7 Days old, will only take artificial nipple

[Gisella]

I gave birth 7 days ago. I started giving the baby bottled milk and then on the 3rd day when i tried to nurse my nipples werent able to come out. I think i just have flat nipples so i used an artificial nipple. The baby is happy using this and crys without it because its to difficult for her to latch on. Is this ok? Also is it ok to mix formula and breast milk?

[Nipple_nectar]

Welcome to the boards and congrats on your new arrival and the decision to breastfeed! What you need are called breast shells made by www.medela.com and wearing these between feedings helps your nipples protrude a bit more. You can also pump for five minutes, allowing your nipples to prime, becoming pointy and easier to grab onto.

Are you large breasted? Some newborns have a difficult time with the latch when you are engorged as your milk comes in, pumping for five minutes will also help here to soften the breast.

The baby is more than likely crying because of confusion, when you try and introduce an artificial nipple, baby confuses easily and may develop a preference. I would just try each session without it and after showing resistance, resort to using the nipple shield. The shield can become problematic as it can create weight gain issues as baby is not able to compress your milk ducts as easily as without. Nipple confusion (http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_confusion.html) as you have already learned, is your biggest worry. Some babies develop such a preference that they will refuse to latch on so your best bet is to try and wean her from it ASAP.

The only danger you will encounter by supplementing with formula is it will interfere with you developing a good milk supply. Every time you use formula, you are telling your body to stop producing, unless you are pumping for the same amount of time that baby would normally nurse. This is a good link for info on formula supplementation: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/infant-formula.html Why do you think you need to supplement with formula? I would also worry that it will cause digestive upset to go back and forth, most formulas can be constipating, but that is just my opinion.

For the first eight weeks it is highly recommended to exclusively nurse to give your body a chance to develop a good, strong supply. Also, you run into the same problem with nipple confusion as it is a totally different learning process for baby to suck from a bottle than to suckle at the breast. It is much easier to draw milk from an artificial nipple and newborns are lazy and will prefer that method of delivery most often when given a choice.

So, the long answer is I would not supplement at this point as you are in danger of losing your supply, there is also the virgin gut (http://www.breastfeed.com/resources/articles/virgingut.htm)theory to consider.

Here is also an excellant link on supplementing using breastfeeding friendly alternatives: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html