Help my Baby has an aversion to the breast :(((((!!!

[claudi81]

Hi,

I am in tears as I am writing this, my 8 week old baby has been fussing on my breast for the last week, she had a thrush, but that is gone and she is struggleing a bit with reflux. When she had a good feeding with little fussing or gagging etc. she will take the next feeding OK, but she only wants to feed every 3-4 hours at the most and even then sometimes only one side :((

I had it a  couple times where she would not want the breast at all and she would rather starve herself, despite being hungry and yes she is hungry she would rather not drink, I noticed my milk supply decreased a lot and I pumped and gave it to her with the bottle since she has refused to eat for too long and cried being very hungry...she took the bottle and wanted more I offered her the breast and she did not want it again. Last time I tried this she at least took the breast after the small amount in the bottle was finished....I do  not know what to do, she gets so upset when she has the reflux and when my milk comes in too fast as it always does she can not always keeep up with it and lets go and never wants back on again :(( If I let her off till the let down goes away, she would not latch back on!

I just do not know what to do anymore this is my third child and I never had this problem ever I do not want to give up but It is so painfull to not working out :((

Any help or Ideas are appreciated!!

[Adaline'sMama]

Oh, you sound miserable. This has to be so hard.
Where do you live? Is there any way you could see a lactation consultant?

Here is a link from LLL about a nursing strike.

http://www.llli.org/nb/nbjulaug01p136.html

[Erin77]

I agree that you should try and see a lactation consultant if at all possible. It is so depressing and awful to have your baby reject your breast, when you most want them to eat. I coaxed my son back on after a one-month nursing strike and it was a LOT of stress and work. I had lots of advice on MDC about not using bottles, because of the nipple preference issue, but I ended up pumping and feeding my son from a bottle until I got him back on. He was only 12 weeks old and would not drink from a cup and spoon feeding was just not possible. What I did: I had my husband give him the bottle instead of me whenever possible, but I did give it to him when we were home alone together. Every day, I would wait until he was in a good mood and not hungry and I would lay next to him with my breast out and play with him, and tap him with it, etc. I'd always stop as soon as he looked upset. At first, he would cry whenever I showed it to him but after a few days when he didn't feel stressed, he was fine with it. Then I'd move it up to his mouth. At first he would not open his mouth at all, but after three weeks, he would finally open for a minute. Finally, he would suck a bit and then stop. After a full month, he would nurse if he was not starving-hungry; he always wanted a bottle if he was upset. Finally, after 6 weeks or so, he would nurse any time and now it's been four months since his strike and he nurses wonderfully. It sounds to me like your poor little girl has bad associations with eating and she'll need to re-learn that it's OK. I'm sure other people would have other opinions, but I would pump for her now and nurse her (try at least) when she's not upset ever day. She needs to think of the boob as a comfort again. 

[claudi81]

Thank you so much for posting!!

When she has had a good feeding without much stress or crying she would take it next time again, but if anything the smallest thing would upset her mostly its my milk coming in to fast where she has to get off and cough etc. she would get upset during that time and often done with the feeding. I have been able the last couple time to just let her get off and spit it out while I rocker her and sing to her and snuggle her gently she would be not that upset and take it again, its been working the night and this morning, but any distractions on when in a different setting lik e having to feed her elsewhere, car etc..she would scream and refuse, so I am stuck at home till we can make it work it out.

I am wondering what it can be that she can not seem to keep up with my milk or gulping, I fed her some gripe water with a tiny spoon and she has a difficult time to swallow such tiny amounts, I guess she will grow older and it will get better. Hopefully!!

[PatioGardener]

Does any of this sounds familiar? http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

My little one had an awful time with the fast flow of my milk at first, plus I had over supply. We found some things that really helped us, and maybe they will help you too.

• feeding before baby was really hungry, so he could be more patient when he had to 'pop off'
• feeding baby upright - me reclining back in a nice chair, and baby lying upright on my chest
• block feeding (see the link above)

If you are able to feed with a cup instead of a bottle when she won't take the breast, that may help too.  See http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

Good luck!

[claudi81]

Yes thank you, I had an oversupply at first I always do, then I reduced it by only feeding one side. Now she was extremely hungry when she woke up and started screaming and refused to nurse again...its horror :(((

I do not think a lactaion consultant can help me here, they are not arround me 24/7 to be with  me everytime when I have her refusing to nurse, I need to find a way to start feeling comforted on the breast again and not flip out all the time :(