17 day old DS refusing left side and now hungry all the time.. HELP

[BunnyBaby]

Good morning ladies.

DS is now 17 days old. I have flat nipples - so after latch problems when he was born, I used avent nipple shields to encourage the nipples to draw out. I have been keen to wean him of these, and was thrilled yesterday to get him to feed direct from right breast without shield. I think he had been starting to reject the shields as I have had problems getting him on with them over past few days and had a few marathon feeding sessions - probably due to the fact he couldn't get as much milk as he liked.

The joy of him feeding on the right was soon mitigated by the fact that I cannot get him to latch on the left with or without the shield.

He was awake every hour through hunger yesterday afternoon (normally goes 4 hours between start of each feed). Eventually I expressed an ounce and tried to cup feed but it all dribbled down his chin. So out of desparation after 12 hours of feed and cry I expressed another 1.5ounces and we offered him the right then fed him this expressed milk from a bottle.

Is it bad to offer him expressed milk from a bottle so young? I was so engorged and he was so hungry I didn't know what to do.

He then slept through until 8am this morning (from 12.30am) which I think may have been more out of exhaustion than anything else. My gut feel is that he isn't getting enough food,

I have the perfect latch on the right but can't get this at all on the left, and I've tried so many different positions.

He does 4-5 wees a day, and averages a big sloppy breastfed poo too, so hopefully that points that he's ok, he doesn't seem dehydrated or thin.

Has anyone got any advice? I feel like I'm starving him, though he did gain 4ounces the other week and will be weighed today. We're over in Middlesex.

Thanks millions - it is so important to me to be able to feed my little boy and I really need some support as I feel like I'm failing him :-)

Your baby sounds fine, Bunny, and hourly feeds are on the normal spectrum. You are not failing him at all.

What you did - expressing and giving it to him after a bf - was fine, and very sensible. He is unlikely to reject the L side forever, and you need to keep up the supply on that side so you retain that option.

You can continue doing this (though he may not actually need the L side ebm, in which case freeze it) 6-8 times in 24 hours to prevent engorgement on that side and to maintain supply. Keep offering the L side to him, without a struggle or fight, though....maybe slip him across without turning him, or cuddle him skin to skin on that side and respond to feeding cues by making that side more 'available' to him, and seeing what happens.

It will not matter if he does decide to feed one sided only (would be uusual, but not important) as your R side will make enough for him. Mothers feed twins and more - two breasts per baby have the capacity to make more than enough

Thanks FioFio, the football hold is the only way I can get him on the right, and is good for getting excellent latch. This technique just doesn't seem to work on left. Does your DS now take most of his feed from the one side, and did your supply increase on one side? Wondering if I'll be left with lop-sided boobs My nipple must be fine once flowing as no problems with pump or shield up until yesterday.

Thanks Tiktok - both my nipples also feel sensitive now, left from pumping and right from him being directly on. I fed him on the right this morning and he refused the left at about 9am. He stayed on right for 30 mins and dropped off to sleep around 10am, and he has slept for 1.5hrs. So maybe he is managing with the right only. I have to say - it feels easier feeding more regularly in the day than at night when we're all exhausted.

Have you tried lying down with him, it used to work for my dd's.

Hi Singys lying down worked for a bit, but I can only get the non-shield latch right with the rugby ball. Looking forwards to feeding him again lying down soon as it's bliss!

Hi FioFio will try that, sliding him round, and see if he notices!

Hiya,

I had the same problem, dd was happy on the right and terrible on the left. I think it was the position I held her in, she was more comfy on the right. I ended up with a cracked bleeding nipple and cried every time I fed with that side. I tried using a different position every feed, football hold, lying down (a favourite), lying dd on a bean bag/pillows and leaning over her from a different angle each time. It took a while but finally got it right.

I was told not to use bottles untill dd was 12 weeks because of nipple confussion. When my left nipple got too full I would express and freeze it, it keeps for 3 months and means you have a good supply.

I have a freind with a 9 month dd who has only ever fed from her left boob as her dd refussed the right. Her dd is perfectly healthy so it just shows you can do it from just one side but it would be prudent to express from the other to keep up your production.

I used to worry that my dd wasn't getting enough, but as long as she looked healthy, was having plenty of wet or pooy nappies and didn't loose wieght then I new she was ok.

Do you have a local bf support group? Having other bfing mums around can really help.

You could try taking him to see a cranial-osteopath. A BF counsellor recommended this to me when dd would only feed on my left breast if I was lying down then started to refuse it altogether. I was a bit sceptical, but after one session she could feed on the left and was far less possety. After a second session, she was even more settled with her feeding. It works even better if you take the baby for treatment within the first few weeks of life.

Thanks for all the messages, have booked him in to cranial osteopath this Thursday, so we're trying to keep going until then.

Yesterday offered left and he fed from right, he wouldn't take left so I expressed and got about 4oz over the day which we gave him last thing at night along with right side feed and he slept through (probably tired as hungry most of the day)

This morning I continued to offer left and we carried on with right, he was feeding each hour for 20 mins, then would sleep 10 mins and grizzle until I put him on again. By afternoon I felt completely empty and he was only dozing for 5 mins and screaming out of hunger.

I then retrieved the nipple shield out of the steriliser, as this had also been rejected before this was more out of desparation. And I set to trying lots of different positions. In the end I got him on the shield in the cradle hold. I think he definitely may have a jaw / skull imbalance as I can get him on the right in the rugby ball, and this is the equivalent of moving him round my body.

He settled then for 20 mins and was hungry again, as I've has him glued to me and crying all day (I was crying too by 6pm). DH has got back from work and popped him into the car seat.

I think when I do the final feed and can offer both sides (one with shield) he may be more satisfied.

Hopefully expressing from Sunday until today has not affected my supply too much on the left. His feeding should bring it back up again all being well.

Really determined to keep going, though it was tough today as I knew it was a hungry cry and there was nothing I could do until I finally got him to accept the shield again.

Will keep you posted as to how we get on over the next few days.

All your support means so much!

Just to update you all, the cranial osteopath was wonderful, he found that the induction had caused a lot of pressure on BS's spine and head. His jaw was out of kilter so he realigned that too.

To summarise and to our delight, he latched onto the left side without the shield.

We've had some hairy days since as he's stuggled to get on sometimes, and I spoke to a bfc who also came out to see us.

Apparently the nipple shields can result in them having to relearn to suck.

This week he put on 8oz which is brilliant and is now doing 2-3 poo nappies a day instead of 1.

We are keeping going and all your help is much appreciated DS is now 4 weeks old and it feels like we've turned a corner.

Bunnybaby