Literature review for - Flourish Paediatrics

Breast Refusal
Search results
The initial search of the databases included 16 references on infant breast refusal. Data were
extracted from 2 references (1 narrative review, 1 cross-sectional study) but the evidence was
not strong enough to develop a body of evidence statement.
The cross sectional study conducted in the USA on 767 women found 8.9% of the total
sample cited that infant rejecting breast was the reasons for not breastfeeding (Hurley, Black
et al. 2008). The narrative review warns that the introduction of bottles in infant feeding
could lead to breast refusal. The author suggests the use of finger feeding technique (finger
feed the baby until the baby starts sucking on the finger with a definite draw) as a method of
overcoming breast refusal (Newman 1990).
Breast refusal appears frequently in the literature as a reason for cessation of breastfeeding.
However, in the absence of a consistent definition, it is used to describe any occasion when
an infant stops breastfeeding for a shorter or longer period. There is a need to diagnose
exactly what the problem is with the mother or infant.
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