As a new mom, learning how to breastfeed smoothly is a natural part of the journey. But what if your baby suddenly refuses to breastfeed?
You might be questioning why your baby rejects you when you try to breastfeed them. Instead, they choose to put their fingers to their mouth. One of the reasons for this is that the baby feels uncomfortable, thus refuses to breastfeed. Since breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for infants, it is crucial to address this issue as soon as possible.
This article will discuss the reasons why babies refuse to drink breast milk and put their fingers inside their mouths instead, as well as how to deal with this situation.
Why Do Babies Refuse to Breastfeed and Suck Their Fingers Instead?
Breast milk is one of the most essential sources of nutrition for a baby’s growth and development. However, some babies may unexpectedly refuse to breastfeed. Why does this happen? It turns out there are several possible reasons why a baby might reject breast milk, including:
1. Reduction of Breast Milk Production
The reduction of breast milk production seems to be one of the causes of the baby not wanting to breastfeed. When the amount of breast milk decreases, the baby may refuse to breastfeed.
To address this issue, moms can try increasing their water intake and eating more nutritious foods to help boost milk production. Additionally, consulting with a lactation counselor might also be helpful during this time.
One simple way to support hydration and help boost breast milk production is by drinking high-quality water like AQUA. Sourced from carefully selected mountain springs in Indonesia, AQUA is 100% pure drinking water, naturally rich in essential minerals
Even when consumed at room temperature, AQUA offers a refreshing, cooling sensation, proof of its preserved purity and natural mineral content. The entire process ensures that no additional substances are added, making AQUA truly pure mountain spring water.
To keep your family well-hydrated, consider stocking up with a 19L AQUA Gallon at home. It’s a simple and reliable way to ensure your household has access to clean, mineral-rich water every day.
2. Teething on Baby
You need to know that breast milk is exclusively given to babies up to the age of 2 years or beyond. Teething in babies usually occurs at the age of 6 to 12 months. At this phase, babies might feel uncomfortable and refuse to breastfeed.
If this is the case, you can help the baby soothe the gum pain from teething using a towel or your finger that has been moistened with cold water.
3. Baby Got Ulcers
Besides teething, babies often get ulcers in their mouths, and this might stop babies from breastfeeding. Ulcers in babies' mouths cause them to feel pain or discomfort during breastfeeding.
If you find out that your baby has ulcers in their mouth, you can try to do a cold compress using a small ice cube that is covered by a soft towel.
4. Change in the Breast Milk Taste or Scent
Another reason babies refuse to breastfeed is that they smell or taste something unusual. Moms need to know that babies are less likely to accept changes, just like the changes in scent, taste, or even mom’s body fragrance from perfume or body wash.
Even a little change of taste or scent can make babies lose their interest in breastfeeding. Other things that can also affect this phenomenon are foods or medicines that moms consume.
5. Nasal Congestion in Baby
Babies might be susceptible and easily exposed to illness. They might have nasal congestion from the virus, just like influenza, which makes them uncomfortable and fussy.
To overcome this case, moms can clean up their nasal mucus, start to breastfeed them slowly, and set the room temperature and humidity. Also, don’t forget to make sure that you and your baby get enough rest.
What to Do if a Baby Refuses to Breastfeed?
If moms experience their babies refuse to breastfeed, you don’t need to worry because this is what to do if a baby refuses to breastfeed, such as:
- Try different breastfeeding positions.
- Gently massage the baby before breastfeeding to make them relax and feel comfortable.
- Drip a little breast milk as a stimulant for the baby to breastfeed.
- Play music or sing calm songs during breastfeeding to make the baby more comfortable.
- Give the baby a little dangle.
- Increase skinship with the baby while breastfeeding.
- Breastfeed when the baby is sleepy.
- Choose a cozy and less distracting room to breastfeed.
- Not forcing the baby to breastfeed to avoid stress on the baby.
That is all moms should know about why babies refuse to breastfeed, as well as how to manage it. Other than those tips above, moms need to fulfill their water intake to increase breast milk production. It will make the baby intend to breastfeed since the breast milk flows swiftly.
To keep your body hydrated enough, make sure that you provide AQUA Gallon at your home. With its huge size of 19 liters, AQUA Gallon can fulfill the water needs of your family. It also comes with an affordable price starting from just IDR1,000 per liter.
But, why does it have to be AQUA DULU? Because not all water is AQUA. AQUA comes from chosen mountains with guaranteed springs that have been through 9 selection criteria, 5 steps, and a minimum of 1 year of research towards more than 600 parameters.
Also, AQUA is naturally strained by layers of rocks that are rich in natural minerals and processed without any exposure to human hands, and has been through 400 quality tests before being distributed.
AQUA protects the sustainability of the water resources by bringing back water into the ecosystem and increasing access to clean water for all of Indonesian society.
You don’t need to worry about the cleanliness of the gallon of AQUA since it is always being sanitized up to 20 times using high-pressure water before being refilled. AQUA Gallon is also a refilled gallon that can be reused many times, which makes it an eco-friendly choice.
In such wise, make sure to drink AQUA that originates from Indonesia, has a halal certificate, passed the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) test, and meets the Indonesian National Standards (SNI). Satisfy your family's hydration with AQUA. AQUA, 100% pure, 100% Indonesian, and 100% Halal.
