How to get baby to latch?

I had my daughter four days ago, and she latched really well at first, but I supplemented because I felt like she wasn’t getting enough. Now she won’t latch, or if she does, it’s only for a second or two. I’ve been pumping but only getting an ounce or two. Can anyone help with getting her to latch??

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Try different holds when trying to feed her, and try helping guide the nipple into her mouth. If they aren’t placed properly it makes latching harder. You could also consult with a lactation consultant as well. They are super helpful!

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Don’t take this the wrong way, why did you feel she wasn’t getting enough? Was she cluster feeding? I’m just curious because a newborns stomach is only the size of a cherry to a walnut so it’s extremely small. It’s normal for newborns to eat very little, very often.

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Keep trying her. It can take a little bit of time for her to get the hang of it. Also your milk takes a few days to really come in.

Lightly stroke her cheek while offering. It is a reflex response to latch.

A few things
-sounds like she got a bit bottle lazy
-get her checked for tongue and lip ties
-newborns nurse a ton, doesn’t mean they’re not getting enough. You determine that through the number of wet diapers. Pumping is NOT an indicator on how much you are producing.
-your local WIC office and/or hospital can get you in touch with a lactation consultant.

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Express some milk before you go to attach her. Sometimes this will help them latch on.

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One to two onces is great output for 4 days old! Definitely reach out to the hospital’s lactation consultant for help :slightly_smiling_face:

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Try to reach out to your pediatrician as well, they have people there that can help you. A lactation consultant is an amazing resource too

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I’d stop the bottle and only offer the breast if you want to breastfeed exclusively. A bottle is way easier to get food from than the breast. So baby will prefer bottle.

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Pumping is not an indication of your milk supply. Just keep trying to latch her and stop supplementing for now.

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Keep trying her, but stop giving the bottle. It will cause nipple confusion and cause latch issues. Newborns nurse alot. There should be a lactation consultant at the hospital you can call and talk to. I did with mine and it’s a private hospital that charges you for every little thing, but they never charged for calling the lactation consultant

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Have her checked for lip tie or tung tie at a pediatric dentist

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At four days old, your milk has probably just come in… Before your milk comes in you have colostrum which is low volume but very high in nutrients, and baby will get enough from that to get by until your milk comes in. You shouldn’t need to supplement at this time unless you aren’t producing at all. I would suggest you stop bottles unless you want to do pumping or formula.

Nurse baby any time she seems hungry, nurse any time she cries, any time she turns her face to your body when you’re holding her. For most women the body will adjust to supply whatever baby needs and at this age you should still be okay without supplementing because your milk hasn’t regulated yet.

If it’s too stressful or you’re still worried, then use formula. I would also suggest you have your baby checked for tongue or lip ties which can impede nursing (both of my children had tongue ties), but if she latched well at first it may just be preference for the speed/supply of a bottle and at 4 days this can 100% be corrected.

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Stop the bottle and try different positions. There are youtube and other online resources to help with breastfeeding. Babies cluster feed when they grow, it doesnt mean they arent getting enough. If your baby isnt crying immediately after eating cause they are still hungry then they are good!

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Watch you tube videos

Make sure when you go to put your nipple in their mouth you point it towards their roof of their mouth so that their tongue goes under your nipple. My son wasn’t latching because his tongue kept going to the top of his mouth

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If you’re going to breastfeed then breastfeed. You will make less milk for her needs by supplementing

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I had to lean forward to make the breast into a upside-down pyramid then hold baby under, it was easier to latch when it is the same shape all the way around.

Don’t talk it the wrong way but 4 days old they barely eat an ounce at a time you should have not done supplements your body will produce enough if your worried about it stop and do formula do nipple shield to latch talk to your lactation doctor because it can be just the way your holding her

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Your milk supply is only 4 days old too… it’ll take some time to build… you’re doing great mama… do what’s best for you and your baby…

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If your baby does better with formula and may not be gettin enough through breast milk, nothing is wrong with that

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Be careful that baby is getting enough milk, mine wouldn’t take to the breast properly so I bottle fed

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Private message me . I just had baby 4 days ago as well

Definitely try nipple shields. That may help you alot. Also there are different sizes so make sure you get ones best suited for you or they will just be a pain the the butt.

First stop pumping, no need to pump until 6 weeks you can cause overproduction. Pumping output does NOT show how much milk you actually have, baby is much better at getting milk out then a machine. Cluster feeding is normal, please don’t follow the every 2 hours. Latch baby as often as possible. Somedays it will seem all they want to do is nurse but it’s normal.

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If your baby is wetting diapers and gaining weight, they’re getting enough milk. Switching back and forth between and real and artificial nipple this young will cause confusion. The motion the baby uses to suckle is different between bottle and breast.

Your milk probably just came in and baby doesn’t need much before then, the colostrum is high in calories and antibodies. Now that your milk is in, try nursing exclusively if breast feeding is the goal for you. If you want to bottle feed, that’s ok too, but you can’t switch back and forth with a days old infant.

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I would stop the bottle! Newborns cluster feed, and they do get enough in those early days because their stomach is so small. Keep trying! :purple_heart:

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Call a lactation consultant from your hospital. In the first few days baby will cluster feed ALOT!! It doesn’t mean you aren’t producing enough milk. It is the only way baby will tell your body to make more milk and by pumping and supplementing you could have ruined your supply. Google cluster feeding. Giving the baby a bottle so early when you want to breastfeed is not a good idea because baby needs to establish a good latch on the breast before anything else. Call your hospital where you delivered and ask for a lactation consultant so they can help you. Put baby on the boob as much as possible and stop the bottles completely if you want to continue breastfeeding

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One thing that my lactation consultant showed me was to suck a little breast milk up in a syringe, and squirt it on my son’s lips and in his mouth, and also squirt some on my nipple. I also used nipple shields which gave him more “grip” and a little extra length to latch on to. It helped a bit, but ultimately he was just stubborn and didn’t want to breast feed! Good luck!!

You can try dream feeding. Babies instinct is to suck. When they are sleeping and you know they’ll wake up hungry soon just start feeding while they’re asleep. They won’t choke. It’s a natural instinct for them. Usually works.

Try using a nipple shield.

Also check for tongue tie. It was something I didn’t even notice until my son was over 1 and then I realized I couldn’t get him to latch but there was nothing anybody wanted to do about it because it was too late. I don’t know if someone mentioned that above.

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My daughter is 3 months old right now. I had to pump and bottle feed her for the first month because she was not latching. I tried every day to get her to latch. I tried nipple shields and expressing some milk on her lips and my nipple…nothing. Finally finally at 4 weeks old she latched. Now she is only breastfed, no bottles at all. I was so discouraged at first…I used formula to supplement and pumped for her. I just kept trying at least once a day though. I’m so glad I just kept trying because like I said she is only breastfed now since a little after a month old. Just keep trying is my advice. I was determined and it worked out for us. Good luck and congratulations on the new babe!

I’d highly recommend not giving anymore bottles. Nipple confusion is hard to correct. Call the hospital and ask to see a lactation consultant, they’re super helpful!

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Have tongue and lip ties checked

Nipple guard I had to use it for a while with my daughter due to nipple confusion because I gave her a pacifier

Breast shields helped me target or order from Walmart

Check for lip or tongue tie. Sometimes they have problems latching with a tie and can effect eating when they are older.

Nipple shield helped me at first. Then mid feed when they are getting the hang of it, swap for the real thing! I did this for the whole first month and the rest was a breeze. Breastfed until 16 months old :heart:

Your big mistake was giving her a bottle. It’s easier to get milk out of a bottle than your breast. Once they get used to it they don’t want to work more to get fed.