4 Feeds To 3?

[Jenifer]

My DD is 8 months old today.  We are on 4 milk feeds + 3 solid meals a day.  For the past few nights she has been refusing the breast at bedtime - for two nights I have been able to coax her on (where she eats only a little bit) but last night she completely refused (cried even).  I expected her to wake in the night hungry but she didn't.  I don't think she's eating any more solids than she has been for awhile (in fact her solids menu has gotten rather narrow - on another post).

Does this mean its time to cut out a mid-day feed?  If yes, how do I do it?  I'm assuming you just don't cut out one feed cold turkey ..

Also, if I cut out a mid-day feed will she go back to taking more at bedtime? 

[M2L]

is she teething?

[Jenifer]

Well, that's the million dollar question!  I believe she is because she has a slight bump and hardness where her teeth should be coming.  She has been finicky with solids (only wants to eat cereal), waking in the night, waking earlier in the morning and not napping that well - in addition to not taking her last milk feed of the day.

Having said all of that - she has been like this for WEEKS already! 

I thought it was teething last night so I gave her Motrin, waited 30 minutes and tried to feed her again and she cried then too.

I realize teething can cause all of these things (and more) .. but I guess I thought it would be a little quicker than this.  Some days she's fine / normal and then other days she's not eating / sleeping well .. and still no teeth cutting through.

How do you know if its really teething or if its time to cut out a feed?

[M2L]

I just find it odd that she would cry when you try to bf.  If she is just not hungry, it seems to me that she'd just either come off right away, or not latch on at all.

That being said, I think that there are threads for how to cut out a feed.  What I did was cut out the after-morning-nap feed by giving DD her lunch a little earlier because there wasn't enough time to do both and she was too full to eat her solids afterwards.

I have to say, though, that you are going into a really funy age where everything that you thought you knew is going to go out the window!  At eight months, Lindsay's naps changed and so did her feedig habits - sometimes on a daily basis and I just had to go with the flow while still keeping her on a routine.

Jenifer - this thread may give you some useful information:  https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=58342.0

Francyne