My DD is wearing me out! 3 breast feeding sessions a day are a wrestling match. She will latch on for 30 seconds and then “pop” off, sit up and look around, then come back for more only to pop off again 10-20 seconds later – this goes on for as long as I can stand it, at most 15-20 minutes. I’ve tried everything I can think of to keep her on task; from letting her get more hungry between feedings to changing the place and surroundings of where I feed her to eliminate distractions, nothing helps. It’s like she’s just too busy to stop and eat. She does get one-two bottles of formula a day (which is also on again, off again) and she eats 1-3 meals of solids.
It’s so bad, that I recently started the weaning process, earlier than I had originally intended. (I was breast feeding 4 times with one bottle.) There’s really no other reason for me to wean her at this time and I’d rather not quite yet. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you all very much. I figured she is weaning herself, but I wanted the expert advice of others who have already been through this. So thank you again.
I am taking a class next week that requires me to leave her all day long, so I guess I'll just won't stress about that one feeding she would otherwise nurse and keep up the morning and night time feeds as long as she'll let me.
Sounds like she is ready for a sippy cup. Since she is eating regular food it is not necessary to breastfeed her all the time. If you are concerned about her getting breast milk, pump and put it in a bottle and let her suck on the bottle when she wants it, carry it around with er. I would recommend not holding her like a baby when she bottle-feeds, it is obvious she wants to be up looking around.
My DD (8.5 months old) does the same thing when there is too much going on around her. She gets expressed bm at daycare in a bottle and even gets distracted there. When she is hungry enough, she will calm down enough to eat. Most of the time I just take her to my bedroom (if I am home) and lay down with her side by side to feed her. It usually works. I know my DD isn't ready to wean because when she is tired (evenings/night/morning) she cries and whines and grabs at me until I give her the breast! Good luck and continue what works for the two of you!
I nursed my daughter for 4 years and my son for 18 months. I was committed to long term nursing. They wean themselves. Some earlier than others! They go through many phases in nursing and you are experiencing one. Like all phases, it will pass. She is naturally reducing her feedings by choice. Don't stress on it.
I nursed 4 girls and they were all different. My first Daughter also started losing interest around the same time. It was a little sad for me, But I know it mean she was getting what she needed from her food and we started her on milk. She was only nursing in the morning and then...not interested. The doctor said she was healthy and growing fine. It was actually a blessing because I was also prgneant, and exhausted. I too, wanted to nurse until she was one, but each baby was different. I was still trying to wean #4 at 13 months and it was much harder! So don't worry, if she is happy and healthy, you are already doing a great job!
My son is like that too. I have found nursing him in a darkened room, with the blinds and curtains closed, helps. I also put classical music on, both to soothe him and to mask any noise from other rooms in the house. Both of these things have helped a lot and after 20 - 30 seconds spent getting him settled, he will stay latched on for the entire feeding.
Try dimly-lit seclusion (DS2's nursery is like a cave)and if this doesn't work and you're sure she isn't teething then she probably is weaning herself. The fact that she's on and off the bottle as well leads to the teething idea.
It sounds like she might be weaning herself. My daughter did a very similar thing around 10 months. She just seemed to prefer solids and the occasional bottle. She wasn't patient enough to relax and enjoy breastfeeding anymore. So, we stopped...we gradually moved her to formula and I slowly stopped pumping milk to ease my milk production.
It sounds like your daughter is weaning herself. My daughter did exactly the same thing so I wouldn't worry about it. If she is growing fine and there are no growth/weight issues then it may be time to let it go. Sometimes kids transition on a schedule different than ours and taking cues from them is teh best thing we can do.
Both of my daughters did this exact thing between 10 and 11 months. I was happy to nurse longer, but took this as a clue that they were ready to move on to another stage. ( a bit heartbreaking!). I consulted my ped since I really don't like formula. He said as long as the girls have been successfully eating a variety of other foods, I should just go ahead and let them wean. Since both of my girls had been eating yogurt and cheese with no problems I started giving them a small amount of milk in a tippy cup with meals and continued to nurse only at night before bed until they were done with that too. One thing the doc said to be aware of is kids this age don't usually eat enough food containing iron (beans, red meat, etc.) so they need a little boost there until they are older. I used baby cereal (iron fortified) mixed with apple sauce or yogurt for at least one meal a day.
I know weaning them at this age can be difficult on mamas emotionally, but learning to read the cues of our kids is really important. It sounds like you have a fabulously independent little girl on your hands. Rejoice!
Gotta ask, what is a DD?
I have a 10 month old who does the exact same thing...and has been doing that since he was about 8 months old. He gets distracted so easily and wants to focus on anything and everything but breastfeeding. My trick is to give him either my nursing pad or a spoon to hold while he's breastfeeding. For some reason, if he has one of those in his hand, he'll stay latched and actually breastfeed for more than a couple seconds. As soon as the nursing pad or spoon drops out of his hand though, he's off the breast. So, I have to pick it up and give it back to him. There are some times that even this trick doesn't work. And at those times, I just try to remember that they will eat when they are hungry. They are squirmy little rascals at this age, but so much fun! Good luck!
Yikes, I remember those days with my daughter. She was exclusively breast fed (with baby food to eat) till 9 mo. and one day at the breakfast table wanted my glass of milk. That was the end of breast feeding that day. So go with her lead on this, I think. She is waking up to her world, that's all! I would let her have her own cup, now. J.
This is exactly what happened w/ mine (although it started at more like 4-5 mo w/us). She was (still is!) just way too busy to sit still! I started pumping and giving her breastmilk in a bottle as long as I could. Those feeding sessions were so long that this way actually saved time. Eventually I cut down pumping to 2x a day (am/pm) and this slowed my production until I was "dried up" She ended up having at least 8 oz breastmilk a day until she was almost a year, and I figure we did the best we could, and celebrated with a vodka tonic!
Weaning is perfectly fine at 10 months old. She is obviously ready to stop nursing. Please do not do guilt and just follow her lead - time for a sippy cup or bottle for a little longer.
Just do it. Your instincts are right so trust them.
Good Luck -
My oldest boys did this. They just "lost interest" in nursing. I always say they weaned themselves. I just took it as them being ready to wean. They had no trouble transitioning to bottle only feeding. They preferred it because they could control it themselves, and they were ready for that.
My daughter went through this too. I started weaning but only the daytime feedings. She continued to nurse just before bedtime and I pulled her in to bed to nurse first thing in the morning. Both went well because she was soo cuddlie and sleepy.
Sometimes kids just don't want to follow our plans that we have thoughtfully and purposefully laid out. As long as she is growing and meeting other milestones don't get too worried about the nursing part. Maybe you just want to reserve nursing for the quiet time just before bed or first thing in the morning when you two can share that bond without too many distractions.
Hi,
I had the same problem, but it is finally starting to subside! I would really encourage you not to wean her. I stuck it out and she is now back to nursing normally. I had to feed her a little more at night for a little while, but now it is easy. She sleeps through the night and nurses normally. For me, the biggest thing was making sure that I had support. Have you checked out a feeding support group? Also, the websites kellymom.com and breastfeeding.com really helped to reassure me about doing it! Breastfeeding is so important for babies mentally, emotionally and physically. I wish you the best of luck!
My 10-month old son is the same way. He only nurses now when we are in his quiet room with the curtains drawn before each nap and bedtime. He will nurse under these circumstances, but never when other things are going on without pulling off and looking around. I give him a bottle other times of day when he needs it.
Good luck
I think she is done with breast feeding. No problem. Not a failure on our part. They all do naturally wean themselves when they are ready and she sounds ready. My daughter started biting and smiling after at about that age. She was done.
You can pump so she still gets the benefits. It's normal for her age to bop around like that, she may settle back down but she may be becomming a Big Girl. My son did it too, I ended up weaning him because he chipped his front tooth so when he popped off me it would cut my nipple. Ouch!! So, I pumped and blended with formula so his tummy could adapt to the change smoothly. It's kinda sad & sweet when they hit a big milestone like this - but hey, would you want to be one of those moms with a 5yr old that still wants booby??
Yecchk!!!
Just wait til she starts running!!!Fun times!!
Makes me want another one!
Sounds like she's an early weaner!
K. in EC
