baby won't finish full feed on breast anymore

[crazymonkey]

Hi,

I've been breastfeeding my baby since birth, she's now 11 weeks and doesn't want to finish her feed on the breast.  I've been reading other post and the FAQ and I'm not sure if this is a nursing strike or not. 

What's been happening for the last few days is that she will start her feed no problem same as always but then we she takes a break to burp I can't get her back on. She just doesn't want to latch anymore and will start to scream if I keep trying.  Yesterday I decided to see if she was still hungry and got a bottle of EBM and sure enough she took it and drank another 2 ounces.  I'm not sure if it's because she needed a longer break or if she now just prefers the bottle.  I am pretty sure she's not getting enough since earlier in the day yesterday she did the same thing and I didn't try giving her the bottle, she did her A time and was fussy the whole, not herself, but I thought it was because she was tiered so I put her down.  She went down no problem but then woke after about 45 min.  I tried everything to get her to go back to sleep but it turns out she was hungry about 1 hour before she usually would be. Anyways I hope this make "sense", I'm just not sure what to do and I'm starting to feel quite frustrated and feeling guilty of thinking of stopping breastfeeding and just giving her the bottle ... help 

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Hi,

Does she come off to burp or do you take her off? If you take her off could you leave her there to come off herself.

Do you single side feed? If so have you tried offering other side.

Kate x

[ninav]

My LO is older than yours, 6 months, but does the same. |It's almost as if he's taken the edge off his hunger, so the urgency has gone, and he's more interested on everything else that's going on. Have you tried feeding in a quiet dark place?

[crazymonkey]

She comes off herself

I do single side feed and this morning I did try offering the other side ... that only worked for about 10 sec 

Earlier this afternoon, she did the same this on the bottle, at that point I was totally confused, however later this afternoon she seems to have feed for a more "reasonable" time on the breast (as far as I can tell).

Depending on how things go tomorrow I'll feeding in a dark calm place to see if that works ... thanks for the tip

[lilmonkey]

You could also try breast compression to get the flow going.  I had to do this for a while towards the end of a feed to keep ds interested as I have a fast letdown.

[momstheword]

I've been having similar problems for the past week or so! My DS also starts fussing at the breast and won't go back on after a few minutes. Often, right after a burp, but sometimes, just mid-nursing. I have noticed he only does this after the flow of milk has slowed down - after the foremilk is over and the hindmilk is coming more slowly. I also notice that if he is hungry and I try to feed him before my breasts have become more "full", he hungrily latches on (confirming that he is indeed hungry) but then protests like mad (crying, pulling off the breast) after a few attempts at sucking. If I give him a bottle of expressed milk at this point, he is instantly appeased.

I'm thinking that he doesn't like having to suck hard - he prefers the freeflowing milk that I usually have. I have quite a strong let-down and usually have quite a lot of milk. HOWEVER, the past few days, it also seems that my milk supply is decreasing! Coincidence? or maybe I've just noticed it a little later than my DS who has been up in arms about it for about a week.

What I'm concerned about is that he won't keep sucking to get more milk, even when it's there, so won't my supply decrease even more? I'm trying to find the time to pump to keep my supply up but I'm also travelling with him at the moment and it's been tough to find time. Also, I'm not sure if it's good to give him a bottle if I'm trying to get him to nurse more. I really want to keep BF-ing, and don't want to "give in" to a bottle preference.

This is really messing with our routine, too, making me concerned that I'm going to make my DS dependent on feeds before naps. I'm finding that he is hungry not only when he wakes up from a nap but also before I put him down again. Even though this isn't "the BW way", I have been letting him nurse before a nap, even if he just takes a little, since he hasn't been getting a full feed  right after his naps and also because I want him to nurse to keep my supply going.

Crazymonkey, do you think your LO is also protesting that the milk isn't coming fast enough?

Anyone else experienced this?

[crazymonkey]

Yes !!  actually I have been thinking just that today, well actually for while now.  I've noticed that she seemed to be getting more frustrated with the bottles and I thought it was probably because my let down is much faster now so she's been getting used to getting more and faster on the breast.  So, just this afternoon I bought the "fast" flow nipples and used it for her bottle tonight.  Sure enough she didn't fuss at all like earlier today with the "slow" flow nipple.  But now there's still the problem of being fussy on the breast.  I have noticed while pumping that my foremilk also comes out much faster than the hind milk, just like you, momstheword,  where mentioning. however as you I'm not sure what to do about it ....

[suzymitchelly]

I am going through the exact same thing right now with my DS. He just turned 4 months and for the past 3 days, he will latch on and get frustrated b/c my let down is slower than it used to be. I feel like he is not getting enough and he is off of his routine as well. I tried the bottle with breast milk and he eventually took it and ate 4 oz. But, I don't want to keep giving him the bottle. He goes for his 4 month check up tomorrow and I will ask his pediatrician about it. I too am very concerned and frustrated.

[momstheword]

I'll be really interested to hear what your pediatrician says, Suzymitchelly.

I know what you mean about giving him the bottle all the time. I don't want to switch to using bottles all the time - what a pain -  so I really hope this is a temporary problem. Fortunately, DS fed well tonight before bed, sucking away even when the milk wasn't flowing fast, so at least he was stimulating more production.

my LO is 3 mo old, and I think i've heard somewhere that milk production starts to be more regulated at sometime around 3 or 4 mo, so maybe that's why our LO's are upset. they have gotten used to that fast-flowing milk (even though my DS used to cough and splutter as he gulped down milk in the early days!).

i saw my dr last week when my DS had a cold. at that time, we were just noticing the bottle preference, and my dr suggested sticking just with the breast and using a "tough love" approach. because my LO is pretty hefty, she figured it wouldn't hurt him if i withheld the bottle and stuck to the breast until he sorted himself out. HOWEVER, since he also had a cold, this approach did NOT work. he was way too fussy and unhappy and i was in tears to make him even more upset.

having said that, he's just about kicked that cold and so I've been a bit more diligent in putting him back on the breast, even if he protests. I just try again a little later. like i said, it is messing up the EASY routine (it's more like EAES) but I'm hoping that's just temporary.

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Hi Crazymonkey,  It could be a number of things.
How does she seem i you leave her when shes finished a feed. Is she happy if you don't put her back on?

Do you think that it might be a growth spurt? Theres one at 3mths, its not a major one (like the 4mth) but if you think it could be the cause then if you are on EASY then you could try EAEAS.

She could be getting quicker at eating and then if it is a growth spurt (gs) wanting that extra bit before going down for a nap.

Its very hard to see by going on the bottle, as bf babies will always take milk from the bottle as it is easyer to get (thats if they acctualy take the bottle as some don't like it). What bottle do you use? If you want to make sure they continue to bf from you it may be worth while getting a bottle like 'Breastflow' its made by first steps. It has 2 chambers and works much like the breast (they have to work for it), i use them and there great. Another reason for using them is so that lo's don't get nipple confuession.

I think that a lot of lo's get frustrated at some point about the flow and must be very confuesing if they get a bottle with a fast flow.

suzymitchelly - The 4 month gs is a biggy so try to fit in as many feeds as lo wants, its the quickest way to get through it.

One last thing, If you think supply is getting low the best thing to do is pump after a feed and feed more offen. As long as its not long term then they wont become a snaker.

Kate x

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Hi, Have you checked out FAQ - Feeding time freaks out?

This could be worth a visit if not

Kate x

[crazymonkey]

Sometimes she's happy but most of the time she's still fussy.

I did think it could also be a growth spurt, I will definitly try EAES

As for the bottles we're just using the Playtex ones (pretty basic I know) but we've been using them since she's been 1 week and she's never had a problem taking the bottle or the breast until just a few days ago.  Oh! and what also seems to be weird is she feeds as normal for her night feed, first morning feed and last feed before bed, but in between there is when she getting fussy, however nothing else has changed, i.e routine or environment.

Thanks so much for the tips, I'm feeling better now that I have a few things I can try

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Let us know if anything works, if not we can see what else might work

Kate x

[suzymitchelly]

My DS just had his 4 month check up and he is in the 25% for his weight. It's a little lower than his 2 month, but the doctor said I was doing fine feeding wise. I told him about his fussiness at the breast and he said to keep trying. My DS feeds well the first 2 feedings of the day, but then during the day is when he gets fussy. He also said maybe I could try putting some breast milk in a syringe and while he starts sucking, to squirt some into his mouth as a reward for sucking until the let down comes. I don't know....I guess I could try it?? Hopefully he will be on a good routine today.

[clh]

Kate has already giving you some good info about growth spurts & about most babies taking more from a bottle if offered b/c it's easy for them. 

I do want to tell you that pump output doesn't indicate what your lo's are getting out.  They are much more efficient than any pump you have.  Even if you're pumping while lo is taking a bottle occasionally, you might not pump as much as they drink.  That's perfectly normal, and not a reflection of your supply.  Some women pump lots, but others (even some having oversupply issues) can hardly pump a drop.  All are on the "normal" spectrum. 

Also, if you want to continue bf, I'd try to get them on as much as possible.  At least in my experience, pumping to make up bottles isn't fun.    And they do stimulate you better than anything else.  If you do need to give a bottle for whatever reason, I was advised (at least at first) to make the bottle difficult so that they wouldn't choose it simply because it was easier.  I was told to continue on the slow flow nipples for as long as possible.  (I think I switched ~7 mo)  Also, let them have a few swallows & then remove the bottle.  Then a few more swallows & remove.  That way they get used to (or continue to be used to) a slower pace.

Your lo's are becoming more aware of their surroundings, and that's quite a cause for distraction.    I'd second that find a dark quiet place recommendation.

Good luck!