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Post by txaggie08 on Jun 8, 2020 13:36:27 GMT -6
I just want to introduce myself since I'm sure I'll have lots of questions and I know how helpful the ladies here are from my experience at TCF.
I have three kids, DD (combo bf/ff), DS1 (ebf and extended until he self weaned just before his 2nd birthday), and DS2, who was born last week. He was just over 8 lb, so a pretty good size. There's 5 years between DS1 and DS2, so I feel like a FTM in so many ways.
My goal is to ebf DS2 until he's done like I did with his older brother. Right now, we're both just learning together how to make this work. His tiny mouth is causing a lot of pain with the initial latch because I'm struggling to get it wide enough. I feel like we're making progress because not every time is painful, but it's still not a pleasant experience yet. Suggestions on how to get him to open wider? I'm making a sandwich shape for him and trying to get him to reach up to latch (mostly crossbody position), but I'll take any other suggestions.
Thanks!
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tj
Moderator
Posts: 9,912 Likes: 24,842
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Intro
Jun 8, 2020 14:05:21 GMT -6
Post by tj on Jun 8, 2020 14:05:21 GMT -6
This board isn't always very active anymore. So I hope we don't miss any questions from you.
I would try side lying or laid back nursing (please google if you aren't familiar.) Just snuggle up in bed together and try to make it as relaxing and comforting and stress free as possible. With my first, the harder and harder I tried to get a deep latch, the harder and harder we fought and more stressed we both got until we were both in tears. The first time we tried laid-back, she latched like a damn pro. It was still a long road for us because she had a lip tie and my nips were absolutely shredded, and I had a very low supply. But we managed to ebf for a year and a half until I got pregnant with my second, and she just lost interest.
Was your babe check for a lip or tongue tie? I don't know if they always check that. They never saw my daughter's, it was diagnosed by a lactation consultant not affiliated with the hospital. But tongue or lip ties can definitely cause shallow latches. Also, please try to remember that breastfeeding can sometimes just be uncomfortable at first until your body gets used to it again. My second had a perfect latch, and it still hurt for the first 2 weeks. I don't necessarily agree with the adage that it should be pain free if the latch is good.
Also, hi! I'm an Aggie too! Whoop!
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Post by txaggie08 on Jun 8, 2020 17:33:11 GMT -6
tj Thanks for your response. I've tried laid back once this week, but should definitely try it again. The LC at the hospital checked him for a tongue tie - he has a lip tie on top, but I don't think that's causing issues. I definitely need to let go of the idea that BF is pain free from the start. I think that will help my mental state. 🙂 I'm planning on going back to the hospital LC if the pain continues to week 3 or so. The LC I saw with DS1 isn't seeing people right now, and I haven't been able to find another in the area so I don't have a lot of options. Also, gig em! 👍
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Intro
Jun 15, 2020 20:43:13 GMT -6
Post by psychmom on Jun 15, 2020 20:43:13 GMT -6
Hello!
I've never posted here before but I have a DD that is 3 months old now and then a 9 year old DS so I totally get what you're saying about feeling like a FTM again. We had issues with my DD's latch not being deep enough in the beginning too. I watched a lot of Youtube videos on ways to try to get a deeper latch and that helped a lot. I was in so much pain, I would literally be in tears when I had to feed her on my left side because it hurt to bad. I think I had a vasospasm on that side as well for a little bit. I never had it evaluated because DD was born right when everything was shutting down due to the Coronavirus. It eventually resolved when she was around 6 or 7 weeks. But before I got there it was ROUGH. Just keep at it. And if you feel like you've reached your limit, that's ok too.
I'm in Texas, BTW and I wish I had attended A&M! I love College Station! Hopefully one of my LOs will go so I have an excuse to visit more often!
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Post by txaggie08 on Jun 16, 2020 10:24:01 GMT -6
Hello! I've never posted here before but I have a DD that is 3 months old now and then a 9 year old DS so I totally get what you're saying about feeling like a FTM again. We had issues with my DD's latch not being deep enough in the beginning too. I watched a lot of Youtube videos on ways to try to get a deeper latch and that helped a lot. I was in so much pain, I would literally be in tears when I had to feed her on my left side because it hurt to bad. I think I had a vasospasm on that side as well for a little bit. I never had it evaluated because DD was born right when everything was shutting down due to the Coronavirus. It eventually resolved when she was around 6 or 7 weeks. But before I got there it was ROUGH. Just keep at it. And if you feel like you've reached your limit, that's ok too. I'm in Texas, BTW and I wish I had attended A&M! I love College Station! Hopefully one of my LOs will go so I have an excuse to visit more often! His latch has definitely gotten better already as we both figure out what we're doing and his mouth is a little bigger. As of Friday, he passed his birth weight (at 1.5 weeks old), so I think we're doing much better now. We love College Station too and go whenever we have an excuse. Hopefully our kids will love A&M as much as we do!
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