Issues that can often be overcome with appropriate information and support
Your baby may have white patches on the inside of his cheeks, roof of his mouth, inside of his gums or on his tongue that cannot be wiped off. He may also have a persistent, painful diaper rash. Occasionally, babies are fussy at breast when they have a yeast infection.
Persistent nipple pain in the early weeks of breastfeeding that isn’t improved with a deep latch, or nipple pain that appears after several weeks or months of pain-free nursing, may be caused by thrush. Additional symptoms can include:
There could be a few reasons but a common cause of sudden nipple pain is thrush, or a yeast infection. This pain often feels intense or “burning” with shooting pains deep into the breast. It occurs both while nursing and between feedings. It is not improved with correcting baby’s latch. (For more information see FAQs Thrush.) Other causes for sudden nipple pain can be:
The most common cause of nipple pain is a shallow latch. This means that your baby does not have enough breast tissue in his mouth. Babies need a deep latch to get enough milk. If your baby is not latched correctly, you may notice a crease across the tip of your nipple when it comes out of your baby’s mouth. Or it may be shaped like a new lipstick, or white at the tip. You may decide to take baby off the breast to try to reposition and fix baby's latch, but you should break the suction first to avoid causing further pain to yourself.
This information is covered in the LLLC Information Sheet Storing Human Milk, which can be requested from your local Leader, and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding tear-sheet toolkit: “Storing Milk for Your Healthy Full Term Baby”
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question as there is no research about whether it is safe or not. Until recently, the standard answer was to discard any breastmilk left in the bottle after a feed. However, recently it has been suggested that it might be okay to store breastmilk in the fridge for a short time. The current thinking is that bacteria growth is possible, but not likely, because fresh breastmilk has anti-bacterial properties, and a breastfed baby has a strong immune system to deal with any bacteria that do grow.
You can thaw your frozen breastmilk by holding it under cool running water. Gradually increase the water temperature to heat it to a comfortable feeding temperature. This is a temperature that feels warm, not hot, on your wrist. Periodically mix the milk in the bag or bottle by swirling gently, as it defrosts. Milk can also be thawed in a refrigerator overnight. Do not thaw or heat your milk in a microwave or directly on the stove.
Thawed milk should be kept refrigerated and used within 24 hours. If it hasn’t been used by that time, it should be discarded or refrozen. However, repeated freezing and thawing will affect milk quality.
During the time that your baby is refusing to nurse, you will need to express your milk either by hand or by pumping, in order to maintain your milk production. Do this as frequently as your baby would normally nurse. If your baby has refused several feedings, you can offer your expressed milk in a cup. Avoiding bottles and pacifiers is recommended during this period in the hope that your baby's sucking urges will encourage him to start nursing again.
Spending lots of time skin-to-skin with your baby can be very helpful. You can also try:
Very unlikely. Occasionally, a baby who has been nursing well will suddenly refuse the breast for no apparent reason. This is called a nursing strike. It is very rare that a baby will wean on his own during his first year, and weaning usually happens gradually. On reviewing the situation, a cause for the nursing strike can sometimes be identified. Common causes include: an earache or stuffy nose, a scary sound that happened while breastfeeding, a different lotion or deodorant, too many bottles or pacifiers or a recent change in routine.