I have a two month old girl who is a supper pokey eater.. I mean it is taking her 1 hr to take in about 3 ounces or less from me.. I have plenty of milk. Even when taking a bottle it takes her this long. and she likes to bit vs suck.
Background.. I have to use a nipple shield (which I am trying to get rid of) because she was so tiny and I was too much for her little mouth. She will not take a bottle from me.. only other people.. but I am stuck in the cycle of nursing her for 1 hr or better then pumping for 25 mins or so.. then we start the whole thing over again.
I need Ideas to get her to eat faster. she is not gaining enough weight whcih is why I am bottling her (breast milk, I have enough) Anyone else have this experience? I would like to get her eating faster, and eventually directly from me if I can. The bottles we are using are first year called breast flow..
I was able to successfully nurse my son for 16 months and I would like to do the same with this littler one..
we are still trying to find out more, but I found out that she has acid reflux.. she started to gain a little better. We go back to the ped in a few days..
If you could attend a local La Leche Meeting I would. The great thing about those is all the experience of the other mommas there. It was so great for me to listen to all the advice of the other women. Because of those meetings I had great nursing relationship with my 2 children.
You need to see a Lactation Consultant.... in order to get her to latch on properly.
She is not latching on properly... hence, she is not taking in, enough. Because she is not nursing, properly nor latching on properly.
Because, she is not gaining weight.
See a Lactation Consultant... so they can observe your baby, at breast, and what needs to be troubleshooted.
I've heard that usually they will take in the most milk within the first 10 minutes and the rest is comfort sucking? Could this be something that is going on here? I know I was my sons pacifier, he would latch on and seem to "eat" for a long time but i could tell when he was milk drunk and the rest was just a comfort thing. Does it take her that long to eat from a bottle from someone else or does she suck that down pretty quick? Also estimating how many ounces she sucks is hard to varify because a babies suck is much more productive than a pump so what you get out of 25 minutes of pumping is what she gets out of 5 minutes of nursing. If none of the above are true i don't know how to get her to suck harder or more productive. Keep trying to get her to latch without the shield. Best luck to you momma!!!!
i was told in the NICU that if they feed longer than 30 minutes and are struggling they start to burn more calories then they are taking in. take her to the pedi and talk to a lactation consultant
The issue is really that she is not gaining.
My friend has a really slow eater-but she is growing like a weed.
Yes, get thyself to LLL!!! ;)
You may just have to accept that she is a slow eater...but you know this is such a brief time. Try to relax and enjoy her.
Call LLL today!
Here are your local leaders: http://www.lllusa.org/IL/WebLaGrangeIL.html
GL and congrats!!!
I second the reccomendation of going to a La Leche League meeting or talking to one of their leaders (you can find one near you at http://www.llli.org/webus.html) and/or talking to a lactation consultant. I would probably do both-- the more ideas you get from the experienced and trained the more likely you are to find the idea(s) that work for you! Personally, if you aren't already doing it I'd suggest co-sleeping and nursing more at night...
My DD was a fast nurser so I may not be the best one to ask. Have you consulted an LC? Do you wear her? I wonder if you and she learned to nurse some in a sling that you could feel less like you spent all day sitting down with her. Since she is also slow from the bottle, does she have a poor suck or something?
CONGRATS on your baby girl!!!
Contact a lactation consultant to ensure she is latched on properly....
It's possible that she's using your breast as a pacifier as well as nourishment - that's why she takes so long in nursing...
If she likes to bite - wow - 2 months is REALLY early to bite - then I would "flick" her lip - NOT HIT or pinch - flick or tap her lip and tell her NO BITE...if she does it again - take her off the breast and that's it...my kids were 6 and 8 months when they bit...
GOOD LUCK!!!!
My DD was the same way... (of course, it wasn't due to her size... she was a huge baby...) She would take at least 45 minutes on each side to nurse. I finally got fed up and started pumping and drinking from a bottle. She would glug down 4-5 oz bottles within 15-20 minutes. Such a relief for me!!! I did still put her to breast, just so she wouldn't 'forget' that. When she was about 4-5 months old I was able to get her exclusively back on the breast, which was nice. By then, she was a much more efficient eater and only took about 30 minutes total. Now, she is 15 months and still does really well. :)
Well, there can be efficient eaters and pokey eaters, but one hour is excessive. She is using too many calories just to get the milk in, which is probably why she is not gaining as expected. You need to make an appt with a lactation consultant, maybe check with the hospital where you delivered her. She may be tongue tied, have poor muscle tone in her mouth/jaw/tongue, or a myriad of other issues. the only way to get her to eat faster is to find the root of the problem. Keep at it, you're doing great! Best of luck to you.
she smells the milk on you and that is probably why she doesn't want to take a bottle from you. my son would never take a bottle from me, but would from my husband. are you able to take the shield off and feed her? i am not sure what this is, but i wonder if it is getting in the way? (i nursed my son for about 20 months)
