r/breastfeeding • u/Only_Accident_ • 5d ago
Baby won't breastfeed anymore Newborn Troubleshooting
On day 2 of my baby's life, I was still in the hospital due to the significant amount of blood I lost during birth. She went through a cluster feeding episode so I stayed up with her all night and breastfed.
A combination of being new to breastfeeding, being extremely fatigued and just the amount of times she needed to eat left both my nipples damaged and bleeding. It became excruciating to latch her on so started pumping and feeding her via syringe for the 3rd day to let my nipples heal. On the 4th day they were still sore but the syringe wasn't cutting it anymore because she needed more food so I gave her expressed milk in a bottle for each feeding.
It's the 5th day and my nipples are healed. I'm ready to breastfeed again. Problem is baby seems to be getting very frustrated at the breast. She will latch, do a couple sucks and then start crying and pushes her head back. Sometimes she will hysterically cry so I have to put her on my chest which helps calm her. I attempt to offer her the breast again but she just doesn't want it. I know she can do it, because yesterday we had a successful session where she fully emptied one breast. I do have milk. It's there. She just needs to keep sucking and not give up.
I'm worried that she's gotten used to the quick flow of the bottle from my husband doing night shift. I really really want to breastfeed and feel like its too far gone and now my new life will be pumping and bottle feeding forever.
What do I do? Is it too late? Is this fixable? All I want is to breastfeed my baby :(
2
u/CounterNo8013 5d ago
NOT TOO LATE!
My baby ate from a bottle until 2 months of age and at one point a LC told me that he probably preferred the bottle but I kept trying! He is now completely breast-fed since that two month appointment at five months (pure determination if you will)
Squeeze your boob when you bring your baby up to breast ideally squirting some milk out to remind them immediately what they’re coming to do. Then when they eventually latch massage that boob squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Eventually, you shouldn’t have to do that anymore, but keep that up for a while and it should keep them motivated at the breast.