Stopped Nursing after 2 Months...

[Mom2Rajan]

Good day!

My 7-month old son stopped nursing when he was a little past 2 months old. From the start he really had problems latching so I had to collect breastmilk in a feeding bottle. He was crying everytime because he couldn't latch. My milk production started to decrease until it completely stopped. What could be the effect of this to my son?

Thank you.

[Jessica]

It is difficult to say why your son had difficulty latching. Did you ever have your son checked for a tongue-tie? That is one reason why babies have difficulty latching. I have also heard that some babies need an adjustment after birth from a chiropractor (you can read more about chiropractic care in this article.) It is very important to seek help as early as possible if the baby is not latching well. A poor latch can usually be corrected quite easily, if a mom has the right person helping her. I am sorry that you had such a difficult time with breastfeeding. If you do have another baby, I recommend finding a Lactation Consultant early on to help you.

[ljmarsden]

Dear Mom2Rajan,

I'm sorry that you had difficulty breastfeeding. It sounds like you may not have had enough professional support? You should be proud of the 2 months breastfeeding you gave him and the benefits he will have gained from this. It sounds like you then continued to give him the benefits of breast milk by expressing after this - I know expressing can be hard work so again well done on what you have given your son. Whilst breast milk does continue to give excellent benefits throughout the second (and beyond) years of life I don't think you should make yourself feel guilty about this. You are caring for your son and this is a wonderful thing.

I hope what I have written has been helpful for you.

[Mom2Rajan]

Thanks for your help, Jessica=) I will have him checked if he's tongue-tied, I hope not. I am a dentist but I think his paediatrician would have a better view this early. Even the nurses in the nursery told me that he had problems latching even on feeding bottles. I should've been patient enough to train him to latch. Another thing is I really have poor milk production as on those two months he is already mixed fed. After 2 months, he's drinking purely formula

[Mom2Rajan]

ljmarsden,

Thank you. All your replies were so helpful. Thanks for making me feel better. Hope you'd be able to share more experiences with me.

[ljmarsden]

Awww thank you Mom2Rajan: I also find hearing other mum's experiences so helpful.

My son had a tongue tie so if you have any questions about this please ask. He was diagnosed by a midwife who specialised in breastfeeding at a breastfeeding support clinic. The other midwives who had seen him previously had unfortunately not picked it up. A lactation consultant could also check if your son has a tongue tie. Like Jessica, I can highly recommend the support a lactation consultant provides.

[aussiemidwife]

Hi Mom2Rajan - I too am sorry you had so much trouble with your breastfeeding. It is unfortunately a common story I hear from women. To get breastfeeding off to the right start you need good support from midwives and with women being discharge home from hospital early and no follow up - it leads to breastfeeding problems. If you have another baby - seeing a lactation consultant in pregnancy can help plan for a positive breastfeeding experience. It is wonderful that your son got some breastmilk in his early months.