I’d like to ask other mums who may have had a similar experience for advice on relactating. My son is just 10 weeks old and I am currently trying to reestablish breastfeeding after stopping for a little while. I still have a milk supply which I’m trying to boost, however my son just screams the place down when I try to feed him and doesn’t want to latch on. Sometimes he will latch on and feed but only for a minute or two then it’s back to the crying and fussing. I am seeing a lactation consultant and doing all the things they suggested such as expressing a little milk before, taking the edge off his hunger by giving him a bit of bottle first, skin to skin etc but nothing seems to work. I also tried using a nipple shield which did get him to attach but it was very painful for me. Please help! I so want to breast feed again but it’s not a good feeling having your son scream and he’s so upset I’m almost ready to give up because it’s so heart breaking.
- Have you tried feeding when baby is asleep or drowsy? We had a nursing strike one day where my baby would scream every time I tried to put her to the breast despite her being hungry. The only way I could get her to feed was when she was asleep (dream feed) or nearly asleep. Other things you could try are playing on the floor/bed, slip a boob in when baby is relaxed, or take baby in the bath with you and try and feed there. Samantha
- Just have lots and lots of patience! I couldn’t breastfeed my daughter the first 3 weeks since birth. I want to give up so bad , I felt like I failed her. 1. She wouldn’t latch 2. She had jaundice and was strictly under the lights for almost 2 weeks. The day I got the OK start Breastfeeding it took her a good week+ to get the hang of it. So I was pumping every 1-2 hrs to keep my milk supply up and bottle feeding what I pumped. I would try and latch her every time she was hungry till she got it. I’m still pumping and bottle feeding and giving her the breast. But she gets a little confused when I do one or the other. But don’t give up. He’ll get the hang of it. Just gotta keep trying. Try expressing milk and rubbing it on your nipple so he can taste it. Also when he’s crying try sticking ur breast in his mouth so he’ll get a good grip of it and start feeding. pump every hr so you can start producing more be more milk untill you see improvement. My daughter was the same way as ur son starting off, but there is hope. I promise. Good luck Grecia
- I had all these troubles and found using a nipple shield so helpful. If the nipple shield is painful for you it could be too small. I know when I started off with one it was really painful but then got a bigger one and also a different brand (because the sizings are all different) and it was pain free and really easy for her to latch on. Try the butterfly shaped ones. Hope this helps, good luck Sasha
- Bub is probably frustrated if your supply is low. I have just recently used a SNS – supplimentary nursing system. It is amazing!!! It allows baby to get more milk at the breast, and because bub is sucking for longer, your milk supply increases. Totally worth a shot! Good luck Helen
- Try feeding while walking around, gentle bounce or rock bub while feeding or try feeding in the bath or shower if they enjoy bath time. Also when you do have to give the bottle keep a finger in bubs mouth so they get used to the skin feel while feeding. Best of luck Katrina
- I had a low supply with my first, was told to take Fenugreek in tablet form and express to stimulate production. It worked for some time but ended up being prescribed ‘Motillium” by my dr to boost supply. I was then able to breast feed for 7 months. The first month was hard, but it was 100% worth it. Pippi
- Not sure what it’s called but you can get a little container to hang around your neck. You fill it with formula which feeds the baby through a tube that you somehow attach to your nipple. So bub gets formula while stimulating your supply at the same time. SNS ? Prue
- Try putting on some white noise to aid in settling him. Works really well for me when bub is fussing. Best of luck. You are doing a wonderful job. With my first i would often call the breastfeeding hotline. It is free and their advice was helpful but i mostly enjoyed someone listening and being supportive. Vanessa
- Try a Medela nipple shield. Try the baby led BF. Where you start with the baby in the middle of your chest & they move (bop) their head to the breast. The lactation consultant can show you this. Don’t give up it took me 6 weeks before my DD would BF. I expressed to keep my supply going. Many days I would be in tears but I persisted with consistency. Kylie
- Is it possible he has his neck/back out from birth? I’ve heard a few friends have taken their babies to physios/chiros/osteos and it’s like a whole new baby afterwards! He might be in pain from that, or is he colicky? Maybe try some infants friend before each feed to see if that helps him move some wind which might be making him cry? Mine definitely benefited from a few feeds in a row with infants friend, it’s like liquid gold! Jasmine
- If he’s used to a bottle he would be getting frustrated, try to bring on a letdown before you pop him on. I’m in the same boat as you with my 10 week old twins they are finally latching but will stay on for a max 10 minutes before screaming the house down Emma
- I would suggest seeing a chiro. The woman my sis and I use is amazing. Totally helped with latch issues and other things. Lareen
- My son did this for a period too. I found that I needed to feed him as soon as he woke up from a nap in a dark quiet room. Pip
- Boobie bikkies to increase your supply i swear by them Kristy-lee
- Pump first. when i stopped feeding my son and started again the milk in my breasts tasted putrid like old foul milk yes i tasted it.. yes thats gross Heather
- Bub will fuss as he is frustrated that he’s not getting it fast enough. The breast is harder and slower than the bottle. This happened all three times with me, low supply and breast rejection, and it is heartbreaking everytime. The SNS system is your best bet. Goodluck. Amy
- Try do like dream feeding so try feed him before he needs to be feed, sucking from the breastmilk is a lot hard and more work then sucking from a bottle, just keep at it Jasmine
- I would definitely go with the sns. That way bub is getting milk but your breasts are still getting the stimulation. Pump pump pump! Lactation cookies, fenugreek, breastfeeding support tablets, motilium (ask your doctor for some), nursing tea. It’s such hard work to get it back up but its worth it. But if you can’t handle it, it’s not the worst thing in the world for bubs to stay on the bottle. You both need to be happy. Kathryn
- Try feeding him laying down. My daughter hates being fed cradled Saraya
- Try laying bub on your bare chest and just relax it boosts your supply and bub might attach Channy
- Honestly if it’s that hard just bottle fed the main milk and then breastfeed when he is nearly full. Amanda
- Try a lactation aid (feed tube going from a supplement bottle to your breast). I increased my supply after breast refusal from using bottles. Here is a link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ezGIkIkhC_o Ditch the shields and try fenugreek or maybe domperidone if you need to. Good luck! The tubes should work after about a week Paula
- Nipple shield might work Karra
Have you had experience with relactating? Please share below
