Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

DD2 refusing right breast.

32 replies

MincePie · 19/12/2003 10:07

Well, exactly like it says in the title really! She doesn't even close her mouth around my nipple before her head goes back legs start kicking and she starts SCREAMING. But put her on the left and she is fine.

Help! My right is getting seriously engorged (and I do express a bit first in the hope this will help her latch on, but as I said she won't even latch on) and she seems so distressed.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
Original poster
MincePie · 19/12/2003 10:12

Meant to add that my right breast is quite alot bigger than my left, could this make any difference?

Never had this with DD1!

pie

OP posts:
bottersnike · 19/12/2003 10:12

My ds used to do this with my left breast. I discovered it was because the let down was slower and he was getting impatient. I expressed some first to get things going and then he was fine.
I also usually fed him a bit on the right one first just to take the edge off his appetite so he wasn't as starving.
Could it be wind?

Original poster
MincePie · 19/12/2003 10:16

I express on my right side before offering it to her as the let down seems to be a lot faster and she drowns if I don't express. But as I said she won't even latch on, she won't take the nipple at all before she starts crying. But switch her immediately to the left and all is well.

Could she be getting wind only when she is lying on her left?

OP posts:
bottersnike · 19/12/2003 10:23

Possibly, yes. Ds went through a stage of about 3 weeks when he just wouldn't feed on the left side, and would scream, same as yours on the right side.
What did work was practically forcing him onto the breast and holding him there until he settled and fed, which he did after about 10 seconds of flailing. Bizarre.
I never really solved why he was doing it, and eventually he stopped. Sorry, that's not very helpful, is it?
Anyone else have more ideas on this?

Freddiecat · 19/12/2003 10:24

I had that with DS. Can't offer many ideas since I was a bit crap at breastfeeding generally (in the end he completely rejected my left too).

My theory at the time was that I did not feel as comfortable holding him to my right breast as I am very right handed so had to hold him in my left arm to feed on my right breast.

In the end I fed him totally off my left and expressed the right fully so he'd have a bottle or two of EBM every day from the right side. But by this point I was struggling generally and he was really being weaned so I guess you need a more long term solution.

mears · 19/12/2003 10:42

Have you tried switching her to the right mid-feed on the left? By that I mean do not turn her round but remain in the same position as on the left breast. She may then be duped to feeding on the right side. She may be sensing tension from you when oferring her the right side because you have had this problem with her. It is not uncommon and should sort itself out.

Evita · 20/12/2003 11:37

dd did same for a while with right breast but thats my smaller side. I discovered she had an ear infection on that side of her head. could be something like that if shes even refusing to latch on. could you try holding her in different position s no pressure on ear?

Original poster
MincePie · 20/12/2003 11:41

Thank you everyone, she produced an amazing sized snot the fed on right side...so she must have a cold. I'm thinking it was hard to breathe on that side?

OP posts:
Jimjambells · 20/12/2003 12:34

No ideas Pie but ds1 did this for 13 months (although he refused the left). I tried everything- including the technique mears suggested- he just would not have it. Initially I just fed less on the left (used to fight to get one feed a day out of it), but eventually stopped trying and walked around lopsided for a year.

Evita · 20/12/2003 22:33

MincePie, if you think she's got a cold it might be worth checking out the ear infection thing. My daughter's got a rotten cold right now and I took her to the GP this morning and it turns out her ear's really inflamed. They don't always let you know any other way. Don't want to worry you, but it might be the cause of the problem?

Original poster
MincePie · 20/12/2003 22:35

She doesn't have any other symptoms though, we have taken her temp regulary and its always normal and when she isn't feeding she is really content. I think she is just finding it hard to breathe through her nose.

Wouldn't there be other things with an ear infection?

OP posts:
bluebear · 20/12/2003 22:47

Probably not the same but ...ds did this after he had his first lot of jabs - I thought it might be the injection site in his leg bothering him - he was lying on the leg if fed in a conventional hold. Rugby hold worked better.

champs · 22/12/2003 18:53

Hi there, DS2 refuses sides on occassion, wen I was trying to express in the early days, I noticed one side gave less than the other. Maybe your baby can remember a time wen that br wasnt to her liking, they really are more clever than given credit for.

What possition do u use wen feedin? how about tryin diferent ones. you can first feed her on her preffered side then swap over.

champs · 22/12/2003 19:09

forgot to ask, how long hav u been bf for?

Original poster
MincePie · 22/12/2003 19:13

Hi Champs, DD2 is 11 weeks old now, she seems to be ok now though. Her refusal comes and goes, and it goes when she produces a large, very large, snot, so I think it is her cold and she finds it hard to feed on that side as one nostril is worse than the other. I hoping this is all it is.

OP posts:
SnowFlakeyZebra · 22/12/2003 19:14

Does it matter what position you're in, Pie? LIke if you lay on your left side and leant over with your left booby under you, or if you tried under-arm hold, -- my babies didn't like lying on their left side.

Tamz77 · 22/12/2003 21:39

My son had this problem briefly after one set of jabs, as he had a local reaction to one of them and it was painful for him to lie on that leg for a day or so. As a short term solution to the engorgement I fed him from that breast lying down, ie just lay on the bed together and I leant over him (or you could try a snuggle feed lying down side by side with your baby's head resting on your arm).

popsycal · 22/12/2003 21:43

havent read the whole thread and havent breastfed for a very long time, but have you tried what i think might be called the 'fotball'hold (this could of course be a figment of my iimagination) where you hold the baby under your armpit - sounds bizarre and trick it into thinking it is feeding from the other side?
sorry if this has been said
if not and you want more info then give me a shout!

popsycal · 22/12/2003 21:43

oh mears mentioned that.......

champs · 23/12/2003 19:20

I find that wen ds2 has a cold he prefers to drink wen I'm lying down or leaning back and he lie accross me, he sometimes even like to lie on his tummy, I think he can breathe better like that. The poor loves, cant blow there noses!! have u tried clearing her nose before you feed? wiv one of those suckie things?

Original poster
MincePie · 23/12/2003 19:41

Thats an idea Champs, might send DH to get one...or do you think a medicine syringe would do the same job?

OP posts:
mistletoes · 23/12/2003 19:47

Aspirate - with one of those rubber bulby sucky things. I used it all the time with DD. Amazing how much snot a small can have stuck in her nose, and how much discomfort it clearly causes in feeding.

champs · 29/12/2003 20:16

Mince pie, not sure that the syringe will do the job, The aspirate (thanx mistletoes ) is a very handy gadget to have and they dont cost too much. I use mine all the time, if it gets really bad, you can ask your doc to perscribe some nose drops (not spray!!) they harden snot up and helps a good deal.

alohappychristmas · 29/12/2003 21:02

Funnily enough I was reading Desmond Morris's babywatching book last night. I have severe doubts about some of his stuff, but he talks about this very thing and suggest two reasons 1. the majority of all women all over the world cradle their babies on their left - even left handed ones, and he theorizes that it might be to do with the sound of the heartbeat soothing the baby and the fact that the left brain is the emotional, intuitive side (the right is the intellectual side) so the baby keys into the mother's emotions better this way. Also the majority of babies always favour turning their head to one side or the other (eg if you put them on their tummy they will turn to the same side every time) this is nearly always to their right. Put the two together and the baby's natural head-turning preference and the mother and baby affinity to your left side and - hey presto - a baby that favours the left breast. Mine certainly preferred the left and I think it is extremely common. And in some babies the head-turning preference is more extreme than in others, of course.

pie · 29/12/2003 22:12

Thats interesting Aloha....if I am holding DD2 upright she will start flinging herself to my left and rooting. It's certainly her preference.

I got one of the nose things champs, it scared the life out of her but didn't get anything out. I then tried it on my nose, holy cow that hurts. My brain felt like it was buzzing for a good 10 minutes.

I took her to casualty on Sunday, they put saline drops in her nose but it didn't seem to make any difference. But at least her X-ray and urine came back clear.

Swipe left for the next trending thread