- random quirk (most common) - babies do all sorts of weird things for no explainable reason
- during a blocked milk duct - milk isn't coming out fast enough from the affected side so your baby is just not interested in waiting around for snail mail.
- after a blocked milk duct - the old, backed up milk from behind the plug is now being released and it doesn't taste that great (it can taste salty because of the high fat content).
- ear/teething pain - if you suspect this, have your pediatrician examine your baby to rule this out
I came up with a pretty neat hack for this situation. Of course, if the reason is due to some kind of ailment (reason 4), deal with that properly. If you've determined that it's probably due to reasons 1-3, you can proceed to try this simply, yet very effective idea: switch nursing positions.
I normally breastfeed in one position only: cross cradle. Sam lays across a pillow on my lap, and for illustrative purposes, is nursing from the left side. My right arm supports back and my right palm holds his head and neck to face my nipple. My left hand supports my boob from below to give it some lift.
Let's say he refuses to nurse on the right side. I won't reverse the nursing position so he can eat from the right side. Instead I'll keep my hands and everything in the same original places, but I will slide his body over to the right just a bit so his face is now in front of my right breast. If needed I can use my left hand to now lift up my right boob, but usually I don't bother if I want this to be done as smoothly as possible. This can be done so deftly, he will be none the wiser (and he is wise!). Right now he is in more of a football hold, actually.
So a simple switch of positions is often all you need to get your baby to latch onto his/her less-preferred side.
I normally breastfeed in one position only: cross cradle. Sam lays across a pillow on my lap, and for illustrative purposes, is nursing from the left side. My right arm supports back and my right palm holds his head and neck to face my nipple. My left hand supports my boob from below to give it some lift.
Let's say he refuses to nurse on the right side. I won't reverse the nursing position so he can eat from the right side. Instead I'll keep my hands and everything in the same original places, but I will slide his body over to the right just a bit so his face is now in front of my right breast. If needed I can use my left hand to now lift up my right boob, but usually I don't bother if I want this to be done as smoothly as possible. This can be done so deftly, he will be none the wiser (and he is wise!). Right now he is in more of a football hold, actually.
So a simple switch of positions is often all you need to get your baby to latch onto his/her less-preferred side.
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