My son has been going through some eating & sleeping changes over the past week or so & it has been rather frustrating at times trying to figure out what his new needs are. Tonight, for example, he was acting like he wanted to breastfeed, but when I went to feed him, he did not want to latch on & just fussed. So, I fed him solid baby food instead & he ate that with no complaints. He has been eating solids since he turned 4 months old, but only twice a day until this week. I am getting the idea that he is not too interested in breastfeeding anymore. He breastfeeds with no trouble for his first feeding of the day (between 6 & 6:30 A.M.), & he usually breastfeeds a little along with his ceral for the second feeding, but for the rest of the day he is not really a good breastfeeder & it seems to be getting increasingly worse! So I've started him on 3 solid meals a day now. Is this "normal"? I know all babies are different & our son seems to be ahead of other babies by months as far as his size & eating habits go. (He is at least 24 lbs. by now & wears 12 mo. size clothes!). I just didn't expect him to be weaning off the breast quite this soon. But I don't think he is getting what he needs anymore simply by breastfeeding. He also doesn't seem to have the patience for it. When he does breastfeed during the day, he seems to get hungry again an hour or two later.
For me, I am a little sad because breastfeeding is so easy & not as much work or mess as solids. :) But I guess I have to adjust sooner or later (sooner apparently). My boy is growing up too fast!
Thank you all for your responses! I really needed this advice. I didn't know what to do! I will definately keep trying with the breastfeeding being FIRST! He also does get distracted really easily, so I will try what several of you suggested, to do it in a more quiet, less distracting location. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I am updating this "what happened" post a few hours later because I think I am discovering the issue is with the position I am breastfeeding him in, as well as distractions. At his last feeding he would not eat in the normal sitting up/cradle position he has always eaten in with no problem, but when I tried the side lying position, he ate beautifully! Crazy kid. :) It must be that this position also cuts out distractions for him. This explains why he always breastfeeds the best for his early morning feed because I am always lying down when I feed him then. Thanks again! It is going better already.
Hello A., I think that maybe he is getting more active and doesnt want to stop long enough to breastfeed. My daughter will sit long enough to eat solids, however getting her to take her bottle and actually finish it before she is off again to explore is another. She comes back to the bottle for a few minutes and then off again. Good luck!
Your son's primary source of food should be from you or the bottle. I know that if you wean now you are still goign to have to give him forumla then until he's 12 months b/c that should be his primary source. Do you breastfeed before offering solids? That should fill him up and not eat as much for those meals. Also, how is the place that you nurse? I know now (my son's 10 months) that I have to be in a VERY quiet place with no distractions, no people or animals, and the lights have to be dimmed for him to eat. You need to initiate the feedings too. Don't wait for him to want to b/c they're too excited by the world to stop what they're doing. If you set up times and the places they will eat. It just might take a couple days to establish a type of routine. Is your boy eating at night? He might need to just for the closeness, etc. so don't limit that. Alot of times what I thought was weaning was just a growth spurt or something else and he'd nurse for an hour after all that fuss!
Don't give up though! There were a few times that my son has refused to nurse for long periods of times and it's just been the environment, teething, sickness, etc. Sometimes it hurts to eat or they don't want to stop what they're doing to relax to eat. Don't give up right when they refuse either, I've had to switch positions a few times and switch sides in order to show him that this is what we're doing.
Have you tried not giving him as much food during his feedings? A couple bites and then that's it? After all, it's not supposed to be his primary nutrition that's from you this is just showing him there are other foods out there and getting him used to it. Also, try to increase your milk production (pump even when he doesn't nurse) b/c you might be decreasing and it might be too much trouble to get the milk out for him. Any medications you started taking? Might lay off them for awhile. This site also helps w/ low milk supply.
This site has really helped me w/ everything due to bfing. I think these 2 sites will help you 2!
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/babyselfwean.html
GL and let me know what happens!
sounds like he's teething. wait a few days.
I nursed 6 children and if I were you I would keep doing what you are doing.
You did not say if he likes to nurse at night before bed, but I would just go with what he seems to want.
He is young (but big) and it won't be long until he is getting around on his own, and that is often the time that they become less interested.
So, keep on enjoying the times when he will nurse, and I would keep offering as long as you can.
I am glad you have enjoyed your experience.
I would offer him the breast more often, and always before giving him his solids. Breast milk(yes, the best thing for him!!)or formula up until age 1 is the most important part of a babies diet and supplies the nutrients needed, not solids. Breastmilk is easily digested so may be hungrier sooner, so I would try to increase his nursing. I can't imagine a 5 month old "self weaning". His eating and nursing patterns will change over time, but 5 months is too young to decrease breastmilk and offer more solids. There is not "rule" about needing 3 meals a day. I didn't start my daughter on solids until 7 months and now she doesn't eat solids on any set schedule. She still nurses frequently. I would also nurse him at night on demand too! Have you looked at www.kellymom.com. It's an excellent breastfeeding reference site. Good luck!
Hi A. - I have a 5 1/2 month also and he is my 4th child. I am actually tandem nursing him and my 22 month old. I have too noticed that sometimes my 5 1/2 month old isn't necessarily interested in nursing (which is the only thing that I give him right now)....I think it is around this age that they are more interested in the world around them and they are teething. I just try to wait until I really think he is hungry and then nurse him rather than nurse him frequently and he just play around, it seems to help him get the job done without popping on and off. I wish you the best!
I know it's hard when your baby starts to grow up. Could you pump and give it to him in a bottle or a sippy cup? He'd get the benefits of breastmilk and learn a new skill at the same time!!
I would try breastfeeding before the solids. If he is still taking the solids, that's probably ok as long as he is still getting enough fluids - either breastfeeding or bottle (pumped breastmilk and/or formula). Talk to your doctor or do some research on how many ounces of breastmilk/formula he should be getting and make sure he gets that even if he is on solids, too. Until he is older, I would always have him take the fluids before offering the solids.
Does your son get formula through a bottle as well? Sometimes when babies are breast fed and bottles fed at the same time they get tired of breast feeding because it takes more work. If he is only breast feeding and is refusing throughout the day then maybe you can pump and put it in a bottle.
I would not completely take him off breast milk and/or formula yet. They need those nutrients until they are at least a year old. I would be concerned he is not getting all his nutrients from solid food only at his age. Maybe your pediatrician has some advice as well.
J.
Hi A.,
I have 4 kids, 2 refused to breastfeed at all. One only for 2 months and my son, the youngest was about the same age when he decided that real food was more important. I believe the child knows what he or she is ready for and when they are ready. This is his way of telling you he needs real food. I would just go with it. My children are all very healthy and eat very well. Moms have been doing it this way forever.
M.
This can happen when you start solids too soon (before 6 months). Always do whatever you can to BF him before solids. Take him in a dark room where there isn't much else to stimulate or distract him and try to get him to nurse. He has learned that if he holds out, there are other flavors and textures to be had. The problem is, solids at his age give very minimal nutrition. Breast milk (or formula) is all a baby needs for the first year, starting solids are just about teaching, not about nutrients.
I'd recommend stopping the solids for a few days. You will have to deal with crankiness, but he will quickly learn that if he's hungry, he needs to nurse. Treat solids as a snack in between meals. Wait at least 30 minutes after nursing to offer solids.
Good Luck:)
Good for you for wanting to continue to breastfeed. Keep up with it, I guarentee he is not weaning. Babies dont truely self wean usually until after 2 years of age. Of course if you input weaning tactics earlier then they will wean but it is not self weaning by any means. Continue with the change in position and the little distractions. At this age babies are just learnign that there is a world outside of you and your breast. Hang in there you are so right.... breasfeeding is much easier and better for your baby!!!!!
Make sure to always offer the breast first. The breastmilk is the superior food. It is not normal for a baby to self-wean that young. He might just be getting interested in the world around him, which can be distracting. Maybe sit in a place where there are minimal distractions while he is nursing. Also, try a La Leche League meeting for more breastfeeding support.
Hi A.,
I would really try to avoid feeding him solids INSTEAD of the breastmilk. Solids at this age are really just for experimenting and do not provide the nutritional value that your son needs. Solids in now way should be replacemnt for breastmilk (or formukla) until one year of age. I would try breastfeeding him more frequently and limit his solid food intake. He may just be going through a phase. ALso, it is recommend that you breastfeed before offering solids at "each meal". Anyways, good luck!
All children seem to grow at different rates and have different consumption needs. My first son was on breastmilk and formula for probably almost a year. I started putting cereal in his milk at 2 months because he wasn't satisfied with breastmilk or just formula. At 8 months he was completely on solid foods and only had formula for drinks now and again.
My second son was not satisfied with milk at all at a young age. I put cereal in his bottles at 1 month, by 3 months he was on semi-solid foods, at 6 months he was eating off the table.
Your son seems to be growing at a very fast rate as most children do not reach 12 month clothes until 9 months. Thus, I would suspect he doesn't was to breastfeed at all. You milk does not have enough substance or fat to tide him over at this age. I suggest pumping if you still want him to have your breastmilk and feed him from soft foods from the table or from baby food jars.
I agree with the other poster give him a day or so he should come back to wanting to nurse. They seem to go through phases when they don't want to nurse and when they do. I noticed my kids going from one feeding, not wanting anything to do with breastfeeding to the next when they seemed like they couldn't get enough.
Don't stress I am sure things will be fine, good luck!!
A.
i'm glad you found another way. kids like to chnge, often:) but always give breastmilk/formula. solids aren't important until baby is older
Hi A.! It maybe that he just isn't getting what he needs from you. And I don't know that I would be so quick to give him so many solids so early. My last child was breastfed, but after a few months she always seemed hungry, even just after nursing. I switched her to bottles and she was just much more content. Some mothers just can't breast feed. My daughter wasn't getting full on the breast so she got bottles. Good luck!
D.
That's about the age my daughter was just interested in so many other things, she had trouble settling down enough to breastfeed. I started giving her a little toy to play with while she ate, and I started feeding her in her room, without the distractions of other people or noise. That helped. It could also be teething; sometimes that makes them fussy about the breast. I would try to go to a quiet place to feed her, give her something to grab onto with her wiggly hands, and if worse comes to worse, pump and give her a bottle of breastmilk. Or at least pump to keep up your milk supply, if you hope to continue breastfeeding. This is probably just a phase, and it would be a shame to lose your milk for it.
My daughter is almost 8 months now, and I'd say for the past month, she has returned to a normal, easier eating phase. It was tough there for a while. Hang in there!
Hi A.,
The American Academy of Breastfeeding recommends nursing exclusively for the 1st 6 months, so I don't know if your baby's size is due to starting solids so early or if he is growing so fast he really needs the solids. Each baby is different. I went through periods of my baby fussing at the breast even when she seemed to want to nurse. At 15 months she started biting me and refused to nurse to sleep as usual for a couple of nights. Then after maybe a week of such behavior, she changed her mind, and at 4 years old is still nursing! So don't give up. The longer your baby breastfeeds the better, for at least the 1st year. He may just need the solids too, so keep offering him the breast 1st, and if he doesn't want it, try the solids. He could be teething now too and/or going through a developmental change that is affecting his nursing and eating habits. Go to a La Leche League meeting or call a member or find some other breastfeeding support group. They are a lifesaver! Beware of consulting your pediatrician in matters of breastfeeding. They are not the experts in this area. Talk to a lactation consultant instead. Check your area hospital for referrals... Be patient, and good luck!! R.
A.--
I'm not sure what your son has going on, but I know when my kids have/had upset bellies, they were reluctant to latch on. In fact I had this problem earlier this evening with my 1 month old. If for whatever reason your son does wean himself from the breast, you still need to supplement. He needs to have either breastmilk or formula at least until he is a year old. Babies, even those who adjust well to solid foods, do not get the nutrition required for their rapid growth rates from solids alone. You may have known this fact already, but since you didn't mention anything about it in your post, I figured I would bring it up. Good luck. I know firsthand how difficult and frustrating nursing can be when baby doesn't want to cooperate. My first two nursed like champs but my third is giving me a run for my money...lol.
I would have the doctor check his ears. It hurts to suck when you have an ear infection. Either way, He needs more milk than solids at this age. J. (mom of 3)
I wanted to add that this could be teething , an earache or stuffiness, which is frustrating him when trying to eat. Don't give up!
out of curiosity what does your DR say about his weight? My 17 mo old daughter weighs 23 pounds. A heavy baby is not necessarily a healthy baby if he carries too much weight it will be harder for him to crawl/walk etc.That baby weights a lot!!!! Good luck with everything. My son who is 4 mos old the 28th is not interested in breast feeding anymore either. I am starting him on solids too. You could pump to keep your supply up.
