nipple confusion

English

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Noun

nipple confusion (usually uncountable, plural nipple confusions)

1. The situation in which an infant has difficulty in switching between feeding on maternal nipples and artificial nipples (such as feeding bottles or pacifiers), often resulting in ineffective sucking or refusal to breastfeed.
   • 2017 March 28, Carmen Fishwick, “'An unrealistic pressure': mothers on what it's like to breastfeed”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The midwives and breastfeeding consultants that I saw scared me with stories of nipple confusion, so I was reluctant to try a bottle too early. This led to my baby refusing a bottle and, later, breast milk from a cup.

Related terms

• nipple-confused