at a loss...again!

[teezee]

well dd has her bottom two teeth and it was a challenge for me b/c she wasn't eating her solids OR drinking bm hardly at all.  i know when she is hungry she will eat but usually that ends up being at night...in the middle of the night.  we got over the couple of trying weeks and now she seems to be teething AGAIN (so soon...) and the same story.  i just don't know what to do!  dd won't bf except maybe for two or three minutes, will take maybe an ounce from a bottle of bm and will take as much as there is from a straw cup (so i assume she is still hungry if taking that much from the cup).  i don't care so much about her intake of solids - 2 bites is ok with me but with  her only really taking a good bf at night really bothers me and it is SUCH a HUGE hassle to pump every time it's time to eat and then sterilize and then to just to do it again!  also, she seems to get quite a bit more gas with the straw cup(even tho she loves it!).  i have tried feeding her every 5 hrs instead of every 4 but she doesn't care one bit about the delay and takes just about the same amount as if it were four hrs.  i don't want to get into bad habits that are going to be hard to break with her feeding at night so much and i just don't know what to do.  i did want to bf dd for at least a year but now with frusteration and feelings of inadequecy b/c she is having such a hard time feeding i am wondering if i should wean early??  thanks for help and support!  btw merry christmas!

[GraceKellysmom]

No weaning!!!

You could try a little pain reliever to see if that helps her teeth, either oral or topical. If not, just get her to nurse as much as she will and know that she will be fine for a few days to a week. See if a cold teether helps in between feedings. (My ds was a quick teether too and it was nice to have it done early)

You may want to pump your breast empty (if single side feeding) just so your body doesn't *think* you are weaning. Low supply on top of an uninterested baby is the recipe for weaning. No fun!

Thankfully this stage is fairly short, although repetitive, and you will both get through it.  :wink:

[teezee]

i have been pumping - FULLY from both sides to get supply back up...and i woke up today with damn near engorged breasts...but she ate a FULL feeding - probably because she didn't have to suck as hard.  it seems it is her bottom eye teeth coming in now...should i be worried about the amount of milk she is taking in and keep trying breast, then bottle, then straw cup??  or just leave it up to her to eat once she gets hungry enough?  this constant pumping has really been putting a damper on the holidays...it feels like i haven't stopped pumping through them all so far!

[GraceKellysmom]

I wouldn't worry about her intake unless this lasts longer than a week to ten days. If you think something else may be going on (a cold that didn't heal, an ear infection) then seeing her pediatrician is a good idea.

Try to encourage her to eat at least every 4 hrs. If she will nurse and take a mostly full feed, don't pump. If she refuses to nurse, then pump. Don't follow with a bottle or a cup, unless she has refused to eat for two feeds. By offering a substitute, you reinforce her refusal to nurse, and if I understand correctly, you want her to nurse longer, right?

Teething is a real pain, some babies don't do well at all. Some teeth are harder than others too. The bottom front are usually pretty easy though.  :?  At least in my two kids.