Hi moms,
I'm wondering how I can get my baby to breastfeed again. I just gave birth, and I would like to get him back on the breast, as I had to wean him so early due to another pregnancy. If anyone has ever done this, or has any ideas, I would love to hear them. He's 11 months old, and has been on the bottle since he was 4 months. I have tried to offer by breast to him, but he has no clue what it is for. He just smiles and bites. I understand that I will probably have some ladies read this that do not agree with my decision to try this, so if you are one of them, please refrain from commenting. I do not want to hear ANY negatives. Thanks mamas!
*EDIT*
Sorry girls-I didn't mention in this post that I placed the new baby for adoption, and so my son cannot observe me nursing, of course. I just really want to get him back to the breast because I think it will help me with the whole nurturing/missing my baby issue. I also know that the benefits of BF are great, even at his age. I will pump and put it in a bottle if I have to, although I really prefer the intimacy and also the convenience of nursing. :-)
i tried with my adoptive son.. he was 4 months old.. and he couldn't get the idea either... you may just want to pump instead... it's hard for a baby to get used to the breast again... Breast feed the new baby.. and if you want the other baby to get the milk... mix some breast milk with his reg. formula.. it will all work out.. good luck
have you tried a nipple shield? maybe the extra protrusion will help...
I think you def need the wisdom and experience of someone who is very knowledgeable about tandem nursing. Because you have a newborn you want to make sure you know the ins and outs to make sure both little ones get what they need.
Since it has been months since he has nursed he may not be able to "get" it again as you know bottle feeding and nursing are totally different but you could, as the others have suggested, pump for him and put it in a sippy at this point.
It may be enough to allow him to see you breastfeed your newborn.
But, if he does not seem interested, I would not press the issue. Pump for him and supplement it in his regular bottle.
I would ask your lactation consultant in your area. La Leche Leage online has a network to find one in your area, if you can't get a hold of the one from the hospital. I personally would have no idea. If he doesn't get the idea, maybe pump for him and put in bottle. It's better than nothing at all. :)
Good Luck!!
Kate C on here was trying to help me get my son (6 months at the time) back to breast feeding. I was given bad info when I first was trying to breast feed. Kate told me to get a Supplemental nursing system. We tried it, but my son was to large to handle and absolutely refused to try. My son is HUGE by the way. He's 8 months now and 27 perhaps even 28 lbs by now.
Here is Kate's site
http://www.mymammasmilk.com/default.html
My pregnancies were close too and I also had to wean my first son earlier than I wanted (my boys are 13 months apart.) Honestly, I think it might be too late to get your 11mo old back on the breast but there's certainly no harm in trying. He might get curious about what you're doing and see that nursing equates to extra time with mommy so take advantage of his interest and go from there. My older one was very curious and pointed to ask about my breasts while I was nursing my newborn a few times right after we brought the new baby home. After I was done with a nursing session with the baby, I would let my older boy 'nurse' a little but he was never really in it for the milk. I think he just wanted the extra attention. He would suck a couple times and laugh then want down to go play. You could try contacting a La Leche League consultant and see if they have any suggestions. Best wishes and congrats on your new baby. :)
*Edited: Given the extra information, maybe just continue offering the breast to your son and if he uses a thumb or pacifier when he's sleepy, that might be a good time to offer nursing. He might be more willing to suckle. I understand what you mean about preferring the close contact of nursing-- its a wonderful connection-- but if he just isn't interested, I agree that pumping is the best option so that he can get all the goodness of your breastmilk. If he objects to the taste, maybe just mix it half and half with what he drinks now or use it to make his oatmeal, etc.
Could you try a bottle first that mimics the mechanics of breastfeeding like the Breastflow by First Yr (although, they changed and leak a lot now) Or maybe even the Adiri Breast like bottle, just so he can get the hang of 'working' at the breast again...I'd have to say unless you have kept him on a really slow nipple when you weaned, chances are he's not going have the patience to "nurse" for that long, even if you could get him to latch on again. My 9 month was exclusively breastfed up until last month, and I started introducing the sippy w/ some water...He's now refusing the breast (except at night or when he's sleeping) simply because he has to "work" at it......The only other thing I can think of is to go to a La Leche meeting, or maybe a friend who's nursing, maybe even some youtube videos, and see if him seeing other babies nurse, will "show" him that they aren't for playing. I'd have to say tho' even without weaning this is the age where my 1st and even now with my 2nd are "playing" with them...Even laughing and giggling when the squeeze enough to get some milk out LOL....
Good luck I'm praying some mom with a similar situation can give you some pointers....Maybe a lactation consult can help....But this is all I can think of at this point...
Ur very brave! i think its too late tho. maybe try while he sleepy, give bottle first to get him sucking then try to switch it on him
It may help the most if you can get a let down and THEN place your 11 month old at the breast. That way the milk will be squirting into his mouth and he will probably start drinking!
Pump for a minute or self massage to get the let down and then try!
I nursed our son for 18 months and it was great. Keep trying with this one as you could still have a long nursing relationship with him even if he is 11 months old already!
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastfeedi...
This is the Medela Supplemental Nursing System. I won't lie - at first, it's a pain in the neck to get the knack of positioning the tubes to tape them correctly on the breast/nipple. But it's the perfect way to make sure your little one is getting the milk they need when they don't have a good latch, and also make sure your supply doesn't tank. You could get the SNS ready in front of him, by putting whatever you give him now in the SNS and telling him it's his "new bottle! YAY!"
He's 11 months now, so you can tell him "no bite!" and perhaps latch him on yourself. Hopefully he will be encouraged by the ready flow of milk enough to latch on like it's a bottle. The only other thing I can think of is to get videos on YouTube of mom's nursing their toddlers and let him watch the videos. Then present your breast and see if he follows the lead of the other kids in the videos. If that doesn't work, take him to a breastfeeding support group. He'll see the other kids nursing, from baby to toddler, and then you can present your breast for nursing and don't have to feel yucky about it. Hopefully he'll follow their lead!
Good luck.... I hope you can make it work!
Since he is so used to the bottle I would give a nipple shield a try... once he realized what comes out you can try without and just teach him no biting (pull close, unlatch and say "no biting").
Good luck!
There is definitely no hurt in trying, and I know many mothers enjoy two years of nursing and then have a hard time weaning because their babies continue to want the breast. But it is possible your son would have wanted to wean around 11 months, so he might be not be interested for that reason. Since you have milk for him, pump for the nutritional benefits and offer the breast at bed/ morning.
Both my children lost interest in the breast between 10 months and a year. They were eating food by then. So they started drinking whole milk and I was actually glad that weaning was not hard for us.
