Causes of Babies Not Wanting to Breastfeed and How to Overcome Them

Breastfeeding not only provides essential nutrition, but also builds an emotional bond between mother and baby. However, sometimes babies may refuse to breastfeed. The cause can be due to factors such as an uncomfortable breastfeeding position, a change in the flow of breast milk, or an infection that makes this activity unpleasant for him.

To find out more about the reasons why babies refuse to breastfeed, let's read this article.

Baby Doesn't Want to Breastfeed Because He's Sick

A baby may not want to breastfeed because he is sick or unwell, so he cannot suck in enough breast milk. As a result, he quickly became tired and grumpy. The following are some possible illnesses:

Colds and Stuffy Nose

One of the most common illnesses in babies is colds. A blocked nose makes it impossible to breathe, especially if his mouth is blocked by your mother's nipple.

So, he feels uncomfortable sucking milk. To overcome this, mothers can warm their bodies, so that their colds don't prevent them from breathing. Apart from warming his body, try to make his breathing easier with the following methods: How to deal with a stuffy nose in babies.

Ear Infection

Ear infections can also be a reason why babies stop breastfeeding. This infection hurt him when he had to lie on one side, so this position made him feel less comfortable sucking breast milk.

Teething

Teething can cause babies to be reluctant to breastfeed, because their gums are sensitive and sometimes painful. When new teeth emerge, the gums can become inflamed or painful, making it difficult to suckle breast milk comfortably. If you check his mouth, you will see that his gums are swollen and red. In addition, he will be more fussy than usual.

Ulcer

Thrush can also cause him to not want to breastfeed, because he feels pain every time he tries to suck on the nipple. This canker sore can be pain that originates in the gums, lips, roof of the mouth, or even on the tongue.

One of the symptoms of thrush on the tongue is a white tongue, and it feels painful for the baby, so he doesn't want his tongue to come into contact with anything. Come on, Mom, learn about the abnormality of white spots on the baby's tongue here: White Baby Tongue, How to Get Rid of It?

To overcome this, mothers need to go to the doctor to get proper treatment, especially if the baby's condition does not improve immediately. Doctors can provide accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment suggestions according to the baby's health condition.

Other Reasons Babies Don't Breastfeed

Babies can become reluctant to breastfeed due to several other factors, such as using a pacifier or pacifier too early and inappropriate breastfeeding positions. The following is the explanation:

Use of Pacifiers and Pacifiers

Babies can become reluctant to breastfeed if they are often given pacifiers or pacifiers at too early an age, including in the first 6 months. At this age, they cannot differentiate between a pacifier, a pacifier and a mother's nipple, so it is difficult for them to suck the nipple properly. As a result, the baby may prefer a pacifier rather than sucking breast milk directly from the mother.

Mothers should avoid giving pacifiers or pacifiers. If it is not possible to breastfeed directly, mothers can feed expressed breast milk to babies using a small spoon specifically designed for babies.

Wrong Breastfeeding Position

Improper breastfeeding position can make it difficult for the baby to get enough breast milk. For example, if his nose is covered by his breasts or he is not able to lift his head to find the nipple properly.

As a result, breast milk production can decrease because the baby rarely attaches to sucking properly. Come on, Ma'am, see how latching from the correct breastfeeding position will overcome stagnant breast milk here: How to increase the production of stagnant breast milk.

Baby Doesn't Want to Breastfeed Directly

Babies sometimes refuse to breastfeed directly because they can choke on too heavy a flow of breast milk, especially if there is quite a lot of breast milk production. Choking can make them feel uncomfortable or even scared while breastfeeding.

The solution is for mothers to pump breast milk first before breastfeeding. In this way, the volume of breast milk that comes out will decrease, so that the baby can suck on the nipple more comfortably and more easily regulate the flow of milk into his mouth. Then he won't choke and the breastfeeding experience will be more enjoyable for the baby.

Baby Doesn't Focus When Breastfeeding

Babies aged 6-9 months tend not to focus when breastfeeding because they are increasingly interested and distracted by their surrounding environment. At this time, babies are actively observing and exploring new things around them, such as sounds, movements and objects around them.