Large nipples and latching trouble

[@llli*cookies-n-cream]

I have a one week old little girl that will not nurse. I have large nipples, so latching is very difficult for her. In order to avoid the problems I had with my last two babies, I started pumping and bottle feeding as soon as my milk came in. I knew that the only way she would be able to nurse was to grow and she couldn't grow if she wasn't getting milk. (With my last baby, my milk supply crashed because he couldn't effectively nurse and we had no idea he wasn't gaining his birth weight back). Now that I am happily producing enough milk and she is past the jaundice/losing weight phase, I want to get her back to the breast. But she is not interested. She will attempt once or twice to latch on and then starts flailing her little arms and kicking her legs and screaming. She really likes her bottles! I don't have access to a LC because I live out in the middle of nowhere. What is the best way to bring her back to the breast? And I know the sooner the better, but what about timing? I don't want her to associate negatively to the breast, so should I wait until she is a bit older and her mouth is bigger? Is it possible to re-orient a baby to the breast at two or three weeks of age? I wish I wrote down what I did with the last two babies. It was just such a difficult and emotional time.

[@llli*mommal]

Welcome to the forum!

This link has useful techniques for getting a baby back to the breast: http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/back-to-breast/. In particular the skin-to-skin and instant reward techniques are supposed to be helpful. I suggest starting to attempt nursing ASAP: while it is possible to get an older baby to the breast, the chances of success decline as time goes on.

[@llli*lllmeg]

I agree with mommal, time to start getting baby back on the breast NOW. Great you kept your milk supply up, now time to nurse at the breast which I assure you is WAY easier than eping. Gently encourage nursing in such a way that you both can be relaxed about it and it will not cause breast aversion. Also please stop thinking your baby likes her bottles and that means she will not like nursing. Of course she likes her bottles, she has no idea what she is missing. But she is hardwired to love and need nursing at the breast for both food and comfort. Comfort nursing often comes first when bringing baby back to the breast.
Any LLL or other bfding support groups anywhere near you? Sometimes Leaders do home visits.

The kellymom article is really great. Also try different positions to help with latch. I suggest laid back as this is a very customizable position that you can tweak as you like, and this is a position that tends to realy helps cut down on flailing and breastfighting. But just keep experimenting and find the positions that works for you and your baby.

http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfeeding.pdf and www.biologicalnurturing.com

[@llli*esthervegan]

You can get this newborn back to the breast. the PP's gave excellent website references.
It is important not to wait until your LO is hungry to reintroduce her to the breast.
your LO may be more agreeable to learn how to latch if she is not distracted and frustrated by hunger.
You may want to feed her the expressed milk first, 2 ounces or less, and then offer her naked belly to naked breast time.
Good Luck!

[@llli*cookies-n-cream]

Okay, I'm following the basics on the Kellymom page. The laid back positioning/biological nurturing just doesn't work for me. And there is no LC or LLL or anything near me. I used a SNS with my fourth baby and it was such a hassle to juggle the tubes and tape that I'm not willing to try it again-especially since they feel the tube and hate it! Nipple shields are too narrow. I'm on my own for this.

My new question is- how long should I try to latch if she starts crying? What happens now is I will feed her an ounce or two from the bottle, belly to belly, cheek to breast. Then I will try to latch her. She will give a suck or two, and then let go and cry-even when there is milk coming from the nipple when she sucks. If I give the bottle back she settles quickly and sucks the milk down. When she slows down, I pull the bottle and try again...and she cries again. After three or so tries I give up. I don't want her to develop an aversion to the breast. After she sucks down the 4 or so ounces, she passes out and sleeps for a few hours-sometimes skin to skin and sometimes not (I have five other kids that need feeding too-haha). She doesn't seem to need comfort sucking like some of my other children have. I've had babies that wouldn't sleep unless they were attached to me And how long does it usually take to get babies back to breast? Days? Weeks? Months?

[@llli*scillawtp7]

Cookies-n-Cream: did you ever get to a tme when your baby could latch and nurse w/o issue? I'm in the same boat: my nipples are too large for my DD to latch deep enough and effecitvely tranfer milk I know that time is really the only curse, but what should be done when the babe is "big enough"?