Breastfeeding

Refusing to nurse on one side

My DS is 7.5 months and nursing while I'm home and gets bottles of pumped milk while I'm at work. Recently he started refusing to eat off one side. The side is a dud somewhat compared to the other, and seems to be getting worse. I think he is frustrated that it is slower and doesn't have as much milk as the other side. He will scream and kick and claw if I try and put him on that side. I've tried letting him nurse on the good side for a while so he isn't so hungry, pumping a little first till letdown, but he still refuses most of the time. Some mornings I can get him to eat off that side when he first wakes up and it's full but this morning he didn't even want to do that.
I know that side is slower, I normally only get an ounce or ounce and a half when I pump, I get 3-4 on the good side.

And ideas on how to try and get him back to nursing some on that side. I've gotten clogged ducts from him not nursing since that side doesn't respond well to the pump.

Re: Refusing to nurse on one side

  • I had the same problem when LO was that age.  My left side has always been my dud with all 3 kids. All I did was continue to try and offer that side first. When she would refuse it, I'd put her on the good side, and let her nurse about half way to her normal amount, and then put her back to the left. She usually would nurse from it then, since she wasn't so hungry. I would then go back to the right to finish that. It was a lot of back and forth (switching sides 4 times each nursing) but I think she finally realized that was just the way it was going to be, and she'd have to start out on the dud.  After about 3-4 weeks, she was fine with just beginning on the left.  She's 16 months now, and I still always offer the dud first. She completes it in only about 3-4 minutes, before she'll move on to the right but she is emptying what it has to offer.  GL!


    **DD1 - 7/9/98**

    **DS - 11/9/00**

    **DD2 - 4/30/13**

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