Reasons Why Your Baby Keeps Pulling Off Breast and Relatching

Breastfeeding is beneficial to the mother and the baby in many ways. Apart from ensuring the newborn acquires all the necessary nutrients, it provides a real bonding experience for the mother and toddler. While most mothers expect a smooth, natural, and easy experience, it doesn’t always happen, as breastfeeding can prove frustrating at times.

Newborns can sometimes turn fussy during breastfeeding, making it tough for nursing mothers to deal with them. Keep reading if you are wondering why your baby keeps pulling off breast and relatching.

Reflexes

While it may seem simple, breastfeeding is a skill for you and the baby. If your newborn baby keeps pulling off breast and relatching from 2 months, they might be practicing their new reflexes. Newborns inherently have four reflexes that they keep practicing as they grow and develop.

First is the rooting reflex, which enables them to turn their head or open their mouth when the cheek is touched or stroked. The sucking reflex allows them to start sucking when something touches the roof of their mouth. They also have a swallowing reflex, which enables them to swallow automatically, and a tongue thrust reflect, which gives them the natural instinct to thrust their tongue to ensure they effectively latch onto the nipple.

These reflexes vary from one baby to another and disappear or become less prominent as the baby grows. Because these are natural developments, you can’t help much but be patient and help your baby practice their reflexes. They might have to latch and unlatch severally in the first weeks to get the nipple in the right place and trigger sucking and swallowing reflexes.

Overactive or Fast Let Down

Overactive or fast letdown is another common issue that leads to latching and unlatching. This occurs when milk flows from the breast quickly for the baby to nurse effectively. Fortunately, you can easily identify overactive letdown that causes pulling off and relatching. Signs include:

• Choking or gagging – you should suspect an overactive breast if the baby keeps choking or gagging when breastfeeding. This means they have trouble swallowing fast-flowing milk from the breast.
  
  
• Inadequate feeding – choking and gagging make it impossible for your baby to empty the breast. This leads to incomplete feeding and associated weight loss.
  
  
• Breast engorgement – since the baby can’t handle the fast-flowing breast milk, your breast will start getting engorged. You may also experience some discomfort.
  
  
• Overstimulation – your baby becomes overly fussy and stimulated.

That said, while you can’t control milk production, you should navigate overactive letdown differently. First, you should nurse your baby in a deeply laid-back position. This technique uses gravity to manage the fast flow of breast milk. You should also nurse on one breast at a time and burp and pause breastfeeding to prevent choking or gagging. Emptying one breast before switching to the other also helps mitigate engorgement.

Latching Difficulties

Latching issues might also contribute to the baby pulling off breast and relatching up to 4 months. Newborns should latch properly for successful breastfeeding. A proper latch minimizes discomfort and ensures the baby extracts milk from the breast. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for babies to experience latching difficulties. These issues may arise from:

• Shallow latch – this occurs when the baby puts a small portion of the areola in their mouth. A shallow latch is painful for breastfeeding mothers and leads to ineffective milk transfer.
  
  
• Engorgement – latching into engorged breasts can prove difficult. Engorged breasts are firm and difficult to latch.
  
  
• Pain and discomfort – babies born with mouth trauma or through difficult birth may experience pain or discomfort that makes them hesitant to latch.
  
  
• Tongue or lip tie – babies born with abnormal conditions, such as tongue or lip tie, have restricted tongue and upper lip movement, which hinders deep latching.
  
  
• Flat or inverted nipples – latching onto flat or inverted nipples is also difficult. Mothers with such nipples should consider using a nipple shield or breast pump before breastfeeding.
  
  
• Inexperienced baby – shallow latch may also result from the baby’s inexperience. It takes a while for babies to learn how to latch properly. The learning process and time vary depending on the birth condition of the newborn.

You should consult a lactation expert or pediatrician if your baby is pulling off the breast and relatching due to a shallow latch. The professional can suggest strategies and techniques to improve the baby’s latch. Essentially, you should adjust the baby’s position and ensure there’s adequate breast support. You should also be patient with your baby as they learn.

Hunger

Hunger is another primary reason your baby keeps pulling off breast and relatching during breastfeeding. New mothers should know their newborn’s hunger cues and feeding patterns for successful breastfeeding. Babies exhibit various signs when hungry. These include increased alertness, smacking lips, putting their hands in the mouth, and rooting. Knowing these cues and responding proactively prevents prolonged hunger and frustration.

Hungry babies also have an overly strong sucking reflex. As such, they may be sucking breasts even when they aren’t actively breastfeeding. This non-nutritive sucking soothes and comforts them but doesn’t solve their hunger pans. Similarly, as hunger intensifies, babies become impatient, fussy, and eager to get milk. This can make them pull off breasts and relatch in search of faster-flowing breast milk.

That said, breastfeeding mothers can adopt various strategies to address hunger-caused unlatching and relatching. For starters, you should offer breast milk timely. Pay close attention to your newborn’s hunger cues and feed them before they become hungry.

If the baby is already hungry, fussy, and impatient, remain calm, be patient, and offer a nurturing environment for breastfeeding. You should also ensure your baby gets a good latch and watch for swallowing to avoid non-nutritive sucking.

Position

New and seasoned mothers should learn the best positions for breastfeeding their newborns. Incorrect or poor positioning can cause discomfort, ineffective milk transfer, and latching difficulties. For starters, proper positioning is crucial for achieving an optimal latch. A good position is when the baby’s mouth is open and holds a significant portion of the areola.

Proper positioning also ensures comfort during breastfeeding, allows for efficient milk flow, and prevents nipple damage. Unknown to most mothers, poor positioning increases the risk of nipple trauma, which occurs when the baby latches onto the nipple instead of the areola.

That said, below are the best breastfeeding positions to minimize unlatching and relatching:

• Cradle hold – this common position involves placing the baby at the crook of your arm, with the body facing your chest.
  
  
• Cross-cradle hold – similar to cradle hold, only that you use the opposite arm to support the baby’s head. It is the best position for breastfeeding mothers with small breasts or those who want to achieve a deep latch.
  
  
• Laid back position – as the name suggests, this position requires the mother to recline, allowing the baby to latch from different angles.
  
  
• Side-lying position – suitable for nursing your baby when lying down. It best suits mothers who haven’t recovered fully.
  
  
• Football hold – involves tucking the baby under the mother’s arm. Perfect for mothers who are nursing twins or still recovering from a cesarian section.
  
  
• Pillow support – uses a pillow or cushion to elevate and provide additional support to the baby during breastfeeding.

You should consult professionals for the best breastfeeding position for your newborn. Similarly, you should assess and adjust regularly to improve the overall breastfeeding experience.

Comfort Nursing

Fortunately, your newborn unlatching and relatching doesn’t always mean a problem. In some cases, babies pull off breasts and relatch for comfort nursing. This is a natural behavior that babies adapt for different reasons. Here, the baby doesn’t latch onto the breast for feeding due to hunger. They latch for comfort, soothing, and a sense of security.

Knowing when your baby is latching for comfort is crucial for mothers and caregivers, as it plays a crucial role in the baby’s emotional and psychological development and well-being. Comfort nursing provides babies with emotional support, a sense of security, and closeness to their mothers. The mother’s breast offers a warm, familiar, and comforting environment.

Sucking is also a soothing mechanism for newborns. Sucking helps your newborn relax, reduce stress, and self-regulate their emotions. As such, they may engage in non-nutritive sucking for these reasons. Surprisingly, comfort nursing also helps alleviate pain. Babies use comfort nursing to alleviate pain and discomfort from teething, mild colic, and irritability.

That said, you should know when your baby is seeking comfort nursing and not hungry. Always watch out for hunger and non-hunger cues. You should also support your newborn and respond to their immediate needs. However, you should set boundaries. While comfort nursing is soothing and provides an opportunity for bonding, you should set boundaries to avoid fatigue and nipple soreness.

Gas or Discomfort

Your baby might also keep pulling off the breast and relatching due to gas and discomfort. Newborns have developing organs and body systems. As such, it is common for them to experience gas, colic, and other GI issues from their developing gastrointestinal systems. However, gas and resulting discomfort don’t always arise from the digestive system.

In some cases, how you nurse your breastfeeding baby contributes to gassing and discomfort. For instance, wrongly positioning your baby means they will swallow air alongside breast milk. This causes gassing and discomfort. You should position your feeding baby correctly and ensure their mouth securely latches to the areola to minimize air intake.

Newborns with colic or GERD also experience pain and discomfort before and after feeding. This leads to frequent pulling off and relatching as they seek relief. Generally, proper positioning, burping, dietary considerations for babies with food allergies or who are lactose intolerant, and holding the baby upright can help mitigate unlatching and relatching caused by gas and discomfort.

Teething and Oral Discomfort

It is also common for babies who are teething or have oral discomfort to pull off breasts and relatch during breastfeeding. Teething occurs naturally at six months. This natural process often comes with pain and discomfort, which significantly affects breastfeeding. Babies can’t effectively breastfeed with sore gums.

Teething also increases drooling, which results in a wet latch. This means your newborn will struggle to latch effectively. Using cold teething rings, providing gentle massage, feeding regularly, and offering other options for pain relief can reduce this problem. You should consult healthcare professionals if teething significantly impairs the baby’s ability to breastfeed effectively.

The Bottom Line

Newborns may latch on and off during breastfeeding for various reasons. Fortunately, most issues are within your control. Ensuring that you position the baby correctly and ensure they latch securely improves your breastfeeding experience. You should also be patient with your newborn as they practice and adapt to breastfeeding.