Mother's milk is a treasure trove useful substances. The longer breastfeeding continues, the more benefits it brings. In view of this, the desire of every woman to avoid problems with lactation and prolong the magical period seems quite normal. But sometimes a new mother faces a difficult problem: the child sucks poorly at the breast, or even refuses mother’s milk altogether. In pediatrics, such children are usually called “lazy suckers.” Why does this happen and what to do?
Photo: Refuses mother's milk
Mom's milk is better!
It’s not for nothing that breastfeeding is so promoted in last years. It is the preferred feeding option for a newborn for a number of reasons:
- satisfies the baby’s needs not only for food, but also for liquid;
- prevents the development of postpartum depression in a woman;
- allows the new mother to free herself from control over the temperature of the baby's food.
Even the most expensive formula cannot be a good alternative to mother's milk, which is not at all surprising. It is known that breast milk contains substances necessary for the full development of the child. The protein contained in milk is responsible for the development and functioning of the central nervous system, and the fats contained in it provide a sufficient amount of energy.
Photo: Composition of breast milk
Who are they, “lazy suckers”?
The problem of decreased baby activity while breastfeeding can affect absolutely every family. But still, Pediatricians identify factors that most likely lead to sluggishness in the act of sucking.
First of all, children are classified as “lazy suckers” born by caesarean section . From the moment they are born, they do not tend to tense up, which in the future may result in a reluctance to make efforts when sucking the breast. This also includes children those who have suffered birth trauma and postpartum stress. The latter should be understood as squeezing and stimulation during childbirth.
Children often become “lazy suckers” with heart defects. The baby is born weakened, which is not in the best possible way affects his ability to actively suck the breast.
Photo: Vice hearts are the reason decrease in baby's activity
Causes of sluggish sucking
At the very beginning of the lactation period, many women are faced with the “pitfalls” of the process, which tend to unsettle them and force them to join the ranks of mothers of artificial babies. But you should remember that you can solve the most insidious problem!
Incorrect nipple latching̶ one of the most probable causes decreased activity of the baby near the breast. The sucking process becomes difficult due to the blockage of the milk ducts. It also happens the other way around: the baby cannot control the speed of the flow of milk, which is why he constantly chokes. An experienced breastfeeding expert will help correct the situation. He will recommend suitable positions for mother and baby, talk about the benefits of special pillows for feeding, and teach a woman how to properly offer her breast to her baby.
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Photo: Proper feeding breasts
Another reason for lethargy lies in the banal curiosity of a newborn. Interest in what is happening around is considered quite natural. Particularly active children first take the breast offered by their mother, and after a few minutes they lose all interest in it. Instead of eating, the child looks around or begins to flirt with his mother. In such a situation, it is recommended to take the baby’s breast and wait until he works up an appetite. And don’t turn your breasts into a toy! This, by the way, is a mistake many young mothers make. If you don’t correct yourself in time, breastfeeding will begin to cause a lot of trouble in the future.
In some situations, the reason for the baby’s inactive sucking of the mother’s breast is either transition to mixed feeding. It is perhaps difficult to argue with the fact that sucking formula from a bottle is much easier than extracting milk from the breast. Constant application will help resolve the problem. However, you should not offer your baby a bottle. He may not want to suckle now, but an hour later he will willingly enjoy milk. The process of establishing active sucking will become even more effective after the baby stops using pacifiers.
Photo: Introduction of complementary foods
If you need to give your child water, it is better to use a spoon, but not a bottle.
A baby's restless behavior at the breast may indicate gastrointestinal problems. Perhaps the baby has a tummy ache... You can solve the problem with the help of methods known to all mothers medications, produced in the form of drops and suspensions, as well as dill water. But you shouldn’t avoid visiting a doctor, because sometimes gastrointestinal disorders are associated with dangerous diseases!
If the baby not only sucks poorly mother's breast, and he cries at the same time, it’s worth examining his mouth for item . The appearance of ulcers inherent in the disease in the oral cavity contributes to the development pain when sucking. This explains the child’s reluctance to feast on mother’s milk. But the most dangerous situation is the baby’s complete refusal to breastfeed. In this case, you cannot do without consulting a doctor!
Photo: Baby's refusal to breastfeed
Useful information for mothers
Any mother who wants to see her baby active during breastfeeding should understand the importance of a feeding regimen that suits him. Modern obstetricians and pediatricians reject the previously common option of timed feeding. Today, a more relevant method is optional. This is useful for the baby and the woman herself.
If a mother is determined to teach her baby to actively suckle at the breast, it is recommended put bottles and pacifiers away. IN otherwise The baby will not learn how to properly latch onto the nipple. And remember: if cracks appear on your nipples, you should seek help from a breastfeeding expert. It is likely that the breast is not given correctly.
Photo: Correct breastfeeding
If the baby is breastfeeding correctly, the mother should hear swallowing, not smacking.
In a situation where the baby not only sluggishly sucks the breast, but also cries, the mother should use the “ skin to skin" This will relieve the baby from colic and give him a feeling of calm and security. For the mother herself, this maneuver is no less useful, as it allows her to cope with nervousness.
If during feeding the mother thinks about unfinished household chores, the baby may feel that she is not focused on him and the process. Don't be nervous or panic. Some responsibilities can be transferred to the husband, and it would also be right to review the daily routine.
Psychologists remind us that At 2-4 months of life, the baby can first declare himself as an individual. Resisting during breastfeeding, he seems to be trying to test the mother, to determine her actions in such a situation. If the mother continues to show her love and care to the child, the crisis will pass quickly enough. Subsequently, the baby will return to full friendship with the breast.
And the last thing: Always make sure your baby's nose is clean before putting her to the breast.. In some cases, the crusts formed in it cause discomfort, as a result of which it begins to suck breast milk with less activity.
It is not only the number of breastfeedings that matters, but also how intensely the baby sucks. How to increase the effectiveness of sucking during breastfeeding?
Why is hindmilk needed?
“What difference does it make with what force the baby sucks the milk,” you say, “After all, he gets it.” There is a difference.
The fact is that breast milk consists of fore and hind milk. Foremilk is especially rich in carbohydrates and is more watery. Unlike the back, with a thicker consistency, which contains a lot of fats and fat-soluble vitamins.
Foremilk is produced between feedings. It is not only easily digestible, but also sucked from the breast without special effort. In just a few minutes, the baby can receive a rather large portion.
The baby can only reach the hind milk by sucking the front milk. But it is the fatty hind milk that gives a long-lasting feeling of fullness. More caloric, it is “responsible” for the fact that the baby gains weight.
To get this food, the child must work like a small but powerful pump. To do this, do not extend the breaks between feedings too long. Then, after quickly “drinking” the front milk, the baby will simply be forced to move on to sucking the back milk.
Hindmilk, rich in fat, is necessary for building cells, creating reserves in the body and gaining weight. Therefore, when feeding on demand, there is no need to express - otherwise the mother will “sip” the unfinished hind milk. On the contrary, if the baby falls asleep very quickly at the breast, and you feel that he has not emptied it all, next feeding It’s better to start with the “unfinished” one so that the baby is sure to receive hind milk.
If there is not enough milk
In fact, every mother has exactly as much breast milk as her baby needs. Valuable fluid cannot be lacking, with very rare exceptions associated with diseases. If the child does not receive enough milk, it means that the mother is doing something wrong.
And to correct this situation, first of all you need to take care of the effectiveness of the baby’s sucking. Make sure that you: his mouth should capture not only the mother’s nipple, but also the entire lower part of the areola.
In addition, we remember important principle: the more milk the baby sucked, the more milk came. Frequent feedings stimulate the production of important “milk” hormones - prolactin and oxytocin, due to which milk production occurs. Therefore, frequent breastfeeding is...
To improve sucking efficiency, breaks between feedings should be at least three hours apart.
If your baby is not breastfeeding well
Mothers often worry: “I hold my baby at my breast for forty minutes, but he doesn’t get enough. Why is this happening"?
Most likely, the problem is precisely the effectiveness of sucking, or rather, ineffectiveness. The baby simply does not suck out the amount of milk necessary for saturation. Therefore, the time the baby spends at the breast during feeding is, of course, important, but is not a decisive factor. The baby can suck the entire portion in 15 minutes, or he can extract only drops of milk in two hours.
How can you tell if your baby is sucking milk well?
Observe the sucking movements your baby makes while feeding.
If he receives milk, then the sequence of movements looks like this: the mouth opens wide (the chin drops) - pause - swallowing movement - the mouth closes. It is at the moment of swallowing that the baby’s chin turns down and there is a pause in movement. And the longer it is, the larger the sip.
A good example
To better understand what swallowing movements look like, try drinking something through a straw yourself. While drinking, pay attention to the swallowing movements you make. Just like a baby sucking milk: the mouth opens to suck in liquid through the straw - pause - take a sip - the mouth closes.
An attentive mother, after several feedings, will definitely learn to determine whether the baby is swallowing milk or simply sucking on the breast, enjoying the closeness.
If your baby's swallowing movements have stopped, apply slight pressure to the breast to increase milk flow. And continue to hold the baby at your chest until he stops taking sips even with his chest squeezed. And only then can you try to apply it to the other breast. If the baby has sucked not only the front milk, but also the hind milk, then he may not even take the second breast.
What else is important for effective sucking?
- Feed on demand. In the first months of life, the baby can drink milk little by little, but often. 6-7 feedings will not be enough for him.
- Do not give your baby the breast randomly: both at once in one feeding. First, he must thoroughly suck the milk from one breast, and only then can he give the second.
- Do not limit your baby's time. Let him suck for as long as he needs. At the same time, make sure that it is not just sucking, but swallowing.
- Important for effective sucking tactile sensations. During feeding, you can undress the baby and partially undress the mother herself. Skin-to-skin contact will wake up the sleepiest and laziest baby and make him breastfeed better.
- Do not bottle feed your baby. Getting milk from a nipple is much easier than from your mother's breast. Having tried food from a bottle, the baby will no longer want to work hard sucking milk from the breast.
- In the first months after the birth of your baby, do not ignore
This problem can arise immediately after the birth of the baby, when initially the child does not take the breast or, when applied to the breast, sucks it sluggishly, briefly, and then gives up crying, or this happens some time after the successful start of breastfeeding. In this case, breast refusal can manifest itself in different ways:
- the baby starts to suckle, then becomes restless, drops the breast and cries, then starts sucking again, drops again, etc.;
- the baby eats well only from one breast, but completely refuses the other;
- The baby does not latch on to the breast at all.
In any case, such behavior of the child cannot be considered as a reason to stop breastfeeding. The mother needs to figure out why the baby refuses to breastfeed and make every effort to maintain and restore breastfeeding. The reasons for such a “boycott” may be different. Let's look at the main ones.
The baby does not latch on immediately after birth
Most often, this problem occurs in weakened children with an unfavorable course of pregnancy and difficult childbirth. For example, prematurity, oxygen deprivation during childbirth, damage to the nervous system, and birth injuries lead to the fact that, due to the delayed maturation of centers in the brain, the sucking reflex is not expressed in the child at the time of birth. If such a reflex exists, but the baby is very weak after birth, he sucks little and sluggishly, gets tired quickly, drops the breast and falls asleep.
What to do?
- seek advice from a neonatologist, pediatrician or neurologist;
- offer the baby the breast every feeding;
- if the baby does not latch on to the breast, be sure to pump (every 3 hours) so that the body receives a signal about the need to produce milk in sufficient quantities;
- supplement the baby with expressed breast milk from a spoon, pipette or syringe (without a needle);
- Weak babies are recommended to be put to the breast every 1.5–2 hours.
Baby refuses to breastfeed because of a pacifier or feeding bottle
The most common reason a child's refusal to breastfeed is the use of a bottle, which the mother uses when supplementing the child with expressed milk or formula, or a pacifier. No nipple can replicate the shape of a woman's nipple. In this regard, sucking on the breast, pacifier and nipple on the bottle occurs differently with the participation of different muscles. When sucking a pacifier, the muscles of the cheeks are involved; when sucking the breast, the muscles of the tongue are involved. A child who is accustomed to sucking a pacifier begins to latch onto the breast in the same way. He experiences what is called “nipple confusion.” The baby cries and does not take the breast. In addition, when sucking a bottle, the baby puts in a minimum of effort and no longer wants to work when feeding from the mother’s breast.
What to do?
- Do not give your baby pacifiers and feeding bottles;
- whenever the baby becomes restless, offer him the breast;
- if the baby needs supplemental feeding (and this must be determined by a pediatrician) or if the mother has to leave home for a short time, it is recommended to give expressed milk or formula to the baby from a spoon, cup or syringe (without a needle).
The baby does not latch on to the breast because it is too tight
If a nursing mother's breasts are tight, then milk does not immediately come out of the glands when the baby tries to suckle. Milk production occurs normally, but it is difficult to separate. This situation can occur when individual characteristics the structure of the mammary gland or if the breasts are full of milk. In this case, the mammary gland becomes too dense, which does not allow the baby to grasp it correctly and begin to suck. He tries to do this, he doesn’t succeed, the baby drops his breast and starts crying.
What to do?
- Express immediately before feeding a small amount of milk, then the breasts will become softer and milk will be released more easily;
- take a warm shower and massage the mammary glands with light circular movements in a clockwise direction;
- feed the baby in the “overhanging” position: the baby lies on the bed, the mother leans over the baby and, leaning on her hands, gives the baby a hanging breast (in this case, the milk flows under the influence of gravity, and the baby will be able to suck it out in sufficient quantities);
- Use different positions during feeding to ensure even and complete emptying of the breast.
Breast refusal: flat or inverted nipples
If a nursing mother has flat or inverted nipples, it may be difficult for the baby to adapt to sucking at such a breast. It is important to remember here that with proper attachment, the child should not grasp the nipple, but the entire areola. Therefore, when breastfeeding, it is not the shape of the nipples that is important, but the ability of the areola and breast tissue to stretch during sucking.
What to do?
- Try to teach your child to grasp the breast correctly when sucking (not only the nipple, but also the areola). Persistently put the breast into the baby's mouth and make sure that he grasps the entire nipple circle.
- Use special shapers (correctors) for nipples - they are put on for a few minutes before each feeding, and they help stretch the nipple so that it is easier for the baby to latch on to it.
- Can be used for feeding silicone pads on the nipple. They are shaped like the nipple and areola female breast and have holes through which the baby sucks milk.
Refusal to breastfeed due to insufficient milk supply
In this situation, two options are possible:
- The mother does not have enough milk (hypogalactia), the baby does not get enough to eat and abandons the breast.
- Due to improper attachment to the breast, the baby sucks out little milk and, as a result, little milk begins to be produced in the breast. At the same time, he cannot effectively empty the breast, and therefore milk stagnation (lactostasis) may occur.
In both cases, most often the baby gains little weight (the average monthly gain in the first 3 months of life is approximately 800 g), and the number of urinations decreases (less than 6-8 times a day). A child in the first months of life should urinate at least 10 times a day.
What to do?
- Put the baby to the breast as often as possible. The more milk he sucks, the more milk is produced, so it is recommended to offer the breast to the baby at the first sign of his anxiety. The interval between feedings should be no more than 1.5–2 hours, and the duration of feeding should be no less than 15–20 minutes.
- It is imperative to feed your baby at night. It is advisable to apply it to the breast 3-4 times a night, of which 2 feedings should occur between 3 and 7 am, since it is during these hours that the intensive production of the hormone prolactin occurs, which stimulates lactation.
- Correctly attach the baby to the breast. When the breast is latched correctly, the baby's mouth is wide open, the lower lip is turned outward, the baby grasps not only the nipple, but also the entire areola, the nose and chin touch the mother's breast.
- Pump your breasts after feeding.
- Mom needs to follow a drinking regime - you need to drink 1.5–2 liters of liquid per day.
The child refuses to breastfeed because the mother has the “wrong” smell
The most pleasant smells for an infant it is the aroma of mother and breast milk. He begins to distinguish them almost immediately after birth. A newborn looks for his mother's breast by smell and sleeps better next to her, because for him the mother's smell means warmth and calm.
If a nursing mother uses perfumes, deodorants, or shower gels with a strong smell, this can confuse the baby. He feels a foreign, unpleasant aroma, does not recognize his mother and refuses to breastfeed. Undoubtedly, the only thing that can be advised in such a situation is not to use products with a strong smell, and if the mother feels that the baby does not like the aroma emanating from her, she should wash the skin with baby soap and put on different clothes.
The child does not want the breast: the mother has a lot of milk
It would seem so good - there is a lot of milk, the child will not go hungry, but even here there are difficulties. If the mother produces too much milk, it quickly flows out of the breast, the baby does not have time to swallow it and chokes. This causes fear in the baby, and he turns away from the breast, stopping to suck.
What to do?
- Express some milk before each feeding. The breasts will not be full and the milk will not flow as quickly.
- Increase the intervals between breast “duties”, i.e. do not change breasts at each feeding, offering one or the other in turn, but give the child the same breast several times in a row. In this case, the stimulation of the production of prolactin (the hormone responsible for milk production) is reduced and milk production is reduced in accordance with the needs of the baby.
- Do not express milk after feedings.
"False refusal"
If a baby older than 3-4 months, after sucking a little at the breast, begins to turn away and is distracted by any noise, this cannot be regarded as refusal to breastfeed. Most likely, he entered a period of active development and knowledge of the world around him. During this period, the baby becomes interested in everything, and he strives not to miss the opportunity to learn something new. As a rule, such children eat often and gain weight well. You can check whether your baby has enough milk with this sucking regimen by doing a “wet diaper test.” This test is based on counting the number of times a child urinates per day. If there is enough milk, there should be at least 10–12.
The child does not want the breast because he is not feeling well...
Refusal to breastfeed may be one of the symptoms of the baby's incipient illness. In this case, it is important for the mother to assess the child’s condition, try to find out what is bothering him, and, if necessary, consult a doctor.
Thrush
For thrush ( fungal infection) small white spots appear on the baby's tongue, gums and cheeks that look like sores, or they may merge and look like a white coating. Inflammation of the mucous membrane causes the baby pain and discomfort during breastfeeding, and as a result, this can lead to breast refusal.
What to do?
- Consult a pediatrician who will confirm the diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
- During the period of treatment for thrush, feed the baby expressed breast milk from a spoon or syringe (without a needle).
Ear pain
Swallowing movements during otitis media are associated with acute pain in the ears. To check whether your baby’s ears hurt, it is recommended to apply gentle pressure on the tragus of the ears. With otitis media, the child reacts to pressure with strong and sharp crying.
What to do?
- If you suspect otitis in your baby, you should urgently see an ENT doctor.
Stuffy nose
Children of the first year of life have some structural features of the nasopharynx, so even a slight runny nose can cause a lot of trouble for the baby. Narrow nasal passages and swelling of the nasal mucosa, which occurs during inflammation, lead to the fact that it becomes difficult for the baby to breathe, he cries when feeding, chokes (it is difficult for him to suck and breathe through his mouth at the same time) or completely refuses to take the breast.
What to do?
- Clean your nose before each feeding of your baby. You can clean the nose of children under one year old using flagella (turundas) twisted from sterile cotton wool. Each nostril should be treated with a separate turunda. Cotton buds It cannot be used for this purpose, as the nose can be injured if the child moves suddenly.
- Rinse the child's nasal passages. For these purposes, saline solutions or herbal decoctions (for example, chamomile, sage, calendula) are used. A saline solution can be prepared at home at the rate of 1 teaspoon of table (sea) salt per 1 liter of boiled water. Special solutions for rinsing the nose based on sea water can be bought in pharmacies.
- If necessary, suck out the mucus with an aspirator.
- If these measures do not help, you should consult a doctor - pediatrician or ENT specialist.
Teeth cutting
The reason for breast refusal may be teething. This is due to the painful sensations in the mouth that arise during this process. In addition, cutting teeth may be indicated by increased salivation, a desire to gnaw, bite and pull into the mouth, redness and swelling of the gums.
What to do?
- Use special gels for gums with an anesthetic effect or special teethers. It is recommended to apply the gels to the gums at least 30 minutes before feeding.
- The mother can massage the baby's gums with her finger, this often eases his discomfort.
Intestinal colic
Intestinal colic or cramping abdominal pain begins at about 3 weeks of age and lasts up to 3-4 months. It has to do with immaturity. digestive system in a newborn child and low enzymatic activity. Attacks of crying with intestinal colic can also appear during feeding, then the baby stops sucking and begins to cry for a long time and hysterically. At the same time, he twists his legs (either pulling his knees towards his stomach, or stretching them tensely), his tummy is swollen. The baby refuses to eat, takes the breast and immediately throws it away. Relief comes from passing gas or defecation.
What to do?
- Eliminate gas-causing foods from a nursing mother's diet.
- After each feeding, keep the baby in an upright position for 5–7 minutes until the air leaves the stomach.
- Do a tummy massage (stroking the belly clockwise).
- Place a warm diaper on your baby's belly or give him a warm bath.
- Place the baby on his stomach in between feedings.
- Bend your baby's legs and press them to his stomach.
- Give your child medicine to help relieve gas (after consulting your doctor).
Short hyoid frenulum
A baby with a short hyoid frenulum usually has difficulty initially latching onto the breast. If he succeeds, the sucking process occurs with great difficulty, since he has to strain his muscles unnecessarily and gets tired quickly. The baby begins to worry, be capricious and refuses to breastfeed.
What to do?
- Consult a pediatrician or pediatric dentist.
A baby's refusal to breastfeed is a serious test for a mother. It requires a lot of patience and a desire to continue breastfeeding. As a rule, nursing mothers who understand the importance and necessity of breastfeeding for a child manage to cope with temporary difficulties and continue natural feeding.
Does your baby suck well? There is an exit
The most best stroller, the most best clothes, diapers, toys. Any mother strives to give her baby the best. What could be better than breastfeeding? It is impossible to overestimate its benefits. Until recently it was very popular artificial feeding, which was justified by a number of biased reasons, the main motive of which was the convenience of the young mother.
However, recently breastfeeding has again taken a leading position. But, unfortunately, very often, when faced with the first problem, for example, the fact that a newborn baby does not take the breast, the mother gives up and transfers the baby to substitutes human milk. But in fact, the fact that the baby does not take the breast is not at all a reason to deprive him of his mother’s milk. To avoid difficulties and to know what needs to be done if suddenly the baby stops taking the breast, you need to have as many more information about breastfeeding.
Sometimes it turns out very useful help consultant for breastfeeding. The specialist will find out exactly why the baby does not take the breast and suggest the most effective solution Problems. Well, if you don’t have such a specialist in your city, you can seek help from women who have breastfed their own children for a long time and successfully.
The benefits of mother's milk
Breastfeeding is preferred for a number of reasons:
- Attaching a newborn baby to the breast in the first minutes of life helps speed up the birth of the placenta and effective contraction of the uterus.
- Feeding your baby allows you to satisfy his need not only for food, but also for drinking. Of course, this only applies to babies in the first three months of life, after which you can safely give the baby water and juices.
- Breastfeeding your baby will help the mother avoid postpartum depression. This happens because during breastfeeding, the hormonal balance in the body is maintained, and there is a constant production of hormones of the neuropeptide group, including endorphins, the so-called “hormones of joy.” In addition, a nursing mother has increased resistance to stress, which occurs due to the effect on the female body of hormones such as prolactin and oxytocin.
- Mothers who breastfeed their babies get sick much less often, as their immunity, due to the fact that intensive metabolism stimulates the strengthening of the immune system.
- From a practical point of view breastfeeding also has some advantages. Mom does not need to waste time and effort on boiling bottles, diluting the mixture and monitoring its temperature. Wherever you go, food for your baby is nearby at any second, sterile and at the right temperature. In addition, breastfeeding does not require significant material costs. You can spend the money you save on something pleasant or useful.
In the first two to three days, a woman’s mammary glands produce colostrum, which is much thicker in consistency than human milk.
Colostrum is very useful for the baby, because it contains a huge amount of different maternal antibodies. Colostrum is a kind of “vaccination” against many diseases that can await the baby. In addition, pediatricians have noticed the fact that children who receive colostrum, as a rule, are much less likely to suffer from dysbacteriosis.
Composition of human milk
For a baby, the benefits of breast milk are obvious. Not a single most expensive and good artificial formula is capable of completely reproducing the composition of breast milk. And this is not surprising, because the composition of a mother’s milk changes in direct proportion to how her child’s needs change. This adaptation to the child’s needs occurs regularly, the composition of the milk changes hourly. However, it is still possible to give general characteristics chemical parameters of human breast milk.
- Milk contains more than 450 different micro and macroelements necessary for the full development of a child. And the highest concentration will be those substances that your baby needs at that particular moment.
- Human milk contains approximately 97% water. And it is in it that all the necessary substances are dissolved.
- All babies willingly eat mother's milk, and this merit, to some extent, belongs to milk sugar (lactose), which makes milk very sweet. Therefore, the taste of milk cannot be the reason why a child does not want to breastfeed. It is lactose, similar to female lactose, that has not been learned to reproduce chemically until now. But lactose not only ensures the presence of normal microflora in the intestines, but also participates in the development of the baby’s brain.
- Protein, despite the fact that its content accounts for only 1%, is responsible for the development of the central nervous system. The female protein is also impossible to reproduce in the laboratory.
- 3% comes from fats, which are the main source of energy necessary for the development of the child’s body.
- Necessary hormones, vitamins, microelements are produced in required quantity, and their content may vary.
Problems with breastfeeding
At the very beginning of the long journey to successful breastfeeding, many mothers are faced with various pitfalls, for example, even in the maternity hospital, the mother discovers that the baby does not latch on to the breast. And if at this moment there is no sensitive and caring person nearby who will help the mother cope with the problem in time and knows exactly how to wean the baby to the breast, then the baby has a high chance of becoming what is popularly called an “artificial baby.”
When it comes to breastfeeding, the very old folk wisdom: “It’s not easy to pull a fish out of a pond.” It is possible to successfully cope with almost any breastfeeding problem if desired. If a woman is determined to breastfeed, the question of how to get the baby to suckle will be resolved very quickly.
One of the most common problems is when the baby does not breastfeed enough.
In order to effectively solve it, you need to determine what exactly is happening:
The situation when a baby sucks poorly at the breast may be caused by one of the following reasons.
- The baby does not latch on well. If the baby does not latch onto the breast correctly, an effective sucking process becomes impossible; the baby may either block the milk ducts, which will lead to useless attempts to get that desired milk. Or, on the contrary, the child will not be able to control the speed of milk flow, as a result of which he will constantly choke. How to teach a baby to latch on will be discussed a little later.
- Many mothers are concerned about the question: why does the child abandon the breast? Sometimes it happens that a child suckles for 5 minutes and refuses. If you are wondering why an infant is not eating well, there may be several reasons. You put your baby to the breast too often and he simply does not have time to get hungry. As a rule, this situation occurs when feeding by the hour.
- Very often, the fact that a child sucks restlessly at the breast is caused by his natural interest in everything that happens around him. The child gets distracted and forgets why his mother actually gave him the breast. As a rule, it looks like this: the child spits out the breast and begins to look around, follow objects, or flirt with the mother. In this case, the most correct thing would be to take the breast away from him and let him “work up an appetite.” One of the main mistakes many mothers make is that they allow their breasts to turn into a toy. This can cause a lot of trouble in the future and may explain why the baby is not breastfeeding well.
- If the baby's behavior at the breast is frankly alarming, for example, the baby takes the breast and cries, or, in other cases, the baby refuses to breastfeed, even if he is very hungry, seek medical help.
- Very often, the reason that a baby sucks poorly at the breast is the introduction of complementary foods or supplementary feeding with artificial formula. Sucking liquid from a bottle is much easier than from a breast. Often children understand this very quickly and, as a result, the child is lazy to suckle. If a mother wants to continue breastfeeding, her actions should be as follows. If the child refuses to breastfeed, do not insist. But don’t feed him formula, and after an hour, offer him the breast again. If after this the baby refuses to breastfeed, increase the waiting time by another hour. Stop using pacifiers and bottles, it is better to feed your baby with a spoon, as their use can cause the baby to latch poorly.
- If your baby is breastfeeding restlessly, it may also indicate that he or she has a tummy ache. That is why, first of all, if you notice that the child is worried at the breast, pay attention to the work of his intestines. Diarrhea, constipation, intestinal colic and other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract of the baby should not be left without mother’s attention.
- The baby does not latch on to the breast at all. This is very warning sign if you have not previously experienced any problems with feeding, and your baby does not receive any complementary foods. The reasons for a child's refusal to breastfeed can be very diverse. If you don't see any obvious reasons why your baby doesn't want to breastfeed, you should try feeding him after a few hours. Perhaps the baby is simply not hungry. But if this happens again, you should let your pediatrician find out why the baby is not breastfeeding.
Try feeding your baby on demand, and if after that the baby turns away from the breast, you need to seek help from either your pediatrician or a lactation consultant, who will find out in detail the reasons for what is happening and explain how to get the baby to take the breast. Very small babies very often simply fall asleep during feeding. Try waking your baby. These tips also apply to the situation when the baby sucks weakly at the breast.
The reasons why a baby cries when breastfeeding may be: various diseases, such as stomatitis, popularly called thrush. This disease causes the appearance of ulcers and wounds in the mouth, which cause pain when sucking, so the child cries when suckling.
Short hyoid frenulum also leads to the baby being capricious at the breast. Congenital diseases, such as “cleft palate” or “cleft lip”, also lead to the baby refusing to breastfeed. However, as a rule, these developmental defects are always noticed in the maternity hospital. But even in this case, you should not despair and deprive the baby of precious mother’s milk. Express milk and bottle feed your baby.
How to properly put a baby to the breast?
In order not to rack your brain later on why the child refuses the breast, it is necessary to know from the very first days how to teach the child to suck the breast correctly. This will help you avoid later large quantity problems related to the questions “how to get a baby to latch on” and “why a baby doesn’t latch on well.” Below are the main recommendations from breastfeeding experts:
- Always make sure your baby's mouth is wide open before you breastfeed. If you put a nipple into a baby's half-open mouth, there is a high chance that the baby will take it incorrectly: either by clenching it with his teeth or not far enough. A wide open mouth is a significant case when the baby does not latch onto the breast correctly.
- Very often a sad situation arises when a mother simply does not understand her baby. When the mother tries to attach the baby to the breast, he begins to very actively display a search reflex, which consists in the fact that the baby turns his head from side to side. And the mother perceives this absolutely natural behavior as nothing other than the child’s refusal to breastfeed. But in fact, the baby is hungry, and this does not mean that the baby refuses to take the breast.
- Even if the baby initially took the nipple correctly, during the sucking process he can go down to the very tip and bite it. This inevitably causes pain in the woman. If this happens, have your baby stop sucking and spit out the nipple. To do this, very gently press the baby's mouth on the corner. And then give him the breast again.
When a baby sucks poorly at the breast, it becomes a real problem for a nursing mother. What to do if the baby suckles for only a short time and quickly falls asleep? Or, on the contrary, only after latching on to the breast does he begin to pull away and become capricious? Are the reasons always due to the amount of milk the mother has, or is there some problem with the child himself? It’s time to sort out these issues.
Reasons for breast refusal in newborns
Nipple shape
A newly born baby may not breastfeed for a number of reasons. Most often there is a whole complex of them. Women's breasts can have a wide variety of sizes and nipple shapes. If the nipples are very flat or sunken, it is more difficult for the baby to drink milk, but most often children do not experience any particular discomfort while feeding. In rare cases, the shape of the nipples can become a truly serious obstacle to feeding.
Anesthesia during childbirth
If the mother gave birth with painkillers, the drugs penetrate into the baby’s blood, which is why the babies are lethargic and sleepy at first. The narcotic substances included in the anesthesia are completely eliminated from the baby’s body only after a few days. Even relatively weak (compared to other modern painkillers) morphine will cause lethargy in a child for several days.
Mucus in the respiratory tract
If your baby's airways are suctioned too much at birth, this may have a negative effect on his or her desire to breastfeed for a while. If the baby was born completely healthy and full-term, there is no need to suck out the mucus.
Structure of the oral cavity
Sometimes children are born with a congenital anomaly of the oral cavity, popularly called a “cleft lip.” Often it looks like a cleft palate with a lip, which is immediately visible. But in some cases, only the palate in the depths of the mouth is cleft, which cannot always be detected during the initial examination.
Incorrect chest grip
Why does a child suckle poorly? One of the reasons is his inability to latch correctly. This does not depend on the shape of the breast and nipples. If a newborn takes the breast incorrectly, the milk is released worse, the baby quickly gets tired and begins to be capricious. Breastfeeding mothers need to ensure proper latching and, if necessary, consult a lactation consultant.
Short frenulum of the tongue
The first reason is purely physiological - a short frenulum of the baby’s tongue. In this case, the tongue is not mobile enough, and the baby finds it uncomfortable to suck. The problem is eliminated immediately after birth; it is enough to show the baby to a dentist or surgeon to make an incision on the frenulum.
Bottle, pacifier
The problem can arise if pacifiers and bottles with nipples are used. The fact is that when sucking milk from a bottle and the mother's breast, different groups muscles. The difference is that milk flows freely from the bottle; you don’t need to make any effort to get it. Breast milk you have to extract it. In this case, you will have to re-teach the baby to latch on to the breast.
Diseases
Babies may begin to fuss during feeding due to poor health. For example, feeding becomes more difficult if the child has runny nose, a sore throat, candidiasis or inflamed ears. If you suspect you are unwell, you need to call a doctor at home. You can supplement your baby with expressed milk. But under no circumstances use bottles for these purposes; it is better to take mugs or a syringe.
Colic in the stomach
Babies under the age of 2-4 months may be bothered by colic - the child will begin to be capricious, kick his legs, and have a rumbling sound in his tummy. The baby will become very restless and noisy. Most often, such attacks of anxiety occur at one time, for example, every evening. To avoid intestinal spasms, you need to make sure that the baby does not swallow air when feeding. If the child begins to worry, you need to warm his tummy or bathe him in a warm bath. These actions will help relieve spasms.
False refusal
At the age of 2 months and up to 4 months. Babies may begin to turn away from the breast during feeding; they are ready to be distracted by any trifle, but not to eat. There is nothing wrong with this behavior; when the baby is already about 4 months old, his diet changes - most often he begins to suck milk before and after sleep. The baby can eat while half asleep, the main thing is to make sure that he does not toss and turn.
How can I improve the situation?
So, what to do if the child begins to be capricious when feeding?
Feeding frequency
Feed your baby as often as possible - newborns, especially those under 2-4 months of age, should feed at least every two hours. If the child falls asleep, wake him up; he should not sleep for more than 2 hours. You will be with the baby at night - at least once.
It is a mistake to think that a child will certainly demand this if necessary. Babies with calmer temperaments may not want to eat as often as they should unless their mother reminds them to do so. If your baby is one of those calm children, offer the breast yourself more often, including at night.
Feeding time
Increase the feeding time; there is no need to count the minutes when the baby picks up the breast. Let the baby suckle completely on one breast first and only then latch onto the other. The point is that the most nutritious milk- the latter, it is more fatty and high in calories. If you switch breasts too early, your baby won't get enough calories from only milk.
Cloth
Don't wrap your baby up when you feed him; on the contrary, contact with the mother's skin will help him wake up. This method is especially good for sleepy eaters. Take off some of your clothes, and to keep your baby warm, cover his back with a blanket.
Night feedings
To produce more milk and for your baby to latch onto the breast with a greater appetite, you can try feeding at night. Taking your baby into your bed while you sleep will help both you and baby relax. In this state, the level of hormones that affect milk production increases. Prolactin is produced more actively at night, so such late feedings are considered the most productive. Also, according to recent studies, the amount of milk in the breast is influenced by human growth hormone, which is also produced during sleep.
Mother's closeness
It is difficult for adults to control themselves when they eat when they are sitting at a plentiful table - their hand is constantly reaching for plates with goodies. The same rule works with babies: constantly being near their mother’s breast, children are more likely to want to eat. Get into the habit of wearing your baby in a sling, so he will always be with you. Some babies develop an appetite on the go when the mother is on the move. In addition, constant walking will prevent the baby from falling asleep while sucking.
Rest
Get more rest yourself. The constant rush will definitely not produce more milk. Give yourself more time, walk, sleep during the day, use every free minute to relax yourself. Of course, it's good when you have help with household chores.
Adequate sleep and rest blocks the production of stress hormones, which in turn accelerates milk secretion processes. Don't overwork yourself and don't try to do everything in a day. Has the baby fallen asleep? Sleep with him, let your man help you with household chores.
Avoiding pacifiers and bottles
Until 7 months, when active complementary feeding has not yet begun, the baby eats only milk. If you want him to grow and develop faster, give up pacifiers and bottles - the baby should be attached only to the breast. Artificial mixtures It is better not to introduce it into the baby’s diet unless there are medical indications.
Consult with a specialist, a feeding consultant will be able to observe how the baby takes the breast and give necessary advice and recommendations.
How to regulate milk flow?
In the first 2-4 months. In the life of a baby, some mothers may encounter the fact that during feeding the baby begins to cough and turn away from the nipple. It may seem to some that the child even began to choke. Often this behavior can be confused with colic, but the only thing that unites these two situations is the cry of the baby. Although the baby is growing well, this behavior is cause for concern. This happens when there is too much milk.
This is an unpleasant moment, but the situation can be corrected:
- Feed your baby in small portions, but as often as possible, so the milk will not stagnate in the breast. The baby should not feel hungry, otherwise he will drink too much, which will again provoke the release of too much milk.
- Shortly before feeding, avoid hot baths and showers, and also do not drink hot liquids - an increase in body temperature will also provoke excessive milk production.
- Milk flow can be reduced by lying on your side or back during feeding.
- If it happens that a baby who is sucking milk chokes, be calm, just hold him with one hand so that he stretches out, and with the other gently pat him on the back.
- The flow of milk is not constant, so it is important for the baby to learn to suck not only when there is a rush. Infant must suck out the milk completely, including the “hind milk”, which has increased thickness and fat content.
Foremilk contains much less nutrients and consists almost entirely of water. This milk is quite easy to drink because it is quite active. It is better not to change the breast until all the milk has been drunk. To ensure that the baby can suck out as much milk fluid as possible, a special “breast compression” technique should be used.
After drinking thinner milk, the child may fall asleep; falling asleep at this time is quite normal. In his sleep, he will quietly suck out the fattier “rear”. At this time, inexperienced mothers make a big mistake by changing left breast to the right and vice versa. Because of this, the baby learns to drink only liquid milk and gets used to it.
In such a situation, you will have to retrain the baby. Start your next feeding on the same breast you finished the previous one on. Try to feed your baby in an extremely calm environment, preferably even in a slightly darkened room. If the baby starts to be capricious, change the position - this will calm him down a little. When your baby becomes angry after drinking liquid milk, squeeze the base of the breast to help your baby continue to drink.
