The last couple of weeks I seem to have run across several babies who just don't know what to do at the breast.  Baby is brought to the breast and they won't latch. They get mad, they cry, they fuss, they move their head from side to side, but no matter what they won't take the breast nipple in their mouth and suck.  They go from sleep to angry, no cute hunger cues to give us a clue what baby wants.  I have mom try different positions, usually starting with laid back.  If we can get baby close to the breast without a major breakdown, I am over the moon.  

I refuse to believe that a baby can lose their rooting instinct in 1 week of taking a bottle.  I can understand a baby who gets mad because flow is slower from the breast, but if they don't even latch, how could that be the cause of their fussiness?  

I am just stumped.  I feel like I took a college course and missed the day they talked about this fussy baby syndrome.  Here comes the test and every other question is about this phenomenon.  

I emphasize making the breast a "happy place" yet it seems a shallow solution when a mom is struggling. What seems to work the best for these types of situations where mom desires to breastfeed but baby doesn't cooperate?  

What have you all noticed as the root cause of this unrest at the breast?  Induction? C-section? Bottles? (or are bottles just the result of a baby who won't take the breast, and not the cause?)  Is there a common strand or is it just a luck of the draw with personality of the baby?

Thank you all so much for your input!
Lisa Paul

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