My son couldn't breastfeed, but my daughter could. My son is autistic. There is a certain amount of coordination and strength that a baby needs in order to breastfeed successfully. Evidently some lack coordination, strength, or, as in my son's case, both. However, doctors ignored my concerns, saying I was an inexperienced 1st time mother. Sigh. I'd love a time machine, if for no other reason than to slap them silly.

I've been breastfeeding for over 10 years now. EJ, my oldest, was a premie at 1 lb, 6.4 oz. I pumped 4 him during our time in the hospital & he rec'd my milk via gavage feeding 4 quite some time. He didn't learn how to latch on until around 5 months old. We were Bosom Buddies until he was 4. The challenge I had with him was weaning. It took a year & even then, he suckled on my husband's arm for a few months after that. He's dx ASD.

Micah, who is now 7 and is not on the spectrum, nursed robustly until he decided to stop on his own, around 2+.

Ollie, 4 years old, turning 5 in Sept. & dx PDD-NOS is still actively nursing. She talks about it, draws about it sometimes, & is totally aware of the experience. She promises to stop on her birthday, we'll see. I just posted a similar thread re: breastfeeding & autism this morning.

I've had 3 very different, but overall positive experiences with nursing. I'm also a Certified Lactation Consultant and I'm totally passionate about helping other moms. I hope you got some answers you could use. Hit me up if you still post! Let's team up!

Yes. My son had problems latching on at first. I had to give him formula as well, and I stopped trying when he was 4 months old. We also had to use one specific nipple for him in his bottles. Nuk. Only one he would take.

Absolutely, when a child has a problem with their frenulum they often cannot breastfeed without causing mastitis actually. My son had some issues with his muscle control throughout his body from age 6 months after his 6 mo round of immunizations. He fed well enough but I had mastitis 5 times with him but some Autistic children manifest serious symptoms early on and others don't. I have heard that some babies require their frenulum to be clipped and others just lack the ability to curl their tongue properly which causes the germs to get in there. My son still can't curl his tongue right to make certain sounds. Our ENT didn't see a frenulum problem but that doesn't mean there isn't one. You have to talk to the right specialist who can identify that so I often wonder if he should be checked by a doctor who specializes in the frenulum issue. Oftentimes, children with poor muscle control with the tongue will have issues with speech development. If there is a frenulum issue and they stick their tongue straight out of their mouth - it is heart shaped. That is the appearance of my son's tongue. Some don't have any issues with muscle tone at all while others are affected seriously! So, I'm still not sure with my son and think I need to take him to see a doctor who specializes in frenulum issues. Imagine if it was a simple snip under the tongue that could improve his speech ability and clarity! It is something to look into for me.

Yes! My son couldn't. I thought it was a problem with my nipples or something.