help you settle him after a feed? Could you work out a way of making night feeds easier (not sleeping on the floor!!) ?

A bfc/LC would talk about why this behaviour started 6 weeks ago. If it was me talking with you, I'd ask what bf had been like up to that time, what formula he had had, when does he start sleeping and coming off and on....loads to ask and talk through.

[BeanoNoir]

After me feeding ds at 4.30 til 5.20pm and then again at 6.30am til about 7.30am, dh gave him a bottle of formula. He drank 7oz and is now fast asleep in his cot.

I didn't think it was possible for my milk to not be enough for him but maybe this is the case? Hv said that because my exhaustion has gone on so long I might not be producing enough milk? My breasts have gone v soft, one in particular feels just like it did pre pregnancy.

[rockybalboa]

Oh and I meant to say that it took ds3 a couple of weeks to learn how to latch properly post posterior TT snip. Then it grew back a bit and we struggled again but decided against re snipping as things settled down.

[OhGood]

Sorry I see you said it's about 6 weeks.

[rockybalboa]

You've been given duff info about a posterior TT not growing back, it's perfectly common, very possible and in fact more likely than a normal TT is to regrow because of how low down it is. Have you considered contacting a private lactation consultant (if funds permit)? Much better attention than at a group. I struggled to get bf established with DS3 (having bf DS1 and 2 so technically knew what I was doing) and it was so frustrating. Yes, you can get nipple shields in the chemist but I still got sore with them with ds3. Does give them a bigger mouthful to get hold off though which helps.

But don't beat yourself up, a two hour feed schedule is punishing (ds3 did it for a full week when he had a growth spurt at 15w) and I thought I was going to collapse. Get as much help with your two year old as possible, do whatever you need to do to get milk into your baby (whether ff or bf) and remember that this phase will pass, you just need to survive it in a way that works for you.

[OhGood]

Beano I don't have the skills to help you properly but this sounds really difficult and I agree it's not sustainable.

First, banish thoughts of guilt and fault from your mind. I know how emotionally insane BF is. Try to pretend you are a friendly stranger reading your own post on MN and thinking 'Right, how can we help get this sorted?'

So I have had some similar issues to you. Some thoughts.

1. Has he been feeding this frequently since the off or is this a new thing, like perhaps a 4-month sleep regression? I am just out the other side of this. Can offer more on this if you think this might be the case. So the question is is this a maybe sleep issue and not a feeding issue? DS would feed happily whenever he woke. Then when (touch wood pray God it lasts) he started sleeping better, he could go 7 hours so I knew it could not always have been hunger.

1. After the TT was sorted, did he feed any differently? My BF consultant (hired cos we could not go on any longer at about 10 weeks) said that after TT snipped some babies have to be taught to latch again as is new and different. She decided against snipping DS very slight tongue tie but did try to teach us a deeper better latch. Had some success, was v similar to you with DS just pulling back. We did persist but TBH he had learned to BF in his preferred position we did not have much success. Nonetheless feeding has improved.

1. Your BF support group sounds crap. Is there somewhere else you can go?

God my DS is up and needs to feed.

We need Tiktok! I have more to add, will get back when I can.

[BeanoNoir]

Right so if feeding every 2 hours is normal is it also normal that each feed could go on and on and on? When am I meant to sleep? When am I meant to look after my toddler daughter?

[WaitingForMe]

Do you have a DP? I struggled with supply but rather than top up I exchanged a feed.

I would feed DS then go straight to bed. DH stayed up and did the next feed with a bottle. Then I did the next one. This gave me 4-5 hours sleep which saved my sanity.

There isn't nearly enough information on mixed feeding.

[Thiscoukdbeme]

Don't be so hard on yourself. You've done amazingly well to have breast fed him up to this point.
Have you tried Le Leche League helpline? I found them very helpful when I was struggling with breast feeding.
Having said that I really think that nobody could blame you for switching to expressed bottles or formula. You haven't failed, you've managed very well in a difficult situation.

[BeanoNoir]

How long should I breastfeed for before giving the formula top up?

[BeanoNoir]

I just feel like if it's something that can be fixed then it's up to me to fix it. If I can fix it I must need to do something differently to what I'm doing now. That's what I mean by fault.

If it can't be fixed I'm just banging my head against a brick wall.

Where do I get nipple shields from? Just a chemist?

[BeanoNoir]

ok, how do we learn to 'dance' properly then? I've 'danced' properly before.