Breastfeeding/BottleFeeding Support

[happyfeet]

I'm exclusively breastfeeding my 6 week old baby (DFL 7lb 1oz & approx 5 days early).

Currently having issues getting him to latch with ease as it feels like his tongue is really curled up, causing constant popping/sucking sounds. Most of the time I just cant get him settled in properly before he starts fussing - so we end up stopping anyway.



Is this a common problem, or am I going about things the wrong way? What helped your little ones latch better when you had similar issues & would any of you recommend nipple shields as a possible solution?

 

[musical]

I think this might be due to tongue-tie. When your baby's tongue is curled up it can make latching really difficult, and the constant sucking sounds are often a dead giveaway. I found it helpful to get my baby checked by my midwife which led to us going to see a lactation consultant , who then confirmed that he did have ties and also an upper lip tie. The LC helped me get him latched properly first and then we got him to the specialist.

It's not uncommon for babies to have these issues - lots of them do! They might resolve on their own around 2-3 months, but in my experience with DFL who had similar problems it seemed like once they did get to this age they'd start to 'come out' of all the tie stuff and go a bit more smoothly.

It's probably worth noting that some LCs will recommend using nipple shields as a way to help if you do have an underlying issue. However, after talking with my LC she said that we shouldn't use them as an immediate solution - because sometimes it might make things worse in the short term.

It sounds like your baby and mine must be twins? Just kidding of course...

 

[wellness]

You mentioned tongue-tie, but I didn't mention it being a possibility - just that my baby's constant sucking sounds were really loud, even before latching. Was your baby checked for ties by their healthcare provider? And did they have any other lip tie issues like mine did?' – BabyFeeder123 in 'Breastfeeding/BottleFeeding Support' ```