15-day old baby won’t latch

I posted in the US subreddit earlier in the week and am really glad I found this one. I am basically just looking for a little bit of reassurance / experiences from others that babies can learn to latch later on??

I had my baby via planned cesarean at 39 weeks. In the recovery room, the midwives supported her to latch to my breast, but between not knowing what a good latch and a bad latch feels like and generally being dazed and in love with this little human, after an hour of her on my nipple it was totally SHREDDED. I kept trying to latch her despite the pain until the midwives advised me to rest my nipple. However, she wouldn’t latch on the left side at all. I ended up hand expressing colostrum and feeding her this on my finger, which she loved. Between the nipple bleeding and bruising and overzealous hand expressing, my poor boobs were bruised and sore. the nurses advised supplementing with formula (they kept describing her as “too fractious to latch”) and she has quickly developed a bottle preference. She has maybe latched on my right nipple three times since and appears to have no interest in my breasts and just starts to cry when we try.

I’ve basically been naked for the last 15 days doing skin to skin with her. She has only rooted once on my breast but quickly gives up. We ordered hospital grade pump to combo-feed alongside formula. She’s had her tongue checked and doesn’t seem to have a tongue tie, she actually seems to have a really strong latch but just won’t take my nipple at all. She will literally try to latch ON TO MY NOSE or my (male) partners nipple, but she becomes distressed on my boobs :(

My next plan is to try nipple shields. I was hoping pumping would bring in my supply enough to keep her interested (I can get between 80ml and 150ml per pump atm) but it doesn’t seem to have worked.

I guess I’m just looking for reassurance that some babies might suddenly decide they want to latch when they are a bit older? I feel like with pumping I’m going to be tied in to an exhausting schedule of pumping and cleaning. I got told that the rugby hold might be best for my breasts as they are on the larger side, but it feels very awkward and not natural to me. Cross cradle feels more natural. Just don’t want to feel this disheartened already.

Thank you!!