One of the most common issues with tongue ties, is difficulty breastfeeding. Whether it is baby’s inability to get a proper latch or your pain when latching, a part of babies with tongue ties slowly move from the breast to the bottle.
The first step in getting your baby back to breastfeeding is naturally to get a tongue tie revision. If your baby’s tongue tie is affecting breastfeeding, there is no way you can power through it, you have to get the tongue tie revised.
If the tongue tie has been revised, you are now ready to wean your baby back to the breast.
How to Get Your Baby Back to the Breast
Avoid using a pacifier, but try using a nipple shield
A pacifier encourages a different sucking motion than the one required for a good latch and reduces the need for the breast as a comforter. Try to reduce the use of a pacifier and instead offer the breast and skin-to-skin contact to comfort your baby.
A different tool that is a lot more helpful, is nipple shields. A nipple shield is a small cover with holes, that fit over the tip of your nipple, and will help to get your breast to feel and taste more like a bottle. This can be helpful in the bottle-to-breast transition, if your baby is already used to a bottle.
Expressing a little milk onto the end of the nipple shield will give your baby an instant reward if he latches. To keep him interested, you can perform breast compressions by gently applying pressure to your breast to stimulate milk flow. Be sure to keep your fingers away from the nipple shield, so you don’t interrupt the feeding.
Skin to skin
Breastfeeding is a natural instinct in babies, and when they are close to the breast skin-to-skin, this instinct is enhanced. Try holding your baby next to your naked breast without any pressure to latch. This should stimulate the instinct, and hopefully make your baby latch.
Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t latch on the first try though. Skin-to-skin will help associate your breast with a warm, relaxing and safe place, with an opportunity to breastfeed when he is ready. If you want to be practical at the same time, try carrying your baby around the house in a sling.
Keeping our baby close to your breast skin-to-skin is even more effective if you baby is sleepy. If your baby is in a light sleep, bringing him skin-to-skin next to a full breast, might get him to latch in his sleep. You can also try to sit with him for an entire sleep cycle and bring him close to the breast whenever he makes feeding cues. This can help initiate milk release, so there is an instant release of milk if he goes for the breast.
Try different positions
One of the first things you learn as a new mother, is that positioning is important when latching. In the right position, many babies can latch on all by themselves. Laid back or reclining positions are especially helpful with self-latching. If you are in doubt about how to position your baby, or just want to get tips on this, contact your local IBCLC.
Go from bottle to breast mid-feed
A way to get your baby to latch on your breast, is to start out with the bottle, then half-way through sneaking the bottle out, and your nipple in. Hopefully he won’t notice this and continue the feed. If baby hesitates at the feel of your skin, do a gentle rocking or movement to encourage him to keep latching.
Try to skip a bottle
A way to transition baby from bottle to breast, is to substitute some bottle feeds with a different feeding method. Alternatives such as cup or finger feeding can encourage breastfeeding, in the way that it reduces the association between artificial teats and weaning. Finger feeding is especially potent, because the baby will experience the feeling of skin to his lips. The sucking required to suck a finger is also more akin to the sucking required for breastfeeding. After successful finger feeding, try introducing baby to your breast, but ensure that the breast is soft and not overfull.
Use play and humor
Whatever you try in getting your baby back to the breast, the most important advice is to stay relaxed. For slightly older babies, using play and humor is a great way to take the tension out the situation. Be sure to include different positions and places, like in the bath, the garden, kitchen, in a dark room etc. Sometimes being inventive and making a silly game out of it, that involves breastfeeding just might be what makes it work.
Finally, Your Baby Latches, Now What?
Stay relaxed!
As we just stated, the most important advice is to stay relaxed. This will be very hard the first time your baby latches though. All the anxiety and stress are turned into joy and hope but try to act like it is no big deal. You don’t want to disturb the feeding, so don’t tense up or take a hold on your breast. Instead, try gently rocking back and forth, singing or chatting to your baby.
Finish at the breast
When first your baby latches, it will most likely still take bottles as well. It can sometimes work well to offer some feed from the bottle first, and then let your baby finish at the breast. This way your baby will learn to fall asleep full and content at your breast. As your supply improves and baby’s technique improves, more and more of the feed can transition to breast, eventually phasing out the bottle.
Getting your baby back to the bottle after a tongue tie revision is in no way impossible. It does require perseverance and patience, but by following the above advise, your baby will be back to breastfeeding in no time, even if it is several months old.
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