Latching on problems

[KelaS]

Hi all. I am a very new mum, trying hard to bf, but struggling slightly - could do with some advice as to a) whether the issues I am having are normal and b) what I can do to resolve them.

Baby is 3 days old, I managed to feed quite quickly after birth, but had problems with latching on properly after that, got lots of help and advice from midwives which really helped regarding positions etc, but the problem I have is that I don't think she is taking enough of my breast into her mouth, meaning that my nipples are getting quite sore. I can't be sure though, as I have quite large breasts (F cup before pg, even bigger now milk has come in), and I simply can't see her mouth/my nipple once she is on to get any kind of idea how much she has.

I know the theory of how to get her to latch on properly, but the problem is that she tends to move her head around so much that I can't bring her to the breast, I have to take it to her, and so don't have much control.

Does anyone have any advice/expeience to share? I am determined to bf, but need to work out how to not make it hurt so damn much!

I was helped by a midwife to get a wobbly-headed newborn DS2 to latch on by holding the back of his head and guiding his nose at my nipple. not too slowly either
Worked for me!
good luck, hang in there. You need Tiktok - if she's not about just now, bump tomorrow and hope to find her

Try to start moving baby to breast rather than breast to baby, cos otherwise you will end up in a funny position and get a sore back and shoulders.

kela - congrats on your newbie
i had probs with latching on as well- it really is better to get support with it early as possible or you could end up with really sore nips. i had / have biggish boobs as well and foundit hard to see what was going on. dp proved valuable in being my "eyes" for this. i also had to kinda cup my boob to get it into the right shape for her to get her wee mouth around. i had to use loads of pillows to get her up to the right height.
do you have a bf specialist attached to the hospital who could maybe check if the latch is right? what is your community midwife like?

keep going with it if you can. we perservered and got through the more difficult times. no dount hunker or tiktok will be along to help.

Thanks both.

Weeonion - even dp can't see what is going on - my breasts completely cover the lower half of her face and I have to work hard to make sure I keep her nose free so she can breathe! I do pinch my nipple into the right shape (as advised by the midwife at hospital), but find it hard to get everything into her mouth without her trying as well iyswim.

Gigglewitch - I know what you mean about moving breast to baby being an issue, but tbh my breasts are so... floppy that I can move them around fairly freely to find her without moving my own position iyswim.

I will be seeing a midwife on Sunday for blood spot test so will ask then about bf specialists etc.

Hello Kela, What positions have you tried? I found that for me the football hold meant I could more easily focus on dds head and could see a little more.

Also I would say swaddling helped enormously in those early days, they do wriggle don't they!

You are doing well, persevere, it will get easier, but it can take time. promise

hi and congrats on the new baby
when i BF my DD i had the same problem to start off with. i found it really useful going to the breast feeding clinic at my local hospital. i have got big-ish (.)(.)'s and found that after a bit of practice it really was easier to bring the baby to breast as it helps with latching on properly. what position do you use to feed? i was told by the MW that the 'rugby ball' style position is often easier for larger breasted ladies as it gives YOU more of a view of the latch IYSWIM. i tried it and found it quite comfortable aswell and easier on the arms i hope someone comes along soon who is more knowledgable and you find it gets easier. xx
xx ei xx

Kelas

Congratulations on your DD

You sound lovely, and are trying all the right things.

Rugby hold can be good for the larger of nork (as I was)

Try kellymom.com too

I always found that I had to hold my breast up with the hand that wasn't holding DD, and also compressing the nipple so it fit in her mouth.

Look here for some great resources, on a website by a mumsnetter.

You can call any of the helplines as well.

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers helpline 08444 122 949
Breastfeeding Network Supporterline: 0870 900 8787 Breastfeeding Network Drugline: 08700 604233
La Leche League Telephone Helpline: 0845 120 2918
National Childbirth Trust Breastfeeding line: 0870 444 8708

What part of the country are you in - we could try to find a local clinic.

And remember that your MW might be lovely but may not have the complete low down on bf

Good luck

Have tried rugby ball hold, definately helps, but still awkward. Am not totally sure I am doing it right though - should she be on her side facing me, onr on her back, slightly sitting up? Descriptions I have read aren't that clear. If the former, it feels like my breast has to kind of bend round the corner to meet her mouth iyswim.

I am in Watford - if anyone knows of a clinic please let me know - I will try the helplines, but I think what I really need is for someone to actually look at what I am doing to see what the problem is.

i had a nightmare with latching on.

rugby ball position worked well for me, plus a tip a friend gave me was to pull the corner of my nipple sideways to help ds latch on. (as oppsed to pinching it as i had been doing.) makes your nipple more oval than round iyswim.

had the advantage of being able to see more of the underside of your breast as he latched on, plus stopped him latching onto my knuckle.

also swaddled him immed pre feed. meant he cried more while i swadled him but otherwise he latched onto his flailing hands.

that link is great, esp the "what it's ok to do when you're breastfeeding" bit.

congratulations on dd and hang in there. if no one's already mentioned it, lansinoh is amazing for sore nipples.

I would say please give a bottle to give your nipples a rest.. there's nothing wrong with it and you can contiune mix feeding for along time that's teh myth that that nct don't want you to know

cross post!
my rugby ball position had ds lying as if he was on his back slightly sitting up. i used to put a pillow by my side and lie him on it, but inevitably by the end heslid slightly into a sitting up position.

it felt awkward for me too at first, but continued to improve.

i tried it all and it didn't help but maybe the damage was done.. there is no support at all for breast feeding - esp in london but i tried everything

Hi Kelas!
How are you getting on? I too have large norks and prefer the rugby hold. As to how she lies, it depends on which way your nipple is pointing. Her whole body needs to be in a straight line, i.e. her head shouldn't be turned, and you need to position her head so she is looking straight at the nipple, nose to nipple.
My nipples point slightly downward so I place ds slightly on his back and bring his head up. If yours points forward then on her side is best, using cushions and pillows to bring her to the right height. I find a V-pillow very useful. The advantage of this hold is that you have your lap free to put things in like a book or magazine, or even a plate of food (very important to feed yourself, bfing is very tiring!).
I would definitely recommend you see a bfing counsellor to get your latch checked. If your dd is latched on, her bottom lip should be at the bottom of the aereola, and her top lip above your nipple. The trick is to brush her top lip against your nipple, and when her mouth is wide open QUICKLY bring her head to the nipple. Do this by supporting her neck - don't press the back of her head as baby's skull bones are very soft and she will not like this very much!
Anyway, hopefully Tiktok or Hunkermunker will be along to give you some good advice. (And correct any errors in the above!)
Good luck!

hedonia - not sure why you say mixed feeding is something you can do for a long time and nct don't want people to know this.

I am an nct breastfeeding counsellor. There are many reasons why giving a bottle at this stage or at any stage when breastfeeding is getting going that makes it not a good idea - and certainly not something to be as directive about it as you are being ('please gve a botle'......!!!????!!!)/

Giving bottles can lead to full formula feeding - not mixed feeding. There is research on this, and plenty of experience on these boards that shows giving a bottle is very risky indeed.

I am sorry you didn't get good help with bf. London is especially bad for this, due to shortage of midwives, and shortage of breastfeeding counsellors, too.

kelas - there is a limit to the help you can get off the internet for positioong and attachment issues. Try self-attachment, feeding in the bath, not fighting with your baby....but mostly get someone who knows what they are looking for to be with you and help you.

the good lady has a point! hope i didn't send you wrong in the middle of the night.

how is it going today?

Hi all

Thanks for all the advice, I think we are getting on a bit better today - I have got some lanisoh (sp?) for sore nipples, which is working brilliantly, and she seems to be latching on a bit better. Will still ask mw for help tomorrow and look into local support.

Hi KelaS, I had a nightmare with the whole latching thing too. In the end I worked out that my daughter was going on the breast but not actually getting much milk - instead she was just doing damage! I looked at the video clips on www.drjacknewman.com for ages - I really mean ages - watching a 2 minute video clips over and over for about 2 hours until I could see exactly what they were talking about. The videos made all the difference to me and I went on to BF successfully. (Thus I'm now a bit evangelical about him - see other posts tonight ). I've just checked and they seem to be working okay (although on my computer it said try again another time, I refreshed the page and they popped up in a window to the side). Best of luck with it!

Ugh, the dreaded latch positioning!
I remmeber when DS wouldnt latch on and I had no idea how to get him to, took a midwife and myself about two hours to get it sorted!

Listen to Tiktok (she knows everything ) and try and get hold of someone in your area that cna help you with the latch physically rather than just a vid.
Good Luck.

Found out today there is a breastfeeding workshop on Thurs at the hospital, so will be heading over there (if I can work out how to get there, not sure if I should be driving yet ). Think things are getting better though, doesn't seem to hurt as much. My milk is fully in now and flowing well, which I think is helping as maybe she doesn't have to suck as hard?

She'll also have got used to the sucking reflex and will be getting stronger at it.

I didnt note if you had a CS or natural delivery so not sure about the driving thing.

Hope they can help you though.

Natural delivery - no-one has told me not to drive, and think I will be ok. Workshop has moved to next week though so have more time (and longer to wait before getting the advice I am after )