Jr. was born at 36 weeks 1 day and spent a little over 24 hours in the NICU due to low glucose levels. When I first went to nurse him in the NICU, the overnight nurse was very sweet and worked with us for a while. Jr. wasn't quite getting it so she suggested a nipple shield, so we could hopefully ensure that he was getting enough nourishment without needing to resort to formula. We used it and Jr. managed quite well through the night. The next day I met Attila the NICU Hun. She nearly bit my head off when I reached for the nipple shield. It's true that I should have continued to try nursing without the shield, but she was very brusk and borderline rude. Then the lactation consultant came and she was just as brusk and very rushed. The whole session was more of a lecture than anything else. Once Jr. was in the room with me the nurses were great with helping me to get him to latch...kind of. It took a whole lot of man handling of my boob to get it in Jr.'s mouth and I knew there was no way I would be able to do that without dropping my child at home. The good news was that he was gaining weight really well (we've determined that I probably have really fatty milk) and continued to gain once we were home.
It was difficult for me to find help outside of fellow mom friends because we moved to a different state (with no La Leche League in town) four weeks after Jr. was born. I read a lot online, looked at a lot of diagrams, and asked a lot of questions. I realized early on that Jr. had trouble opening his mouth wide enough (which would be why there was a need for all of the man handling in the hospital). Because of this he would only really have a hold of the nipple and would pinch it in between his gums. Not. Cool.
Then I read about nipple shields and how they're not all that bad. I went out with my mom one day and got a nipple shield, and the results were wonderful. First of all, my nipples didn't feel like they were in a vice. Then slowly (very slowly) but surely Jr. learned to open his mouth wide. I would check every couple of feedings to see if he could do it on his own. At around six months he refused to nurse with the shield on and he could finally get a nice latch. It cut our nursing time in half because the milk would no longer pool in the shield and he could "empty" the breast more quickly. He's still nursing at one year and our only struggle is teething.
Though I didn't do all of these steps, here are some tips about the resources available to you.
- Definitely see a lactation consultant while still in the hospital. They'll probably see you anyway, especially if your little one is in the NICU. But do not be afraid to ask to see them again and again and again. That's what they are there for.
- If you don't like the consultant make note of their name and ask to see someone else. I wish I had done this after dealing with the Huns in the NICU that one day. You have the potential to be very emotional after child birth, so you'll want someone who will at least appear to be sensitive to your situation, not someone who's barking orders at you.
- If things aren't going well in the first few days, talk to your pediatrician at your first appointment. They may have a lactation consultant on staff.
- Get connected with your local La Leche League. If you have twins+ find a mommy group for multiples. Search online, Craigslist, and Facebook. You'll probably learn a lot from those ladies.
- Don't be afraid to call the hospital and talk to a consultant. The hospital where I delivered actually had a 24 hour call service for their lactation consultants.
- If, for whatever reason, nothing else seems to work, do not be afraid to try a nipple shield. It's a much easier solution than pumping exclusively.
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