In the process of breast-feeding, mothers will encounter some difficulties at different stages, and the baby’s aversion to milk is one of the very common and disturbing problems. Let’s talk about the reasons for aversion to milk and the countermeasures.
Babies are tired of milk, first of all, they must understand the reason.
The phenomenon of baby’s aversion to milk can occur at any age, but it is usually most common at the age of 3-8 months. Babies who are averse to milk may only refuse to breast-feed several times, but they may also refuse to breast-feed completely. And sometimes they cry and refuse to breast-feed after sucking a few mouthfuls, or they don’t want to breast-feed when they are hungry.
For babies of different ages and stages of development, the causes of milk aversion are also various. To better help solve or alleviate the problem of milk aversion, the first step is to understand the common causes of milk aversion.
Tired of milk is sometimes the cause of the baby.
1. Cause of disease
Sore throat, nasal obstruction, gastroesophageal reflux, teething, oral pain (such as thrush), ear discomfort (such as infection), discomfort after vaccination, etc. may all lead to baby’s milk aversion.
2. Milk-holding issues
There is a problem with the way the baby sucks milk and it is difficult to suck milk.
3. Sucking is more efficient and powerful.
The baby sucks more efficiently and does not need a long time to complete breast-feeding. If the breast-feeding mother requests to continue, the baby may refuse breast-feeding, making the mother feel that the baby is tired of breast-feeding.
4. Growing older
Babies after the age of 3 months show more interest in the surrounding environment, so they are easily distracted and unable to concentrate on breast-feeding.
At the same time, with the increase of age, the growth rate slows down. Compared with the infant stage, it is no longer so easy to starve and breast-feeding does not need to be as frequent as before.
In addition, as babies get older, they also go through the stage of natural weaning. Babies begin to undergo weaning slowly from the addition of supplementary foods, formula milk and other foods, but the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding can last until the age of 2 or longer.
5. Emotional problems
The baby is excessively excited, nervous, tired, or the lactation interval is too long to cause the baby to be agitated, which may lead to lactation difficulties. In addition, if the baby bites the nipple during lactation, the mother’s reaction is too strong, which can also lead to the baby’s nervousness and milk aversion.
6. Premature or excessive use of pacifiers
Starting to use pacifiers before a good breastfeeding habit has been established, or overusing pacifiers to meet the baby’s sucking needs, resulting in dependence, may lose interest in breastfeeding.
Step 7: Add supplementary foods
After adding supplementary foods, the baby’s demand for breast milk will be relatively reduced.
Tired of milk is sometimes the mother’s reason.
1. Too much milk
In the early stage of breast-feeding, before the balance between supply and demand between the mother and the baby has been established, due to excessive milk in the breast, the baby may not be able to complete swallowing in time, and the choked baby may refuse to breast-feed.
2. Add formula milk powder or supplementary food
Formula milk powder and supplementary foods will make the baby’s demand for breast milk less and suck less, thus leading to a decrease in breast milk, which may lead to the baby’s reluctance to suck.
3. Mother’s Nipple Problem
For example, the nipple is seriously invaded, which makes it difficult for the baby to hold milk.
4. Mom Intakes Excessive Caffeine
May cause the baby to be agitated and refuse to breast-feed.
5. Mother’s Body Changes
The mother’s physical discomfort, taking certain drugs during lactation, mastitis, and changes in the mother’s hormone level (such as using contraceptives and getting pregnant again during lactation) may lead to the baby’s tiredness of milk.
6. Mother’s Body Smell Changes
The mother changed bath lotion, perfume, etc., which may make the baby unaccustomed and refuse to breast-feed.
7. Milk Taste Changes
- Mother ate some special foods that may change the taste of milk. Exercise before lactation. Smoking before lactation.
Babies are tired of milk, and mothers should keep a peaceful mind.
It is very natural for mothers to feel anxious when their babies are tired of milk. However, if mothers can try their best to keep calm and calm, it will be more conducive to solving the problem.
In fact, for babies aged 3-5 months, Even if the lactation time is not as long as that of the baby, their sucking is already very efficient, even if it is only a few minutes of sucking, they can still eat enough breast milk. Therefore, if it is a short-term milk aversion phenomenon, as long as the baby’s overall mental condition is good and the weight increases steadily according to the growth curve, there is usually no need to worry too much.
When the baby is tired of milk, what we need to avoid is forcing the baby to breast-feed because of nervousness and anxiety, because this may backfire, making the baby more agitated and refusing to breast-feed.
Babies are tired of milk and can try these methods.
Babies are tired of milk and suck less on nipples, which can lead to a decrease in breast milk, so the following points should be paid attention to:
1. If the baby leaks a breast-feeding time because he is tired of milk, the mother should pay attention to emptying the breast in time to ensure the milk quantity.
2. During the period when the baby is tired of milk, it is still necessary to provide enough breast-feeding opportunities for the baby and constantly try actively.
3. For young children who are tired of milk, they can try to increase the frequency of breast-feeding at night to ensure sufficient sucking stimulation, thus ensuring milk quantity.
Here are some ways to try:
1. If the baby behaves abnormally and suspects that he may be ill, he should first go to the hospital for investigation and treatment as soon as possible.
2. Mothers should carefully review changes in their daily life, such as whether they eat special foods, use new fragrant bath lotions, take drugs, have periods, take birth control pills, etc. If the baby’s aversion to milk occurs at the same time as some routine changes in life, they can try to return to the previous pattern.
3. Choose to breastfeed in a quiet and dark environment to reduce interference. You can also try to let your baby directly see things that interest him/her while breastfeeding, such as your baby’s favorite toys.
4. Try a new nursing posture.
5. Try to breast-feed your baby when he is sleepy or half asleep and half awake. This method is usually effective for babies after 3 months of age.
6. If physical strength permits, when trying to breast-feed, hold the baby and walk slightly while pacifying and patting it or using a comfortable rocking chair for breast-feeding.
7. Before breastfeeding, try to appease the baby, such as humming, gently shaking, wrapping or massaging. If it is clear that the baby refuses to breastfeed due to teething, massage the gums with clean fingers or a clean cold cloth towel before breastfeeding.
8. Before breast-feeding, try to pump milk a little, let the milk array start, and then let the baby start sucking.
9. Let the baby suck fingers or pacifiers, and then inadvertently change to nipples for breast feeding.
10. If the baby bites the nipple, try not to overreact. When biting the nipple, you can put your finger into the baby’s mouth to stop sucking.
11. Try to put the baby on the mother’s chest and contact the skin. Such a practice may cause the baby to take the initiative to breast-feed.
I hope one or more of the above methods will help. It is easy for mothers to feel anxious about milk disgust, but fortunately this phenomenon is mostly temporary. As long as we keep confidence, persist in trying and constantly adjust, we will eventually solve it smoothly.