# week old baby taking FOREVER to latch on...



## laralee16 (Nov 12, 2005)

My son is a week old, and will take a hour to latch on. Is this normal?? I'm starting to worry I am going to starve him.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

do you mean an hour to nurse at one breast? you should be helping to latch him on... can you explain further?

~claudia


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Yes, please explain further.

-Angela


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## nonnymoose (Mar 12, 2004)

Mine futzes around sometimes too...I've been doing what the LC did with DS1, which was get his mouth near the nipple, wait till he opened wide, then moosh his face into my breast. It seems to have helped him figure it out. Now the only time I have to steer is in the middle of the night when I'm really full.


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## eirual (Mar 21, 2006)

I was in the same situation (by the sounds of things). A 10 minute feeding would take almost 2 hours, then it would be time to feed again!

Somethings i found helped:
-never tried this, but some claim opening your own mouth will help them open theirs
-Try different holds (cross-cradle, football)
-Be sure you're baby's fully alert, stimulate them if you need to
-Before latching, take your finger and place it on DC's chin, just under their bottom lip and gently pull down a little...this will help them flange that lower lip, and can be adjusted after they're latched on too.
-At about 6 days old I was really starting to worry about his weight gain (lack thereof) I felt desperate, formula ACTUALLY crossed my mind but I knew better and there was no way I was going that route! Instead I expressed what I could into a cup and tried spoon feeding, or even dipping my finger in it because at least then I KNEW he was getting SOMETHING! What worked best was taking a drinking straw, suctioning up just a touch of EBM and then placing the straw in his mouth and releasing the suction. Hand expression worked best at this point, no need to buy anything.

Feeling so helpless I called my Mom to come help, and my MW, and by the time they got here it was time for DS to eat again, I put him up to the breast and out of the blue he was all of a sudden a nursing super star- it was such a relief! Had he not done that, my MW came equipped witha pump and tube-feeder, which we never had to use. Things were still lots of hard work after that but we figured it out eventually.


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## laralee16 (Nov 12, 2005)

Well, I tried pumping, and now he latches on no problem, so I guess I was just to full. I now have 5 bags of 6 oz each breastmail in my freazer, lol.


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