Getting back on the breast after time on bottles

[MoshiMoshi]

After a day and night on bottles of EBM so the hospital could monitor my 5 day old DD's intake, I am now trying to get her to learn to breastfeed again. It is rather frustrating to have been set back like this! The main issue is that she seems to have become lazy in latching on and I am not sure what to do other than persevere. After trying this morning she got so cross so I offered her 1oz I had expressed earlier in the hope it would calm her and then tried again. Now she is not interested! (Perhaps I should have given less to take just the edge off her appetite?)

I have a few hours alone with her so am sitting with lots of skin to skin but what else can I do to encourage her to do her bit?

Any tips much appreciated!

Bugger! Just missed the window as DD has now fallen asleep until the next feed.. Did not manage to get her to latch on unfortunately .

You're already doing the most important thing, Moshi - sitting with lots of skin to skin.

Your baby needs lots of opportunity to reconnect with you and your warm, loving body. A day and night in hospital is not a wonderful experience for either of you and while the bottles may well have been needed in the short term, they have interrupted things...she is not 'lazy' just in recovery

Try co-bathing, biological nurturing ('laid back breastfeeding') and don't be too afraid of giving bottles of ebm to ensure she stays hydrated.

There is no deadline here - it may not resolve itself 100 per cent today. Is the midwife coming back?

PS: let her sleep on you so you instantly respond to tiny feeding cues

*Offer the breast very often when she is not hungry and just quietly awake or when she is sleepy....skin to skin.
*Express a bit for letdown so she won't have to work so hard for it....express some breastmilk, or drip some EBM, onto the nipple.
*Hold her more upright and let her suck several times on the bottle and remove it, repeat this pattern....this works better at preventing a preference than fixing it however
*Try using cup feedings instead of the bottle
*give very little from the bottle if you have to, then switch to the breast
*shape the breast to help baby get a better latch
*some women just simply stop with the bottle and baby eventually eats, but not everyone is comfortable doing this

Thanks tiktok! The midwife is back tomorrow yes. I hope she doesn't decides anything else is all wrong! I ended up doubting my ability as a mother and realize that she might have been able to exercise her judgement so I could have done the same thing at home with her returning the next day. It would have been less stressful and less tiring for me (better milk)and I could have persevered with breastfeeding more often with EBM top ups instead. Avoiding this trouble! (The registrar said that it would have probably resolved itself back home had we not gone in when he examined DD!)

Apologies for rant.

Thanks doulalc for the useful checklist. Will apply today and hope for result...

Moshi, I suspect you are right that you did not need to be in hospital to do any of what you did

But.....you being tired will not affect your milk in any way, so you can cross that off your list of worries

tiktok - you are right, it was my abiguous drafting there (not practised law for over a year now). Should have said "less stressful (better milk) and less tiring..."!! My tiredness just makes me more grumpy ! Thanks for the support.

She still won't do it. Getting disheartened ...

Thanks Starlight. I guess I am feeling tired and it's affecting my morale as I usually am so positive about things. She managed it with a shield for half an hour which is better than a bottle although I did top her up with EBM as I am conscious I need to keep her going after the whole losingmorethan10%ofherbirthweight fiasco.

Am pumping like a madwoman too so hopefully they will be sufficiently stimulated to get through this?