Help with Breastfeeding? - Katy,TX

You're in San Antonio, right? Call the Lactation Center at Methodist Hospital. They've got excellent lactation consultants that help you for FREE, and don't try to sell you a bunch of stuff. I breastfed for two years with my first (yes, ladies!) and I'm at 15 months with baby #2, and they've gotten me through it every time an issue has come up. (And they still do!) Their number is ###-###-####. Good luck!

Babies don't have to work so hard with bottles and will prefer them, especially if in pain.

Thrush? Teething? Ear infections? Are you stressed in any way and the baby sensing it?

I'll bet it has to do with pain somehow and the bottle is easier for her.

Hi L.,
What you have here is a case of nipple confusion. Very common when you go from bottle to breast and vice versa. Don't give up on breast. She will come to want it again. Try whatever works, only breast at night, or alternate bottle and breast. If she won't let you alternate go back to breast and try bottle later. Just my opinion. I had similar issues so I kept mine on breast and went straight to sippy cup, no bottles at all. But if you work that may be impossible! Good luck!! Keep up the breast feeding, it pays off with less illness!! S.

I agree on the Thrush. Could be nipple confusion as well, but do a search to find what to look for in Thrush and check her mouth for white spots. Here is a link on it: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t083100.asp Best wishes!
J.

Hello L.,

I have a 13month old who still breastfeeds. I started to introduce the bottle at 3months. We had to get a bottle that kinda resembled the breast nipple. She would do that also. Also it could be threash. Good luck try examining your breast to see if there are any infections and check inside the babys mouth. If there is go to the Doctor and its a easy medication just a dropper that goes on her tongue. Be Blessed

Hi L.,

Kudos for breastfeeding!

I know you are worried and this is stressful. I encourage you to call her pediatrician if she has no visible symptoms in her mouth. It sounds like she's in pain for some reason. Could she have thrush? It looks like white curds on her tongue (and you might have shooting pains, too) which don't wipe off. The cure is to paint with gentian vilolet on a cotton swab. You must treat her mouth and your nipple, I believe twice a day. It is very messy and it does stain, so be warned. But it works quite well.

Might she have blisters in her mouth? If so, do take her to her pedi and get it checked out. If this behavior does not change within 24 hours certainly have her checked out and make sure she has no throat infection or something. IT takes so much more work to get milk from the breast than the bottle that if it hurts her she will obviously opt for the easier path.

Do keep her close to you while you bottle feed, skin to skin, to keep your milk supply up and keep her feeling safe.

I hope she feels better soon.

Was it sweaty, or the bra had an iffy odor? Try washing your breast area then put alittle sweetness on your nipples, syrup or orange juice or somethinh like that. Put on some soft music, sit in your favorite chair, and relax with your baby girl. Congratulations!

Try to back off on the bottles. Drinking from a bottle is much easier for them, and sometimes they get lazy and don't want to work at the breast. Keep working on latching. IF after a few minutes y'all are both frustrated, let her suck your finger or give her to daddy to calm down. If she's hungry, only then would I give a bottle - and only a little bit (1/2 oz). Just get her comforted and happy, and then latch back on. YOu don't want her to be starving - that's not the way to get her to nurse again!

Oh, I found this excellent page on www.kellymom.com (awesome source for all your breastfeeding questions!!!). This link goes right to what you need: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

Good luck! It can be frustrating. Good for you for wanting to get her back to the breast, and for only giving her expressed milk!

she might have gas....try giving her gas medicine...don't give up, or you're milk will dry up. congrats on your new baby!

Sounds like her first nursing strike. My daughter did the same thing at that age. We were on vacation so got our of our normal routine...and that was her response. I know it is very frustrating, but you need to relax. (she feels your stress) She won't let herself starve so I would stop offering the bottle completely. I know you will feel like you are starving her to death, but she will eat when she's hungry. Take her to a dark, quiet place (no distractions) and keep offering her the breast with a calm, soft voice. You may even try, taking your shirt off and letting her lay on your naked chest until she is ready to nurse. It took my daughter about 2 days until she was latching on withgout crying and refusing and lots of coaxing. Keep at it, it is so worth it!!! Message me if you need anything...I was in your shoes 4 months ago and we made it through.

I would check her mouth for thrush. My babies both got it and it hurt them to nurse. There is a dye that you use, can't think of what it's called. It's purple and stains everything it touches. Thrush is like a yeast infection, you would hav to treat your breasts and her mouth.

She could be having her first teeth starting to bud which makes it more painful to latch on. Getting milk out of a bottle is easier, so she feels less pain. Be careful giving the bottle too much or she might not go back to the breast.

Hi L.,
My sense is that nothing is going "wrong", but that your DD is showing a preference. She wants the breast milk, maybe she just likes the bottle. You are not doing anything wrong. She's just telling you what she wants. Some children start really early expressing strong preferences. lol HTH
Peace, C.

Sorry didn't read the other posts, but have her ears checked just in case they are infected. It may just cause more pressure to nurse than bottle? Good luck!

Hi L.,

Try contacting La Leche League in your area. They were VERY helpful to me when I had trouble breastfeeding.
Good Luck and Congratulations!

D.

try contacting the lactation consultant at your local hospital. They are real good at seeing stuff that others would not notice. Mine helped me recently w/ a problem I didn't even know I had and made a huge difference. Could you maybe be using a new bath product she doesn't like?

Two thoughts:

1.) Were you engorged? I seem to remember that my daughter had difficulty latching on if I was engorged... With it being so close to Christmas, if you got out of your normal routine and delayed nursing a bit or if you drank more fluids than typical, etc., you might be a touch more engorged than she is used to... Just a thought.

2.) could she be developing a preference for the bottle feeding? As in, is she held slightly different/ellivated when she is given a bottle verses nursing and she finds that more comfortable?

Call La leche, it sounds like she is taking the bottle because its less work they don't have suck as hard. If she has thrush or teeth coming in the bottle is easier on her. Also my kids didn't like when I was too engarged. Really though you should cal La leche they are really great at helping you through these problems.

It sounds like she is right on schedule for her first nursing strike. Never fear, they usually just last a few days and then you will be back to breastfeeding bliss.

Try a new position. She is a little bigger and your breasts have probably normalized (whatever that is when your breastfeeding!) and it might be time to change things up a bit.

You can also try latching her on near the end of a nap--this is how we got through ours. I just made a point to nurse her just before waking and throughout the night. As long as she is still sleepy, tickling her lip with your nipple will usually cause the desired reaction...a wide open baby mouth and some reflexive suckling.

At first I felt a little uncomfortable going to La Leche League, but found the support and information irreplaceable. As a single mom, with no family close by, it was the support I needed when I thought I couldn't do anything right.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

Hi L.! I'm not sure where you live, but there is a La Leche League meeting near you. (http://www.llli.org/Web/Texas.html) Find out where the next meeting nearest you is and pop in with your baby. Not only will you get all kinds of help from other moms and educated leaders, but you'll find other moms of babies similar in age to your own and will be able to form a really great playgroup/support team. We've been going for 2 years and my daughter is still best friends with a boy she met at our first meeting. Meetings are free and very comfortable. There is usually one or two moms who breastfeed during the meeting, but there is no pressure if breastfeeding in public makes you uncomfortable. I hope you try it; it's been such an incredible resource for us. They have info on what foods to introduce when, how to help with teething, any mom questions you might have. Good luck!

HI L. I RAISED 5 CHILDREN AND AT JUST 12 WEEKS THE BABY MIGHT BE TO YOUNG FOR REGULAR MILK. MY ADVICE IS TO ASK YOUR DR. I HAD A SIMULAR PROBLEM WITH MY SECOND SON AND THE DR CHANGED HIS FORMULA. GIVE IT A TRY. GOOD LUCK
M.

This sounds weird, but when both my kids would "strike" from breastfeeding, it helped if I would nurse them while walking around the house. It can be difficult, especially if they're heavy, but it worked for me. Good luck! I know you'll work it out together.

Teething? My son started teething at 2 months and cut his first tooth around 4 months.

Whenever a tooth is about to come through he usually cries at the breast. The suction required to nurse makes their gums hurt more (verses using a bottle). We usually apply a little oragel and give him a frozen wash cloth or teether and then try nursing again - usually works every time. Try to nurse more and use the bottle less. If you keep giving her the bootle then she will reject the breast even more because she knows she can have the bottle instead. If the teething pain is really bad - you can give infant tylenol. Check with your doctor for exact dose.

Symptoms of teething: excessive drooling, chewing or biting down on objects and/or fingers, swollen gums, red cheeks, etc. My son also sticks his tongue out and sucks his tongue/lip whenever they are really bothering him.

HTH

well, breasts do not expell milk as fast as a baby can get from a bottle, so when they have had a nipple on a bottle - they sometimes like being able to get more milk for less energy. some babies like it so much they won't go back to a breast - and they will cry in frustration when they try. if it is important to you to breast feed then let her/him skip a meal until they are totaly hungry and then give them your breast. She will take what she can get at that point (with a little frustration still i would guess) and then be careful with giving them bottles later.

I'm having that same problem right now. My baby is 7 months old and will only nurse maybe 2 minutes before he quits. I pump and feed him the bottle and he drinks it all.
We went to the doctor today and he has a double ear infection.

It is also possible that she is teathing. If so, try putting some teething gel on her gums about 10 minutes before you nurse her. If that helps you have found the problem.

She has obviously started to enjoy the bottle more than the breast. I would keep offering the breast and not the bottle unless you NEED to. Good luck

Is the expressed milk she's getting today from the freezer or fresh? All three of my kids each protested nursing when I'd eat a certain food or if I had really "gassy" type foods like broccoli or onions. One dd didn't like it when I ate peanut butter, another chocolate. If it's not the typical nursing strike, it might just be a food adversion. Eliminate whenever it is you might have eaten differently and see what happens. If you get stuck, I'd call a lactation consultant. The ones I talked to at Memorial Hermann were wonderful. Good luck!