I too have seen a great deal of refusal. In nearly all cases, the baby's
head has been pushed into the breast by someone (often a nurse trying to
hlep the mother). This behavior is then repeated by the mother who observed
it being modeled by someone in authority.

When this has occurred, I ask the mother how she would feel if someone
placed their hand on the back of their head and pushed their face into
something soft and warm, but which then made her feel as if she could no
longer breathe. They immediatley understand one possible reason for the
baby's behavior.

I have found that taking the baby off breast for 3-8 days and
finger-feeding or cup feeding, using finger for pacification sucking only
if baby allows it usually does the trick. I view this as a way of
extinguishing the negative response.  Then we bring baby back to breast.
It nearly always works wtihin days and in the meantime, mother is not
fighting with baby to feed.

Have others tried this technique?

I have also found that the bathing together method that is going to be
describeda t the ILCA confernce this summer by Heather Harris, midwife from
Australia, works very well. Worst thing that can happen is mom and baby
have had a bath together.  It often brings baby to breast in the most
loving and easy way, when neither mom nor babe could be more relaxed and
later feeds are usually easy as well.



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         %% Kathleen G. Auerbach, PhD, IBCLC          %%
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