Three things that helped my baby, who refused breast milk, transition to exclusive breastfeeding

My baby who refused breast milk

My son refused breast milk.

Shortly after birth, the maternity clinic starts by feeding the baby formula.
Perhaps because of that, he got completely used to the way a baby bottle nipple works, and when I tried to breastfeed him, he showed no intention of drinking at all.

During my hospital stay, the midwife gave me breastfeeding guidance many times. She would relentlessly press my son, who was crying without understanding what was going on, against my chest to try to get him to remember the sensation.
However, the efforts were in vain, and we were discharged just like that.

Even after returning to my parents' home for postpartum care, it was a loop of:
Breast milk → Refusal → Crying loudly → Formula.

I just wanted to provide nutrition to my son, but seeing him cry and reject it made me feel like I was doing something wrong.

During late-night feedings, my mother would wake up to my son's screaming and cheer me on with all her might,
"Come on! Try your best to suck! Suck-suck-suck!"I, having zero emotional capacity left, was internally raging,


(What even is 'suck-suck-suck'...?)Furthermore, because my son couldn't drink breast milk, I started feeling pain and lumps in my breasts, putting me on the verge of mastitis.
Days of sleep deprivation. My son's wailing.

Breast pain. Postpartum mental state.

My heart was pretty much at its limit.
I would like to introduce three things that helped me go from breast milk refusal to exclusive breastfeeding.

1. Electric hands-free breast pump

Before giving birth, I thought, "Do I really need a breast pump?" and didn't prepare one.
However, my mother hurriedly prepared this for me because I couldn't bear the tension and pain in my breasts.

▶︎ izxi Electric Breast Pump (Hands-free)

◆ Good points:
・Since it is electric and hands-free, you just sandwich it between your breast and underwear and press the switch
・You can do housework while pumping
・I was also able to pump colostrum and feed it to him with a bottle

What helped me most was that my hands were free, so I could pump while doing other things even during the busy postpartum period.
And when I finished pumping and saw the breast milk collected in the pump, I felt deeply moved, thinking, "I didn't notice because of the breast milk refusal, but I had this much stored up."

◇ Points to note:
・You cannot pump well unless you attach it firmly to your breast
・If you set it to a strong level from the beginning, your nipples will swell and hurt, so it is recommended to adjust from a weak level

Looking at Amazon reviews, there are opinions about suction power and whether it fits one's physique, so there might be compatibility issues.
In my case, I got the hang of it by adjusting the suction strength, position, and angle, and was able to pump effectively. Thanks to that, the breast tension became much more comfortable.

2. Midwife home visit

Although the pain subsided with pumping, the breast milk refusal itself was not resolved.
Unsure if my feeding method was correct, I decided to rely on the breast milk outpatient clinic at a nearby women's clinic.

When I called to make an appointment, since the baby was still young, they arranged for a midwife to visit my home.

I braced myself, thinking it must be quite expensive for someone to come all the way here, but it was 3,000 yen for a full 1-2 hours of support.
It was cheaper than I expected, so I thought it was very reasonable.

◆ What the midwife did:
・Interviewed me about the current situation and concerns regarding breastfeeding
・Breast massage
・Guidance while actually breastfeeding

For the massage, I lay on my back, and the midwife wore gloves and carefully cared for my breasts to resolve the lumps.
I felt like a fish on a cutting board, but by the time she finished, my rock-hard breasts had become soft, and the pain and lumps were significantly reduced.

Then came the breastfeeding guidance.
I thought the cradle hold was the standard for breastfeeding, so I kept breastfeeding in that position.
However, when the midwife adjusted the position with cushions and towels and tried various ways of holding him, she analyzed,
"Maybe this child finds it easier to drink in an upright hold or football hold rather than a cradle hold?"
Since then, I switched to breastfeeding in an upright hold.

As I persisted with frequent breastfeeding every day, I was able to feel his tongue moving inside his mouth little by little.

3. PIGEON Breastfeeding Consultation Room Nipple

The phenomenon where a baby gets used to a bottle nipple and stops drinking from the mother's nipple is called"nipple confusion."I learned this term for the first time after searching for countermeasures online when my baby refused breast milk.

While persistently breastfeeding in an upright hold, I was looking for something else that might be useful and came across a nipple that is said to be less likely to cause nipple confusion.

▶︎ PIGEON Breastfeeding Consultation Room Nipple

◆ Good points:
・It requires the same sucking power as the breast, making it less likely to cause nipple confusion
・I feel that by continuing to use it, he became able to drink breast milk well
・There are many voices in the reviews saying, "I was able to drink breast milk with this"

Because it has a low flow rate, it took time to drink, and at first, it seemed like he was having trouble, but that resistance gradually disappeared.
I bought one as a trial at first, but then bought another one to rotate them.

◇ Points to note:
・You need to check the compatibility with the baby bottle you have in advance.

Since I was using PIGEON's Breastfeeding Support baby bottle, I was able to set it up as is.

And, to exclusive breastfeeding

As I worked persistently with the above 1-3 and frequent breastfeeding, my son was able to get used to breast milk.

Even after he got used to it, I had no particular preference, so I was raising him with mixed feeding, but my son spit up formula a lot.
When another midwife visited around one month after birth, I had her measure the amount of breast milk with a scale, and she said,
"Since the amount is coming out, he might be spitting up because he is drinking too much. Breast milk alone might be fine."
I switched to breast milk only, and it became exclusive breastfeeding.

Although the baby has no ill intent, breast milk refusal was painful at the time because I felt like I was being rejected.
I hope this article is helpful to moms who are worried about breast milk refusal.

【Things introduced in this article】
・ izxi Electric Breast Pump Hands-free (https://amzn.to/3ZSKfPQ)
・PIGEON Breastfeeding Consultation Room Nipple (https://amzn.asia/d/0dfCcY90)