Hi all! I have a 14 month old daughter and I was able to breastfeed her partially for 7 months. I had low milk supply (I tried teas, oatmeal, pumping and nursing constantly). She had attachment problems and I had to wear a nipple shield whenever I breastfed her. Are problems likely with breastfeeding when I have another baby?
Hi NataliesMum,
I'm sorry to hear you had difficulties breastfeeding your daughter but well done on mix feeding for 7 months - this will have given your daughter lots of the wonderful benefits of breast milk.
Just because you have previously struggled with breastfeeding does not mean you will have difficulties next time. Indeed, it is likely that you will be a lot more prepared next time around. I would also highly recommend getting in touch with a lactation consultant before your next baby is born. This health professional can then help you with proper positioning and attachment.
One of the most important factors with breastfeeding successfully is getting a good latch. This can take some help and practice. It may help you to get in touch with a local support group of other mums.
If you and your baby do not establish a good latch then it is likely to cause nipple discomfort. This can lead to you using a nipple shield which is then likely to result in less milk production and, therefore, the possible need to mix feed. It is a vicious cycle and this is why it is so important to get someone to check your latch and help you in the early days. It's also best to breastfeed on demand - and this helps to establish a good milk supply.
So, I'm wondering if your low milk supply was due to using nipple shields? Also, was your baby checked for a tongue tie as this can cause a baby to not latch on fully and so to cause nipple pain in addition to the need to nurse for hours on end.
I believe you can have a successful breastfeeding experience next time around! Please continue to ask any questions here.
Best wishes,
LJ
Thank you for the response. It is good to know that I won't necessarily have difficulties the 2nd time around.
We did actually have help from multiple lactation consultants in the hospital for latching problems. They said I had a small nipple and gave me the nipple shield to use. Even they had difficulty getting her to latch...we tried every position and trick. After she was home, I got her to latch once and then she wouldn't breastfeed again for another 2 weeks. In that time I pumped every two hours, drank tea, ate oatmeal and anything else that would help.
My daughter was in the NICU for a week because we both had a fever during delivery (luckily the fever broke within a couple of hours of her being born.) She does did not have tongue tie. I honestly think the low supply was greatly due to the fact that I was not allowed to breastfeed her until 17 hours after her birth (and the wide array of medications I was given during my stay). They let me hold her for a few minutes, take a couple of pictures and then took her to the NICU and wouldn't let me try until the following afternoon.
I agree - skin to skin contact and breastfeeding within 20 minutes of birth can make such a difference. I'm sorry you had such a difficult time - it must have been stressful, which does not help when you are starting to breastfeed.
I hope you have a much more positive breastfeeding start next time.
With best wishes,
LJ