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“I can’t breastfeed, I don’t take it and that’s it!”. Specialists: doctors and breastfeeding experts – often meet with such complaints. But is everything so simple?
“The term “breastfeeding” is used too often,” notes Polina Lykova, lactation consultant with an international certificate (IBCLC), breastfeeding methodologist at a Moscow clinic, AKEV mentor. – Many mothers believe that they cannot breastfeed because “the baby refused.” But in most cases, it’s not just the “refusal” of the baby. We are talking about the characteristics of the child’s behavior, a certain stage of development, increased physical or mental stress, and so on. And it is for these reasons that the child does not take the breast, and not because he suddenly went on strike.
Where do moms get their information from? From conversations with friends or articles on the Internet – not always compiled by experts. But in fact, in each case of the so-called “refusal” it is necessary first of all to find out the reason.
– Indeed, there are situations when we are dealing with certain difficulties in sucking. In such cases, the baby has every reason to be concerned and cannot suckle, our expert says. – By identifying the cause and solving the problem, you will calm the baby and you can return to the previous behavior and attitude towards the breast.
Why is the baby refusing to breastfeed?
It turns out that the reasons that can provoke problems with the acceptance of mother’s breasts are very different: related to the age of the child, the characteristics of growth and development, as well as physiological or psychological factors that make sucking difficult.
Reasons why a baby does not breastfeed in the first month of life:
- Urination and increased peristalsis. According to our expert, in such cases, the baby usually takes the breast, but immediately drops it, cries, you can hear the rumbling in the stomach;
- Supplementary feeding Feeding from the nipple, the use of mixtures may be manifested by a decrease in interest in the breast. Difficulties arise due to the difference in the movements of the tongue when sucking on a nipple and a bottle. And if the baby is already full – why should he also suck on his mother’s milk?
- Too much milk pressure. Maybe at the beginning of feeding.
- Features of the structure and functioning of the maxillofacial system.
“The real difficulty is problems with sucking when there are features of the maxillofacial region,” says Polina Lykova. – These can be both obvious problems: a cleft palate, a high palate, and hidden ones: for example, the nuances of tongue movements, a short and inelastic hyoid frenulum, and so on. In such cases, the child is forced to constantly overcome objective difficulties and, accordingly, has every right to express dissatisfaction.
Reasons why a child aged 3-4 months does not take a breast:
- fist sucking;
- Preference for one breast or a particular position;
- Use of bottles and mixtures. Not all babies can suckle both the breast and the pacifier;
- Inability to concentrate on sucking – here we are talking about feeding conditions;
- Excessive contact with strangers (frequent guests, trips, and so on);
- Enhanced early development of the child: dynamic gymnastics, hard hardening, etc.
What to do if the baby refuses to breastfeed
As mentioned above, first of all, you need to establish the reason for the “refusal”. If the baby usually readily responds to the offer of his mother’s breast, and only sometimes “acts” before or during feeding, most likely there is no reason to worry: perhaps he is not yet hungry or just overexcited.
If the child is more categorical, then you definitely need to think: what is the cause of the concern. In case of difficulties, mothers will always come to the aid of professionals: specialists in breastfeeding. Many of them even work with home visits.
You can also learn tips from our expert.
Choose the right pose
This method, in principle, helps mother and baby make the feeding process comfortable and enjoyable for both. And also it can help in cases with increased peristalsis in a child, when there is too much pressure of milk, and even with structural features and functioning of the maxillofacial system.
– In such cases, it is necessary to choose the most comfortable position, you can use the position of biological, relaxed feeding – when the mother lies on her back. If there are anatomical problems, a position with a strongly thrown back head will come to the rescue, sometimes with special head support (for example, Dan-Cer), says Polina Lykova. – In the case when the child is worried about the stomach, press the baby more tightly to the mother’s body. Will also help motion sickness.
By the way, if the baby prefers one breast more, you can choose the “from under the arm” position, that is, without changing position, try to transfer the baby to the other breast.
Special exercises
“Osteopathic care, which is often recommended by foreign colleagues, is not always and everywhere available,” our expert notes. “Therefore, as an alternative, mom can perform the simplest tricks on her own. These include exercises for the tongue, laying out on the stomach, carrying the baby in her arms.
Limitation of artificial substitutes
Supplementation from a nipple can cause breast rejection in both newborns and older babies.
In such cases, it is recommended, if necessary, to apply supplementary feeding from non-sucking objects. In the first months of life, this can be, for example, an ordinary medical syringe, and at an older age – a spoon, drinker or cup.
Feed in a dream
This method – feeding around dreams or in a dream – will help if the child prefers one breast or a particular position, and also if he cannot concentrate on sucking, constantly distracting.
Get rid of irritants
Various factors can act as “irritants”, whether it is a bright TV screen, toys, or even just daylight.
What to do if the child cannot concentrate on sucking, being distracted by, let’s say, everyday moments?
– Dim the lights in the room, eliminate unnecessary sounds, – recommends Polina Lykova. – Changing position for feeding, motion sickness, patting and white noise helps.
Less stress
For a baby, any seemingly pleasant and useful things can be stressful. So, for example, if you have noisy guests at home or you go on a trip, or when the mother is too actively engaged in the development of the child, the child may react by refusing to breastfeed.
– In case of excessive contact with other people, new conditions, the child can go on strike – in this case, it is better to limit the communication and movement of the baby, – our expert notes. – It will also sometimes be useful to limit the number of developmental and strengthening activities or even cancel them.