Can't get a latch on one side - please help

[KatyK]

I am having huge problems getting my 4 week old baby to latch on to my right breast. It can be a struggle on both sides, but it is getting much easier on the left and much much more difficult on the right. I also have an overactive letdown which is making things more difficult.

I have trouble getting Euan to open his mouth really wide, but when he does, he latches on fine on the left but on the right when his mouth closes on me, his bottom lip seems to slip across the areola so that he doesnt have much more than the nipple.

A typical feed on the right goes like this: Try for five minutes to get a latch, eventually get one and immediately get a really strong let down. Euan splutters and chokes and comes off the breast. I let the flow reduce onto a towel (and it usually squirts everywhere including up Euans nose). Lots of crying. Try again to get a latch, struggle terribly. Milk dripping everywhere. Eventually let him feed with a bad latch because plenty milk is coming out and I am getting so stressed. Doesn't take much milk leaving my breast still feeling full - meaning that I will have to feed on the same side next time getting me even more stressed.

It is getting so that I dread when I have to feed on the right.

I had problems feeding my first baby on the right too. In that case I got a really badly craked nipple and eventually resorted to a nipple shield. That really helped and also reduced my flow a bit which was good. By the time I finished with shield, baby could latch on much better. Would using a nipple shield be a good idea this time even tho I dont have sore nipples (yet)? I know some breastfeeding experts think they are satan's work and should never be used, but it did help last time.

I am starting to get to the end of my tether - any help would be appreciated.

Katy

[@llli*djs.mom]

MY experience with OALD is that they figure it out. My son was alway scoming off and sputtering and choking. But then he started sucking and coming off to avoid the choking. Keep at it! You may want to try a different position. Alot of times if you mimic the position they're in when they latch onto thier good breast it realy helps. Football hold will put baby in same position as crade on the opposite breast. Does that make sense? It's late! HTH.

I wouldn't use nipple shileds if you don't need them.

[@llli*susnrob]

Maybe try pumping that side for a few minutes until the flow slows down some.

[laniesmommy]

You seem to be frustrated. Have you tried different positions? You may find that allowing the baby to nurse with his head and throat higher than your nipple will help. You can try leaning back while using the football hold to establish the "uphill" position. Other mothers find the side lying position to be the most helpful. Try different positions to see what works best for you!

Melissa

[@llli*kristie]

Isn't it frusterating when something so natural can be so difficult? Breastfeeding is truely a learned art! To help with the lo's coughing and sputtering, some mothers have tried expressing enough milk until you feel the let down and then allowing the baby to latch on. This way, your little one doesn't get so choked up during the initial let down.

What positions are you using? In additon to the football hold, the Australian, or "down under" position and elevated football hold can also use gravity in your favor. CLick here http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html to see pictures of what I'm talking about.
HTH!

[llmommy]

It sounds like you have two problems, which kind of exacerbate each other. I also had a lot of trouble with latch, and on one side more than the other. It REALLY helped me to go see an IBCLC and have her help me with the latch. I think I'd try that before trying a nipple shield. Nipple shields can be wonderful in certain situations, but they can also sometimes cause more problems. Also, if you can get by without something that you have to carry around and clean, better that way---KWIM?

[KatyK]

Thanks for all your replies. Things are starting to improve a bit, as I have forced myself to relax and not get tense when he won't latch on which was just making it worse. I think when you get stressed about it, you lose the ability to do things instinctively and over think them. You end up realising you have no idea how you get a latch so easily on the other side and feel like a total beginner again. So I watched a few videos of latching on to reteach myself and calmed down a bit and I would say things are about 50% better. I the past 3 feeds from that side, I have only had one where I felt like crying!

He is still on and off the breast all the time during feeding, but I can cope with that better now as I am getting a latch more often. I have also found that if I can wait until Euan is past his normal time for feeding, I get a forceful letdown before I feed, and then the feeding letdowns are easier for hime to manage. Obviously I can't do this every time, if he is starving and I haven't let down, but it does give me a break. I'll try the expressing to get a let down before a feed next time, since that seems as if it will do the same thing.

Thanks again,
Katy

[@llli*only.woman.in.the.house]

Katy, I too had a problem with my son, Connor, latching on my left side. The problem started when I was having to pump the other side exclusively because he has cracked the nipple so much. I called LLLI's hotline and I was told to try pumping that side when he wouldn't latch properly and feding him with an eye dropper.

But I put a little twist on it, and it worked out great! At first I held him to my breast and gave some of the EBM. After a while I started position him for latch on, but still used the dropper. It tricked him into thinking that milk was coming from my breast, and not the dropper. A week later he has not had a single problem with latching on to that side... he's a pro now, I'm so proud of him!

I also realized that I wasn't lining his body up correctly for the positioning I was using, fixing that helped alot. Hope this helps!