I'm an experienced bfer (DS1 18m, DS2 4y, but they're 13 and 11 now...!). DS3 was born four weeks prem 16 days ago with no rooting reflex, though that has come since. Also blood sugar issues (I was diabetic in pg), needed antibiotics, under lights twice for jaundice, so not the easiest or most relaxed start to life!
He latched on and fed well a few times in hospital (we were in for eight days) and I tried him on the breast almost every feed, except for when he was under lights as he needed to be out, changed, fed and back under them asap. He was syringe-fed colostrum to start with as he wouldn't latch (despite lots of skin to skin, etc). Then he had a little bit of formula as he was in special care for his breathing, but that stopped as soon as my milk came in and I've expressed for every feed since - he had NUK teats in hospital and we've continued that since. He doesn't have a dummy and he feeds approx every three hours with a longer stretch overnight (tends to feed about midnight, then half four, then I wake him about half nine.
However, I really would like him to be back on the breast full time. Keeping ahead of his milk needs and having to pump/take ebm out is far more restrictive than my previous experiences of just putting the baby up my top!
I've hired a hospital grade pump, my supply has always been good, so I'm not too worried about that for now. I've also bought a supplemental nursing system which I hope will arrive early next week. Nipple shields haven't worked - I can't seem to keep them on/he gags on them. He's not tongue tied (def not, I've checked, as did the consultant and the infant feeding coordinator in hospital).
When I put him to me, he will take my nipple into his mouth then either spit it out (with a look of utter disgust - good job I'm not easily offended, eh?!), slide off or suck once and promptly fall asleep (even if I then do breast compression). Or he gets upset - if he gets upset, I take him off and stop as I don't want him to associate boob with fighting(!).
We have a lot of skin to skin, but he just doesn't seem to know that boob = milk any more. The last time he latched and fed was 28th April about 4am (I've carried on with my feeding chart from hospital, so have got notes of every ml/suck he's made since then - makes it much easier to see how much he's taking/what I'm expressing). He's still only little (was 5lb 4oz born, dropped to 4lb 14oz, regained birthweight by day 8, was up to 5lb 9oz by day 12)
Have you experience of getting a baby back on the breast? How did you do it? What am I missing? Thanks in advance!