Tracey Carolan IBCLC

This is probably one of my favorite things to talk about because the *problem* is so common & often mistaken for a low supply.

There are many different reasons why your baby is crying and/or fussing at the breast. The main things to check are the latch and positioning of your baby. These are the two most important things to get right when nursing.

If all is good… to figure out why this is happening, you’ll want to pay attention to when the behavior happens.

👉🏼* Right as your milk is letting down (or immediately after) — probably a fast let-down. Things to try:
- Laid back nursing to slow flow
- Hand express before latching to slow flow
- Detach baby when you see baby struggling

👉🏼* A few minutes into nursing — impatiently waiting for a faster flow. Things to try:
- Breast massage
- Warm compress

👉🏼* At the end of nursing — baby may need to burp, is ready to finish nursing, or wants to continue nursing with a faster flow (cue to switch breasts).

👉🏼* Fussy in the morning — probably a faster flow since prolactin levels are highest early morning.

👉🏼* Fussy mainly towards the evening — probably cluster feeding and/or witching hour.

🌙Cluster feedings often occur towards the evening when milk flow is slower. Babies tend to nurse longer or more often. It is also not uncommon to see baby more fussy in the evenings and/or frustrated at the breast. For ex: Baby will nurse a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry, nurse a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry… on and on… for what seems like hours.

Other stimulating behaviors include: Shaking head side to side, pinching and/or squeezing, or hitting breast with hands. ▶️ THIS BEHAVIOR IS NORMAL!

Keep in mind that while this behavior may be common and normal, other reasons include: •Teething, •thrush, •stuffy nose, •allergy/food sensitivity, •reflux, •low milk supply, •over supply, and •tongue tie. So always be on the look out for other signs and symptoms.

Seek professional support if baby:
⚠️is not gaining weight
⚠️is not producing wet and dirty diapers
⚠️is not settling after they have finished feeding

Everyone wants to talk about “low supply,” but few want to talk about what causes it.

Milk production works on supply and demand, the more you remove milk, the more your body makes. When pumps are skipped, alarms are snoozed, or sessions get stretched beyond 3 hours (especially early on), your body gets the message to slooooow down production.

You can have a full milk supply without ever latching your baby, I see it every week in the NICU. But it takes consistency, proper fl**ge fit, and the right education.

It’s not your body that fails.
It’s the system that doesn’t teach you how it works.

As much as I hate to wake a sleeping baby, especially since we all can appreciate the much needed sleep, sometimes we need to do it.

If your little has slowed down with weight gain or you've noticed a supply dip it may be due to no longer feeding overnight.

Some babies will start eating more during the day to make up for it but for others there isnt enough hours in the day.

Milk removal in the night time hours is important for high prolactin levels which tells our bodies to make more milk.

Before instructing you to wake yourself and baby up in the night for feeds we'll try everything else first but sometimes a dream feed right before you head to bed yourself can make a big difference.

What do you think this bottle is promoting or hoping to sell to you?

Pop quiz! Which mammal’s milk is nutritionally closest to human milk?

A. Cow
B. Goat
C. Donkey
D. Sheep

The answer is ......

C. Donkey milk!

Among commonly studied animal milks, donkey milk has one of the closest overall nutritional profiles to human milk. It has similar lactose levels, less protein and casein than cow’s milk, and a higher proportion of whey proteins.

Still, human milk is uniquely human. It contains living cells, antibodies, hormones, enzymes, and other protective components. Its composition also changes throughout a feed, across the day, and as a baby grows.

🌟Important note: Donkey milk and other unmodified animal milks are not suitable replacements for human milk or infant formula.🌟

Did you guess correctly?

Lol 😂

Hospitals may change logos, names, and CEOs…
But not this blanket. Never this blanket. 😅

I occasionally get messages that go something like this:

“My baby suddenly refuses my left breast. They scream, arch, and pull away, but they happily nurse on the right. What happened?”

Moms often think, “My milk must be drying up on that side.” Or, “I must have mastitis.”

Sometimes those are the reason. Especially if one breast is being favored more for feeding or the pump fl**ge is better for to one side. But surprisingly, milk supply isn’t always the culprit for breast preference. A baby who suddenly refuses one breast is usually trying to tell us that something feels different on that side. Babies don’t understand why it feels different. They just know they don’t like it.

Here are some of the hidden reasons this can happen.

💧 Flow or flavor preference

Believe it or not, your breasts are not identical. One side may have a faster letdown, a slower letdown, a larger storage capacity, or simply a flow pattern your baby prefers. Your milk can also taste different and have a different color from one side to the next even in the same feeding!!

Some babies love a fast, powerful flow because they don’t have to work as hard. Others become overwhelmed by a forceful letdown and prefer the calmer side.

As babies get older and become more efficient feeders, they become much more opinionated. They may suddenly decide one breast is “easier” than the other. Or one side tastes different.

That doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your milk supply.

👶 Body position matters

Nursing on the right breast and the left breast are not mirror images. When you switch sides, your baby’s head turns the opposite direction. Their body rotates differently. Different muscles are stretched. Different joints move.

If your baby has neck tightness, muscle imbalance, torticollis, lingering birth tension, or simply a side they don’t enjoy turning toward, breastfeeding may be more difficult on only one breast.

Sometimes changing positions solves the problem. Football hold, laid-back nursing, side lying, or even keeping your baby’s body positioned similarly while simply moving them across your lap can make a huge difference. Bodywork like chiropractic, craniosacral fascial therapy, physical or occupational therapy can be a game changer.

👂 Ear infections

This is one of the biggest hidden culprits. Babies with an ear infection often refuse only one breast. Nursing requires them to lie on one side. If lying with the sore ear downward increases pressure, nursing suddenly becomes uncomfortable.

Sometimes parents think the breastfeeding relationship has fallen apart overnight, when in reality the baby has an ear infection that needs treatment.

If your happy nurser suddenly develops a one-sided refusal along with fussiness, fever, congestion, poor sleep, or pulling at an ear, it’s worth having them evaluated.

💪 Body tension

Babies don’t have to have torticollis to have body tension. A difficult birth, a very fast labor, a prolonged pushing stage, assisted delivery, time in the NICU, reflux discomfort, or simply developing movement patterns can all contribute to asymmetry.

As babies grow, they also become much more mobile. Rolling, crawling, and sitting all change how their muscles work. Sometimes parents notice a breast refusal around the same time their baby is mastering a new motor skill.

A feeding assessment that looks beyond the mouth can often uncover these patterns.

❤️ What should you do?

First, don’t panic. Continue offering both breasts without forcing your baby. Try different breastfeeding positions. Feed when your baby is sleepy if they’re more willing then.

If your breasts become overly full because one side isn’t being emptied well, hand express or pump just enough for comfort and to protect your milk supply.

Pay attention to other clues. Is your baby congested? Pulling at an ear? Preferring to turn their head one direction? Seeming uncomfortable during diaper changes or tummy time?

If the refusal continues, or your baby isn’t transferring milk well, working with an IBCLC can help determine whether the issue is related to milk flow, feeding mechanics, body tension, oral function, illness, or something else entirely.

Breastfeeding is a conversation between two bodies. When something changes, it’s easy to assume the breast is the problem. But sometimes, the breast is simply where the baby is expressing that something else doesn’t feel quite right. The goal isn’t just getting the baby back onto that breast. It’s figuring out why that breast suddenly became the one they didn’t want.