Struggling so hard to get baby to latch - 4 days old
I have really flat nipples and even though I have managed one or two feeds at the boob each day since she was born, it tends to be a struggle. I started using nipple shields yesterday and they help but I’m finding I need to give her a bottle first to curb her hunger before she will latch on. Then she will feed for like an hour on the right boob. She isn’t so keen on the left.
I wasn’t at all expecting this but I’ve had to give her formula as well as what I’m pumping to make sure she’s getting enough.
So with this mix of some breastfeeding and then bottle feeding how much should we be giving her in a day? And did anyone else have this kind of experience and successfully manage to move to exclusive breastfeeding? When she is screaming as I’m trying to latch her I am losing the will. Could also just be my pp exhaustion. Does anyone have any tips/positive stories to help me get through this please 🙏🙏🙏
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@Samantha-Jo thank you 🙏 I want to keep persevering with the breastfeeding and this gives me hope!
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I had flat nipples with my first, surprisingly not an issue with my second or third! I used the shields short term but I also was told I could pump for 1-2 minutes to perk up the nipple first before getting baby to latch. One side is always the more difficult side, for me that’s my right side. I need to hold it and baby’s head pretty much the whole feed otherwise he unlatches or has a hard time keeping the latch. As you and baby get the hang of feeds it gets way easier! The beginning is just tough. I would recommend always latching her on the more difficult side first and then switching to the easy side. Hold the boob like a hotdog so it’s easier for her to get a good latch and then hold until she is done on that side.