Attached to Baby

I have a 5 month old daughter that just refuses to latch on properly.  From the very beginning she would barely suck the nipple in and then use her gums...leaving me with very sore nipples!  And in the past month, it's gotten progressivly worse.  I went to see a wonderful Lactation Consultant about 3-4 weeks ago and she helped me with our latching technique, she also mentioned that my daughter might be teething...it seems early for teething...but she's constantly chewing on her fingers and you can tell they're bothering her :(  So that may be another reason she's gumming my nipples during her feedings.  After seeing the LC things got much better and she seemed to suck rather than chew on my nipples for about a week, and then went back to her old habit?? 

I do not want to stop nursing her.  I have a 2 1/2 year old son that I nursed for 16 months.  And I want to be able to do the same for my daughter but I'm not sure I can take the pain much longer.  It seems to change everyday...some days she'll latch on good and suck the whole nipple and areola in and do great and then she'll latch on good the next time but barely suck in the nipple and chew.  Everytime she finishes feeding she leaves a ridge across my nipple and the tip is white...meaning she is pressing the tip up against the roof of her mouth.  I know how to get her to latch on properly, she is in control after that with weither or not she'll suck in the whole nipple or just a little and chew instead. 

I have thought about pumping and giving her bottles instead...but she refuses the bottle!?  Can't get her to take one for the life of me!  She refuses it from my husband and her grandma as well...we've tried everyone!?  I'm at a loss as to what to do?  I do not want to go to formula...I have plenty of milk...but I don't know if I should deal with the pain...or wean her to a bottle?!  I'm in tears as to what to do?!

Should I move on to just pumping and getting to eat from the bottle?  Should I continue with nursing and hope things get better?  Should I wean her from the breast and give her formula instead?!  I welcome any advice!!  And any tips on getting a baby to take a bottle...battle of wills or gradual introduction?!  Thanks!

Breezymama

Hugs Mama.  I know breastfeeding can be difficult sometimes.  My son refused a bottle for the longest time as well.  Here is a little trick that helped us, I would wear one of my husband's shirts as a night shirt and when I went to work, DH would put the shirt on and offer the bottle.  My son and I also sat in the glider rocker and listened to a specific CD and my DH would try to keep as much of the routine as possible.  It took several attempts but it was much better than DH driving to meet me for lunch.  Can you see the LC again for more advice?

My son started doing something very similar when he began teething at around 5 months old. It was very painful, I really feel for you!  I started watching him really closely during nursing sessions to see if he was latched on really well or sliding to my nipple.  When I would notice his suck begin to change or feel that he was chomping,  I would immediately end the nursing session, at least for several minutes. If he was truly still hungry he would usually latch on better and continue to nurse well, but if he was just wanting to "hang out and chew", I'd take him back off and offer him a finger, toy, or other alternative teething object.  I pretty much had to teach him to either latch on correctly or get nothing. I didn't give him bottles because he would latch on beautifully when he was truly hungry.

I really hope this helps some, I'd hate for this bump in the road to end your nursing relationship. Perhaps you could try to find a La Leche League meeting or leader in your area. I found my local group to be very helpful and they offered many suggestions to try to solve this problem. Good luck to you and hang in there!

As far as bottles are concerned, I would definitely make sure you're not in the room or possibly not even in the house when you try a bottle.  And if your dd is anything like my oldest ds, you may have to try various nipples/bottles to find one she likes. My youngest takes the EvenFlo Elan while at daycare.  Love how closely the bottle resembles the breast.  Even has a patterned ring at the base of the nipple to mimic the aerola of our breast.

As for latch, if you feel her slipping or changing, I'd unlatch her.  Either stop for a few minutes or re-latch to correct the problem.  I'm sorry you're having such difficulties.  Painful & frustrating.  Good luck!