Dear Lactnetters:
A colleague of mine (actually, his wife) has been experiencing a
breastfeeding problem and I thought maybe someone could help.
The baby is SGA (4'13" at birth) and is now 5 weeks old. He has been gaining
well and by all accounts is a joy. However, he adamantly refuses the breast.
He has been finger fed. Attempts to get him on an SNS have been
unsuccessful. He has had his frenulum checked. According to the father, let
down appears to be good. He just doesn't seem to like being attached to the
breast. He does like other skin to skin contact however (I thought I should
ask about that with an SGA baby).
The parents are getting discouraged and have begun to wonder whether they
should even try to get him on the breast or if the mom should just pump and
give the baby a bottle. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Kathy Kendall-Tackett