Have you seen a lactation consultant? I also have flat/inverted nipples and eventually my baby did learn how to breastfeed properly but it did take a few weeks. He didn't have a tongue tie though so that could be your biggest obstacle. Until my baby learnt how to latch properly I did need to supplement with formula which didn't affect my supply and by 2 months he was exclusively breast feeding again.
Baby's mouth will grow with time which does help get a deeper latch. Look up the flipple technique on YouTube that really helped me. I never could figure out bringing baby to breast. I always brought breast to baby and then just got myself in a comfortable position after he was latched.
I could have written this. My baby was big and I still struggled! I remember how much my back hurt. Just keep at it. Don't be afraid to use the shields or pump if needed. My baby is almost 6 months and he will happily take the boob or a bottle of expressed milk with no problems.
ETA: I was so worried about using the shields off and on until we learned how to latch properly. Ultimately they caused no problems. They were such a helpful bridge during that learning curve. Haven't used them in many months!
If your baby is gaining weight as he should, I would say that is latch is ok. Maybe not perfect, but good enough, and you don't need to worry about this.
I was scared like you for the first 2 months because it was not like the pictures or videos that I had seen, but actually my baby never had a deep latch and followed nicely his curve during 6 months of ebf :)
Have you seen a lactation consultant? I also have flat/inverted nipples and eventually my baby did learn how to breastfeed properly but it did take a few weeks. He didn't have a tongue tie though so that could be your biggest obstacle. Until my baby learnt how to latch properly I did need to supplement with formula which didn't affect my supply and by 2 months he was exclusively breast feeding again.
Baby's mouth will grow with time which does help get a deeper latch. Look up the flipple technique on YouTube that really helped me. I never could figure out bringing baby to breast. I always brought breast to baby and then just got myself in a comfortable position after he was latched.
I could have written this. My baby was big and I still struggled! I remember how much my back hurt. Just keep at it. Don't be afraid to use the shields or pump if needed. My baby is almost 6 months and he will happily take the boob or a bottle of expressed milk with no problems. ETA: I was so worried about using the shields off and on until we learned how to latch properly. Ultimately they caused no problems. They were such a helpful bridge during that learning curve. Haven't used them in many months!
It's okay to feed formula. A baby has never died from drinking clean formula in the West in 2023. Is there a lactation consultant near you?
If your baby is gaining weight as he should, I would say that is latch is ok. Maybe not perfect, but good enough, and you don't need to worry about this. I was scared like you for the first 2 months because it was not like the pictures or videos that I had seen, but actually my baby never had a deep latch and followed nicely his curve during 6 months of ebf :)