My baby latches, but only drinks for a minute while my let down is quite strong, then gives up and sort of waits for the milk to fall into her mouth. How can I encourage her to "work for it"?
@@castroscorner8466 if your baby is ‘surfing the letdown’ it’s quite likely this is due to poor tongue function. I’d suggest checking out my video on tongue tie and having your baby assessed for this. This behaviour can also be common in babies who have gotten used to having bottle feeds.
@@alissabrownibclc Hi there Thanks for your reply. She doesn't have a tongue tie, but has been drinking from the bottle since birth as her jaw was too weak to get sufficient colostrum. I would offer her my breast, she would do what she could and then we would finish off with the bottle until my milk came in and she is strong enough to feed from my breast. At 2 weeks she was still tiny and needed help, so we used a nipple shield. Now at 4 weeks I'm trying to wean her off the nipple shield and she of course prefers the easier methods - bottle and shields. She latches without it and drinks beautifully, but only for a short while and then stops as if she's waiting for more. My breasts are not drained properly and she could still eat. So I put the nipple shield back on and she then finishes her meal. Should I just be patient until she gets the hang of working harder on my breast alone or is there something I could do to teach her or encourage her in any way?
@@castroscorner8466 Keep trying with some time without shield then putting shield on when she needs it. Trying switching sides more often - when she starts to struggle and you’d be tempted to put the shield on switch to the other side, then same again switch back to the first side. This will give her a quicker easier flow of milk :) Breast compressions can help too
I’m currently having to exclusively pump to feed baby….but my supply isn’t meeting my baby’s demands…whats your best schedule recommendation to put my supply in overdrive? Much appreciated
@@lenceveljanoska1 a particular schedule isn’t nescessarily the answer but here’s a few tips. - pump at least as often as your baby feeds, both sides, depending on the age of your baby this could be as frequently as every 3 hours. - make sure you fit in at least one pump between midnight to 6am when your milk making hormones are highest - if you’re not already using a hospital grade pump (like a Medela symphony or spectra s1) then switch to that - make sure your flange is the correct size for you - try some power pumping - do skin to skin with baby whenever possible - if you’re still not keeping up with baby’s needs then I’d suggest you see an IBCLC to review hormonal causes and other factors impacting your supply :)
@@alissabrownibclc ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Yep, I’m on 3hrs with 2am and 6am included! How long would you recommend a pumping session to go? I also hand express at the end of each pumping session which will last usually between 15-20min….and then sometimes I’ll have a 10-15min break and do maybe 2x 10min sessions after atm
@@lenceveljanoska1 hand expressing also is great 👍 I’d recommend pumping until milk stops flowing, then press the wave button on your pump (if it has one) to go back to the stimulation cycle again and attempt to trigger another letdown.
For larger babies most mums will switch to a cradle hold (same arm as breast, hand on baby’s back/shoulder blades). You can still position them in the same way, sliding away from breast so nose and nipple align :)
This information is repeated because that’s what babies should instinctively do. If your baby isn’t doing this then it’s because a) they are positioned so they can’t tip their head back, or they’re chin is tucked down and this is preventing their mouth opening wide or b) they have tension in their neck and jaw muscles inhibiting their ability to open. I have a video on this which you can look at. Alternatively you might like to have your baby reviewed by an osteopath.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I INTERESTED FOR THIS, I AGREE WITH YOU, GOD BLESS YOU, I RESPECT YOUR LOVE EVERY MOMENTS, IT'S MY PLEASURE IN MY LIFE, I'M VERY HAPPY WITH YOU MY WELL WISHER. LOT OF THANKS
2 weeks PP and my left side barely has drops coming out when i pump but the right has a lot. she mainly feeds on the right but i always offer and encourage feeding on the left. i have been pumping on the left side but nothing really comes out. what can i do to get production up on the left side?
You’re doing exactly the right thing by trying to stimulate/remove more milk on that side. It’s normal to have some discrepancy but if that side is producing a lot less and it’s not increasing with regular, effective pumping with a quality hospital grade pump then you might benefit from seeing an IBCLC to rule out issues like hypoplasia :)
I suggest always starting to feed on the left even if just for a few minutes. then switch to the right side and at the same time on the left side put on a hakka (convenient hands free silicone pump) or a regular pump. this is what i did to finally get both sides to produce about the same amount.
Good afternoon Alissa, I’m a mom of 2 and expecting my 3rd little one. I had traumatic experiences with trying to breastfeed my first two children where both of them had my nipples bleeding in the first 10min of their fist feed right after birth. It was an extremely painful and I could continue breastfeeding. I had tried laser and nipple guards and lactation specialists but no luck. I soooooo badly want to give it another try and heard of the Thompson method which is supposed to teach techniques different to the ‘mainstream’ techniques which helps avoid nipple trauma and better latching. Have you heard of these different techniques? I need to purchase the program to find out what the techniques are but it is quite costly since it is in USD and I live in South Africa where our Rand is not much worth against the USD. I am also worried that I’d be purchasing a programme just to have the same terrible rest it as with my first two children. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Lindy
Hi Lindy. I’m sorry to hear you had such a difficult experience with your previous two babies. So - I haven’t personally reviewed all the contents of the Thompson method. From what I’ve heard it’s similar to what a lot of IBCLCs are currently teaching but has just been branded as something new. Given your history you might actually benefit more from finding the right IBCLC for you to review the challenges you had last time, to put a plan into place prior to birth in case you encounter that pain again so that it doesn’t spell the end of bf straight away and also find a tongue tie practitioner locally as this would be something to rule out also. When is your baby due?
This video is awesome! So helpful - we are now working to get a deep latch but I noticed my LO is still chomping down in that motion even though the latch is deeper than before. Do you have any tips? An IBCLC said he doesn’t have any oral restrictions
If he’s clamping down it may be muscular rather than tongue restriction related. Does he struggle to open his mouth wide? Or only open wide for a second or two when latching? Does he prefer to always have head on one particular side when resting/sleeping? History or very long or very quick labour? Shoulder dystocia at birth?
Many mums worry about this and it means they don't pump when they often need to. You'd have to be pumping super frequently to create a huge oversupply, so don't worry about pumping every now and then. Those early weeks are actually a great time to do it because it's when your body is producing the most ;)
When pumping do you continue to pump even though you aren’t getting any milk? I’m trying to save my supply and an only getting one ounce cumulative. So when I first start pumping my right side empties in 7min & my left side about 5min o r less. When I try to go back and fourth as you suggested with power pumping, there isn’t any more milk. It all emptied in the first 7min of pumping. Please share any ideas. Thank you in advance! 💛
You can still continue to stimulate even without any milk coming out, especially if you're trying to boost your supply. This stimulation sets of your milk making hormones! Also - try some hand expressing after the pump can no longer get milk out - you'd be surprised what you can get!
This comment is long overdue. This video saved me and my baby. This video, especially tips #2 and #3 is what helped me get a latch at all. Tip #3 is just a lifesaver. I spent two weeks working with multiple lactation consultants and none of them mentioned it! Now my baby is 5 months old and his ped called him "juicy" because he is gaining weight very well. Thank you!! I've shared this video with every struggling mom I know and it's helped them too. It's been reshared in our mom group multiple times. God bless you. I can't thank you enough.
That is amazing to hear - thank you so much for taking the time to comment!! You've absolutely made my day to hear that it's helped you so much, and love that your bub was called 'juicy' by his paed. That's super cute!
Genuine question…could my actual nipples be pointing too far to outwards? Little one was born 20th July, hospital staff gave me similar tips/techniques and said I was doing it well but the pain was and still is excruciating, exactly as you describe how they would be chewing/sucking. I tried your technique today, specifically the slide back and put in but feel if I slide back then the nipple itself is landing automatically on his hard palate so he can get his mouth latched at the bottom of the areola. hope that makes sense! Feeling really rubbish about myself and would love some more advice before I go to the support clinic tomorrow. Thank you
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a challenging time so far. I’m struggling to picture exactly what you’re talking about but if it’s landing near hard palate then baby definitely isn’t taking a deep enough latch. Is baby opening their mouth wide to latch? You might like to check out my video on tongue tie and also on exercises to help latch. Depending on your birth experience muscular restriction for baby might be impacting too :)
This has been so helpful! My question is what do I do about babies hands? I am trying to get him in close but he just won’t remove his hands near his face and when he does I get a 2 second window. Any suggestions?
This is super common. Newborn babies are like little springs and it’s a gradual process for them to uncoil (and bring hands/legs away from their midline) over the first few months. Bring babies hands around your br3ast (like bub is giving you a hug). Sometimes you’ll have to fight against their resistance but they’ll then sit with one hand around breast and the other resting on top (ish!)
You can keep any breastmilk (colostrum included) for 6 months in a separate freezer (not like the little freezer compartments in a fridge) although ideally use it within 3 months :)
From the bottom of my heart thank you…I am 5 weeks in and was ready to throw in the towel…like many of these women said crying in toe curling pain at every feeding. You are wonderful thank you for your help, I am beyond grateful. 🥲
If it still feels painful then I'd suggest taking a look at this - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jAASIwSYdI8.htmlsi=3J0sajAlSjF0El3s :)
Does the pain go away instantly if the latch is good? What if I have a difficult time using the same hand as the breast is on? Is it possible to use the opposite hand?
Yes you can use the opposite hand, but you'll be using your index and middle finger in a scissor shape from the top of your breast :) It can still feel tender if you've had damage from a bad latch that is still healing but the sharp pinching pain with each suck should go away.
I’m just so glad I found you the hospital people that work for lactation really don’t help they just watch and let you figure it out on your own 💔😭 thank you thank you thank a million times ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Saved this for the next feeding. Crying while i watch it, crying from my nipples burning like crazy for the past week. It took 6 weeks of burning with my son, many people tried to help but just told me my nipples are too sensitive. I pray to god its not gonna be 6 weeks again as im really, really in bad pain. Thank you for this, i ll try later
How did you get on? If you're still in alot of pain definitely check this out - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jAASIwSYdI8.htmlsi=3J0sajAlSjF0El3s and this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d7_6oyABoq8.htmlsi=QOYiWHA7yaNEbbXK
This is a dumb question, sorry but if you feed and then pump, and later feed again what do you do with the milk you pumped? Do you freeze it or is the only purpose to stimulate milk production? Sorry, early in pregnancy and confused :D
Can a tongue tie return??? Had togue tie sorted. Was detected as I had sore and bleeding nipples. Everything calmed down, was going well, but now we have clicking, no deep latch, messy feeds. She ofter even refuses to take the breast. Using nipple shields now, as that got her back on the breast, tried weaning, but without success. 😢
How is Colostrum fed to baby? I'm a FTM and am now home. I've started to collect and keep in the fridge but didn't know how to give it to baby. Thanks!
Thaw it out in hot water while it’s in the container, when thawed make sure it’s warm not hot. Test by dropping a small amount on your wrist. You can transfer to a spoon or syringe and slowly let baby drink it
Hey Thank you for this amazing video. It's so helpful and well done with the ttop view shot. Do you this it is possible to do this and also use the chin as an anchor as you explain in other video? If so... Do you have a video doing this? Or can you explain the step by step please? Thank you again
Hlo mam , my baby not latching so i am exclusively pump 4months . She was entered 5 month so this time i get only 3 oz is this ok for my 5 month baby plz rply mam how to manage the pumping schedule to.increase milk
The average milk intake for breastfed babies at this age is around 750ml per 24 hours, but this can vary. Some feeds may be smaller than others. Most important is to look at your baby’s weight and make sure she’s consistently gaining weight and following on or around her centile line.
I watched both videos twice and just latched my 2 week old baby and immediately had a better experience. Thank you. 🙏🏾 I was about to give up and go with bottles. This helped so much!!!
Thank you. Is there anyway to show different positions and how you’re getting baby to latch? It worked for me on day 1. When I tried to do it again yesterday I didn’t have the same luck. I gave up and have been pumping the last 24 hours due to sore boobs and frustration.
