Tips To Try When Your Baby Refuses To Breastfeed

1. Tips To Try When Your Baby Refuses To Breastfeed Breast milk is the healthiest and the most reliable way of nourishing your infant, however it comes along with plenty of challenges like cluster feeding, engorged nipples, leaking breasts, low milk supply or trouble latching properly. Sometimes babies refuse to breastfeed for several other reasons too, but for those who can get past all those troubles and continue to have success with nursing, it will be an awesome journey for them. Usually lactating mothers produce sufficient milk for their infants which can satisfy their hunger and nutritional requirements. Mothers still assume that they might not be producing adequate amounts of milk and put their hands on breastfeeding supplements like lactation drinks, emergency brownies and many other options to boost their milk supply. The reasons for refusal might be very different from what normally a mother is assuming. This condition is known as breastfeeding strike where babies suddenly refuse to suckle the milk from breasts and it’s an indication that something isn’t quite right. This might be stressful and frustrating for the mother and baby too, who get fussy and cranky. You can manage this whole scenario by using some tips and tricks but sometimes you may need to visit a doctor for an appropriate examination. Here are some tips mentioned below to guide you. 1-Try different positions It is advisable to try various feeding positions to comfort the baby, ensuring more skin to skin contact, which is pretty soothing for the baby. Sometimes babies have blocked noses, suppressed too much with the breasts and leads to feeding difficulty. By just changing the position, it will give an immediate relief. Babies like a laid back position aiding in developing a deep latch, making it easier to withdraw milk from breasts. You can take assistance from midwives or health visitors who can help you with different positions. 2-Deal with distractions As the baby grows, his/her senses become more vigilant and they’re more responsive towards sounds and visual distractions. They are so keen towards noise and surroundings that they leave the breasts again and again, which hinders in developing a good latching position. It leads to long and tiring feeding sessions. Try to feed your baby in a quiet, dark area which receives lesser noises, so the baby is nursed properly and can sleep for a good stretch of time. 3-Stay calm and keep trying

2. By forcing the baby to have milk makes the situation even worse, allow your baby to take the lead. They are naturally skillful at sucking milk and therefore with little patience, they will eventually start taking breastfeed. If they are crying, wait for sometime, distract them by a walk, looking at toys and when they calm down, they will nurse more easily than before. It is a testing time for mothers and they mustn’t lose their temper. 4-Walk and feed It sounds a bit awkward that you are walking and nursing simultaneously, but this trick works very well. While you are walking, patting their backs, the baby is calm and quiet and takes the breasts easily. Holding them in an upright position, mouths facing the breasts is a good way of encouraging milk suction and it helps increase milk supply. slings are also a good option, as they will help the lactating mothers not to get tired soon. However, you need to adjust the sling a little bit lower than normal for this purpose. 5-Low milk supply Mothers produce less milk or if the let down is slow, the baby gets tired and irritated, losing interest in breasts. This issue can be solved by consuming lactation drinks having fenugreek, fennel or smoothies to increase milk supply. You can even use medicines which work really quickly on milk supply. 6-Underlying causes If your baby is facing illnesses like stuffy, congested nose, cold or ear pain, they will find it difficult to take feed because of pain and breathing issues. You can give them nasal drops to open their nose which are quite safe, ask your doctor for ear drops to relieve your baby soon. These issues are not that big but definitely create trouble for the time being. Other serious issues for which you should consult a doctor or specialist or pediatrician who can properly examine the baby and diagnose if the baby is having any medical issue like tongue tie, cleft lip or palate, whether the baby is premature and needs some time to feed properly, all these can cause nursing inefficiency. Conclusion It is really upsetting when your baby refuses to breastfeed and goes into denial. You are advised to keep expressing your milk from the breast pump, till this strike ends, as it is mostly for a short period of time. Meanwhile try to stay calm and patient, give your baby more cuddles and hugs, because you both need them a lot!