Author Topic: 7 month old refusing to BF  (Read 2029 times)

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Offline MommyN

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7 month old refusing to BF
« on: October 29, 2015, 18:08:07 pm »
Hi, up until a little while ago DS2 was an angel baby on a great 4 hr easy routine. He is breastfed with an occasional formula feed. Now he is 7 months and for the past few weeks has been nursing for 2/3 minutes and then refusing to latch back on. It is throwing everything off! His naps are messed up, he's up at all hours of the night... I think he's really hungry but too interested in everything around him to eat. Feeding him in a dark quiet room helps for  about one out of four feedings. However, when he has a bottle he takes a full feed no problem (I think because he's able to see what's going on unlike when I bf him). Any advice? He's so cranky and we are all so sleep deprived! Do I switch to ff? I really do not want to give up bf so early. TIA!

Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2015, 20:09:44 pm »
I used to go and scoop mine up at the tail end of their nap and sort of turn it into a dreamfeed - would that work at all? Or some type of nursing necklace for him to fiddle with to keep his interest?
Heidi




Offline MommyN

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2015, 05:55:37 am »
Thanks! I'm going to try out your suggestions. I'd be really sad to stop nursing so soon, but we can not go on like this if he keeps this up...

Offline zissi

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2015, 14:05:00 pm »
It sounds like he prefers the faster flow of the bottle. I had that problem and email Dr. Jack Newman and your description fits that picture. Maybe cut out the bottle for a while and see ho it goes?
Franziska

Offline *Ali*

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2015, 20:29:09 pm »
Or can you use a slower teat on the bottle? I still use a first size teat with my DD and she is 10mo. We use experessed milk though so not sure if it would be ok for formula which I think tends to be thicker.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline ele

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2015, 03:17:17 am »
Hi,
I have had a real problem with BF my daughter too (but she is still EBF and she is 10 months).
I have a couple of questions, are you feeding him solids yet, can it be that you are crowding out BF with FF and solids? May be you could reduce those to see if he is more eager to see BF.
if you are confident the answer is no to the first question, the the next question I would have, is it possible that he is super efficient with BF? My daughter once suddenly reduced her time on breast and that was her new time to empty the breast. ( I was very stressed until I figured out that one ).
Now, if neither is an answer to your troubles, I would guess it is something we went through too, restlessness probably it was, I really can't say. So what I did is change positions where she would finally be willing to suck for longer. For us the usual sitting position DIDNT work at all for few weeks,so I lay with her side-to-side. There are so many positions you can invent for him to feel at ease, but something might work. I had to pretend I didn't care too, I would sing to her our calm song but the breast was nearby, I would talk about something, until eventually she would just decide to suck some.
 
I would say one thing most important, persevere if you want to BF, it's good for his health too, but try to avoid making it more stressful for both (easier said than done, but try not to panic). I was panicking myself, especially since I didn't want to FF at all, and I think she sensed it. But please please remember it passes, just gently keep doing what you think is best.
Ah, also can you somehow work on offering less at night, that can certainly carry into less appetite for the day. I never cut night completely, as some advised, but may be just a little bit less night feeds you could try? FF is so easy, so BF may be just too much extra work for him? I will try to recall what else worked for us and will post again, it was trying times, I know how you feel!
« Last Edit: November 03, 2015, 03:22:05 am by ele »

Offline MommyN

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2015, 07:14:36 am »
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply! He does love his solids, but I'm careful to limit them to only twice a day and small portions. Until this whole business started formula feeds were at most once a day, often less - so I don't think that's the problem. He is a very efficient eater, but he is now definitely not emptying the breast. He is cranky and not sleeping well - obvious to me that he's hungry. I think that he is restless and distracted and the bottle is just faster and easier and let's him see what's going on around him. I'm also wondering now if this has something to do with teething, because yesterday he didn't want the bottle either. I just keep on trying to nurse him, changing places position etc. I'm hoping it's just a stage and I don't want to lose my milk because of it... It's just so frustrating - I feel like I'm fighting him. Taking it by the day.

Offline *Ali*

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2015, 10:32:16 am »
Have you tried medicating for pain if you think it is teething?
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline MommyN

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2015, 10:57:14 am »
I give him Acamoli (tylenol) if I think he needs it. But I can't give it to him round the clock. This is my plan, I'll let you know if it works. I'm going to nurse him first thing in the morning in my bed (that usually works), for the next two feeds I'll give him formula, and after DS1 is in bed nurse him in a dark quiet room (hopefully by then he'll be sleepy enough to want it). I'll nurse him once during the night and if he wakes up more than that do PU/PD. I'm hoping that by doing this he'll get in normal naps because he won't be hungry and then he'll be more willing to BF. He's been doing short naps - I think - due to hunger and OT.

Offline ele

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2015, 14:17:40 pm »
May be your routine needs to be adjusted to a greater wake time? 2 hours of awake (I gather that is what you meant) is too little A. Take a look at average A times for his age, that may solve nap problem.
If he feeds well in your bed, could you bring him just for other feeds to the bed again? Our bed is almost always a path to returning to better BFs whenever she has fussy periods.
Just don't push him too much, take it easy. Sometimes babies get too distressed and it would work against your goal even more.
One observation from our experience (for now or later), when I started offering more solids (not too much as to crowd out BF), she slept better through the night. That occurred around same age. Usually babies need more food than BF can offer at this age and it may be a sign of offering 3 meals.

Offline *Ali*

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2015, 11:26:33 am »
What about using granules or gel sometimes for the teething? Or something cold to bite on before you feed.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline MommyN

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Re: 7 month old refusing to BF
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2015, 10:30:25 am »
Hi, just wanted to report back... Thanks everyone for your advice! We're basically doing BF in morning and at bed time and around 10/11 pm and two ff during the day. It's pretty much working out ok, so we're just "rolling with the punches." I'm working on fixing up his naps now - hopefully it will be easier now that he's a little less hungry  ;) and maybe once his naps are fixed his BF will improve even more? I hope...
So far no teeth :-\. We've been saying he's teething for about 3/4 months now... and Ali, we have a few teething toys that he LOVES to chomp on! I'll try your suggestion and give them to him before feeds.