6 week old still refuses to nurse

[shirat]

my son is almost 6 weeks old. since he was 2 weeks old we needed to supplement after each feed bec he wasn't gaining any weight and i needed to build up my low milk supply. Since then he has been refusing to nurse. I can get him to nurse sometimes at night and every now and then during th day but only for 5 minutes tops and even then he is constantly pulling off and on. I tried the silicon shields but he refuses that as well. aside from the SNS any other ideas? or do i just give up- i am so tired if pumping and i have 3 other kids at home to deal with...

[weaver]

Sounds super hard. 

Has he been checked for tongue and lip tie?   How does he cope with the bottles?

[cath~]

(((Hugs))) you must be so tired

No experience of this myself but I just wondered if you can find some IRL support like a proper lactation consultant who can observe a feed?

I don't know where you are but in the UK there are baby cafés and other bf support groups. Can your mw or HV recommend somewhere? Does la leche league have a group near you? You might have to search on the internet.

Also I wonder has your LO been checked for tongue tie? I know this can make BFing v difficult and sometimes can be missed as well. Might be worth a second opinion even if your LO has already been checked.

Any sign of reflux? Does feeding in a more upright position help?

If you have low milk supply I'd suggest offering the breast as often as possible. Maybe he is frustrated by slow let down? Does massaging or compressing  your breast while he feeds help?

[shirat]

he does not not have tongue tie but has a high palette . my milk supplies is much better now and i can pump 3 ounces in one sitting. i squirt milk straight into his mouth but he still won't suck. just screams and screams

[cath~]

Sorry, I don't really know what a high palate means in terms of BFing (if anything). I will ask if anyone else does.

In the meantime, have you tried different feeding positions to see if that helps?

Are you able to see a lactation consultant? Like I said, they might be able to give some specific advice based on actually seeing a feed and you and your LO.

[weaver]

Yes I echo Cathn's question - have you spoken to a professional about this?  Nothing can replace GOOD hands on help, an accredited lactation consultant could probably help a lot.

As far as I understand from your posts, and correct me if I'm wrong, he will latch on but only briefly? So he does latch, that's an important point.  You also have a feeling of low supply.  BFing expert Jack Newman says that the single most important factor in babies learning to latch is good supply - have you tried herbal support such as Fenugreek? The best way to boost supply is to pump after a feed.  He also makes the excellent point that babies learn to breastfeed by breastfeeding, so every go he has is helping him learn. 

From personal experience, I highly recommend trying breast compression to encourage the milk to flow to LO and encourage him to stay on there.  Here's a video, basically you gently squeeze the breast when LO pauses drinking.
http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=vid-4dayold

Have a look here, some of this might help but bear in mind at the beginning that the writer is talking about the first few days after birth.
http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=doc-WBD

Just to clarify a bit more, how is he with bottles?  Does he latch onto them?

It just sounds so very hard, you're a star to keep trying, every drop of breastmilk is liquid gold!

[*Ali*]

There is info here in high palate
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/nipplepain.htm
"Babies with a high arch to their palate tend to flick the nipple up into the 'cavity' very easily. There really needs to be so much breast tissue in the baby's mouth that the nipple is forced further back.

There are many ideas and techniques that are used to help in this situation. Experimenting with positioning is important to find the best position for mom and baby.  Some moms try sitting the baby beside her so that the chin is on the underside of the breast.  Gravity seems to help get more breast tissue in like this. Sometimes mom leaning over the baby works, again with gravity on her side.

Some moms use a modified football hold with the baby wrapped around her hip, facing her side, and baby's lower lip about a half inch under the nipple.  She would then  position the lower lip on the areola, and wait for the mouth to open wide, then pull the baby on by the shoulders to get a deep latch. Leaning  back helps hold baby against her chest.

If this is done right, baby's head will be a little extended, and the latch will be asymmetrical, with more breast tissue over the tongue and less under the palate.  The more breast in the mouth, the less the tongue restriction seems to matter, because when the mouth is more full of breast, the tongue has to lift less to press milk out of the breast.

This situation usually gets better with a little time.  As baby grows he/she is able  to take more breast tissue in the mouth, resulting in a better latch. Many times this seems to spontaneously resolve at around the age of 8 to 10 weeks."