Why would a breastfed baby randomly refuse to nurse...

[Radosti]

I had trouble getting breastfeeding going with A, but once we got good at it, there were no issues except that he ate a huge amount and mostly at night. It got to the point that he wouldn't even need me to be fully awake. I'd raise my shirt, he'd pop on, eat and pop off ) rinse/repeat.

Fast forward to J. Nursing within 3 hours of birth, like a champ! Got sent home a little more than a day after he was born because things were going so well. Then, on day 5, he forgot how to nurse and screamed bloody murder for 3 hours, but refused to nurse. I pumped into a bottle and he sucked that down. Went to sleep, and when he woke up, things were back to normal.

This pattern has been ongoing for 3 months now. Except, I don't always end up pumping into a bottle. But he'll randomly refuse to nurse no matter how hungry he is. Sometimes, he is really tired and hunger loses to sleep, so he refuses to nurse. Sometimes, he can be distracted and when I offer again, he'll eat. But most times, no matter what I do, he won't nurse. A couple of days ago, he refuses to nurse for 4 hours. But he was starving (I know that cry). So, I finally pumped and he ate all 4 oz I offered. Immediately after eating, he knocked off to sleep. When he woke up, things were hunky dory and he nursed like a champ.

I have no idea what could be causing this. I don't mind feeding him milk from a bottle, I just wish I could figure out a pattern.

[rgavelis]

That's interesting. I will pose a few possibilities for why the baby nurses sometimes and not at others and this is strictly based on my own experience with my kid. The times that he refused to nurse were because he was gassy, his gums were sensitive, I accidently put body lotion on instead of Lasinoh and forgot to wipe the lotion off, ate something that transferred into my breast milk that he wasn't a fan of, and was in a hurry to eat and couldn't get enough from me fast enough for his liking. It might also be the position your child is in when nursing. After a while, it was pretty easy to figure out what I goofed on and it was pretty easy to fix after that. Try to see if any of these things become a pattern and you should be able to get back to a more regular routine.

[Radosti]

Yeah, I thought that, but I already ruled out the obvious. He hates my right side. So, to get the milk out on that side, he has to be laying flat and I need to lean over him. Then, he no longer cares that it's the "right" side. He nurses best (on either side) when he's laying down on the changing table or my bed.

I don't put anything on anymore (lansinoh either). We do try the Gripe Water in case he's gassy and that helps many times.

Sometimes I wonder if my let-down is too strong, but 90% of the time, he doesn't mind it.

So... I have no idea.

[amldaley]

It sounds like a textbook nursing strike.
Nursing strikes happen for umptten unknown reasons.
Dr. Newmans book recommends trying to nurse baby while baby is asleep a few times to "reset" the nursing pattern.

If you think it is a forceful let down, google hyper lactation. it doesn't sound like that to me, though.

[MommyAllison]

I don't know either, it sounds like it's not a problem with your milk, since he'll take the same milk out of the bottle. You could try writing down the details when it happens (like, what position he was in, which side he was on, time of day, length of refusal, whatever else is pertinent) and watch for a pattern to emerge. Or just shrug and roll with it. :) Good luck!

[sanja973]

I had similar problem with DD (not for three months though).It was very frustrating. I had so much milk and let-down was very strong sometimes that she couldn't swallow. At first I did same as you - pump 4oz of milk and gave her botle but it started to happen more often and I didn't want to do it every time she eats so I pump just litlte bit milk (1oz) to slow the flow of milk. Sometimes it worked sometimes not. Then (I think at babycenter.com) found advice to put baby on top of me while laying on my back - very hard position to breastfeed but it did help me.
hope for your trouble to be over soon and good luck!
Sanja

[jillc]

Hi,

Another thought... I'm guessing you've thought of this already, but just incase not... Have you tried offering before he seems hungry? My DD acted similarly when she was a few days old - she was obviously hungry, but screamed & screamed and refused to latch on when I'd offer for the good part of a day. The LC's assessment was that DD has a "short fuse" and that she was getting angry when her hunger was not satisfied instantly. So I had to try to stay ahead of her hunger & offer quite often. That worked for us. I know circumstances are different for you, but thought I'd offer this experience incase it might be helpful. :)

Best of luck & hang in there, mama.
Jill