Ann says,
<<Any other case reports of breast refusal after FF?>>
This is an 'n' of one, but I had a doozey. Mom came to me when baby was
about 6 weeks old, I think. Baby had refused the breast in the hospital, and the
LC there had given her a nipple shield. Baby was doing quite well on the
shield, but then mom went to a mother to mother support group in the area, and the
leader told her to get that baby off the shield IMMEDIATELY or the baby would
never take the breast. So mom, a lovely, single 19 y/o woman living with HER
mother did so, and started finger-feeding upon recommendation from the
leader. All attempts to get baby back to breast had failed. So mom was pumping and
finger feeding -- and now had been doing this for 4 weeks. She was going
back to school in another couple of weeks, and was really really tired of finger
feeding which was taking forever. She couldn't get the baby to take the
breast, baby wouldn't use a shield, and wouldn't take a cup OR a bottle. So she
came to me.....
I've chalked this one up as one of the major failures of my LC life.
Cheerfully thinking we just needed a bit of expert technique, this baby defied all my
efforts. Nope, wouldn't take the breast -- just screamed. (This baby had
been skin to skin w/ mom so much that they were practically glued together, but
if you moved baby anywhere near the breast, there was NO WAY! Over the phone
before she came to me, I suggested rebirthing. Nope.). Tried the nipple
shield. Nope -- refused. Tried a cup. She looked at me balefully and said (in
essence) - nope -- give me the finger. (Now there's a new use for an old
phrase). Tried a bottle. No, no and no. Went back to finger feeding.
This mom had a most supportive mother herself....grandma was wonderful. She
would finger feed as well, but both were really frustrated with the practice.
I would call periodically and see how things were going. One day Grandma
said she had suggested they try the Playtex nurser just one more time and see
what would happen. Baby decided to take it! The next feed, Grandma said, well,
let's try putting the baby on the breast -- and voila -- she took it! We were
ecstatic! Baby had been breastfeeding ever since.
The next call I got was how to get baby to take the bottle again as mom
needed to go back to school and grandma was going to care for the baby -- but
grandma wasn't really up to nursing the baby with an SNS....and now punkie had
decided the breast was such a lovely place to be, that she didn't want anything
else. Including finger feeding.
I treasure this couple for several reasons -- I loved seeing the relationship
between this young mother and her baby and her own mother.....it taught me a
lot about the personalities of babies, and despite how good I *might* be, some
babies are better....I've not used finger feeding since then except in one
other case....and it is one of several cases that God has used to keep me
humble. Very humble.
Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC, RLC
Wheaton, Illinois
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com
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