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 direct abroad. They may struggle and weep, find it difficult to latch on, or just nurse ineffectively at the breast. It tin can be upsetting for both of y'all if your baby won't nurse. Remember he's non rejecting you. If your baby finds going to the breast upsetting he volition need you lot more—even if only to cry on your shoulder. Unhappiness is worse if y'all're alone!

Why is my baby refusing to breastfeed? It's not always like shooting fish in a barrel to sympathize 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 have a headache.
Medication used during labour— anaesthesia, epidural or pethidine tin make your baby sleepy or groggy.
He was separated from you afterwards birth —even for a few minutes.
Discomfort due to a birth injury or bruising.
Swallowing mucus at birth and suctioning can make your baby experience 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 have difficulty latching on and nursing.

Whether or not your baby has breastfed, you may need to consider:
Give him your milk
Coping with distress
To calm your baby
Keeping calm yourself
Ways to help your baby feed
A at-home surround
Skin-to-skin contact
Brand Breastfeeding Pleasant
Frequent feeds
Other things to try
Babe with low muscle tone
Time and patience may exist needed
Seek support

Our commodity Getting breastfeeding back on runway after a hard start may too be helpful to read along with this one.

After the first few days

Whether or not your baby has breastfed, you may need to consider:

Engorgement—expressing a trivial milk tin can soften the breast enough for your baby to latch on.
Stress—your baby needs time to get used to his environs. Existence handled by too many people or undergoing tests can upset him.
Poor co-ordination of sucking and swallowing—often improves as your baby matures.
A tongue-tie that needs treatment.
Fast permit-down of milk—try catching the first spray of milk in a cloth, and then put your baby dorsum to the breast when theflow slows.
Delayed let-down—if you feel tense, this may delay the let-downwards of your milk. Babies become easily frustrated and this becomes a vicious circle. Relaxation techniques may aid.
Nipple confusion—babies who are given dummies or accept fed from a bottle may find information technology difficult to latch on. More data on dummies and breastfeeding.
Sensitivity to food or medicines in your milk.

Give him your milk

If your baby hasn't nursed well by 12–24 hours after nativity it'south important to give him some milk. Expressing your milk by manus or pump will stimulate your breasts to make milk. Aim to express as frequently equally your baby would be feeding, about 8–12 times in 24 hours. Your expressed milk tin exist offered by spoon, cup or syringe while you both acquire how to breastfeed. Using bottles or dummies may cause nipple confusion and make matters worse.

baby on shoulder lena knowles

Coping with distress

It tin exist hard when the very activity that soothes most babies—nursing—is a source of distress. Yous may feel like there is nil yous tin do to assist. What really matters is that you care enough to agree your baby close. He really needs to be in your arms where he tin feel secure.

To at-home your infant

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

Avoid holding your baby in a nursing position during medical procedures. Offer the breast afterwards to at-home him instead.

Keeping calm yourself

Take 1 feed at a time.
Minimise any other stresses. Requite yourself permission to ignore other distractions and concentrate purely on your babe while encouraging breastfeeding—it'due south worth the wait!
Make yourself comfortable. Keep drinks and healthy snacks to mitt as you try to breastfeed.
Express milk for your baby and to establish milk production. Milk producing hormones can be calming.
Use relaxation techniques when either you or your baby become distressed—massages, relaxing music, warm baths, subdued lighting and the animate exercises taught for labour.
Enlist assistance from your partner, friend or other support person. They have an important role of taking care of you both.

Means to assist your baby feed

Handle your baby gently when trying to breastfeed. Your function is to at-home your infant, give him access to the breast and follow his cues. It'southward your baby's task to feed.

A at-home environment

You and your baby need to exist warm, comfortable and relaxed—just not as well warm. Babies who are also warm tend
to exist sleepy and unresponsive. Room temperature should be effectually 18°C. Subdued lighting and tranquility can aid some babies concentrate on breastfeeding. Things may ameliorate once y'all are at dwelling. It's wise to restrict visitors at first, as you volition want space and privacy to concentrate on your infant. Your partner can aid with this.

skin to skin lena knowles

Skin-to-pare contact

Attempt laid back or natural breastfeeding positions—you lay back in a comfortable, supported, semi-reclining position with your baby lying on yous, his whole front in contact with your body. This position often stimulates a infant's instinct to attach and suckle well. It's also easier for you to watch for signs of him stirring and gently encourage feeding. Combining this with pare-to-skin contact, with your infant undressed downward to his nappy, can be even more constructive. Many babies volition start to suck spontaneously if they can snuggle up close to their mother's blank chest. A lightweight blanket can assistance continue yous both warm and covered. Spend as much time in close contact equally y'all can, even if your baby needs supplementary feeds. Comfy Breastfeeding.

Brand Breastfeeding Pleasant

Allowing your infant to have the breast at his own stride will help him relax and experience in control. Yous'll want your baby to associate being at the breast with pleasance. Pushing him onto the breast is likely to take the opposite effect, equally he volition instinctively fight against it.

Frequent feeds

Offering a breastfeed before your baby becomes very hungry. It's hard to learn a new skill when yous're ravenous. Your babe may want to feed soon afterward he's had some expressed milk. Early on feeding signs include rapid eye movement while asleep, clenched fists, caput turning, sucking hands and general body motion. Try not to wait too long equally 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 be uncomfortable in some positions or may simply have strong preferences. Use the position in which your baby is happiest to exist held.
Endeavour continuing with your baby held confronting your shoulder, so he can move downward to the breast. He may latch on while you are walking, rocking or swaying.
Some babies like to be wrapped firmly while others hate to exist wrapped.
Express a fiddling milk by paw so your baby gets an instant reward. Or drip expressed breastmilk on your nipple to keep him interested.
Breast compressions tin can help milk flow—ask an LLL Leader for details.
Some mothers find a visit to a chiropractor skilled at working with infants can assist salve any pain or discomfort babies experience following birth.
Inquire an LLL Leader or lactation consultant for data most using a nipple shield or nursing supplementer.
If your baby is unhappy at the breast, feed him your expressed milk and concentrate on helping him learn to bask close bodily contact with you without pressure to nurse. With time and patience, near babies will acquire to breastfeed.

Babe with low musculus tone

A babe who has been diagnosed with a condition that makes him hypotonic, or 'floppy', may show little interest in breastfeeding. To brand feeding easier:

- - Constrict a rolled upward cloth under your chest close to your chest wall, or
  - Back up your chest with your thumb on 1 side of the areola, fingers on the other side. If your thumb is parallel to your baby'due south upper lip, you lot can use your alphabetize finger to put gentle pressure just behind the bony role of the chin while your babe nurses.
  - At commencement information technology may be hard for your baby to go enough milk from the breast. A hypotonic baby often feeds better held with his bottom lower than his head.
  - Chest compression can also be helpful, but yous may also demand to requite some boosted expressed milk until your babe's muscle tone improves.

If your babe all of a sudden becomes floppy and you don't know why, seek medical advice.

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Time and patience may be needed

If your babe is resisting the breast, information technology's easy to experience frustrated and helpless when you lot're tired and tin can't find a solution. But a baby'south behaviour can change very quickly. Patience and agreement will assist while your baby refuses to nurse. Behaviour ofttimes changes in response to gentle repetition. Your baby tin can still have your expressed milk until he is set up to breastfeed. With time and patience, nigh babies will breastfeed. Your babe is lucky to have a mother who is willing to explore every option to make breastfeeding piece of work.

Seek support

Contact an LLL Leader. She tin can understand your feelings and help you discover a solution.

Written by mothers of LLLGB.

Farther Reading

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

Getting breastfeeding dorsum on track after a hard start
Adjusting to Motherhood
Engorged Breasts – Fugitive & Treating
Manus Expression of Breastmilk
Is My Infant Getting Enough 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 purchase in printed class from our store.

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