Refusing feeds at 4 hrs.

[lmissl]

     We are working on transitioning to 4hr. EASY; DS is 5.5 months.  He stretches out to 4 hours between feeds relatively easily--some fussing, but distraction really helps.  The problem is that when we then make it to the next feed time, he nurses for about 2 minutes on one side and then is done.  Absolutely refuses to take more.  I can't see how he could not be hungry!  He is EBF and I would like to be able to just pump what he refuses when he does this (so as not to diminish supply), and then bottlefeed him the EBM when he next shows hungry signals, but he has never taken a bottle and still refuses them.  What can I do then when he refuses to nurse at 4 hrs, without worrying about losing my milk supply?  I've posted in EASY forum too.
     Thanks for any advice,
     Marisa

[Samuel's mum]

I would suggest you time him precisely. Is it literally 2 minutes? 'A couple of minutes' can often be 3/4/5. What was he doing before?
It is possible for a baby to get a full feed in less than five minutes. It is quite a common post on this board for someone to say 'eeek my baby has just got really fast. Can he really be this efficient?'
At 5 months Sam was certainly feeding in total for less than five minutes. Do you hear clear swallowing sounds? Does he seem 'satisfied' after a feed?

If you are exclusively breastfeeding (no water as well as no solids) then you can keep an eye on his wet nappies (around 6 in 24 hours) and just monitor his general behaviour.

You could certainly pump after one of his very quick feeds if you like to help with supply. You could always stash it as it will come in handy for when you start solids. Or consider offering it in an open cup. People do offer sippy cups as young as 5/6 months. I'm assuming you've checked out all the bottle tips?

If he's actually refusing to feed at all that's a different matter.

If your only concern is the length of feed it could really be efficient feeding, if you do have other concerns come back to us today or contact a professional.

[lmissl]

Oh, I know all about the efficient feeder thing, DS started doing that around 4+ months.  He generally will go 5-6 minutes on one side only and be totally satisfied with that.  But then, that was also working on a 3 to 3.5 hour easy so he ate a bit more frequently.  This "quickie" business he's doing now has only begun when changing him over to 4 hr. easy.  As I've stretched out his feed times, he seems less interested in eating at all (we're also taking steps to get around the "distracted" eater thing as well).  He starts seeming hungry around 3.5 to 3.75 hours, and we're doing well stretching out to 4 hours, but by that time he just doesn't want to eat anymore.  He'll nurse just long enough to trigger my letdown, and as soon as it starts he's done--really only about one minute.  I thought maybe my letdown is too strong for him again after waiting a little longer between feeds (we dealt with that when he was a much younger baby), and I'll let it "run off" so to speak, and then offer again in a minute when the flow isn't as strong.  But still, no interest.  Maybe he's just telling me he wants to be in control of when he feeds, not me!