I Have a Really Hard Time Holding My Baby to Breast Feed

Breastfeeding is normal and natural but some babies don't get the hang of it straight away. They may struggle and cry, find it difficult to latch on, or simply nurse ineffectively at the breast. Information technology can exist upsetting for both of y'all if your baby won't nurse. Call up he'due south not rejecting you. If your baby finds going to the chest upsetting he will need y'all more—even if simply to cry on your shoulder. Unhappiness is worse if yous're alone!

Why is my baby refusing to breastfeed? It's not e'er easy to empathize why this has happened. Some of the more common reasons for newborn babies refusing to breastfeed are:

A difficult labour or delivery—he may feel sore or take a headache.
Medication used during labour— anaesthesia, epidural or pethidine tin can make your babe sleepy or groggy.
He was separated from you lot after nascency —even for a few minutes.
Discomfort due to a nascency injury or bruising.
Swallowing mucus at birth and suctioning can make your baby feel congested, nauseous or uncomfortable.
An early unpleasant experience of nursing, such as being pushed onto the breast.
Blood tests and other medical procedures while nursing. In some cases, a baby may also accept difficulty latching on and nursing.

Whether or non your baby has breastfed, you may demand to consider:
Give him your milk
Coping with distress
To calm your baby
Keeping calm yourself
Ways to help your baby feed
A calm environment
Skin-to-skin contact
Make Breastfeeding Pleasant
Frequent feeds
Other things to endeavor
Babe with low muscle tone
Time and patience may be needed
Seek support

Our article Getting breastfeeding back on rails afterwards a difficult start may also be helpful to read along with this one.

Afterwards the starting time few days

Whether or non your baby has breastfed, yous may demand to consider:

Engorgement—expressing a little milk can soften the breast enough for your baby to latch on.
Stress—your baby needs time to get used to his surroundings. Being handled by as well many people or undergoing tests can upset him.
Poor co-ordination of sucking and swallowing—oftentimes improves as your baby matures.
A tongue-tie that needs treatment.
Fast let-down of milk—try communicable the offset spray of milk in a material, and then put your baby back to the breast when theflow slows.
Delayed let-down—if you experience tense, this may delay the let-down of your milk. Babies become easily frustrated and this becomes a vicious circle. Relaxation techniques may assist.
Nipple confusion—babies who are given dummies or have fed from a bottle may find it difficult to latch on. More information on dummies and breastfeeding.
Sensitivity to nutrient or medicines in your milk.

Give him your milk

If your babe hasn't nursed well by 12–24 hours afterwards birth it's important to give him some milk. Expressing your milk past hand or pump will stimulate your breasts to brand milk. Aim to express as often as your baby would be feeding, about 8–12 times in 24 hours. Your expressed milk can be offered by spoon, cup or syringe while you both learn how to breastfeed. Using bottles or dummies may crusade nipple defoliation and brand matters worse.

baby on shoulder lena knowles

Coping with distress

It can be difficult when the very activity that soothes most babies—nursing—is a source of distress. You may feel similar there is nothing you lot can exercise to help. What really matters is that you intendance enough to hold your baby close. He really needs to be in your arms where he can feel secure.

To at-home your babe

Sing and talk calmly.
Hold him against your shoulder if he doesn't similar to exist held in a nursing position.
Keep the surroundings peaceful.
Accept a walk outside.
Take a relaxing warm bath together.

Avert property your baby in a nursing position during medical procedures. Offering the breast later on to calm him instead.

Keeping calm yourself

Take ane feed at a time.
Minimise whatever other stresses. Give yourself permission to ignore other distractions and concentrate purely on your baby while encouraging breastfeeding—it's worth the await!
Make yourself comfortable. Keep drinks and healthy snacks to hand as you try to breastfeed.
Express milk for your babe and to establish milk production. Milk producing hormones can exist calming.
Use relaxation techniques when either you or your baby become distressed—massages, relaxing music, warm baths, subdued lighting and the breathing exercises taught for labour.
Enlist assistance from your partner, friend or other support person. They have an important office of taking care of you both.

Ways to help your baby feed

Handle your babe gently when trying to breastfeed. Your role is to calm your baby, give him access to the breast and follow his cues. It'due south your baby's job to feed.

A calm environment

Yous and your baby need to be warm, comfortable and relaxed—only not besides warm. Babies who are too warm tend
to be sleepy and unresponsive. Room temperature should be around 18°C. Subdued lighting and quiet tin can aid some babies concentrate on breastfeeding. Things may meliorate once yous are at home. It's wise to restrict visitors at outset, every bit you will want space and privacy to concentrate on your baby. Your partner can help with this.

skin to skin lena knowles

Skin-to-pare contact

Try laid back or natural breastfeeding positions—you lay dorsum in a comfortable, supported, semi-reclining position with your baby lying on y'all, his whole front in contact with your body. This position frequently stimulates a infant's instinct to attach and suckle well. It's also easier for y'all to sentry for signs of him stirring and gently encourage feeding. Combining this with skin-to-skin contact, with your baby undressed down to his nappy, tin can be even more effective. Many babies volition start to suck spontaneously if they can snuggle upwardly shut to their female parent's blank chest. A lightweight blanket can help continue yous both warm and covered. Spend as much time in close contact as y'all can, even if your baby needs supplementary feeds. Comfortable Breastfeeding.

Make Breastfeeding Pleasant

Assuasive your babe to take the chest at his ain step will help him relax and feel in command. You'll desire your babe to acquaintance being at the breast with pleasure. Pushing him onto the breast is likely to have the opposite upshot, every bit he will instinctively fight against it.

Frequent feeds

Offer a breastfeed before your baby becomes very hungry. Information technology'due south hard to learn a new skill when yous're ravenous. Your baby may want to feed soon after he'south had some expressed milk. Early feeding signs include rapid eye motion while asleep, clenched fists, head turning, sucking easily and general body movement. Try non to await too long as crying makes information technology harder for him to breastfeed well. Offer feeds oft, unless your baby is repeatedly and persistently refusing to breastfeed.

Source: United States Breastfeeding Committee

Other things to attempt

Experiment with different feeding positions—your baby may exist uncomfortable in some positions or may just have stiff preferences. Utilise the position in which your babe is happiest to be held.
Try continuing with your baby held against your shoulder, so he can motion downwards to the breast. He may latch on while you are walking, rocking or swaying.
Some babies like to exist wrapped firmly while others hate to be wrapped.
Express a little milk by hand so your baby gets an instant reward. Or drip expressed breastmilk on your nipple to keep him interested.
Chest compressions tin aid milk flow—ask an LLL Leader for details.
Some mothers find a visit to a chiropractor skilled at working with infants can help relieve any pain or discomfort babies experience following birth.
Enquire an LLL Leader or lactation consultant for information about using a nipple shield or nursing supplementer.
If your infant is unhappy at the breast, feed him your expressed milk and concentrate on helping him learn to savor shut bodily contact with you without force per unit area to nurse. With time and patience, most babies will learn to breastfeed.

Babe with low musculus tone

A baby who has been diagnosed with a condition that makes him hypotonic, or 'floppy', may show piffling involvement in breastfeeding. To make feeding easier:

- - Tuck a rolled up fabric under your breast shut to your chest wall, or
  - Support your breast with your thumb on i side of the areola, fingers on the other side. If your thumb is parallel to your baby's upper lip, y'all can employ your index finger to put gentle pressure just backside the bony office of the chin while your baby nurses.
  - At first it may exist hard for your baby to get plenty milk from the breast. A hypotonic baby often feeds meliorate held with his bottom lower than his head.
  - Chest pinch can as well be helpful, but you may besides need to give some additional expressed milk until your baby'south muscle tone improves.

If your infant suddenly becomes floppy and you don't know why, seek medical advice.

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Time and patience may be needed

If your baby is resisting the breast, it's easy to feel frustrated and helpless when you lot're tired and can't find a solution. Merely a baby's behaviour can change very quickly. Patience and agreement volition help while your baby refuses to nurse. Behaviour often changes in response to gentle repetition. Your baby can still have your expressed milk until he is set up to breastfeed. With time and patience, most babies volition breastfeed. Your baby is lucky to have a mother who is willing to explore every option to make breastfeeding work.

Seek support

Contact an LLL Leader. She tin empathise your feelings and assist yous find a solution.

Written past mothers of LLLGB.

Farther Reading

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, LLLI. London: Pinter & Martin, 2010.

Getting breastfeeding back on track after a difficult start
Adjusting to Motherhood
Engorged Breasts – Avoiding & Treating
Hand Expression of Breastmilk
Is My Infant Getting Plenty Milk?
Jaundice in a Healthy Newborn
Nipple Confusion?
Nipple Shields
Comfortable Breastfeeding
Sleepy Baby – Why & What To Do
Tongue Tie & Breastfeeding

This information is available to buy in printed class from our shop.

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Source: https://www.laleche.org.uk/my-baby-wont-breastfeed/