discussion title:
Help needed with nipple confusion
My LO, who is 6 weeks old today, still hasn't latched on well yet. She had jaundice at birth, so she had to get lots formula from the bottle as my milk was coming in. Latching since we were in the hospital has been tough. We've sought help from the lactation consultant several times, but LO feeds for only a few minutes (at best) on each side. Sometimes she outright refuses. Inevitably, she falls asleep or cries. We do everything the lactation consultant recommends - burping, changing, waking with a cold coth, etc. Each time, day and night, we struggle for at least an hour. Then we supplement with a bottle of expressed milk, and then I pump...so tiring! Should I just accept that she's got a clear preference for the artificial nipple? I was hoping that it was just a matter of time, but I fear that her preference will get solidified (if it isn't already). Is it worth continuing in hopes that she'll get better at BF? Or is it a lost cause already? I'd rather not give up and pump and feed exclusively, but she's never been getting much at all from the breast, no matter how hard we try. I know expressed milk is still my milk, but I really wanted her to get it directly from the source. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!
