My 5 Mth Old Is Going Through Nipple Rejection

I had this issue with both my kids . I just pump to make more milk and try to feed them when they were most hungry. my son feed till he was 18 mth and my daughter till she was 13 mth. she 6 and he 4 now and both are doing good.

Hi A.,

I am a mother of 2 ages 2 1/2 and 4 and breastfed them both for 14 months each with tons of issues in that duration. I personally never had that issue, but I have heard about lots of others who have. It may be your daughter is trying to wean herself...some babies find it just plain easier to drink from a bottle, and that's fine. If you are unsure about weaning just yet, try nursing when she really wants it..like first thing in the morning, or right before bed. Then feed her the bottles throughout the day. She needn't breastfeed every feeding. If you have a pump, try pumping a couple of times a day to increase your milk supply if you're afraid that's an issue. If you are already using some formula, that may be decreasing your supply thereby leaving her still hungry. You may be able to continue nursing her and using bottles for a while, just follow her cue's. Whatever you decide to do, don't feel guily about weaning, it will happen eventually and you gave it your all!! Best of luck!

I agree with the other responses you've gotten - keep trying, take note of any changes you've made whether it's food, deodorant, soap, whatever. However, if it is your supply, and your noticing that feeding or pumping more often isn't helping, try talking to your doctor about other ways to up your supply. I've seen other moms asking about certain herbal remedies and vitamins that are supposed to help with that, your dr. should be able to tell you if they work and which work best. I myself stopped breastfeeding by daughter when she was 3 weeks. My supply decreased, and feeding /pumping more often didn't help me to produce much more. I also wasn't getting much support from her father - he didn't want me to do it in the first place, but I felt guilty not trying. IF you do decide to stop, just keep in mind that your daughter got the most important part, the colostrum - that carries the most needed nutrients. There is nothing wrong with switching to formula. My daughter is 6 1/2 months old and, like I said, has been fed formula since she was 3 weeks. She is tall for her age, right on target with weight, and development - physically and mentally. And again, this is IF you stop breastfeeding, don't be afraid to try different formulas. I went through 3 different kinds before I found one that worked for her.

I just had the same experience with my 6 mo old. When he was about 5 mo. he would reject me at times and I would have to pump and feed him a bottle. He started to prefer a bottle which didn't make sense b/c I waited for the first few months before I introduced a bottle. I though I had low production b/c I could only pump a couple ounces as well. My OB explained that your baby is better than any pump and if they wet several times a day and have a movement they are getting enough. I went on Reglan (to increase production) and that worked well until I stopped so i stopped taking birth control. I nursed several times a day and I still had the same issues with him. I finally came to the conclusion that he just wanted a bottle. I felt a little guilty at first but I realized that i had tried everything I could and if he fed better on a bottle than that was the best choice for him. He got almost 6 mo (which is more than most women nurse). I tried to wean him and I still got engorged. it was very painful for about a week and weeks later I still leak milk!!!! My ob said I can make milk for 6mo and you can't prepare your breasts to stop nursing (tylenol and ice help). Good luck if you chose to stop feeding! I have found than any way you feed your baby can be intimate:)

I would say to find someone from the La Lechche League. They have great sources for info on breast feeding. Hope this helps, here is their web site www.lalecheleague.org

If you are not sure on the medical side of things you can always ask your doctor. I think she is telling you that she is hungry. If she is okay with the bottle why not give it to her. There is no need to feel bad, I bottle fed my son and on his first birthday took him off his bottle. I found it a joy to go to a sippy cup, he cried maybe once or twice, but if you replace one thing with another and show them it's okay for change I really think everything will be okay. Please write if you need to talk.

My son behaved exactly the same way @ 6 months. He would get all excited when it was time to nurse, but then he'd pull off and on, and start to cry. I know now that it was a combination of me not producing enough milk flow for him and his growing curiosity w/ his surroundings. He knew that he could take the bottle with him when he turned his head, but not the breast, and my milk didn't come fast enough to keep him interested.
After many tear-fests, I gave up and he was happy, but within a few short weeks after he stopped recieving the breast milk, he started catching all kinds of colds and viruses. I now know that I could have taken vitamens to improve my milk flow, so I could have at least kept up with a pumping schedule.
I would suggest talking to your health care provider about increasing your milk supply before you wean. It'll help you (and your daughter) feel better about whatever decision you do ultimately make.

My son was four months old when this happened to us. And I was not producing enough and switched to formula. I did this on my own with the pediatrician.
She is letting you know that she is wanting more than you can give her so don't keel too bad about switching over now. Maybe for a couple more weeks you could mix the breast and formula milk together so she's getting that much more. Make sure to choose a good brand of formula with LIPIL.
Since you are not producing much breast milk, "drying up" wouldn't be so bad.
Good Luck

Breastfeeding is one of the most rewarding gifts you can give your child, but nothing so valuable ever comes so easily. Stick with it, hang in there, pray and be patient. If you keep giving in and giving her the bottle, it is very likely that she will prefer it because a bottle is easier to suck from. However, if you could possibly nurse more frequently for a few days, your supply will naturally increase. If you are with her all the time, there is no reason to pump, unless you want to increase your supply. In that case, I recommend feeding her on one breast per feeding and when she is done, pump on the opposite breast. If you could do this for 3-4 days, you will notice a dramatic increase in your milk supply. Also, around the same age, babies start to become more aware of things around them, and they will get easily distracted. A quiet and calm place to nurse (no TV, no toys, etc) may also help.

Oh, and just one other thing- remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics fully recommends breastfeeding for at least 12 months.

PS (I'm a mom of two- a son who nursed for 10 months and a daughter still nursing beautifully at 12 months, but through both, there have been days and sometimes weeks when I wanted to give up.)

my daughter is 3 1/2 months old and doing the same thing though only at night. I dont want to stop breast feeding either but if a give her about 3 oz of formula she will stop crying and go to sleep. I have noticed that her favorite breast is usually out of milk. i am curious to see your responses.

Hi A.:

I was unable to nurse my son, so I was ecstatic when I could with my daughter. I had planned to nurse her for 6 months and then switch over to a bottle. Well when the six month mark came I wasn't ready to give that up yet. But I started having the same issues as you are now. I spoke to my pediatrician and she told me that it was my body's way of saying it was time to wean. I was extremely emotional about it but it turned out to be the best thing for her. She got 6 months of breastmilk which I am very happy for. My son only got 2 weeks. Your body will produce for as long as it needs to. Its going to be emotional but it just might be that time.

L.

Don't feel guilty, your baby will be fine if you switch to formula.

However, there are other possibilities for this problem. She could be teething, it could be a nursing strike (which CAN be worked through, if the supply is there), it could be lots of things.

Have you pumped before? If this is your first time pumping, don't assume you only have two ounces in there. Many women can't get anything out of a pump- even when they're full. Also, if you pumped 2oz AFTER she ate, you have plenty of supply, but there's something bothering her.

If you would like to continue to breastfeed, hire a lactation consultant to come and help you identify and correct any issues.

If you want to do half formula and half breastfeeding, nurse first, and follow up with formula. That will help keep your supply, and satisfy her needs.

If you gave bottles before this problem started, it's possible she just likes the faster flow of a bottle, and it may be time to wean.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

HI, I too wasnt' able to nurse my son, i was only able to nurse for 2 wks. due to true lack of supply issues i had to stop. I want to be darn sure to be able to nurse with out next, so i have been doing tons of reading.

First i would lke to say Congrats on nursing for 5 months!!! Way to go!!!!

Now, donnot feel quilty if you want to stop bfing and ff. Your child will do fine on the bottle.

But, if you want to continue,this is what i would suggest.

First off talk to a LC and your ped. Rule out any physical illness that may be contributing to her not wanting to nurse (ear infections, colds etc)

Buy a nursing necklace or a toy you can use to distract her while nursing. this may be simply that, becaue of her age, she is more interested by what is going on around her than she is at nursing. With nursing she can't see whats going on around her while she eats. With the bottle she can, and that may be why she is latchign and unlatching, but taking the bottle so well. ALso, try to nurse in a quiet room until she is back on with her regular nursings.

This sounds like a text book nursing strike to me. it can be overcome if you want it to. If not, then a nursing strike is an easy way for you to wean.

What a pp said about the pump is true, some women donnot respond at all to a pump. ANd if you are getting that much out after a nursing, you have plenty of milk.

Also, how many solid meals is she eating a day??? you may want to try bfing before solid meals. Remeber solids are only for practice right now, and are not to be used as filler or supplements to breastmilk/formula feedings. It could be that she is too full from her solids. So, i suggest trying to eiter nurse prior to her solid meal, or maybe cutting a solid meal time out all together. Breastmilk and/or formula is more important then solids righot now. She gets all her nutrients and fats and calories she needs from breastmilk/formula, then she is getting from solids. the breastmilk/formula should be the mainstay of her nutrition at this point.

Please, though, don't feel quilty if you want too, or feel you need to stop. Formula is wonderful. it is great that we have this choice now. But, if you really want to continue nursing, know that you can get help to continue.

HTH
B.

My son went throught his at 4 months. He would constantly jerk off my breast and it hurt a lot. I read on the La leche League website that nursing strikes can be caused by you changing your deoderant scent or lotion scent, etc. I had recently switched my deoderant, so I just switched back and he was fine after a couple of days. I am still nursing and he is 7 months now.

Also, they are usually more willing to nurse right before, or immediately after a nap when they are still sleepy. Hope this helps.

I am a first time mom to twin girls that just turned 1. My girls were born early and I could only breastfeed one of them exclusively, the other was too little and had to get breast and bottle. My mom is a nurse at SMH and I talked to tons of them and they all say that breastmilk is best in the beginning but by now it is completely safe to switch over to formula or do half and half. If you are stressing out over making sure she's getting enough food, or feeding times are a battle then why keep doing it. By the way, every female nurse with kids that I talk to (about 18 of them) all use formula after two months. That's when i switched both of my kids to formula full time about 2-3 months and the dr can't believe how big they are for how little they started out at. Trust that whatever you do will be best for your daughter. My daughters just switched from formula to milk and that was hard!

Maybe its something you are eating or any vitamins that you are taking that has changed the taste of the milk. Sometimes my son would act like that if I took my prenatal vitamins or ate something different. Or it can even be that your let down might coming down to fast and she cant handle it. My son had problems with my let down but I just kept letting him take it, until he got the hang of it. Hope this helps.. good luck and don't worry if you stop. You have to stop eventually and she willl be fine.