I am 4 days postpartum and struggling with baby latching. He latched perfectly in the hospital but now my right one is too swollen (I accidentally used the wrong flange size and now it’s been swollen for 2 days). He will latch on the left but sometimes he will get fussy and arch his neck and go stiff. When he does finally latch he eats for 15-20 mins and his face has been turning red. I don’t know what to do. He has been having pee diapers and we did a weighted feed yesterday and he transferred milk so I know he is eating.
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A lot of hospitals and pediatrician offices office have “on-call” lactation consultants. Reach out and see what kind of resources you can find. They’ll often time come to your house or have an office close by
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Is your boob off baby nose when nursing ? Pretend you have a cigarette between pointer and middle finger and grab nipple and squeeze a tiny but out on babys mouth keep holding nipple and get baby mouth wide open to latch on… get the milk out your hard boobie if baby does not latch…takes time bith if you are learning how to do simething new… keeping it hard can turn into infection and body aches and fever it sucks… i got the avent manual pump for instances like this becauae u can pump hard a few times and hold it till no more milk comes and keep going till empty.
I was about to say the same thing, try to find a lactation consultant. They are very helpful and this is what they’re there for, usually it’s free as well.
First take a deep breath. Most areas have breastfeeding clinics you can attend where a nurse will help. I use the nipple shield and that helped tremendously. You can even look up videos to figure out how to hold and place. If you have a pump use it to help drain your right side and offer him a bottle if he isn’t latching or eating. I went through hell breastfeeding and honestly fed is best. Do your best not to stress and just keep taking breaths
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I agree with the other ladies, take a breath and try not to stress too much (I know it’s sometimes easier said than done). If you can try to pump on the right side to relieve the pressure please do so as it will make it easier for baby to latch. If you can’t pump, try hand expressing until you feel a difference, less full and then try to get him to latch. It is super helpful to talk to a lactation consultant as well. They will be able to assist with latching and ways to make breastfeeding easier for you and baby.
I would invest into a nipple shield they work wonders . That is what works for me .
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You’re local WIC office has a lactation counselor
Gerber has a Lactation consultant that does phone consultations free of charge. You can call them or visit their website to set up an appointment
I always put my nipple between 2 fingers so they had a smaller area to latch on. Also had inverted nipples. It helps with that also.
On top of all of the other good advice that has already been given, please check to make sure your baby isn’t what they call, tongue tied. I had issues for two months it wasn’t until he happened to see the right doctor that they were able to fix it.