Refusing at the breast

Babies can seem cross, frustrated, fighting at the breast - tossing their heads from side to side. Most breastfed babies refuse to feed sometimes. A calm attempt to understand what's going on should help calm your baby and help restore the feeding relationship.


Why it happens

Just full up, Mum!
It can seem obvious, this one!! Babies who are full up with milk, water or any other fluids, or (in the case of an older baby) solids, are less likely to want the breast. If your baby was crying, a feed can be the first thing we try to calm them. Move onto another reason for crying, eg. tired / dirty nappy / hot /cold...








Oversupply? 
Your milk can arrive rather like a fire hose in the babies mouth - this certainly would be disturbing! Dianne Weissinger has some advice.



Artificial nipples?
A baby who has been using a bottle teat, dummy or nipple shield may next refuse the breast (or suck less efficiently and effectively at the breast, causing frustration).

A Sore Mouth?
It may be that a sore mouth (due to thrush in the mouth, or teething pain) makes it uncomfortable for your baby to feed.

Tastes and Smells?
Have you used a new cream, perfume, deodorant, or soap? Babies have a keen sense of smell & may refuse the breast if you taste or smell differently.
Foods, drugs, even alcohol, may affect the taste of your milk.
The taste of your milk can change in the days just before a menstrual period.

Uncomfortable?
If your baby has had an uncomfortable experience at the breast – perhaps his head has been 'pushed on', particularly in the early days – he may resist it at the next feed.
Illness, or tiredness can cause a baby to refuse the breast, or to show no interest in it.

• In the older child, there can be other reasons too - check out this ABA page on breast refusal, or a Nursing Strike as it can be named.

Hopefully, that will help you in your detective work to find out what's been going on. Try and remain calm, as that will help your milk to flow 'calmly', which should calm your child!!