Breast refusal in infants is a problem for most new mothers and healthcare providers. It occurs when an infant does not want to suckle or refuses to accept breast milk directly from the mother’s nipples. There are four major causes of infant refusal to breastfeed as detailed in the following article.
Illness, Pain Or Sedation
Breast refusal is real distress to the mothers. It is most likely for an infant to refuse to breastfeed due to illness. In most instances, when an infant has a common cold infection, they develop a stuffy nose. The stuffy nose causes hindrance of airflow during breastfeeding. In other instances, the infant may experience pain as a result of a bruise or sore mouth from teething or a thrush. The discomfort from the pain caused the infant to refuse to nurse. In other severe cases, infants with brain-related complications do undergo sedation to allow for fast recovery of the brain. The sedation causes infants to showcase breastfeeding refusal until the sedation wears off completely. Whatever the cause, the mother should liaise with the caregiver to offer the needed support.
Difficulty In Breastfeeding Technique
Difficulty with breastfeeding technique is listed as the major cause of breast refusal in infants. Some of the breastfeeding techniques that may lead to breastfeeding refusal include;
The use of bottles and pacifiers as a way to feed the baby makes the baby get used to them. Making them change from the bottles and pacifiers may cause breast refusal.
Sometimes the mother lacks enough milk, and the infant experience frustration during breastfeeding. This pushes the infant away from breastfeeding due to adjusting issues.
Poor positioning of the infant during breastfeeding can result in asserting pressure on the back of the infant. It may also lead to the mother shaking her breast, and having a restricted length between the infant and the mother which makes it difficult for the infant to coordinate breastfeeding.
Every lactating mother needs to work closely with professional caregivers to ensure they hold the baby in the correct position when breastfeeding to avoid breast refusal.
Upsetting Changes To The Infant
Babies between the ages of 3 to 12 months are more sensitive to changes and some appear upsetting. They can detect some changes that seem very small to notice such as a change in the mother’s order or when the mother is on her menstrual cycle. It’s also at this age that they can feel the distance between the mother and them, especially for career women. Exposing the infants to too many caregivers or constant change of caregivers makes the infant upset. Some illnesses such as mastitis can cause the infant to experience breast refusal. Changes in the family routine such as breastfeeding time, and sleeping time, can be another cause of the infant refusal to have breastfeed.
Apparent Refusal
As the infant attains the age of 6 months, they are introduced to light weaning. The weaning increases and at the age of one year, a child may opt to stick to the food eaten and refuse to breastfeed. The involuntary muscle reflex in the newborn that helps them breastfeed can be late causing breast refusal among infants.
In Summary;
With the above-disused reasons for breast refusal in infants, it’s evident that both the parent and health care provider should analyze every factor so as to come up with a long-lasting solution to the problem. Apart from the above reasons, it’s also essential for the mother to patiently establish trust with the newborn. The process can be discouraging but beneficial in the long run. The best way to establish trust is by the mother constantly talking to the newborn. The newborn will with time learn the mother’s voice and also learn to trust her. It will ease the breastfeeding process.
