Baby won't feed on breast - how long can I keep just expressing and feeding via bottle?

[dalvir]

Hi,

I hope that someone can help me. My second DD will not feed on the breast. I am currently expressing and she feeds via a bottle. My HV said that soon my ,ilk will dry up. Is this right? I'd like to know if I should keep trying to get her to feed - it is very stressful and she is becoming distressed by it.

Any help appreciated.

Hi Dalvir
Sorry you ar having a hard time. How old is your baby?

Your HV is talking nonsense.Many people successfully express for a long time-as long as they express often enough,thereby creating a demand on the breast,milk will be produced.

However,if you would rather feed direct from the breast then of course it is problematic.

Have a look at this link to a very good website set up by a MNer. The numbers of all the breastfeeding support lines are on the right of the page.
Ring them-they know much more about b/feeding than the average HV.

Nope, as long as you empty (though that;s not strictly true but til you get no more out!!) and express both sides then your body will replace it. You would need to express as you would normally feed or you body will reduce how much it produces and you will start to 'run out'.

I expressed when I went back to work when dd was 5 months and adjusted my supply at 10/11 months when she dropped the 2.30pm feed. She us now 13 months. Not sure how to give advice on keeping trying to bf her I would say yes as it took me a good 4 weeks to get her (and me!!) to know how to get her correctly latched on and I don't mean to imply that you are doing it wrong! It would take me 10 mins I think she's on, no she's not, I would get all worked up so then she would as she could smell the delicious milk but couldn't get to it...

I used to have to sit up with a cushion etc, within 6 weeks if I was in bed I would lie her next to me and sort of pint a boob in her direction in the dark and off she went. Good luck!!

You can keep doing it indefinitely - some women do this out of choice for months, even years. If you are feeding exclusively EBM and pumping regularly, especially at night, there is no reason your milk supply will dry up. Try looking at pumpingmoms.com for advice and support.

However - it is hard work! I know, 'cos I've done it.

More importantly - any idea why she won't latch on? How old is she? What was her birth like?

Have you had any advice from a proper lactation consultant i.e not a HV? There are lots of reasons and possible solutions - tongue tie? Some babies have high arched palates and find it hard to latch on, birth trauma also, sometimes cranial osteopathy can help if they are finding it uncomfortable.

It can be hard to get them back on the breast if they get used to the bottle but you really need proper advice - la leche league can be fantastic.

Good luck - happy to chat some more but there are better experts than me on this board.

I expressed for 8 weeks, until I gave up.

Well, I say I gave up - out of curiosity I kept squeezing and as a result of "demand and supply" my supply in my right breast is still there. DS is 3.2

Talk to proper breastfeeding counsellors, not HV's.

I expressed for 9 weeks whilst my DD was on SCBU. She can now breastfeed but only from my right breast so currently still expressing the left til she gets the hang of both sides!

Do plenty of skin to skin to help your lactation.