Lenore,
This will take a little explaination. I will try to be brief. I went to Vietnam over a month ago. 2 trips are required to adopt from Vietnam. I was able to keep Cassie at the hotel with me, so I planned to stay the 2 months between trips in Vietnam with Cassie. She was 5 weeks at the time. So I began nursing her at the hotel. I ended up not being able to stay there, so we will have to start over when we reunite at the first of November.

Here is the concern I have. I nursed Cassie as soon as we met. She took to it wonderfully. But I could not work the Lact Aid & resorted to the Avent bottle. Then she suckled at the breast for a while. At the next feed, I tried the LactAid again. Still no luck. So we did the bottle again. After that, she wabted nothing to do with the breast. I think she wanted the bottle. She wouldn't even suckle anymore.

So I am very leary of giving he a bottle at all. I am going equipped with the LactAid, & SNS, but if I can't work it with her, I have to feed her!! Should I use a medicine dropper. Until I can get a BCLC to help me. I don't want to ruin her for nursing with a monh of bottles from mommy.

Also, the orphanage has a blasted pacifier in her mouth 24/7. She cried non stop at the hotel. After we gave her a pacifier, she was fine. Again, I want her to suckle me, not the pacifier.

Thanks!! Shannon
Ideas... Am I stressing to much. I have invested so much time over 2 years to make this work. I want us to be sucessful. We will be in VN for 3 weeks. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Hi Shannon,

You don't want your baby to associate breastfeeding in a negative way. There are steps to follow. Offering the breast and then taking it away can be most frustrating for your baby and for you. How about if you take the Avent bottle with you and try to get Cassie onto the breast when you return home?That way you can try getting baby to breast with the SNS with your LC present.

Once you're successfully transitioned your baby to breast you can most likely do away with the bottle and the pacifier.
But right now that pacifier represents comfort and security to your baby.

Go to Vietnam and enjoy your baby. Focus on lots of skin to skin contact. Get to know one another. Build a trusting relationship. The rest will take care of itself.

Fondly,

Shannon,
You can also purchase a finger feeder...there are some new ones on ebay right now. That way she will get the feel of skin instead of the bottle. You could finger feed her in the nursing position close to your bare breast... Also another thought... get one of those medela breast shields that are cut away at the top. thread your tube through it and see if she will nurse... there are so many ways to keep her from getting a bottle. I wish you luck!
<img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi Shannon,

I must say I agree with both the suggestions offered by Nona and Esther. I just helped a mom transiiton her baby to the breast using finger feeding and the Lact-aid tubing.

It's really hard for your baby to go to breast where it's warm and comfy and then go back to her life in the orphanage. The Lact-aid is really not that hard to master once you've been shown how. If you are determined to use it in Viet Nam then I STRONGLY sugges that you meet with the LC and have her show you how to use it. Don't do that taped to the breast thing....it doesn't work. The idea is to latch baby FIRST and then thread the Lact-aid tubing into the corner of her mouth just about an inch. But once you start this....do not stop and send her back where she came from....it's just not fair.

I know you're happy and excited and having journeyed with you I'm happy and excited too. I wish with my whole heart for you to have your baby at your breast. Let's go slow and do it the right way.

Now, having said all of this, do as Nona said, and get yourself some nipple shields...Medela Newborn Small if you can. If you can find the one for the cut out for the nose, great, but don't sweat it. And bring the Avent bottle along too so you're armed and ready with every intervention.

Step 1...call you LC. Make sure she's IBCLC. Have her show you how to use the Lact-aid and how to finger feed.

Hope this helps.
fondly,

There is a page here on the site you might be interested in. It's about using lactation aids
http://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/lact_aid.html
hope that helps. Good luck!

Sandy <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

now I had no luck slipping the Lact-aid tube in the corner... because it so pliable it would just roll up under my daughers lip.. But the SNS tube is more stiff. It would work good that way. Atleast this has been my experience. And Lenore is right about taping the SNS tube. IT would just get slimy and be a mess. I had success taping the lact-aid but not the sns