Help with sucking.

Lina wrote:

Alena can latch just fine. I've had her do it a number of times.
However, when she's on the breast, she won't suck. We know she can suck
because *grrr* the nurses gave her a bottle and she downed it just fine.
They want to take out her NG tube, and the only way they'll do that is if
she either sucks at the breast, or takes a bottle. It looks like today is
the deciding day. I might have to pump and store it forever.
Does anyone have advice on getting her to suck?




Will she suck on your finger? You could feed her EBM with a finger-feeder.

Clisby

Alena can latch just fine. I've had her do it a number of times.
However, when she's on the breast, she won't suck. We know she can suck
because *grrr* the nurses gave her a bottle and she downed it just fine.
They want to take out her NG tube, and the only way they'll do that is if
she either sucks at the breast, or takes a bottle. It looks like today is
the deciding day. I might have to pump and store it forever.
Does anyone have advice on getting her to suck?

--
Lina
Alena born July 1st, 2003

Lina wrote:

Alena can latch just fine. I've had her do it a number of times.
However, when she's on the breast, she won't suck. We know she can suck
because *grrr* the nurses gave her a bottle and she downed it just fine.
They want to take out her NG tube, and the only way they'll do that is if
she either sucks at the breast, or takes a bottle.

Well, if the nurses gave her a bottle and she took it, then you should be
ready to take out the ng tube, no?
I hope you ranted at the nurses.

It looks like today is
the deciding day. I might have to pump and store it forever.
Does anyone have advice on getting her to suck?

Pump to a letdown and then try to latch?
I hope someone with better experience can offer you something.

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 14:17:59 GMT, "Lina"
wrote:

Alena can latch just fine. I've had her do it a number of times.
However, when she's on the breast, she won't suck.
Does anyone have advice on getting her to suck?


Get a letdown, use breast compression to get as much as possible into
her mouth. Squirt some milk into her mouth just as she latches on. You
might also want to try a nipple shield, I found this helped DD learn
to suck (only needed it for about 3/4 days). From memory it was
explained to me that there is a point in a babies mouth that will
trigger a sucking motion (if I am wrong I'm sure I will be corrected
) and my nipple didn't get to that point but the shield did. Once DD
learnt how to suck she could get the nipple in enough herself.

I hope you had words not only to the nurse but also the senior as
well. The nurses asked me if they could bottle feed DD, I gave
permission (yes after reading everything and knowing what to look
for). DD is still nursing at 15 months.

Di

Try getting her sucking on your pinkie (nail side down) or a pacifier first,
then try the breast once she gets going. You might also try expressing some
milk onto your nipple so that she gets a taste of what's to come. IF you keep
having trouble you might try a SNS.

Leslie

Lina wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
Alena can latch just fine. I've had her do it a number of times.
However, when she's on the breast, she won't suck. We know she can suck
because *grrr* the nurses gave her a bottle and she downed it just fine.
They want to take out her NG tube, and the only way they'll do that is if
she either sucks at the breast, or takes a bottle. It looks like today is
the deciding day. I might have to pump and store it forever.
Does anyone have advice on getting her to suck?

--
Lina
Alena born July 1st, 2003


When DD was born, she wouldn't latch. And then when she did, she wouldn't
suck. We had to really force her to stay on the breast, and at the same
time tickle her under the chin (or on the feet, but the chin worked best).
It only took a few days, and she got it all sorted. Good luck with Alena.

Cathy