Breastfeeding being downplayed

Suhaila tongue tie is when that piece of skin under the tongue is either tight or extends quite far forward on the tongue, therefore the child cannot stick their tongue out! So Matt wasnt able to bring his tongue out which is necessary for breastfeeding.

Well when he is crying I am suppose to just keep trying to latch him...shushing and dripping milk into his mouth with the supp.feeder. sometimes it works, other times I have to calm him first.

Good luck Meags:) just a comment though, I have never managed to latch Aaqil (who has been breastfeeding from birth to now, 5 months) when he is hysterical. I'm not sure how realistic that one is, I don't want you or Matthew to have any undue heartache. Please put my ignorance out of misery, what is tongue tie?

Hi ladies

Claudia his tongue tie was cut about a month ago. He only recently started playing around with his tongue about 2 weeks ago

So I saw the LLL lady. I have a very long journey ahead of me and at this very point in time - I dont see myself completing it!
I am willing to try - so one day at a time.

I have to use the supplemental feeder - at least now that he latches the milk doesnt squirt everywhere but he definitely needs supplementing as he's not taking in enough from the breast alone yet plus he is relying a lot on the instant flow of milk.

The feeds are taking around 1 hour with him popping on and off the breast about 20 times. It's very frustrating and never quite sure if I am suppose to put him back on or not. She says I must keep putting him back on unless he falls asleep or moves his head from side to side. She says him crying hysterically is not a reason to stop. so I have to perservere through the screaming and keep trying to get him to latch which is annoying and tiring.

Anyway she said to get through the next 24 hours with the supplemental feeder and call her. Then slowly reduce the amount of milk in the feeder, then start using it alternate feeds and then finally feeds without it (must have him weighed regularly in between all these steps to ensure he's still gaining).

I told her I am coming back to SA in about 4 weeks and want everything done by then (ie no more supp. feeder, no more pumping etc). She says its a good goal. But really - 4 weeks is a hell of a long time. I think I can do it if he is latching and feeding but if this is going to be 4 weeks of hell - well i am not sure I can keep going then!

@Claudia not sure if you know this sad fact, but research has shown that the majority of babies in Saudi Arabia and the richer Gulf states (Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai etc) are not breastfed at all. Sadly in these places wealth and laziness go hand in hand, with the richer the family the more maids they are likely to have, and the less time a mother spends with her child(ren) if any time at all!

I think you need to look at it from the perspective of mom's who tried their heart and soul to BF and pushed through until they couldn't anymore. We all want our child to breastfed as it is best, but you don't always have a choice. Also being a working mom, plays a huge part as not all careers make for sterile expressing facilities etc, and we are separated from baby when we have to go back to work at 4 months. When the Paed suggests putting baby on NAN, do you tell her/him that you don't believe in Nestle's ethics and ignore the fact that after BF this may well be the better option for your baby? I am confused, as I am a mom who wishes I could still be breastfeeding- I look up to moms that do, and don't advocate bottle feeding to moms that BF... It's just a thought.....

@Claudia: I've read a lot about the Nestle campaigns - what bastards ! Good on you to join the boycott, we also try to avoid the brand wherever we can. It's difficult like you said, whenever you turn around a packet you either see the Nestle or Unilever label. I must add that sadly NAN was the only formula Lilly took to when she went on hunger strike back in Jan

@Yaz, I'm also "boycotting" nestle at the moment because of their marketing practices (did you know that they went into soweto in the 70's dressed as nurses and told mothers that breastmilk wasnt as good as formula), turns out they own most of the food industry and its become very difficult....Again thank goodness for woolies foods!