Is it possible to start breastfeeding when my little one is 7 weeks old? Is it too late?

Hello :)  Vaun is 7 weeks old tomorrow and he has Downs Syndrome.  I've been pumping ans have noticed that my milk supply has deminished a great deal.  We tried breastfeeding in the beginning but I found it very painful and he was only able to latch on with a nipple sheild.  He had a reaction to the nipple shield so that's out the window.  I would really love to breastfeed.  It takes me about 15 min per breast to pump and it takes about an hour to an hour and a half to feed him (he also eats every 2 hours!)  I'm only pumping about 20-50 ml each time now so we've been topping him up on ready to feed formula.  Another problem is that my nipples feel like sandpaper.  Is that normal?

Any advice or ideas would be greatly apprciated.  I've also heard beer may help?  What kind and how much and often?

Thanks Ladies :)

[msteri]

It may help to use a nipple cream to help soften and moisturize your nipples.  I use the cream made by Lasinoh but there are many others.  As long as you are producing milk, you should be able to put your baby to breast.  The issue you may have is he may refuse to take your breast since he is used to bottle feeding.  You should try putting him to your breast before giving him a bottle to see if he will accept.  If he doesn't, try feeding from the bottle and then midway try putting him to your breast.  I'm no expert at breastfeeding, but I've been successfully breastfeeding my baby for 10 weeks.  If all goes well, I intend to breastfeed her for a year and then let her self-wean.  You can also get really helpful breastfeeding info from kellymom . com.  Good luck!

[tiredbuthappy]

It depends. Some people successfully reintroduce breastfeeding. In fact, someone on here did it recently. However, it depends on the baby and why nursing was challenging. I have read that many babies with downs have difficulty nursing due to physiological reasons (I believe it may be due to high pallat?) if that is the case with your son, it may be problematic. There is something called a SNS, or supplemental nursing system, that you can try. I believe a lactation consultant can help you with that. It helps the baby nurse by providing extra milk at your nipple with a tiny tube. However, if he couldn't latch without a shield, I am not sure how it would work.

My first was a preemie and could not nurse because of it. Babies born early often have issues with coordinating their s.uck, swallow, breathe pattern. They also may have a weaker s.uck. Was your baby a preemie? I ask because it sounds like he may have some minor feeding issues. My little one also took up to 1 1/2 hours to take only 2-3 ounces, and she also ate every 2 hours. It was very difficult. On top of that, I was pumping every 2-3 hours.so her issues not only interfered with nursing, it also made bottle feeding difficult. And if bottle feeding is slow and challening, it is less likely that nursing directly would work, since the bottle is generally easier and has a faster flow. So, I have some tips both to try to improve the very slow bottle feeding, and to try to boost your supply.
First, the bottles. We had to try almost every bottle system and nipple type out there. I have bins and bin of different kinds. It took a long time before we finally found one that worked for her, and I encourage you to try different ones to see if maybe you can help him. One I did not try, but I have read is great for babies with Downs, is a haberman feeder. I don't know too much about it, but I encourage you to look it up. For us, we finally found that the narrow nuk nipple, size small, medium flow was the only one that worked well for my little one. Finding a nipple that works is like the difference between night and day and I couldn't believe how easy feeding should be. (of course, the nipple I found was discontinued a few years before, so getting extras was a challenge! I had stumbled upon it in a bag of unopened nipples someone gave me.) the reason why that one worked was because the nuk has a firm base that it is easy for the baby to latch on to. It is smaller which worked for my baby who had a small mouth. On the nuk, the hole is on the top, so if she paused to breathe, the milk didn't keep flowing down her throat and gag her. My little one did need the medium flow because she had a weak s.uck. Her feeds went from taking so long to being normal (maybe half hour instead of an hour and a half!)

As for your supply- if you are pumping 15 minutes per breast, I assume you are using a single pump? It can be very challenging and time consuming to maintain a supply that way, although it is possible. You may need to pump longer or more frequently. If you pump 15 minutes, you should be pumping every 2-3 hours. Since your child has a disability, you may be able to get your insurance to cover a better pump, or at least a hospital grade rental. You'd be amazed at how much more efficient a hospital grade, double electric pump is like the meddle pump in style, the ameda purely yours, or the lansinoh double electric pump.
There are supplements you can take called fenugreek and blessed thistle, available in health food stores. And many women find oatmeal to help. And be sure to drink plenty of fluids.
When you pump, be sure to do compressions. The better you empty, the more milk you will produce. Whenever things are quiet and you are pumping, pump a little longer to signal your body to make more. At this point you should still be pumping during the night too. Prolactin levels are said to be highest btw 1 and 5 am, and I did find those to be always pumps.
You can also try power pumping. When you nurse, the baby goes through growth spurts during which he cluster feeds and seems to be constantly nursing for a few days. This serves as a natural way to boost supply, since more stimulation signals your body to make more. When you pump, you do not get this so it can be helpful to artificially simulate it. You can take a couple days and just throw in as many extra pumps as you can manage. Or, you can take a couple days during which you set aside an hour each day. During that hour you pump 10 min, rest 10 min, pump 10 min, etc... For the hour. I didn't really have to power pump, but many women find it very helpful. Instead, I had a habit of losing track of time if I was pumping while watching tv or playing on the computer. These occasional extra long sessions served as my "power pumps". It was also my sanity break. "sorry honey, I can't do the dishes/change the diaper/talk to your mom/____ because I have to pump." =D

Good luck and congrats on your little one! Let us know if you have any other questions.  

[tiredbuthappy]

Almost forgot to address the nipple issues! It is common, but does not have to be. There are many things you can do. First off, make sure the pump isn't set too high, as you can actually damage your nipples. Make sure the horns fit properly. Most women do not fit the standard size that comes with most pumps and have to buy a bigger size. Or, you can buy my favorite horns, call pumpin' pals angled shields. They are much more comfortable. Before pumping, you can rub a little olive oil around the base or your nipple to help lubricate it and minimize chaffing. After pumping, there are a few things you can try. Something that helped tremendously was applying a little expressed milk and letting it air dry before putting the bra on. Lanolin can also help soothe and moisturize nipples. When showering, don't use soap on your nipples. Just gently cleanse with a wash cloth and water. If they are extremely bad, you can purchase something called soothies, which are soothing gel pads.my LC also recommended a saline soak, which is dissolving some table salt in warm water and dipping your nipple into it.

[blueyes34]

Thanks so much for all of the info :)  He is a preemie....born at 34 weeks.....I've been using the Dr Brown's bottles and he's doing ok with them.  He's gaining weight like a good little boy lol.  I just find it exhausting pumping all the time, especially when it takes hima while to eat.  I still want him to have my breast milk as for us, I beleive it's what's ideally best.  I've just bought the Lanolin nipple cream so I'll see if it helps.  The breast feeding clinic did give me a bigger horn which helps a bit.  I also do have a very good pump...it's Medela Freestyle.  It has the ability to pump both breasts at the same time, I just can't seem to be that co-ordinated to do both.  That's why I do one at a time.

Thanks again for your info :)  Have a great day!

Penny

[BradyAm]

i also exclusively pumped for my daughtet after she had jaundice and refused the breast at 3 days old. i pumped until she was 6 weeks old and she started breastfeeding without much work at all. i started by feeding her in the nursing position (cradle hold) so she would get used to the position. used the slowest flow nipple i could find (playtex  ventaire bottles) before i would try to latch her on i would make sure i was letting down so that she knew that thats where the milk came from.she was really fussy with having to wait for the milk to start flowing because bottles are instant. that was our only real problem. good luck, and dont push it too hard. get him comfortable around the breast and see if he roots for it himself. my daughter did and thats how i knew she was ready. dont get upset if he doesnt latch on for a few days, just keep trying, you dont want him to see u getting tense or upset or he will never want to do it. message me if u have any other questions

[blueyes34]

Thanks BradyAm!  I'm going to see Dr Newman (he's close by in Toronto) for some professional help.  His muscles aren't as strong as other babies because of his Down Syndrome and I want to start things off right.  They're supposed to get back to me on monday with an appt.  I put him to my breast again today.  He would put just the tip of my nipple in his mouth and spit it out.  My nipples feel like sandpaper from the pumping.  Could that be why?  Did yours feel like that?

[pertykitty]

hey blueyes we are in the same boat with our 34 weeker babes with down syndrome.  does he have any heart issues?  that can exhaust them and its partly why it takes macy so long to eat as well.  

i try to introduce the breast daily to macy as she did latch early on, but she doesnt do it anymore.  we still try though.  i talked to  a friend who has another friend with a dd with ds and she was able to bf with great work.  i am ready to do the work too.  

with my ins i need to get the neonatologist to sign a paper and send it in to my ins and hopefully get my $ back.  

my nipples are a bit sensitive still but they dont hurt like they did before.  it was horrible and i found out i was pumping too high.  i turned it down and after several days it felt better. i hope you can get him to nurse, i hate pumping so much!! i have a medela pump in style and its built into a bag.  i pump while driving, putting laundry away, doing art with my dd.  my 12 yr old son got in the car when i picked him up and saw i was pumping and freaked someone might see haha.  i use my nursing cover over and i dont care what anyone thinks.  

i use fenugreek and laction blend capsules to help with production as well.  i know with the hour long feedings and pumping sometimes you just cant pump every 3 hours, and i get less than if i pump every 5 but lately i seem to have less (maybe its because i stopped my herbs and have forgot to take my pump when running to dr appts and such).  just dont give up, keep going and hopefully you will get him nursing.  i hope after we have heart surgery she will have the energy to give it a better try.

[blueyes34]

Hi Perttykitty :)  Gotta love our DS babies lol.  Wouldn't trade him for anything!  Vaun doesn't seem to have any heart issues.  A couple of days after he was born he had an echocardiogram done and nothing showed up.  I hope your little one gets better soon!  When is the surgery sched for?  That's great that you pump on the go!  My pump doesn't have bags....just bottles.  It came with a harness of some sort and I'll be damned if i can figure it out.  It's practically impossible to pump with that harness....how are you supposed to support the bottles while pumping?  I think I need an instructional video lol.  I can just hear your son now lol!  He must have been mortified lol.  I've never tried any of the lactation pills or herbs but I'm going to give it a try.  I only pumped once today which is annoying.  I try to do 3 times a day at least.  People kept showing up at my house or Vaun would wake up just as I sit down to pump.  He doesn't sleep very long during the day...an hour at most.  

Take care and keep me posted :)

[pertykitty]

to double pump you have to buy a tube top looking bra.  it holds it on so you can be hands free.  im so glad to hear he doesnt have heart issues! macy sleeps still most of the day/night.  all night i have to wake her to eat.  

i had another thought while i was feeding macy just a bit ago and i forgot now lol.  i went to the store today and had to call my dh as i got there to remind me what i was buying haha! o ya i remember!! earlier i pumped and then i sat to try to nurse macy.  after you pump your nipples are larger, and she actually latched for about 7 *****!! dont know if she was able to pull milk out but it was a start.  maybe try that.  they have a hard time with low muscle tone and sometimes to suck a nipple in can be hard.  get the milk to let down and enlarge your nipple then try to see if he will latch on.  love our babies, the sweetest on earth!!!

[blueyes34]

I know!  I wouldn't trade my little Munchie man for anything in the world!  I feel really blessed to have him!  I'm going to try to pump and then put him on the breast like you said to see if he has more luck.  His sucking ability on his bottle is great so I'm hoping it's just something he may need to try to get used to.  I hope that Dr's office calls me on Monday!  I'll have to look for one of those tube bras that you mentioned.  Hopefully it won't be too hard to find.  

Take care and have a good one :)

[pertykitty]

another thing is get into occupational therapy soon, they will help with feeding and techniques.  we started physical therapy (they were shocked i did it already lol but there are things i do to help with muscle tone like joint compressions) but our ot appt isnt until next week.  early intervention is the key!

[Ladybugbc]

Hi Penny, Good to hear your son is doing great.
I am no expert at this but thought I'd share what I did in the early weeks with my son.

I used the Fenugreek capsules (3caps 3 times a day) with Blessed thistle (3caps 3 times a day). That combo really helped. But the fenugreek made both me and my son congested. So watch out for any side effects.
Also, Raspberry leaf tea has worked wonders for me. I started leaking milk once I finish drinking the cup of tea. And.. as much as I hate to eat oats, I don't miss it every morning as I saw a huge improvement with oats.

I haven't tried it but i have heard "mother's milk tea" is also supposed to be good.

It's wonderful that you decided to go to Dr. Newman as he's the best and a very helpful Dr. One day I was having trouble with breast feeding and my Public health nurse mentioned to e mail him with questions. I did and the next morning there was a response from him.
Is he covered by OHIP?

Hope you can get little guy to latch on properly.

Good luck!

[mandy38]

Hi hope you don't mind me putting my two penneth in, but I've fed my daughter for 14 months now, so I know the pain of breastfeeding!  I would say the best time to introduce it is when your little one is going off to sleep.  Feed him some bottle and then swap the bottle for your breast.  I usually feed lying down and then she falls asleep next to me.  He's a beautiful baby... congratulations!!

[tiredbuthappy]

Hands free pumping is definitely the way to go! I am jealous that you have the freestyle. It came out after I already had my pump, but I hear it's small enough to move around with. Like perty, I have managed to do dishes and feed the kids while pumping, but I was always limited by the power cord and big bag. If you don't want to spend money on a pumping bra, you can make your own. I bought a bra that fits off the clearance rack and just cut a small slit on each side. That thing stayed on great. Many ppl prefer to do it with a sports bra, but I preferred a regular bra so I could wear it for support and just slip the horns in when I needed to pump. Sports bras just don't look good on me.

You can also google "rubber band trick for pumping" and you'll get images and directions for securing the pump to you nursing bra with just rubber bands. I did this frequently as well.

[blueyes34]

Wow!  Lots of great suggestions :)  

Pertykitty....Thankfully I've has 2 meetings with my early intervention specialist.  She's been really great!  his sucking and swallowing is wonderful.  We had taken him to a specialist to make sure and they said he does better than kids without Down Syndrome!  I think now the problem is that he's just used to the shape and texture of the bottle nipple.  I've been trying everyday to put him to the breast and he's just not interested.  Hopefully Dr Newman can help :)
LadybugBC.....I'm going to try to get to the health store to see what they have....I need more hours in the day to get stuff done lol.  Hope you're doing well :)
tiredbuthappy.....I want some bags to use instead of these bottles!  I don't know if I can do the handsfree method....I have to hold it a certain way or else some of the milk leaks....almost like it's not sealed against my breast properly on it's own so I have to hold it there.....pain in the a$$!  Hopefully I can get the hang of it lol.  That would save me a tonne of time and quite possibly my sanity as well lol!

[pertykitty]

my pump has a battery option, can you get one tired so you arent tied to power?  the thing i bought to hold on my pump horns was expensive! i never thought of using a bra lol.  

[tiredbuthappy]

I've hung up the horns, so no more pumping for now. And I pray the next baby has no issues so I don't need to see that thing again! It is a very reliable pump though. It's gotten about a total of 15 months of use, 3 hours a day. Pretty impressive and definitely a good investment, luckily, I still have plenty in the freezer. She's 11 months tomorrow and still getting some milk everyday. Usually about 12 ounces/ day.

[pertykitty]

you are so lucky to have been able to pump so much.  i have not one bit extra.  i might get one extra feeding in but that is it.  for awhile i was able to have 6 bottles ready in the fridge but not lately.  

next?  when is that happening?? i cant wait!!!