Breastfeeding Issues - Chandler,AZ

My first son was similar with daytime feedings where he could become easily distracted. We introduced a sippy cup with handles probably as early as 10 months. He wouldn't drink formula, and since it was too early for cows milk, we made goat's milk formula (directions on Dr. Sears' website). But you could try breast milk in a sippy, too.

Do you have a breast pump? If not get one and give him a bottle, or sippy cup of breast milk at the time he should be having the 4th feeding.

I don't know if this will help or not, but I had a thought. Kids like routine and also need few distractions when nursing. Perhaps nurse him before and after sleep times in a darkened room to eliminate distractions and to create a routine. That would still only be 4 times if he's only taking one nap, but then maybe you can sneak another one in (or maybe you're luckier than me and he's still taking two naps which would give you 6 nursings a day).
I'm with you, 10 months is too soon to wean (I enjoy breastfeeding as well).
B

First of all, congrats on your sweet baby boy =)
I LOVE Christy Z's advice. Your baby is not only in a busy learning stage, but he is actually becoming a FAST efficient nurser too! Try bathing with your baby & this may sound funny, but I sometimes at this age went w/o a shirt at home while playing on the ground w/ my sweet girl. (makes her think about food in my mind, lol)
Anyway, this is common & your baby isnt trying to wean!! Actually they say babies wont actually self wean until past 3 if we let them go naturally. The WHO world Heath Organization recommends 24 mo for complete benefits from mom.
My baby is 18 mo now & only nurses for a few min during the day a couple of times & before bed. You are doing great! Keep up with the baby food & talk to your Dr about adding whole milk yogurt for added fat. I also added ground flax seed to my girls food around that age for the good fats.

Ok, first my mother told me that I weaned myself at 4 months and wanted semi-solid foods. Second, I dried up with my son at 2 months then supplemented with formula. I switched him to semi-solid food by 6 months, otherwise he would be hungry all the time. Go ahead and keep breastfeeding as long as you want to but at 10 months old you need to start him on semi-solids. He's a growing boy and probably up for something new.

When it comes to nursing, I was never blessed to be able to nurse more than 6 months. It does sound like he is ready to wean. I had a child that pretty much weaned herself at 6 weeks. She would scream everytime it was time to nurse. After fighting with her for days I realized that I wasn't nursing for her anymore, I was nursing for me and that probably wasn't the healthiest thing to do for either one of us. As far as weight and formula issues, I have a little more experience with that. Most of my children were on the lower end of the weight chart (about 25%). Once they were about 10 months I usually would switch them to whole milk. Formula is quite expensive and as with many young families, money was tight. If you don't have any history of milk allergies in your family, he should be fine transitioning straight to whole milk. At least with my kids, they gained more once they switched. Good luck!

I had the exact same issue....EXACTLY. My son is on the low percentage of weight and around 10 months he started to nurse for like 5 minutes TOTAL. So I started the weaning process. I didn't wean to a bottle though but to a sippy cup. Believe me, it was a struggle at first and I was freaking out because some days it seemed like he was getting nothing. At 11 months I stopped nursing all together. It sounds like your little guy is just ready. I would recommend going straight to a sippy cup though or you are going to take him to a bottle and have to take that away in a few months. Don't worry (easier said than done), he WILL eat and drink he's just going through a phase.

I agree with the mom with bringing in yogurt and cheese. I was told that was fine. I quit nursing my last because he had a dairy allergy so I switched to the rice/almond milk but even that was expensive. Bring in whatever supplement you can, try the cheapest route first (whole milk) and go from there. But don't be surprised if he isn't up to it right away. It took that same child to age 16 months to quit formula, so it doesn't come overnight.

You would be surprised. I know that when I pumped I would get 10 ounces each time. So 3 times a day that would be 30 ounces. I am sure he is getting what he needs.

Sounds like he's probably ready to wean. Yes, skip the bottles. My daughter never took a bottle, she went right to a sippy cup. But, never caught on to sucking on it. So we had to take out the no-spill valves inside. It took a little while for her to catch on, but she got it and yours will too !

Hi M., my first son self weaned when I got pregnant with our second son. He was 14 months at the time, could you be pregnant? Someone said that our brestmilk might taste different due to the change in hormones. Just a thought, my third son did not seem to care that I was pregnant with our fourth....maybe just an old wivestale.
Take care,
S.

Call your local La Leche consultant.
http://www.lllofaz.org/
They are a great help with any breastfeeding issues.

I have heard from several of my friends that their child weaned themselves at around 10 months of age. I am nursing now but my son is only a month old and I wonder if he will wean himself or I will have to help:(
I will ask them what they did as far as formula-
Does your son get any bottles with breastmilk?
I will write back when I get more info from my friends:)

Dear M.,

Please consult a lactation expert if needed. Maybe even the hospital you went to has help available (hopefully covered by insurance...but even if not, private lactation consultants are affordable.)
A professional can come to your home and weigh your son before and after a feed to prove just how much he is getting. I would try to breastfeed longer. I seriously doubt that a healthy infant wants to wean at this young age. Please remember that breastfeeding is safe to continue for years (my friend went for 5) as long as mom and baby are healthy and want to continue.
Dr Sears in particular has noticed some babies will go on nursing "strikes". Please see his books or web site for more info on how to get through this sort of thing...if you think it might apply to your case. A breastfeeding consultant could give advice too.

I had the same issue with my son. He just started weaning himself, and to be honest now I realize I was lucky to not have to go through a whole big weaning session. Even though you aren't ready, he probably is. I would just nurse as much as he would like you too, I bet he is getting enough calories from all the food he eats and just doesn't need any more. By the time my son turned 12 months I was down to just a night time feeding, that may be what happens to you. Just listen to his cues - and good luck!

If he will use a sippy cup, you could try to pump and let him try to drink your milk from the sippy cup.

Hi M..
I have 3 healthy girls all breastfed babies and all nursed different. I never measured how much they drank. They nursed when they were ready. Once they started solid foods they nursed less. Try to space the nursing out from their solid foods and right before nap or bed time is a great time for nursing. Also pay attention to what is going in your diet he may not like the taste of something your eating. I will say this if you try to force them to nurse it won't work. I substituted soy milk when necessary for the two that i had to stop because they bit me but mine also went straight to a sippy cup and he is probably ready and then you don't have to ever do a bottle. Best wishes.
All of my girls are very healthy and it never hurt them.

I just want to echo another comment. Skip the bottle - and go straight to a sippy cup. At this age he should be able to manage that. With my two, I kept nursing as often as they wanted. This can fluctuate a bit over the course of a few weeks - depending on teething, new walking skills, other excitement.... Just keep offering, and try not to get frustrated. My little guy would skip feedings during the day, but then wanted to nurse all night... They make it work to grow at their own pace. Good luck - and congratulations for making it this far with the nursing!

-V.
(1st child weaned at 12 months, second is 14 months now, and still going strong.)

It is very common for babies around this age to go on nursing strikes. Moms often mistake it for signs of weaning, but it is only temporary. It is a busy age and sometimes babies simply get distracted. It could also be from teething (sore gums) or during or after illness (sore throat, stuffy nose, ear infection) - things that make nursing uncomfortable. Some babies will refuse to nurse if they had a scare during a recent feed - slammed door, dog bark, mom yelled at dog, etc.

There are some things you can try to bring him back to the breast. Try to nurse him when he's sleepy (just woke up or getting ready for sleep) in a quiet room away from distractions. Encourage a lot of skin to skin contact with him (take baths together, nap together). Make every feeding a positive experience - never try to force one.

Here is an article on nursing strikes:
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/strike.html

You can contact La Leche League or a lactation consultant, too. Good luck! :)