Hello all! I just saw a mother of a 5 day old (39weeker) who breastfed well until day 3 and now refuses to latch and nurse. Se will take expressed milk from a bottle. She was 8.1 at birth and was 7.7 yesterday. I suggested waking her at the 2-2.5 hour mark to nurse. She has been letting her sleep 3-3.5 hours. I also suggested lots of skin to skin between feeds to encourage her to latch on her own. When put to the breast she opens wide and will not suck, but just cries. Mom has tried different positions and nothing seems to be working. We gave a small amount of breast milk via bottle (i know not ideal, but that was what mom wanted) and the baby then latched with a nipple shield for about 5 minutes. But when we removed the shield she cried again and would not latch.  I am hoping that feeding her early, before she is so hungry, will help. But I wanted to see if there was any other suggestions from you guys. She has a very strong suck and mom has a great supply. 
Thank for your help and suggestions. 

Mandy Ball, RN IBCLC

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