How to Get My 3M Old to Feed Longer?

You may need to try to set up a routine, eat, play, sleep. Right when she wakes up, feed her, then keep her awake and play...this may be hard at first, but it will be worth it. When she gets drowsy, put her down. She will be a bit hungrier when she wakes up, and less likely to snack. I did this with my son, and he was never a snacker.

Since she is distracted try nursing in the same place when you are at home, leave the tv off and such so she has less distractions. Part of it is she's at an age where she is becoming more aware of her surroundings and wants to see and do.

If she falls asleep try stroking her cheek to get her going again. My 2nd was a sleepy head early on when nursing and stroking her cheek did the trick.

Also, stick with her for more than the 5 minutes. Burp her, change positions and then try her again on the same side to get her to finish it up to the hindmilk.

She does not need cereal until she is at least 6 months old. And here is some great info as to why. About half way down it talks about the open gut babies have:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/early-solid-food-feeding...

The best advice our pediatrician gave us was to let the child dictate the feeding schedule on demand. Our son was the same way - he was always a "Snacker", never nursed for more than 10 minutes and ate much more frequently. Our daughter was just the opposite - different kids, different personalities, different needs.

Once we accepted that's how it was, we were much happier. I was also back to work, though, so he was using a bottle of breast milk and not needing me all day.

Most pediatricians will tell you 4-6 months on starting cereal. Both of our kids started solids (cereal and stage 1 foods) at 4 months because they were thriving. I have no regrets, and we had the blessing of our pediatrician to do so at that time.

Good luck!

My son would dose off after a few mins as well, I would just try to keep talking to him and brush his cheeks or anything to keep him awake. Unfortunately I had to nurse anout every 1.5hrs too, he was by no means skinny, so I knew he was eating enough. Another reason, you may not be letting down in that first few mins and she gets bored. Try pumping a little bit before you nurse so she gets full gulps right when she latches on. It will fill her up more and hopefully keep her interested longer. Just don't pump too much before, she needs both the fore and hind milk! oh and cereal isn't recommended until at least 4mos and now they are leaning more towards 6mos these days. Hope this helps, hang in there...breast is best!!!

Contact LLL, find your local leader at www.llli.org. (it's a good resource for looking up questions too, as is kellymom.com)They are moms who have nursed babies and are accredited, after going through training, all volunteers. I feel you may have gotten some mis-information. You don't need extra fat to make enough milk and what you eat doesn't affect the fat content of your milk. What you eat does affect the taste, but most babies don't mind. You might find it helpful to get some advice on keeping a baby awake and interested. If she is gaining weight correctly, you may be doing wonderfully as is. Way to go breastfeeding your baby. It's wonderful, isn't it? You might try to "cluster feed" in the evenings before bed, nurse more frequently so that she has a more full tummy ( most babies do this automatically), also many babies go through a growth spurt around 3 months, so that might be why she is nursing so frequently. Frequency, not duration is what increases your milk supply, so babies feed more frequently when going through a growth spurt. AAP recommends not introducing solids until between 4 and 6 months (leaning toward the 6) or later, but watching your baby for the signs of readiness (loss of tongue thrust reflex, sitting up well, watching the food and acting interested, appearance of teeth, etc), and the first food doesn't have to be cereal.

Call a LLL leader, go to a meeting in your area. It's free, a fun way to meet other breastfeeding mothers and get your questions answered. There are daytime and evening meetings.

K.

I agree with the other moms on holding off on cereal. Breastmilk is really all she needs right now, especially since she is having issues getting enough of that. My son was VERY distractable when nursing. I would recommend getting a nursing cover to block out other distractions and help her focus on nursing, or just use a blanket over her and over your shoulder while you nurse. But definitely hold off on the cereal as long as you can- 6 months or more.

Good luck! And way to give your baby the best!
T.
www.ReadandGrow.com

This is the advice I was given by a lactation consultant & pediatrician:

* Nurse when the baby was happy, so that nursing would be a pleasant experience for both mom and baby.

* Never nurse your baby when he's starving, as it may become an unpleasant experience for the baby and it will stress you to boot.

* Try to feed frequently and on demand - about every 2-3 hrs was right for my son. Waiting 4 or 5 hours between feedings is Ok only if the baby is on formula exclusively or asleep (do not wake them) - breastfed babies must be fed more frequently. If you can, pump after you nurse to increase milk production

* Take Fenugreek herbal supplements (1-2 capsules per meal) to increase your milk supply, especially if your child only nurses for short periods - only if OK'd by your doctor if you have a history of diabetes. Otherwise, high protein meals and milk help. You can try fenugreek tea as well but this was less effective.

* Make sure the baby's positioned correctly. The baby's head should be halfway between your wrist and elbow, she should be facing you, and her body should be resting under the opposite breast (the baby should not be horizontal). Use a cushion or nursing pillow that can be molded (like the one from Sealy, sold for $14 at Bed, Bath & Beyond) to help support your arm and keep you from getting tired.

* Sit in a comfortable spot. I have a glider but don't use it anymore - I found a $20 backrest with armrests from Bed Bath & Beyond to be far more effective in supporting my back. I sit in bed and nurse my son.

Also, if you are using a Boppy, it is too high in some cases and holds the baby horizontally, as opposed to diagonally. A softer nursing pillow that you can adjust is better, but be careful with a young baby if she falls asleep.

On my own, I found these helped my son nurse longer:

* Bribe your baby with soft materials. I got cozy micro fleece or velour longing sets from Costco ($20 each) that my son loved to cuddle up to while nursing, and are good PJs to boot. Clothes also made a huge difference in my outlook - J Jill and Macy's Charter Club both sell great jeans and pants that are made of stretchy material that fits great and is very forgiving to the extra pounds. J Jill also has great velour tops (like velvet) that are machine washable and/or can be wiped off easily in case of spit up.

* Watch your diet - strong foods (garlic, spicy food, cabbage) can alter the taste of the milk.

* Keep your weight up. I got used to the belly fat and upper arms, thinking of it as padding for my son. I kept on 20 lbs on purpose to help with breastfeeding, by eating 2200 calories a day (chicken, cheese, PBJ sandwiches, juices, mixed green salad, Nesquick cocoa w/ whole milk and Kushi granola bars are the basis of my diet). If you add Ensure or Ensure Plus to your diet, the quality of the milk (fat content) will improve.

* Avoid tension in you -If you are worried or upset the baby will sense this.

* Watch out for too many distractions - TV, radio, people, etc. Go to a quiet, dim-lit room.

Whatever you do, don't take this personally if the baby doesn't want to nurse. There are a lot of causes for it and several things you can try. And as always, if she doesn't nurse, or doesn't nurse much, pump afterwards so it doesn't affect your supply.

My son fell asleep all of the time which is very frustrating to a sleep deprived mommy. Before I had him latch on, I would manually express milk so he would latch on perfectly and it also helped me let down my milk. To keep him awake, which helped most of the time, I would tickle his feet.

Good Luck!

I agree with the below answer that your dd is a snacker. It is a blessing as well that she is so aware of her surroudings. My LO was the same on both counts and continues to be a snacker as well as very curious....

as to the cereal...do what you feel is best. I think I remember (I am senile since becoming a mommy :))the American Pediatric Association guidelines might espouse exclusive bfeeding for the first six months as the optimal...I would google them to see the latest recommendations. But still, follow your intuition.

GL

Have you tried stopping, burping her and then trying to give her another five minutes or so on the same breast? Sometimes they will unlatch because they need a burp. Also, babies are just different. I had to nurse my first like every 1.5 hrs sometimes because he was a big baby and needed lots of milk. Now my second is also three months and eats big meals 5 times per day and is doing great. With my first I felt like a milk machine and it was more challenging to go places etc. Have you tried pumping after she eats a small meal and then giving her a bottle for the next feed, that might help you with feeling so worn down, or letting dad do evening feeding? Good luck! It is a short time but challenging I know:) Hang in there:)