- Separation of mum and baby (missed feeding cues and the baby gets too frantic to latch)
- No Skin to Skin after birth.
- Birth Trauma (vacumn, forcepts, rough suctioning)
- Medications given during labour can make him sleepy.
- Mucousy babies sometimes don’t feel hungry .
- Inability to latch (tongue tie, large nipple , engorgement)
- Lots and lots of skin to skin
- Never force the baby on the breast , don’t push his head, stop and soothe if too upset to try latching. read more here
- Watch for hunger cues – keep your baby near you as you will notice first . See hunger cues -
- Try Laid Back Nursing/ biological nurturing . Watch it
- Shape the breast into a “U” or “C” shape to help baby attach.
- Try feeding lying down .
- Try Reverse Pressure Softening if the areola is puffy. How to do RPS
- Feed the baby with colostrum every 2-3 hours (about 3-5 mls if possible) . Hand expression works much better on day 1 -3. How to hand express
- Keep trying to latch – keep doing skin to skin .
- Avoid bottles in the early days, Cups/spoons, syringe feeding will avoid flow /nipple confusion.
- Nipple shields should not be used until after your milk has come in.
Finally remember this is temporary , it doesn't mean your baby will never breastfeed – it’s not your fault, your baby is not rejecting you.
