Why does a child refuse to breastfeed?

Breastfeeding is an integral part of the full and healthy development of every child.

But, due to problems with lactation, which every third woman has to face today, the feeding process turns into a real torment for both mother and baby, who does not receive the required amount of nutrients. It’s one thing when the problem is a lack of milk, but what to do if the baby refuses to latch on to the breast and remains hungry?

The child does not latch on to the breast: mother’s problems

Often the process of breastfeeding is disrupted due to the special structure of the mother’s mammary glands. If the nipple is very large, flat or inverted, it is difficult for the baby to grasp and hold it in the mouth. Such feeding tires the baby very much and as a result the child remains hungry. If over time the baby does not adapt to such anatomical features of the mother, it is worth using special silicone pads. In some cases, a woman may experience a blocked milk duct or stagnation of milk, which causes hardening and swelling of the nipple, which makes breastfeeding much more difficult. In this case, regular pumping helps.

Sometimes the breastfeeding process is disrupted due to the fact that the nursing woman takes certain medications that give the milk a specific taste. A young mother should closely monitor her health. Incorrect breastfeeding can cause significant discomfort for both the baby and the nursing woman. One of the most important problems is cracked nipples, which cause terrible pain.

To get rid of this defect, use specialized lanonin-based products. Do not use any traditional medicine, vaseline or vegetable oil - these substances can lead to the development of an allergic reaction. In addition, foreign smell and taste can cause the baby to not latch on to the breast. If any breast pathologies are detected, you should undergo timely treatment and be regularly examined by a specialist.

If a nursing woman experiences a disruption in her menstrual cycle or a new pregnancy occurs, the child may refuse to breastfeed due to a change in the emotional state of the mother. Be sure to monitor your diet by completely eliminating caffeinated foods, fatty and fried foods from your daily menu. A nursing woman should not abuse all kinds of nutritional supplements and vitamin complexes.

If you feel the need to take them, consult your doctor first. You should also be extremely careful when using cosmetics, avoiding products with a strong specific odor that may be unpleasant to your child.

In some cases, the problem may be the well-known postpartum depression, when the mother may not respond to the baby’s crying, often leaving him alone in the room, treating her child rudely and inappropriately. Children, despite their young age, very sensitively sense rudeness and cruelty, so they themselves begin to distance themselves from their mother. In this case, you should stock up not only with great endurance, but also with the help of an experienced psychologist who will help you resolve this situation painlessly.

The baby has stopped breastfeeding, how long can you really feed with expressed milk?

Girls, good afternoon! Just recently I wanted to write a post on the topic of how great we are, we are growing up, we eat mother’s milk and on you... My daughter began to refuse breastfeeding, and in such a way that her screaming makes my ears numb, and now the backstory, who is interested and who can I ask you to give me a hint under the cut... I ask those who judge to pass by, this can happen to any of us! The first child, the daughter was initially on the NE, in the maternity hospital she was put to the breast, she took it, but there wasn’t enough, the milk came only on the 5th day, the pediatricians said there would be a big shortage, we wouldn’t discharge it and I had to supplement it with formula, I weighed her before and after feeding and she really didn’t I was full... Then at home I breastfed and sometimes they gave me formula, 30 ml and not always, at night she only had enough breasts, so a month and ten days passed, now she hasn’t breastfed for ten days, it started little by little, at first when there was a lot of milk Sometimes she would gag, start screaming heart-rendingly, and after that it was impossible to feed. A little later, when she calmed down, she could take the breast and finish eating, but not always, even then she had to feed from a bottle. Then I began to notice that there was less milk, and actually less because earlier when I was feeding from the second breast it leaked, so much so that 20-30 ml was filled into the bottle, but now 5-10 ml flows out and not all at once, daughter she began to refuse the breast because there was little milk in it, in general, a week of such torment and now she begins to become hysterical at the sight of the breast, before I even have time to apply it she is already screaming so hard that you can’t immediately calm down... It’s good to eat from a bottle, she also drinks water, but Now she has completely stopped taking the breast, I apply it every time, I can feed her once during the whole day, and she begs for a bottle with screams and hysterics all the other times ((((((I started expressing and feeding milk, I have a manual breast pump, so I’m thinking what to do further, I can’t endure these hysterics, I thought I could, but a week has passed and when she screams not only from hunger but also from the sight of her breasts, and calmly eats expressed milk from a bottle, it’s hard... I say right away we live alone with my husband and child I'm alone all the time because... He works a five-day shift and by the evening of such hysterics my eye is already twitching and I’m almost crying myself... I immediately tell him advice like removing bottles, pacifiers, etc. don’t suggest it, I’ve read a lot of information on this topic, I’m not mentally ready for round-the-clock hysterics, I’m already exhausted from lack of sleep.. Dear girls, tell me, I need real stories about who fed expressed milk for how long, don’t pass by.. I want to buy an electric breast pump and pump, pump, just so that your daughter gets her mother’s milk...

Reasons why a child refuses to breastfeed:

1. The sucking reflex is insufficiently developed - this problem should be worked on by putting the baby to the breast more often;

2. During intrauterine development or during childbirth, the baby had hypoxia;

3. Bottle feeding is one of the most common factors why a child refuses his mother's breast. It is much easier to suck from a bottle, but it takes some effort to get milk from the nipple. Pediatricians recommend limiting a child from bottles and nipples for up to six months, because this is a very important period when all efforts must be directed toward maintaining breastfeeding. After giving your baby formula or bottle water several times, be prepared to face protest and be patient as you wean your baby back to the breast. Even if there is a need to introduce complementary foods, it is better to give the child food from a spoon or syringe.

4. Incorrect posture during feeding - perhaps the baby lies uncomfortably, gets tired very quickly and does not fully eat. The optimal position is the head is slightly thrown back so that the nose is at the level of the nipple.

5. A short sublingual frenulum is a defect that requires surgical intervention. If such a pathology is present, the baby may not refuse feeding categorically, but do it very slowly.

What to do if a child refuses to breastfeed?

Is your baby crying again, turning away from the breast, causing irritation and nervousness? Do not despair and start introducing complementary foods; if desired, natural feeding can always be normalized, ensuring full development of your baby. First of all, it is necessary to create physical contact between yourself and the baby, creating a favorable atmosphere for feeding. Try to spend as much time as possible with the baby, hug and kiss the baby so that he can feel his mother’s love and care. During feeding, you can turn on beautiful relaxing music in the room and dim the lights. It is better if at this trembling moment there is no one in the room except mother and baby. Try to create a favorable, friendly atmosphere in the house, avoid quarrels and family scandals, which can cause unnecessary worry in the baby. Do not give up night feedings and co-sleeping - this is the best way to improve psychological contact.

What to do if your baby is on strike

If the mother and child are healthy, do not experience stress, and the quantity and quality of breast milk does not raise doubts about its sufficiency for feeding, the problem of “strike” is easily resolved:

• From the first minutes of a newborn’s life, you should not keep him in absolute silence - otherwise, in the future, any unfamiliar sound may frighten him and cause a “protest” in the form of breastfeeding. It is better to gradually accustom the baby to a variety of sounds: make calm, quiet music in the background for feeding and sleeping, turn on sounds of nature for listening, etc.;
• For at least the first 2-3 months of the baby’s life, it is advisable to protect him from large crowds of people, avoid visiting noisy places and spend more time with the child. It is necessary to do everything so that the psychological connection with the baby during this time becomes strong enough to withstand short-term absences “on business” in the future (resting for a mother is as useful as communicating with the child, and taking a short break from caring for a newborn is simply necessary! );
• By switching to a more comfortable diet “at will” (instead of feeding by the hour), you can immediately solve two problems: the child will eat on a schedule that is understandable to him “hungry - ate, full - sleep or play”, in addition, the baby will feel his importance for mom (after all, she will be the one who adapts to his wishes);
• If the reason for breast refusal is bottles and pacifiers, their use should be excluded (or limited): you can supplement feeding with a spoon - this way the baby will quickly learn the process of normal feeding.

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The process of “convincing” a child of the benefits of the mother’s breast and breast milk is quite complex. The most important requirement when restoring the baby’s desire to feed on mother’s milk is not to make mistakes that aggravate the situation: you cannot force, shout or punish. You need to act kindly, calmly, and more often provoke independent attempts to reach for the breast (especially if the baby falls asleep in the mother’s arms) - and peace will be restored.

The child does not latch on to the breast in late infancy

Has your baby enjoyed breastfeeding since birth and now suddenly begins to refuse breast milk? The problem here lies not in the physiology of the mother and the characteristics of the child’s body. The reason may be an acute respiratory infection, when with a severe runny nose it is very difficult for a child to breathe, stress when changing the environment, various diseases with a pronounced pain syndrome. Also, babies often refuse to eat while their teeth are growing. Again, the problem of giving up breast milk can be starting bottle feeding. The baby will understand that it is much easier to suck this way and will demand a pacifier, flatly refusing the breast.

According to pediatricians, there are often cases when children refuse to take the breast after a long absence of the mother. For example, you urgently left for several days on business or went to the hospital, at this time the child experiences stress caused by separation from his mother. If such a situation occurs in your life, after returning, try to spend as much time as possible with your baby.

After six months, children react very sensitively to extraneous noise. Please note that perhaps some sound in the house irritates the child and he is constantly distracted by it and cannot eat normally.

Identifying and eliminating the root causes of the “strike”

Pain and discomfort are the main reasons that prompt a baby to refuse to eat in the usual way, and therefore you always need to find out what exactly is bothering the child. Careful observation, comparison of facts, analysis of the child’s previous behavior and physical condition, adequate assessment of one’s own actions and feelings - these are the tools that always allow you to “get to the bottom” of the truth. You should also not neglect the help of specialists. Remember: the main thing you need to do when your baby refuses to breastfeed is to remain calm, as your nervousness can be passed on to your baby and make the situation worse. Moreover, stress can cause a decrease in the quality and quantity of milk, which clearly will not improve the situation.

Soreness in the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat can cause the baby to suddenly refuse to take the breast - especially if it is “tight” and the baby has to make a lot of effort to suck it (a similar problem occurs mainly in the first month after birth). If you suspect that it is pain that prevents the baby from eating fully, you need to contact a specialist: perhaps the child has “thrush,” a sore throat, or teething. Pain when sucking can also be caused by otitis media, and a runny nose (even a slight one) does not add pleasant sensations.

In any case, you can’t do without calling a pediatrician, since he knows better what to do - after all, it is important to stop any disease at the very beginning, and here it is better to be on the safe side than to let the disease cause even more harm to your baby.

Discomfort is another reason for whims, dissatisfaction and refusal to breastfeed. To find out the circumstances causing concern to a child, you will need patience, observation, and intuition (the ability to “hear” your child and guess his desires). Experts call such “temporary” breastfeeding false - when the causes of discomfort are eliminated, the baby will calm down, take the breast with pleasure again and suck milk with even greater appetite.

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It must be said right away that a child’s discomfort is a purely individual condition, and any action, sound or something else can cause it. Therefore, one can endlessly list the reasons that could disrupt the feeding procedure. Let's name just a few of them:

• Unusual taste - many babies are very sensitive to this indicator, and therefore a nursing mother should adhere to a constant diet: eating foods that are too salty, hot or spicy will inevitably affect the taste of breast milk; for the same reason, you should not use creams and ointments to treat or prevent cracked nipples - if such a problem arises, it is better to do this by temporarily excluding the sore breast from the feeding process;
• Uncomfortable body position. The child grows and develops, he develops certain habits, and new needs arise every month. Therefore, the baby’s position when feeding can affect his mood: perhaps the previous position is no longer comfortable for him, and if the position changes, on the contrary, he demands to return to the one to which he was accustomed over the previous months;
• Another reason why a baby may go on a hunger strike is a discrepancy between the hours of feeding and the feeling of hunger. If the mother feeds the child strictly according to the clock, such a rebellion is not uncommon when the child is 3-4 months old. The baby learns about the world, he moves more, which means he spends more energy. But this does not mean that the feeling of hunger occurs more often - perhaps the usual regime is no longer suitable for the child’s “internal” rhythm, and at this time he is not yet so hungry as to change the pleasure of looking at his hands to the opportunity to suck on his mother’s breast. Hence the desire to twist, grunt and whine, take the nipple into the mouth and immediately spit it out - showing with all your appearance that there are more interesting things to do;
• Loud noises in the next room or outside the window, too bright light or strangers present during feeding - all this begins to distract the child from calm eating from the second month of life, especially if the baby is easily excitable and hyperactive;
• A pacifier or pacifier can also cause a refusal to take the breast: the sucking movements that a child makes while drinking from a bottle require less effort than during breastfeeding - which is why some little “cunning” people prefer an easier method of satiation;
• Weakening tactile contacts is another important reason why a baby becomes uncomfortable sucking on his mother’s breast. Breastfeeding involves a whole range of familiar sensations for a child: the smell of the mother’s body, a soothing timbre of the voice, affectionate touches, the security of a hug and much more. If the mother is absent too often, entrusting the care of the baby to other people, a weakening of the emotional connection with the child can be fatal, and the baby will simply stop trusting the mother, losing appetite and preferring to suck milk from a bottle. That is why it is so important for a woman to be with her baby as often as possible at least during the first months.

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When is it necessary to supplement a baby with formula while breastfeeding?

As mentioned earlier, the mother’s nervousness, anxiety, bad mood - all these feelings and emotions are immediately transmitted to the baby, and therefore can easily provoke the child to refuse the breast. Therefore, a woman who is breastfeeding and trying to prolong the lactation period as much as possible should devote as much time as possible to the baby, avoiding conflict situations and not being distracted by everyday problems - the ideal option here would be the support and understanding of all family members.

The baby does not take the breast - in what cases there is no reason to panic

Very often, young mothers exaggerate and aggravate the situation, especially when it comes to their beloved child. If your baby refuses to latch on, maybe he's just not hungry yet?

Record the time between feedings and, if only 2-3 hours have passed, the baby is alert and not crying, you should not suffer and forcefully breastfeed. It happens that the baby sucks on one breast more than the other, which causes concern for the mother. There is nothing wrong with this, perhaps it is more convenient for the child, or you yourself, without noticing it, most often gave this particular breast.