Newborn won't eat - HELP!

First- no pacifier, no bottle. If you need to get milk in her use a dropper or syringe (or you could cup feed, look on www.kellymom.com for directions)

Then, if you get rid of the artificial nipples, she'll figure it out.

good luck!

-Angela

I just wanted to second the advice to cut out all artificial nipples - babies suck much differently at the breast than they do on bottles and pacifiers. By allowing her these you are inadvertantly contributing to the problem. There are other ways to get milk into her if she will simply NOT nurse. But, like the PP said, give her time, she WILL get it!! to you!!

Ok, lots of stuff to try. First ditch all artificial nipples. If you must feed her your EBM do it with a dropper, syringe or cup. Watch her diaper, 5-6 wet sposies a day or 6-8 cloth is normal. She should also have at least 2 small bm.

2 is there anything new. Scented deodorant or perfume maybe? Sometimes that will irritate the babe and have them refuse the breast? Have you checked for thrush or ear infection, that can make her refuse too?

How about your let down? Is it forceful or slow? How long are you going between feedings? If she is overly hungry she might be too impatient for a slower let down.

Make sure she is using a good latch. Her entire body should face you , her mouth should open very wide and her lips should fan against your breast like fish lips. Check that the tongue is over the gums and lower lip. Make sure to pull her on chin first as well. Make sure she is getting nipple in the back of her mouth. If it is not deep enough she may not be feel the sensation to trigger active suckling. This can often lead to immediate frustration.. Make sure you are not pushing on the back of her head, this can sometimes cause an arching reflex.

Have you tried using breast compression to squirt a little into her mouth and then pull her onto your breast. Also you can compress while she is on the breast. To do this hold your breast with thumb on one side and 4 fingers on the other bring fingers together applying firm yet gentle pressure. Do not squeeze so hard it hurts. Watch her sucking as it slows, squeeze again, when her swallowing no longer increases when you squeeze rotate your hands around the breast compressing different areas.

Was she aggresively suctioned at birth? This could make her sore and not want to nurse?

Also call your local LLL maybe they can get someone to assess your latch faster than the hospital. here is the web directory http://www.lalecheleague.org/WebUS.html

And I know this is a longshot for a just-born babe (it happened to me when my daughter was 3 weeks old or so), but did you eat anything that could make your milk taste funny? Something spicey or super-garlicky? Just a thought--probably not the problem, but if you've eliminated other possibilities it may be something to consider. (In my case, it was boxed taco mix--she wouldn't nurse after I'd eaten the tacos! Luckily we had some EBM in the fridge, but still...I was terribly upset until we figured out what was going on! Picky little thing! )

I agree with the pp. Call LLL, call different leaders until you help. I know its scary and hard on momma when this sort of thing happens. Hang in there and

Breast compressions worked wonders for us, but I would definately call your LLL leader. I agree about all artificial nipples for now, just until you get your BFing relationship established.

Last thing to try, encourage her to latch before she seems hungry. So even if she seems relaxed and fed, you might see if she wants to latch on and nurse. She may be getting so frustrated that she is getting worked up about the difficulty of latching on. If she can nurse when happy and relaxed, or just after waking, she may get past the frustration