Please help! is my baby rejecting the breast?

K

kelliefiler

New member
I really need help, for over the last week my nine week old baby has been refusing the breast about ten minutes into her feed. We have never up until now had any problems breast feeding, so I am really upset by this. We have just moved house and my milk was a bit low so I think this is how it started. Its so hard to figure out if she is trying to tell me she is full or if she is not happy. She is also super cranky. We do one formula feed at night but the doctor said this should not interfer with breast feeding. I am so torn as to what to do as she is so happy when i formula feed her at night but miserable when i breast feed. I do not want to give up breast feeding her, I want to make this work but where do you draw the line?
 
It is very possible that giving one formula feed a day, especially when given in a bottle or to a very young baby, can affect your breastfeeding. However, in your case I sounds like your baby may be developing a Nursing Strike.

Have a look at the following web page,
My Baby Is Suddenly Refusing to Nurse. Does That Mean It's Time to Wean?
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBstrikes.html

If this doesn’t help I would suggest getting specialized help from a LLL Leader, a Lactation Consultant or a Breastfeeding Clinic. Please feel free to contact me so we can discuss things.

Best wishes,
SARAH
2548-7636
 
Breastfeeding Clinic

You mentioned a breastfeeding clinic can you give me more details of where this is?
Chinchilla
 
when she pulls away from your breast, does she look satisfied? or frustrated? if she's full, she should have this satisfied, sleepy look on her face. whereas if you're low on milk, she may pull on your nipple. have you also try shaking your breasts when you're nursing? it also helps the milk flow. just use one or both hands to shake the breast gently.
 
Matilda Hospital holds a breastfeeding Clinic on a Monday afternoons. The clinic is run by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) and each appointment is one hour long. They told me that it usually takes about one hour to fully understand the problem and explain the best techniques to overcome it.

Appointments are made through the Matilda Health Centre 2849 1500
 
Breast Refusal

If it is after 10 mins then maybe baby is full. My first was very good at getting a lot of milk in a short time (that is once she had sorted out how to latch on). We also had reflux issues which could be what your baby is suffering from (I've been reading about silent reflux in which babies hate the sight of breast because they know what will happen if they have a drink).

Good luck.
 
She is def frustrated, its like she is getting angry at the breast, she has cried more in the last week than since she was born, I am scared she is hungry. She is also not settling or sleeping well. The reason I continue trying to put her on is that her feeds are usually longer. But even after giving breaks today she is totally refusing - unhappy baby, very unhappy mummy!
 
Yes Kylie do make an appointment at The Matilda, there is a lovely lactation consultant that works there she really helped me in the early days. Or give Sarah a call, Its also really worth attending LLL meetings for some support.
Good Luck
 
Last edited:
yes, try the clinic. you probably need someone to look at your baby, too. or maybe have some one show you how to so a baby massage to get the wind out of the tummy. or call mrs chee, a lactation consultant who also works with matilda hospital. 94176366
 
Thanks ladies,
Have contacted Mrs Chee, so will see her as soon as possible and have also taken her to the doctor so we are checking for lactose intolerance. Thanks for all your help
 
i have a friend's baby is really lactose intolerance. Since he couldn't digest lactose, he didn't gain weight at all for the first 2 weeks on bm. he was hospitalised and tons of test were did on him before the father raised the question of real lactose intolerance. (this is in Canada, father is a doctor himself)

hence i doubt if your baby is lactose intolerance. it's probably one of those nursing strike. was she gaining weight well before this episode?
 
Yes she was gaining weight, everything was going brilliantly then we shifted and I think this is the result, yesterday got really bad she was refusing all food! I was really worried about her, lets hope today is better.
 
I know this suggestion sounds extreme but it really helped me in a similar circumstance.

Try spending 24 hours in bed with your baby. Don?t force her to the breast but always have them available. You can also spend time lounging in the bath together. Basically give yourself the day off all work.

I think the fact that all these problems started so soon after your move is the real key to the problem. I?m willing to bet you were really very busy and somewhat anxious about the move. Babies are really very good at picking up on their mother?s vibes. So a worried overworked mother leads to a worried, fussy baby.

24 hours in bed with nothing to do but bond with your baby will allow her to realize that everything is fine after all and it will also allow you to relax and start to enjoy your relationship again without so much stress.

Best wishes,
Barb
 
barb has a good suggestion. i agree that babies are suprising good on picking up mommy's emotional ups & downs. if possible, try & relax with your baby in bed all day. just louging in bed and listening to soothing music.

let us know how things go. good luck!
 
You guys have been brilliant, thankyou so much.
I have seen mrs Chee, wow what a lady! my milk supply was way down due to the move so we are working on building that back up as bubs has quite naturally reacted badly to it. She also cleared some blockages so fingers crossed now that things get better. Patience here is key for me with getting her back on track, she is still crying at the breast and refusing it so I am having to top up until my milk supply builds up and she realises that. The main thing for me is that my baby is getting food as she hasnt really been getting much the poor angel and she needs to eat! and if she is happy and full she will also sleep. We will get there, I know it.
Thanks again for all you help.
 
Hi Kylie,

I think "silent reflux" is where the baby has reflux (heartburn) but no vomit comes out, I think the vomit is blocked near the top of the oesophagus, so it's hard to tell that they have reflux. My brother's baby had it, and it took a long time to be diagnosed. Doctors are reluctant to prescribe reflux meds (Gaviscon) for babies under 6 weeks if there is no evidence of the reflux. Basically in "silent reflux" the acidic vomit comes out of the stomach, up the oesophagus and then goes back down again which can be very painful. However if the baby is fine when she drinks formula, that is unlikely to be the problem because both types of milk should have a similar effect. If you still think that might be the problem, try breastfeeding her in a more upright position and also elevating her mattress, and see if that makes any difference.

With the bottle feeding, make sure the teat is a slow-flowing one because a fast-flowing one is more likely to interfere with the breastfeeding, where the milk flow slows down once your letdown is over. My baby usually pulls off the breast after only a few minutes, not in pain but she gets bored or frustrated once the flow slows down, and that's without any bottle feedings complicating matters. In fact I am afraid to introduce bottles even though I have to go back to work soon, because I am concerned she will prefer the even flow from a bottle, and I want her to breastfeed at least up to one year. If you have the same issue, I found that breast compression helped. You can find a how-to guide at http://www.kellymom.com/newman/15breast_compression.html. I do it when my baby is starting to lose interest and it does help her stay on the breast a little longer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top