My almost 8 month baby is teething and won't nurse or take a bottle. I wonder if she's already weaning off because she refuses all the time. It's hard for me to believe it's a strike when I almost lost all hopes that she would be back!! Am I being impatient?? How long does a baby usually take to go back to nursing?? I think my milk supply won't last forever!!!
Now I'm feeding her 3 times a day with food, but I don't really know if that it's fulfilling???
Any similar stories???
Eve
Well, she went back to her bottle and nursing, after a week!!! OMG, it seemed like a month..She almost had me dried up!!!
I'm so glad, the only thing is that she still fuzzy, not the way she used to be. ..
If she is teething then she will have discomfort for a day or so until the tooth has broken the surface and then she will be back to nursing again. When they are teething, they hardly want anything. Just be patient with her. She will want it again. If not then you need to consider formula for supplemental value.
She is NOT weaning; it's the teething. Teething can be so painful for them. I would give her some Infant's Motrin (talk to your pedi for dosage) to help with the pain so she can nurse. You can also try teething tablets, Orajel, Tylenol, frozen washcloths, etc., but nothing worked for my daughter but Motrin. When I told the pedi, he said that was very common. Please don't give up on breastfeeding. Keep pumping if she won't nurse to keep up your milk supply and try to give it to her other ways, but I'd bet money if you help her with the pain, she'll go right back to nursing. Good luck!
I have twins and 1 baby went on strike about 8-9 months. He is back on. My other back is now on strike. I just kept trying. Mine are almost a year old and I still pump. You may want to do this to keep up your supply. I thought they were weening too because they were more interested in playing with the boob but it is because of the teething. Keep trying.
That's pretty much the same story that happened with my daughter. She also would start to nurse and then after a few seconds she would pull of to look at something and want to go do something else. It became a stressful battle for me to feed her and my supply suffered. So....I went ahead and started her on formula around 9 months. I literally cried the first formula bottle I gave her bc I wanted to nurse her until a year but it was just too difficult. It wasn't hard switching her over and when she turned 1 I took her bottles away and started her on whole milk. It went surprisingly well with those transitions. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. :)
Hi Eve,
I know my children started losing interest in nursing at about that age. It was like they suddenly realized that they might be missing something during a nursing session. I could get them to nurse perhaps 2-3x/day for maybe 5 mins. each session if I was lucky. I think part of it was that they also became more 'efficient' nursers at that time. What you are going through definitely sounds more extreme. I'm wondering if the sucking action of nursing/taking a bottle may be just too painful for her with the teething? Have you tried a cup? If you have a breast pump you could pump when you would normally be nursing her and then try and see if she will take the milk from a cup. They make some that have soft spouts and are relatively easy to drink from. My middle daughter refused a botle from 6 weeks of age, so she became adept with a cup very early on. I think she is probably too young for a standard 'spill proof' cup they are difficult to get anything out of...also it would probably be just as painful as sucking on the breast/bottle. You could try 2 or 3 different types of cups to find one that works. This way, you could keep your supply up (by pumping) until she hopefully gets past the worst of the teething and is ready to nurse again. Sorry if I've repeated something someone else has already said. It might be a good idea to put in a call to the pediatrician as well. Good luck to you...I know how frustrating Bf-ing problems can be!
Its a strike. Babies under a year don't wean themselves, but they do have strikes that can last up to a month. Just keep offering, do NOt offer bottles or sippy cups, and if you are that concerned, I would cut back on her table foods until she is back to nursing. She should be nursing at least 3 times a day right now. Your supply is fine, its fully establisheda nd your body knows what it is doing, so it will rebound easily.
Keep offering, and makei t at times when she will want to nurse... nurse her to sleep at naptimes and bedtime, and upon waking.
if it is all feedings then it is a strike. my son weaned off his bedtime feeding at 9 months on his own. he just wasn't interested but kept the others. she needs the milk though so you need to find some way for her to get it. if she is teething you can freeze some of the milk and put it in a mesh feeder to let her chew on. maybe she wants it cold too to make her gums feel better. my son nursed well from me while teething but he preferred that his milk be cold if it came from a cup or bottle. if she refuses the bottle you can try the sippy cup get one with a soft spot like the Gerber sip and smile. my son started on sippy at 6 months he was never a bottle fan:) i hope you have good luck. keep pumping so you can keep your supply up and offer her milk as often as you can. purees are not enough she needs the momma milk :)
It's a strike- mine did the same thing. Keep offering like usual, and pump in the meantime, so your supply doesn't drop. You might get a nice little stash of frozen breastmilk out of the strike. It's so frustrating, but one day it will be over and she will nurse like nothing ever happened. I called my la leche league and a lactation consultant whose number the hospital gave me, they both gave me lots of advice over the phone.
