baby wont take my breast

B

bart

Registered User
Does anyone else have similar problems?

I know I am producing enough millk since i manage to express about 100ml each time i pump but my baby is either too lazy or something that she simply refuse to drink from my breast. She'll latch on for a couple of minutes then gets very fussy and breaks away wailing, waiting for the bottle to come to her mouth. So now i express before each feed and let her drink from the bottle. Is this a bad idea? Should I force her to drink from the breast or no milk at all? My baby is less than 2 weeks old but drinks about 110ml already.

thanks.
 
how long have you been trying? perhaps the position she is in is not comfortable? maybe the speed at which your milk is coming out is too fast so she is having a hard time drinking it? I would persist until you find a comfortable position for her since your baby is still under 2 weeks old. If she is willing to take the bottle, then there's really no problem with that either...it's really up to you if you feel you like the skin to skin connection. take your time and don't feel pressurized! all the best!
 
I had similar issues. It could be many things, that is the problem. If she has been drinking from a bottle, maybe your breast is too much work for her. Or like me, my let-down was too strong for my baby and he couldn`t handle it. It takes a while for your milk to get adjusted to the needs of your baby. Now(3.5 months down the line), my son has days when he breaks away crying(like today) and I don`t know if maybe my milk is too slow for him now, I don`t let-down fast enough, or he`s just had enough and is angry that I am insisting my nipple on him, or was it something I ate? It`s hard to know sometimes.
I learned from LLL-Sarah, if you have too much milk, you will see milk in the corners of your baby`s mouth. Try pulling away during your let down and see if milk sprays out - that could be the problem.
You baby is still young enough that you can put her just on the breast if you want to, but I would assume you would have to find out the reason why she is refusing it.
Sorry not to be of more help. Breastfeeding can be frustrating and confusing. But if you are committed, I think the rewards will come. Don`t give up.
 
i have the same problem. too fast let down & bb pulling away cos she can't swallow fast enough. so i nurse lying down, so milk comes out opposite direction of gravity & it's not as fast.
 
oh the spraying everywhere bit.... i loved breastfeeding, and i was lucky to have an easy time of it. but that milk squirting everywhere! yikes! i do NOT miss that! i even let down in the shower or when my dogs would whine!
 
Bart, I am having similar situation. My son is 3 weeks old and I introduced bottle to him at 3 days, now he is fussy after been on my breast for 5min. He sucks really well for the first 5 min as my let down is strong, but he stops when the let down slows down. His suck is very strong and usually can finish one breast in about 10 min. At first I didn't know what to do, other than express it out and feed him that way. Then I researched on the web and found out it could be nipple confusion, and one of the things you can do is compress your breast while your baby suck as he/she gets fussy. The compression can help the baby to get more milk. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.
 
Yes like some of the other ladies have said, sometimes at the start your "let-down" can be too fast for bubs, simply detach her when she gets fussy, check and see if the milk is squirting EVERYWHERE...lol...and simply let that milk go into a facewasher or towel, press above your nipple and let the fast milk come out - don't worry, there's plenty more inside...then when the flow has stemmed, try to reattach and see how she goes...sometimes humming a little lullaby or attaching her and standing up and swaying from side to side can comfort them too. She'll get it, don't worry :)
 
sorry silly question, but how can you tell if your baby has 'finished one breast'?

My baby is just pass one month old and takes forever on a breast (30-45 mins), sometimes he'll take the other side as well (not sure if this is a growth spurt) which means i'm basically feeding every single hour with, if lucky, 10-20 minute break in between where i can run to the toilet or grab a bite to eat.

so, how do i know he's 'finished' when he just keeps going?

and bart, my baby fusses some days too but i just keep giving it to him (or burping him in between) and he'll keep drinking even though in between he's bawling. Keep a positive mentality and be persistent!
 
why is there only a 20 mintue gap?

i fed my babies on demand. i didn't time anything. it is MUCH easier! so long as your baby is gaining weight, you do not need to be feeding constantly! chances are he's just sucking for comfort if you are feeding and only having a 20 minute break.
 
the first few nights my daughter was home, all she wanted to do was suck. i sent hubby out immediately and had him get a pacifier. she used it from 5 days old until 19 months. it was a godsend. she/we were so reliant upon it, that if we forgot it when we went out, we had to stop to buy a new one!

i would give that a go. otherwise, you are going to have very sore breasts! the other thing about it was that when she cried and was not satisfied by the pacifier, we KNEW she was hungry! right now, it seems that the only way you know of to stop the crying is to offer your breast. i understand, that was how i felt, too.
 
thanks carang! i will try that.

and bart i just recall, have you tried feeding on your breast with the tube thing? I can't remember it's exact terminology but it (wait let me google: Breastfeeding: Using a Lactation Aid) will help your baby learn to suck from your breast too (i heard from sarah at the LLL)
 
Solidstars - I can`t say it`s always obvious when the baby is done, but the advice I read is to let them suck until they go off it themselves. When I know my baby has had a really good feed is when he lets go, and does this fabulously cute stretch and then when I`m burping him he looks completely out of it. Like a drunken sailor, as someone noted before.
In my early weeks, I had no idea how much my baby was getting - he just sucked and sucked and I tried to get him to switch breasts and timed our sessions and all that. And sometimes it took forever.
Then it got better. And also I relaxed a bit and just followed his leads. I definitely favour feeding on demand, particularly with a small baby, because they are too young to manipulate or `want` things. They want to feed when they are hungry, and that`s that.
I read - and I don`t know if it`s true - but I read that the main milk flow from let-down only lasts for 20 min and after that it`s more comfort sucking. But I think the baby might still be trying to get more milk if he was not satisfied.
I know, it`s so hard to tell right now. But have him weighed and that will be the best indication. My boy came out at 2.9 kg and at one month he was at 5 kg so I knew something good was coming out of my breasts, hehe.
 
thanks shenzhennifer! he's definitely gaining well so i'm not worried about that. the nurse at the clinic did say to pull him off at 20 minutes but he looked so dissatisfied i stopped doing that after one day trial (of 20 minutes). Now i just let him go on and on and on... I'll try what carang suggested once i go and get myself a pacifier.
 
Well, if he`s gaining well you`re doing an awesome job!
Not to poo poo on anyone`s pacifier parade but I would just make sure he isn`t missing out on any nutritive sucking with the pacifier. Maybe you can squeeze your nipple to see how much milk is coming out at that point.
Sometimes I don`t mind if my baby goes on and on for a while. I notice he does it a lot when he`s feeling unsure (like in public sometimes) or when he`s tired and just wants a bit of mama.
 
if the baby is gaining, there is REALLY no need for him to be sucking constantly.

i never used a pacifier with my first. he hated it. NEVER took it.

my daughter was different, as is every baby. she needed to suck. it was her comfort. (she still does it now and she's two! she drinks a bottle of milk every night at bedtime. she eats a lot during the day and she doesn't need the extra nutrition, it's merely for comfort.)

if solid is having a hard time with the constant sucking, a pacifier would provide the comfort and allow her to rest her nipples for a while.
 
carang i've tried giving him a pacifier but he just won't take it and keeps looking at me (or the pacifier?) like we're aliens... it's a bit funny actually

i've tried expressing some milk over the pacifier but still not working... oh well...
 
my son wouldn't take it either... my daughter LOVED it... just keep trying... maybe it will work, maybe not.

good luck!
 
I never pushed it with my son, who spit it out the couple of times I put it in his mouth over the course of a couple of months.
Soon enough he found his fingers and thumbs and now thinks they are delectible:)
 
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