trouble breastfeeding...

10 replies

troubledbreastfeeder · 22/07/2006 01:06

i am not sure if my baby is swallowing or not. i googled this and it said if the baby's jaw is moving then it means he is swallowing - but surely the baby's jaw would move if he was just sucking too?it also said you may feel him swallowing. i can definitely feel him sucking but i don't know about swallowing - what should it feel like?
also what does it feel like when let-down is occurring?
i also looked up how to build my supply when starting relactation and it said to use a nursing supplementer to provide expressed milk at the breast while baby sucks at the breast - what does this mean?

OP posts:

yawningmonster · 22/07/2006 01:28

Hi I am not an expert but will try to answer to the best of my ability and hope someone comes along with better ideas....
You can sometimes hear a baby swallow the milk and if it is warm you can do some body to body feeding so babies neck is exposed so you can see if baby is swallowing. Is baby growing? having wet and soiled naps? These are good indications they are getting milk. As far as I know a supplementer is a little tube that is taped to your breast and attached to a bottle/bag of expressed milk so baby is getting some through the tube while sucking at the breast also.

suzywong · 22/07/2006 01:41

hello
lots of good advice from YM.

Are you actually re-lactating?

The let-down reflex feels as though pressure and liquid is building up behind the fullest part of your breast, not the nipple. You can feel the release of pressure when the baby starts to suck.

As to the jaw moving, the nipple is actually taken way back in to the baby's mouth with the tip of the nipple almost hanging down the throat and it is the muscle of the tongue which is working to get the milk out of your breast so in fact the jaw is not that good and indicator. As YM says, have a look at the skin on the underside of your baby's jaw, not the jawbone although it's very hard to distinguish parts of such little creatures, and see if that is moving. Plus if he wasn't swallowing he would be letting you know by creating a fuss.

How many heavy wet nappies are you getting a day - and by wet I mean orange runny poo and wee, not just wee-? It should be at least 4.

Do you think you may just be having a bit of a late night wobble about him swallowing - we've all had unique ideas at 1am in the morning when our babies were new. Or do you have a real concern related to his weight gain and general health?

Original poster

troubledbreastfeeder · 22/07/2006 01:57

yes, i am re-lactating. have been trying to get ds to latch on since birth. now at 4 weeks old he has decided to do it. will have a look at the next feed and see if i can see the skin under the jaw thing that you mentioned.

OP posts:

suzywong · 22/07/2006 05:48

Good for you! Keep trying and Good luck

CarolinaMoose · 22/07/2006 08:38

ears wiggling is also a sign of swallowing, but like YM says, a soft gulping noise is proof.

Let-down can feel like a buzzing sensation near your nipples, but some people get it more strongly than others.

dizzybint · 22/07/2006 14:46

when they swallow there's a sort of pause as their mouth is wide. so instead of the jaw just going up and down when they are trying to get the milk coming through it's like up, down, pause, up down pause. or sometimes up down up down pause up down up down pause. if you pay attention to how you swallow you'll see how you pause too.

Yummymum1 · 23/07/2006 19:35

Sorry to but in but i just wanted to recommend an excellent book i had when i was breastfeeding.It is called Bestfeeding but i cant remember who it is by
It was great and i wish i had had it when i really struggled with ds1 and gave up after 6weeks!Hope this helps

kiskidee · 23/07/2006 19:41

you may want to have a look at these video clips in the short term and then see a breastfeeding specialist in the long term. the webpage states that one video has a good clip of a baby actually drinking.
dr jack newman his handouts are also excellent.

tomorrow, try to contact one of the breast feeding charities and arrange a face to face appt with one. sorry have to run. someone will come along soon and provide links to the charities.

dizzybint · 24/07/2006 10:00

i got that 'bestfeeding' book too. my midwife recommended it. it has loads of helpful pictures in. it's by renfrew, fisher and arms.

Yummymum1 · 24/07/2006 20:19

Yes thats it dizzybint.I knew someone would know the author

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