What should I do if a newborn doesn't breastfeed

Release time : 03/21/2025 09:30:02

Some mothers were surprised to find that shortly after their newborn babies began to be intimately involved with breastfeeding, they developed adverse reactions and even refused to nurse.

What could be the reason for a newborn not drinking milk? It can be quite disconcerting for new mothers to feel unsure of what to do when their baby refuses to feed. Is it necessary to resort to injections or medication? Do not panic and resort to inappropriate remedies; instead, understand the relevant knowledge about why a newborn is not feeding properly and take appropriate measures accordingly. What should be done when a newborn refuses to drink milk? When a newborn arrives, mothers often want to give the best possible things to their babies, and breast milk is indeed the best natural nutritional supplement.

However, some babies refuse to eat. Many first-time mothers assume this is a sign of disrespect for their child.

So, the new mommy would try to coax and scare the baby to eat, but this often leads to more violent resistance from the baby.

What to do when a newborn refuses to eat? Here are some tips from the Mommy Network Encyclopedia! 1. Diet and lifestyle: If you notice that your baby is showing signs of anorexia, you can try alternating between small meals more frequently. Additionally, create a quiet dining environment for your baby (especially from the age of three months onwards, as they are easily distracted by their surroundings). Parents should be present while feeding, creating a sense of security and happiness in the baby during mealtime, which usually leads to noticeable improvements.

2. Medication Improvement: If your baby truly belongs to the group of severely averse to food, it is recommended that you take your child to a doctor. In addition to seeking medical assistance to identify possible causes of this aversion to food, doctors can prescribe medications that aid in gastrointestinal motility and increase appetite.

3. Gradual transition to formula: It's essential not to make a sudden change in the baby's feeding, but rather to gradually transition.

When switching to a new formula, start by mixing the two brands together. First, add 1/3 of the new formula to the old one and continue for two or three days. If the baby is not uncomfortable, then mix the old with 1/2 of the new for another two or three days. Then mix the old and new at 1/3 and 2/3 respectively for another two or three days. Once the baby has fully accepted the new formula, switch to using the new one exclusively.

Please note that during the transition to formula, no other new complementary foods should be added.

When your baby is getting their vaccinations, catching a cold, has a fever, or has diarrhea and eczema, you should not switch milk.

4. Stimulating Baby's Attention: A half-hour before feeding, avoid engaging in playful activities with the baby to help him calm down gradually, facilitating his entry into a milk-feeding state.

Before feeding, close the doors and windows, turn off televisions, radios, phones, and other devices. Do not let family members move around or disturb your baby unnecessarily.

When breastfeeding, mothers should relax. Babies will feel secure and content when they see their mothers smile and have a peaceful and gentle expression.

5. Pay attention to whether the baby is in discomfort: During teething, use a pacifier that is soft and has larger holes to reduce pain and discomfort during sucking.

Or mix milk powder with other foods such as cereals and rice noodles into milk paste and feed it with a spoon.

If you are tired of milk due to illness, you should take your baby to see a doctor in time. Once the primary disease is cured, the phenomenon of milk disgust will disappear.

6. According to the baby's age, arrange the time for feeding and eating complementary food: try to maintain a certain regularity, and the food you eat must be easy to digest. Don't feed your baby or drink too much water at least 1 hour before breastfeeding.

Spend some time every day with your baby to exercise.

For example, accompanying your baby in the swimming pool, using a baby exercise frame, etc., giving the baby passive gymnastics, stretching arms and legs, touching, kneading, etc., increasing the baby's amount of exercise, helping to promote gastrointestinal tract peristalsis, enhance appetite.

Pay attention to eliminating seasonal loss of appetite.

If the weather is too hot or too cold, it will affect your baby's appetite and lead to milk aversion.

Therefore, take good care of your baby when the seasons alternate, and the indoor temperature and humidity are suitable to improve and avoid the loss of your baby's appetite.

7. Choose the right nipple: When selecting a nipple for your baby, you must pay attention to the design of the nipple. Select the material, shape and model of the nipple according to the age of the month to suit the baby's needs.

Test before feeding, turn the bottle upside down. As long as the milk drips evenly from the nipple mouth, it means that the nipple has a suitable diameter for the baby to suck smoothly.

The reasons why newborns do not breastfeed should be clearly understood. Only by knowing the relevant knowledge of newborns not breastfeed can they better know what to do with milk powder allergies. So next, the mothers will follow the website of Moms to understand the reason why newborns do not breastfeed.

1. Milk-hating period: Babies 'milking period usually occurs in 3-6 months. Since the cause is still unknown, they usually encounter milking conditions. Parents need to pay special attention to their baby's eating conditions to avoid causing poor growth and development. situation.

If your baby's breastfeeding problem is so serious that it affects his health, you can also ask a doctor to prescribe medicine to help your baby's gastrointestinal peristalsis and increase appetite.

2. Flatulence: In addition to dairy products that are prone to causing flatulence, the reason for flatulence may also come from the excessive intake of air during drinking milk. The bottle hole is too large or the posture is incorrect, causing the baby to feel flatulence. By massaging or blocking the cause of flatulence, your baby's symptoms of milk aversion can be improved.

3. Subsequent Disease: Sometimes, a baby's loss of appetite can be caused by illnesses such as colds and gastroenteritis, or due to allergies in the baby, which can affect their appetite. This condition will gradually improve with the recovery of the disease, but it is important to follow a light diet during this time period.

4. Inherited Diseases: Some inherited diseases, such as congenital heart disease and thalassemia, may cause poor appetite in infants.

5. Psychological Factors: Sometimes, the reason for a baby's refusal to feed may stem from psychological factors, such as irregular feeding times or mothers using punishment to enforce mealtime. These situations can lead to the baby being resistant to breastfeeding. Is it bad for a newborn not to eat? Many new mothers, after several "battles" with their infants and still finding the baby unwilling to feed, often feel defeated and seek advice on this issue from forums like MommyNet.

Drinking milk is a source of nutrition for babies. Without it, they may lack nutrients necessary for their growth, potentially leading to malnutrition. If a baby refuses to drink milk, it becomes challenging to supplement their nutritional needs through other means.

Baby growth curve charts are also very important, which can help mothers to discover whether the baby has a growth delay phenomenon (if the proportion of the growth curve chart is lower than 3%, there may be a problem with growth). If parents do not pay attention to the baby's eating situation, long-term malnutrition may cause the baby to suffer from malnutrition and dehydration. Once dehydration occurs, hospital assessment should be immediately carried out to evaluate the baby's physical condition.

How much milk does a newborn need? Have you ever wondered if it's really hard to determine how much milk your baby needs? Babies don't speak, nor can they express their needs through language.

In fact, relevant nutrition experts have thoroughly explored this matter. Let's take a look at the Mama Web Dictionary to see for ourselves! New babies have tiny stomach capacities (the newborn has a capacity of 30-35ml, around 100ml at three months, 200ml by six months, and 300-500ml by one year). Additionally, their gastric juice secretion is limited.

The gastric emptying time varies with the type and nature of the food. Breastfeeding takes 2 to 3 hours, while milk feeding takes 3 to 4 hours, and water takes 1 to 2 hours.

The milk intake of infants can be calculated based on their weight in kilograms, with a daily intake of 100-200 ml per kilogram. Milk is difficult to digest and needs to be diluted, with the ratios being 4:1, 3:1, 3:2, 2:1, or 1:1.

For example, if 2 parts milk are mixed with 1 part water, the total volume is 300 (360) milliliters of milk plus 150 (160) milliliters of water. The total volume should be between 450 and 480 milliliters. It should be divided into 7 to 8 servings each day, with an average intake of 60 to 70 milliliters per meal.

Infant formula contains 5% of milk, and this proportion will be increased at five and six months.

From the 15th day to full month, if the digestion is normal, pure milk can be given. The amount of each meal is about 60-100 ml per kilogram of weight and it should be given every 3-4 hours.

From the 1st month to the 2nd month after a baby is born: The amount of milk should increase gradually according to the baby's weight, feeding 6 to 7 times a day, with intervals of 3.5 to 4 hours between each feeding, and each meal consisting of about 80 to 120 milliliters.

You can eat up to 150 milliliters.

2 to 3 months: feed 5-6 times a day, every four hours once, each time 150-200 ml of milk.

From three to six months: feed five times a day, every four hours. The amount of feeding per meal is as follows: from three to five months, 150-200 ml; from five to six months, 200-250 ml. The total feeding should be controlled, not exceeding 1000 ml per day and not more than 250 ml per meal.

Start introducing solid foods from four months old.

From six to nine months: Feed once every four hours, 200-250 ml each time. From four meals a day, reduce to three meals a day, gradually introduce complementary foods, starting with half the amount of milk and gradually increasing until it replaces one meal.

The amount of sugar gradually decreases.

From nine to twelve months: The daily feeding of three times milk is reduced to two times, 250 milliliters each time, and still maintain the four hour interval. Other times are full of complementary food.

Every two feedings, water is to be given.

The medical part covered in this article is for reading and reference only.

If you feel unwell, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately, and the medical diagnosis and treatment will be subject to offline diagnosis.