My baby is refusing to nurse and I have no idea why. Help!
Nursing strikes can be concerning to moms and we don’t always know the cause. They are temporary and do not mean baby is self-weaning. Sometimes it is something minor, like a new deodorant, perfume, or body wash you are using that baby doesn't like. Below is a list of other possible causes and solutions to help end the strike.
Causes/Solutions:
- Illness - stuffy nose, sore throat, ear infection, etc.
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- Contact your doctor for ways to help.
- Nurse baby in an upright position.
- Teething - baby’s gums may be tender or a strong reaction to a bite startled them.
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- Ease teething pain prior to nursing.
- Discourage biting by ending the feeding and waiting for 10-15 minutes before starting again, but try not to yell.
- Stress - recent life changes, like starting daycare, moving to a new home, or being separated from you for a while.
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- Make your breast a pleasant place to be.
- Stop if you or baby becomes frustrated - calm baby and try again later.
- Distraction - too much stimulation in their environment.
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- Nurse in a dark, quiet room.
- Rock in a chair or walk around while feeding.
- Take advantage of sleepy or drowsy periods.
- Check out this article for more ways to deal with distracted nursing.
- Nipple Confusion - baby starts to prefer bottles.
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- Use paced bottle-feeding to make a bottle-feeding session more similar to breastfeeding.
6. Discomfort - milk flow is too slow or too fast.
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- For slow flow, initiate the letdown reflex before latching baby, and massage the breasts during the feeding.
- For fast flow, stimulate the letdown reflex, but wait to latch baby until the flow of milk has slowed; use the laid-back breastfeeding position, and check out this article for more information.
Skin-to-skin contact can encourage a baby to latch and calm them in all of the situations mentioned. During nursing strikes, protect your milk supply by hand expressing or pumping when a feeding is missed.