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Nipple confusion, in basic terms, is when your baby forgets how to nurse or how to draw milk from a breast nipple. It is caused when a baby is introduced too early to artificial nipples like pacifiers or bottle nipples. Since artificial nipples are easier to use and require much less effort on the baby’s part to get the milk out the baby may become confused when then placed on the breast and be unable to draw milk out.
Babies are born with a natural ability to suck. However, the type of sucking necessary to draw milk from an artificial nipple is different than the sucking technique for drawing milk out of a breast nipple. A breast nipple is soft and requires the baby to open very wide and then engage many muscles in order to suckle properly and draw out the milk. When nursing a baby uses 40 different facial muscles! An artificial nipple is firmer and pre-formed and can be coaxed into the baby’s mouth without much effort on the part of the baby, the suckle required to draw milk out of a bottle nipple is very minimal.
When nipple confusion occurs you may notice the baby refuses to latch and if he or she does latch they get very frustrated and upset almost immediately. This is caused by the fact the baby has forgotten how to draw milk from the breast nipple and is getting frustrated because he or she can’t get anything to come out. You can imagine why the poor little thing is screaming so hard, all he wants to do is fill his hungry tummy with yummy milk but he can’t get anything to come out.
If you suspect your baby is suffering from nipple confusion you have your work cut out for you but you can get past this breastfeeding challenge and continue down the road of successful breastfeeding. Just remember to be patient and avoid getting too frustrated.
- Offer the breast at every feeding.
- Begin to nurse your baby before he or she shows signs of being overly hungry or before he or she becomes fussy.
- Avoid offering your baby artificial nipples until the nipple confusion has resolved, if possible.
- Consider changing your nursing position to something more relaxing and comfortable for both you and the baby.
- Contact a lactation consultant for some assistance. They may be able to give you some advice over the phone, or better yet meet up with you and help you figure this out.
- If you baby appears to be losing weight or shows other signs of not getting enough to eat like too few wet or soiled diapers than contact your child’s pediatrician.
Nipple confusion can lead to other problems as well such as engorgement, clogged milk ducts, an extended nursing strike, sore nipples (from improper latch) and possibly loss of weight by the baby if he or she is not getting enough to eat so it is important to back on track quickly. Many moms who have babies who develop nipple confusion often give up on breastfeeding. But, you can get past this challenge with a little effort, patience and persistence.
The best way to avoid nipple confusion to begin with is to put off introducing artificial nipples to your infant until breastfeeding is well established. Once you and your baby have the hang of breastfeeding and are in a good routine nipple confusion is much less likely.
For many pregnant moms who have decided to breastfeed their babies there is often one lingering fear, breastfeeding in public, and a worry that this fear will lead to them being stuck at home all the time. I had those same fears when I was pregnant with my daughter. However, there really isn’t anything to be afraid off. Breastfeeding in public, once you become comfortable and experienced with breastfeeding is really quite simple. You can often do it and no one will even notice.
The key to successfully breastfeeding in public is to be prepared both by having a bit of experience with breastfeeding and making sure you have the right gear. Once you are comfortable with the breastfeeding process (usually after the first few weeks) breastfeeding in public will be that much easier. You’ll discover, as you nurse your baby at home, how he or she nurses, what type of environment works best for them and what gear works best for you. Once you have the experience and the right gear you’ll be able to head out whenever and know that you’ll be able to successfully breastfeed your baby in public.
Here are a few tips and tricks for making your experience breastfeeding in public a successful one:
- Wear the right clothing. Shirts made specifically for nursing moms are great when you know you’ll be nursing in public. You can wear a nursing tank under a nice button up shirt or cardigan to make things easier on yourself while still looking cute.
- Be sure to purchase a good nursing bra, one that opens and closes with one hand and make sure you know how it works and that you like the way it works before you attempt to use it while nursing out in public.
- Invest in a good breastfeeding cover or sling. By nursing your baby either in a sling or using a breastfeeding cover you’ll not only be hiding the “goods” you’ll also be giving your child a quiet, distraction free environment to nurse in.
- Practice nursing your baby in public by nursing him or her in front of family and friends when they come over to visit. You’ll become more comfortable using all the gear like your nursing shirts, nursing bra and the sling or breastfeeding cover by trying them out a few times before hand.
- If you are still not totally comfortable breastfeeding in public be sure you find a discreet spot to sit. It’ll help you feel more comfortable and also give your baby a little added peace and quiet for nursing.
- Know your baby’s schedule and hunger cues so you can be ready to nurse at the first signs of hunger, before they get all worked up.
The more you do it the more comfortable you’ll become. Look around while you are out and you’ll notices other moms discreetly breastfeeding their babies too. Often times you don’t even notice it unless you are looking for it. Don’t worry if you decide you just can’t do it, many moms will choose to forgo breastfeeding in public all together and will instead choose to bottle feed expressed breast milk while they are away from home, that’s a perfectly fine alternative.
All it takes is one trip to your local discount retailer or baby store to see that baby feeding is big business. Aisles and aisles are filled with the gear and equipment necessary to feed a baby. Everything from breast pumps to breastfeeding support pillows to bottles to formula. It can be, understandably, very overwhelming for a new mom to stand in these aisles and try to figure out what she needs and what will best meet her baby feeding needs.
Depending on whether you plan on breastfeeding or bottle feeding will, of course, impact the baby feeding gear you will need. For example, if you will be exclusively breastfeeding you will not need formula and won’t need as many bottles. However, if you are exclusively bottle feeding you can skip the breast pump and will need to make sure you are adequately stocked up on bottles and formula. Here is a quick break down of what you’ll need.
If you plan on breastfeeding you will need:
- A breastfeeding support pillow
. I’ve professed my love of the Boppy pillow in the past, but any breastfeeding support pillow will do the trick.
- A breast Pump. The type you get will depend on your needs. If you will be returning to work and will be doing a lot of pumping than you’ll want an high quality electric pump. However, if you will be staying home and don’t plan on doing much pumping than a manual pump may be enough for you.
- A couple of good nursing bras
and shirts.
- A tube of lanolin to help relieve the chapping and discomfort of your nipples during early breastfeeding.
- Breast pads
. These help protect your bra and clothing from any leaking that may happen.
- A good supply of bottles
- Some cleaning supplies for the bottles, such as a bottle brush and a basket for your dishwasher to help keep all the little pieces of the bottle from getting lost.
- A handful of burp clothes.
If you plan on bottle feeding you will need:
- A supply of formula to get you started. You may find your baby doesn’t take to all formulas and you may need to change the brand you use, so I don’t recommend buying too much before you figure out which brand your baby takes to.
- A large supply of bottles
- A breastfeeding support pillow may be useful for a bottle feeding mom as well, but probably won’t be a necessity for you.
- Plenty of bottle nipples. You may want to get a couple of varieties and figure out which type your baby likes best.
- A handful of burping clothes.
- Cleaning supplies for the bottles including a bottle brush and a basket for your dishwasher to keep all the little bottle pieces together.
- A bottle sterilizer
- A couple of insulated baby bottle carry bag
- A portable bottle warmer
Be sure to talk to your friends and family members with small children to figure out what they found they needed and what they determined they could live without. As I mentioned above, you may find that your baby develops a preference for a specific bottle type, or nipple type or brand of formula, so it is best to just buy a few of these things and when you determine what your baby likes best you can stock up on that type or brand.
I breastfed my daughter and she never did take to a bottle so I didn’t end up using any of the bottle supplies I purchased. You won’t know for sure what you need for your baby feeding situation until you get into it, however, there are basic supplies that pretty much everyone needs so you can be sure to have that stuff on hand for when the baby comes home and then pick up the rest as you go and as you need it.
What baby feeding gear did you find most helpful and most necessary? Did it change depending on if you were breastfeeding or bottle feeding?
“The lazy nurser” is a baby that would rather drift off to sleep instead of eating. It typically occurs in younger infants, usually during the first couple of months. A lazy nurser will suck a little then begin drifting off to sleep needing to be awakened in order to finish nursing. This cycle can often result in long, marathon nursing sessions leaving mom a wee bit sleep deprived.
My daughter was a lazy nurser for the first couple of months of her life. She loved to fall asleep nursing, which was great when she ate enough before falling asleep because it meant I could just lay her down and fall asleep myself. However, often she would only nurse a little then quietly drift off to sleep and I would have to wake her up. At first it would result in 1-1.5 hour long nursing sessions, a lot of frustration and a very tired mommy. I learned a few tricks to dealing with my lazy nurser that I wanted to share with those of you out there also dealing with a little lazy nurser.
Nursing your lazy nurser:
- Change the baby’s diaper before you start nursing, or in the middle of the nursing session if your baby tends to fall asleep part way through.
- Don’t nurse your baby all wrapped up, a swaddled baby is more likely to fall asleep instead of nursing.
- Nurse your baby in nothing but a diaper. The cool air will help keep the baby awake.
- Tickle the baby’s feet as you nurse him to help keep him awake.
- Compress the breast to increase the flow if your baby begins to fall asleep, the increased flow with usually awaken them.
- Use a cool, damp cloth and rub it across the baby’s forehead and cheek to help awaken a sleeping nurser.
The trick is to make sure you start out the nursing session with a baby that is fully awake and then to keep the baby awake enough to get a full tummy before he or she falls asleep. You’ll figure out as you go what works best for you baby.
If you are worried that your baby isn’t getting enough to eat just keep track of their diapers and make sure they are wetting and soiling enough diapers each day. You could also take the baby into the pediatrician to get weighed to make sure he or she is gaining weight.
I always knew that Maya’s tummy was full when none of the tricks worked to wake her up 
After you get over that initial bumpy start to breastfeeding things tend to smooth out and breastfeeding life is good, easy. Your baby will often nuzzle in close, close her eyes and just nurse quietly. This easy breastfeeding with continue for several months. Then one day you’ll realize that your baby has suddenly become distracted by everything and breastfeeding will become a bit of a challenge again.
At around 4-5 months babies become much more aware of their surroundings and become interested in what is going on around them, even when busy nursing. Things like other people in the room, the dog or cat running around, the television can all become more interesting than your breast and will result in your baby letting go of their latch to look around and see what is happening. It can be frustrating not only because the nursing sessions will often become longer when your baby is constantly stopping and starting but also those quick unlatchings can be painful.
Every baby (well almost anyway) will go through this phase. My daughter went through it at about4 months old. I had to change up our breastfeeding routine and we were able to settle back into a nice, quiet routine that worked. Luckily this is one of the easier breastfeeding challenges to over come. With a little creativity and making a few changes you can easily nurse your baby through this distracted period.
Here are a few tips on nursing a distracted baby:
- Nurse in a quiet spot with few distractions. If you were used to nursing in the living room talking to your husband and watching television consider switching to nursing in your child’s bedroom.
- If there are distractions in the room try to position yourself so that the distractions are not in your baby’s line of sight.
- Make eye contact with your baby and softly talk to him, this will help keep his focus on you and the task at hand.
- Allow your baby to play with something like a favorite toy or blanket. If their focus is on that favorite, fun item they are less likely to be distracted by what is going on around them.
- Consider using a blanket or a breastfeeding cover, especially if you are in a place where the distractions are plentiful, to help keep out the distracting sights and sounds.
- If your baby is easily distracted by noises consider playing a calming cd or use a white noise machine during nursing to help drown out the outside noises.
Although it can be frustrating and you may want to just give up try to work through. You are doing the best thing for your baby by breastfeeding, keep it up. Bottlefed babies get distracted too. Just switch up your routine a bit and work with your baby to keep your nursing sessions quiet and enjoyable.