Stopped Wanting to Nurse?

As long as she's still gaining weight like she would I wouldnt worry - I'll bet she's just an efficient eater. I breastfed three exclusively, and they all got quite fast at getting what they needed. 5-10 minutes became normal.

Babies very rarely self-wean prior to a year!!! I can't stress that enough. They do go on strikes at times but that does not equal self-weaning. And your daughter isn't on a strike. She's just nursing and changing up her pattern a bit. They do that. Especially as they get older.

She hasn't stopped wanted to nurse as you question says. She's still nursing just fine. She's just better at it and getting the job done quicker.

10 minutes is plenty long enough as long as she acts satisfied and is acting like her normal self i.e. not starving in a few minutes, etc. My daughter was a power nurser. She never, ever stayed on the breast longer than 10 minutes. By 7 months your daughter knows what she's doing and how to get the job done. And given that she is nursing appropriately at night as well do not think she is done nursing! She is getting older and more efficient. Don't worry mom!

The best advice I can give you is to be confident in your ability to nurse your baby!

Jennifer F.-you may have had some issues given that your breastfed babies were "were eating well, drinking lots of water " Breastfed babies don't need water (especially at that age) and they don't need much in the way of solids. Water interferes with their intake of breastmilk just as solids can.

We all worry too much about how much our on demand breast fed babies are eating. I've nursed 3 kids (exclusive - no bottles at all) and they all changed how much they nursed at different times during that first year.

Keep nursing her on demand, 10 minutes is great. She may wake at night to nurse more... I always just nursed them back to sleep so I knew they were getting enough to eat.

She'll get even busier during the day as she starts crawling and walking... she may become a daytime snacker and night time feeder... just nurse her when she wants. NO need for bottles.

Well done Mama!

Jessica

In 18 months, the longest my daughter ever nursed (when well) was like 20 minutes...total...both sides. The average was more like 12-14. I had a good let-down and she was really efficient. She could suck down a bottle breastmilk even quicker and I never went past a stage 1 nipple...lol.

If you're hearing lots of gulping and swallowing, then she is getting what she needs. Nothing you've described remotely resembles self-weaning...not even any sort of nursing strike.

Its one of those things...when its happening, you'll know. Good luck and good job for breastfeeding for so long.

Congratulations on nursing your baby girl! She sounds perfectly normal. Babies get more efficient at nursing and spend less time at the breast but still get just what they need. Many babies around her age get wiggly and distracted and some moms think they are ready to wean. They will keep nursing though if you remove some of the distractions and nurse in a quiet and/or dark place. Or your baby may cut back during the day and make up for those feedings at night.

If your nipples get sore when she nurses upside down or dawdles, just break the suction and tell her she can keep nursing if she is gentle to Mom. This is a great age for teaching a little compassion.

Good luck.

K.

If she is nursing at all then she is not done. She is older and more distracted and she is probably getting a substantial cmount of solids which fill her up too. She is also bigger and may be getting more efficient. She can regulate her own breastmilk intake so trust her. This is pretty normal and you can probably nurse for months longer!!

What sometimes happens and is not normal - a baby who gets on for one minute or less and push away. That happened to me a little with both kids and I needed a lactation consultant to help reestablish a latch and break the bad habit. But that is not what you describe.

My daughter was a quick nurser. Once she was about 6 months old all of a sudden her nursing time was cut in about half. I, like you, worried that she wasn't getting enough and was always stressed about it. She never exhibited any signs of being hungry after nursing though. What I learned was that she was just really efficient at getting what she wanted and needed. When my daughter decided she was done nursing, at 10 months, she wouldn't stay on the breast during feedings. She was easily distracted, wouldn't really eat, would sometimes bite my nipple, pushed me away, tried sitting up etc... That's when I knew she was done.

My advice to you is to carefully watch her. Is she showing signs of being hungry after nursing (crankiness, crying etc.. are big signs)? If she's not just continue what you're doing. If it turns out that she's done nursing bottle feeding is not the worst thing in the world. I know it feels like it when you're in that situation but she'll be just fine. In the meantime you could pump as much as possible and freeze it. That just might make you feel better. She'll get more breastmilk and on her terms. You're her mom. You have the best instincts when it comes to what she needs. Just breathe. You're doing a GREAT job :)

By 5mos old, my youngest could empty a breast in under 10 minutes. He was quick and efficient and nursed only a short time.

Relax and let her lead. If she's hungry, nurse her, she knwos what her body needs and when it needs it. I'm sure she's just a fasts nurser like my youngest. 10 minutes is plenty of time for a 7mo old to empty a breast. She's nursing less often with age and the milk is more concentrated and fatty, so emptying hte breast in 10mins is totally doable for a 7mo old. Just relax, follow her cues, nurse her when she's hungry and she will do just fine!

At 7 mos., she is eating some cereal or baby food, right? I think she's just naturally weaning and is only wanting to nurse for comfort (at night). She's getting a certain amount of nutrition from food and needs less from nursing. My kids both just kind of slowly stopped nursing around that age and yes, we gave them bottles for awhile.

Both my little ones stopped cold at 6-7 months.... they were eating well, drinking lots of water and just lost interest. I did have to move to formula (boo) and even then it was only 3-4 bottles a day @ 6oz each and even then they would not finish.
She might just be done with it... but it is possible she is just getting what she needs and moving on. For me the issue was my supply. As they started drinking less the supply went down and thus they got less and less each time. So in the end when we stopped I had nearly no more milk to offer. It was a blessing for me in that I never had any post breastfeeding pain or issues to deal with. No big swollen boobs.
I was sad, but it worked for both my girls... they are healthy and doing so well.... GREAT eaters!

I will say with baby #1 I got prego at 6 months with #2 and the doc thinks that perhaps my milk started to taste funny for my little one. So not saying you are prego, but it could be???
When baby #2 did the same thing at 6 months I FREAKED out thinking I was prego again, but alas she was just done lol.
Good luck and just roll with it. Try and keep the supply up (even pumping didn't help me however) and just realize it will get less and less and in the end your boobs will love you for taking it slow :)

If you hear alot of gulping and big swallows, she may be getting too much air, which makes her feel full. Maybe try burping her sooner. She's also getting better at it, so it may not take so long. The only sure way of knowing how much she's getting is to weigh her before and after nursing, which they can do the next time you go to the Dr. (unless you have a baby scale).

My first baby self weaned before a year and I was heartbroken, so yes, it does happen.
However, I don't think your baby sounds like she's done.
You have to remember that sometimes as they get older, they have other things they'd like to do and see as opposed to get down to the business of nursing.
She still nurses...she has no concept of time. She's just either not in the mood, or full or whatever the case may be at a given time.
A month from now, she may be nursing longer, you never know.
But I wouldn't worry just yet.

Best wishes.