My 3 week old son was nursing very well (every 3 hours), up until 3 days ago. He does not want to latch on properly to the breast and is now sleeping less between feeds (I'm guessing b/c he is still hungry). Does anyone have any advice or tricks to get him back on track? Just to clarify, I haven't given him any bottles. He goes to latch, but will not open his mouth wide enough to take in the areola and nipple, so he just ends up on the nipple-which does not feel good. If he does latch on correctly, he starts to "narrow" his latch 7-10 minutes into the feeding until he is just on the nipple at the end. Is is possible it could be thrush? (another poster suggested that as the culprit). And how do you check for thrush?
Have you given him at bottle recently? If so it could be nipple confusion. Keep working with him at breastfeeding, and don't offer any bottles for another couple of weeks. They generally say 4-6 weeks. It gives breastfeeding a good foundation.
my little boy is a week old. every so often he gets himself so worked up into a tizzy that he can't latch on. what i do is let him suck a paci or my finger for a few seconds to calm him down. also some times my breasts are so full he can't get a latch so i have to hand express a little bit of milk so they are not so firm.
Is he congested at all or does he seem to be in any discomfort when he tries to nurse? Babies apetite changes and he could just not be as interested in eating right now. However, I'd call your ped. and discuss it to rule out any potential problems.
Call a lactation consultant IMMEDIATELY! The Lisa Ross Birth and Women's Center has a wonderful support center and you need not be a patient there. They're not open on weekends but you can leave a message for the midwife on call and she may have the lactation call you TODAY: ###-###-####.
Also, start keeping a log of how long and how often he feeds. You may not be feeding as much as you think and the baby is getting too tired to work for it. My son nursed great for 5 weeks and then abruptly stopped. Despite my best efforts, we never got him back on the breast, and I pumped for the next 9 months. I don't recommend it! ;-) So nip this problem in the bud now!
M.
The only time babies will forget how to latch on is if you had to quite breastfeeding for a time and switch to bottle. He probably has one of two problems: Thrush or a sore throat. A quick visit to the pediatrician can check that.
N.,
You might try calling the lactation consultants at your hospital, or your OBGYN office for assistance. The other possibility is that the baby may have thrush which makes it difficult for them to feed/swallow. They can pick up yeast as they come thru the birth canal. Have you looked @ his tongue to see if there is anything on it? Sometimes that is the culprit.
Good luck!
B.
Most babies have a growth spurt around 3 weeks...maybe he just needs to nurse more...hints the less sleep. Best of luck mama.
.
I have two sons, 3 and 4 years old now. I know both of them went through "growth spurts" at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months and woke up more frequently during these times. That could be all there is to it.? Good Luck!
N.,
Congrats on the new little angel! I hope that breastfeeding in going well for you, its such gift! I have not read any of the other responses so I may be repeating anothers advice, but have you tried to nurse him in other positions? Or maybe just something you have been eating or putting on your body like lotion or perfume that he may dislike. Babies are very sensitive to smells at that age. I hope that you will not give up on him! He will figure it out again soon. I hope this helps.
A.
