When Your Baby Refuses to Nurse

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What to do if your baby is refusing to nurse

Babies can refuse to nurse for many reasons. As babies get older, their habits change and so does their appetite. You may have a growth spurt around the age of six months and be hit with a nursing strike around the same time. A nursing strike is temporary but it can be upsetting to a new mom when her precious baby refuses to nurse. Another reason for refusing the breast is the baby could have some stress causing an aversion to the breast. Examples of this are when the baby bites and you react out of surprise, it may scare him and cause him to want to avoid this happening again. So he avoids the breast to avoid this unpleasant occurrence.

Does the baby cry and push away from the breast?

If the baby screams and pushes away from the breast repeatedly this could signal an aversion to the breast. This type of situation is best solved by spending more time bonding with your baby. It is your breastfeeding relationship that needs fixing.

Alternatively, does he nurse for a few minutes and pull away?

Sometimes when a baby is very hungry, he gets agitated and it may take some time to calm him down to where he will nurse. If this happens, hold him for a few minutes until he settles down and try again. If he nurses and then pulls away, it could be that you have a strong let-down reflex and he is getting too much milk at once. To solve this problem express or pump a little milk prior to nursing. The milk reflex can be quite strong but only lasts a few minutes. Once the milk has slowed down you can put baby to the breast and it should be fine.

Normally the breasts adjust to your baby's feeding habits and make just the right amount of milk based on supply and demand. When the baby is hungrier than usual and wants to nurse more the breasts respond to this demand for more milk by producing more. This may not happen immediately but you should see an increase within 48 hours.

Give your baby more attention

If you have recently returned to work he may be noticing the stress you feel at having to be away during the day. When you are home, give them as much attention as possible. While doing the household chores, put the baby in a baby wrap or sling instead of putting him in the crib or playpen while you work. He will enjoy the closeness and the extra time he gets to spend with you.

Let him nurse when he wants

A good time to try to get the baby back on the breast is during nighttime feedings. A sleepy baby will often accept the breast and nurse himself to sleep. If he refuses during the day but nurses at night just go with it. As he gets used to nursing at night, the first early morning feeding will get the ball rolling again. Do not worry if he still refuses to nurse during the day as this is usually a temporary situation that will eventually work itself out.

Pump every time you give a bottle to maintain your milk supply

While you are working this problem out you will need to keep up your milk supply.You can pump and store feeding for your baby in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. Breast milk production works off supply and demand so when you give a bottle you need to pump that feeding or your body will think he did not need it and will start to slow down production.

Keep your chin up! These types of situations are only temporary. For more tips and information on breastfeeding, I invite you to read How to Survive Nursing Strikes or visit my blog Over 40 Motherhood