My Son Stopped Nursing and I Am Confused

Hi Aleisha,
First off- this is not your fault. Don't stress yourself with that idea since stress can majorly effect your supply. You have done a wonderful job so far and I think it's great you are concerned about getting your baby the nutrients and love he needs.

Secondly, you mentioned he's not nursing as long, but is he nursing more frequently? If so, then there is definately no need to worry. He just wants smaller, more frequent meals. If he is NOT nursing more frequently, again I wouldn't really worry as long as he's happy. If you are feeding him solids of any sort, he won't NEED all the breastmilk he used to take, which means your supply *will* decrease. He's getting his nutrients elsewhere. This is not a bad thing and nothing to worry about, although he'll still need your breastmilk.

Some people will tell you babies don't wean themselves younger than one year. Not true. He could be deciding it's time for him to stop, even at this early age. I *KNOW* how hard it is. My daughter weaned herself (not a nursing strike, etc.) at 8 months. I cried...a lot. It was horrible for me since I wanted to nurse her for several more months & the bonding experience was like nothing I've felt before. Unfortunately, babies are on their own schedules and I'm slowly learning that I've got to let these milestones take place and accept them as a wonderful sign that my daughter is developing beautifully.

I wouldn't mix the milk with Pediasure. It's not beneficial for his health or development in this case.

Re: waking up to eat at 5. That's pretty normal, especially if he's going through a growth spurt, teething, or maybe just wating the extra snuggle time with mommy.

In any case, don't be hard on yourself if he decides he's done nursing or if you can't continue for one reason or another. Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE breastfeeding supporter and will do anything I can to nurse my new baby, due in November, well into her first year. I won't give up until I've tried everything, just as I did with my first. However, if it's meant to be that he needs to take a bottle, use that time to be close to him. He can still lay in your arms. I hold my daughter's bottle for her, that way I ensure the quiet mommy/baby time is still there.

Good luck and don't ever feel bad. You've given your baby a wonderful gift!

Aleisha, congrats on breastfeeding your son! So many moms never make it past 6 weeks, or 12 weeks. You & your son have been a nursing team now for over 10 months - THAT DESERVES A CELEBRATION! :)

As far as him refusing the breast... his age is a really common age of distraction, being so interested in the world around him that he doesn't want to slow down & take a break to breast feed. ;) Also, it's really common for babies to be cutting teeth at this age, which can be really painful for them - so much so that they don't want to nurse much or eat much until the tooth has broken through and the pain has lessened. So, HANG IN THERE! If you are enjoying breast feeding your son, simply keep offering the breast. You really don't need to do the Pediasure - your breastmilk is FAR more healthy for him, and trust me, he *WILL* nurse when he's hungry. It is quite normal/typical for babies to go through a "nursing strike" which can look like weaning, but it's actually not at all - babies rarely wean on their own before 18-24 months, and self-weaning is almost never abrupt. Here's some information for you which you might find helpful/reassuring:

Do Babies Under 12 Months Self-Wean?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/babyselfwean.html

Is Baby Weaning or Is It a Nursing Strike?
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBNovDec92p173.html

When I read that you "enjoyed the security and bond with my son we recieved from nursing," I was completely nodding my head in agreement! I, too, would be sad to see my less-than-1-yr old wean. They're still so little, and being able to nurse is *such* a wonderful thing on so many levels - emotionally, health-wise (my little guy recently had a small stomach flu w/ some vomiting, and my doc told me that breast milk is light years better for baby, better at keeping them hydrated, and overall much easier on their stomachs than any Pedialyte or infant formula), environmentally (very little waste compared to bottles and formula), as well as financially (FREE!). And nothing compares to those sweet nursing sessions where you and your baby are looking into each others' eyes, smiling with such love... :)

So hang in there, keep offering the breast, and I'd be surprised if your little guy stopped nursing. Oh, and also - the 5 am feeding? Your little guy could very well be hungry, because they go through growth spurts. And especially if he is getting more and more mobile (just started crawling or pulling up/cruising everywhere or walking?). So see if he might nurse at 5 am for a few weeks until his nursing strike fades out. Best of luck! And again, a huge congrats for breastfeeding your baby (I only wish the majority of moms did what you have done)!

How old is your son? That is the first question to your answer...

Maybe your supply is slowing because your son is less interested. I would keep trying. As mentioned before there is medication out there to help you keep your supply going and increase it. Also there is nothing wrong with Pediasure. In fact one of the reasons we recommend it is for the children who has little interest in solids, whole milk, and other things that are important to their health. Because he has been given the Pediasure he may not take cow milk. Keep trying because again this is definitely a great thing. But also if hes not interested then I wouldn't pressure him. Hope this helps.

Your supply probably wasn't decreasing...he was just distracted or on a nursing strike...or you were giving more 'extras' (bottle of water? solids? etc)
No milk or pediasure...not good for him. Most (YES, MOST) babies have a cow milk sensitivity--so if he gets fussy, that may be the culprit.
Basically...nurse for anything if you want your supply to get back up (after the bottles, it has probably slowed)...so, nurse when he gets a booboo, nurse at 5am to cuddle, nurse before any solids, and then you should get it back up...remember it is supply and demand!
GOOD FOR YOU for nursing this long! I'm so thankful you have gone this long! Great job mama!!

Aleisha,

Some babies will decrease their nursing time when they are ready. Follow your son's lead. If you wish to increase your production you will have to pump whenever possible. Your son should not be drinking Pediasure. It is loaded with sugar. Nor should he be drinking whole milk at all. Infant need the nutrition of breast milk or formula. You MAY introduce whole cow's milk at a year, but don't rush to do so. If he is sleeping for 7-9 hours overnite without eating, and he should be able to do so, he should be hungry in the a.m. when he wakes. A bottle at wake up is fine. Once you are both awake, dressed etc, you can offer pureed fruit and cereal as "breakfast".
Good Luck, S.

Hi Aleisha! Congrats on making it this far... DONT GIVE UP YET! I am still nursing my 8 month old son and plan to do it past his first b-day. I went through a 2 wk period where I was noticing my supply was decreasing b/c I was away from Alex and had to pump but was not always faithful. I started taking Fenugreek and it was a life saver. I also nursed Alex more and changed my schedule and started to work from home so that I could keep this up better. He is a comfort nurser also. He just started sleeping in his own bed and all through the night about a month ago.I nurse him in the morning and before every nap. I nurse him to sleep every night, and it almost makes me cry when I dont get to! lol I supplement with juice, baby food, and sometime a puree version of what we eat. I always nurse him first though, and if he still wants to eat I let him. I may skip a nursing session if I know I will be away so that I can pump and have it for him while I am gone. I hate formula and never want Alex on it. That is why I am trying to make it at least until he is old enough for cow's milk. But I will not stop nursing until I know I am ready and I see he is ready for sure. I let him tell me what he wants. I will nurse him as long as he wants because I know it is best for him and I love the bond we have made! Good luck, hope that helps!!

You can get your milk back again, if you need to. This is a good example of why we don't base nursing on the amount of time they nurse and start "supplementing" unless there is some real reason (failure to thrive, no pee or poop happening). Not trying to criticize you, mind you! Just pointing that out in case other mothers are reading this who might be considering supplementation. He is getting older, and so he could be more efficient with his nursing, and he doesn't need as much if he is getting nutrition from food also. So the bottom line is, let the baby decide when/how much to nurse and unless there are medical issues (as stated above) then trust the baby.
Your baby is old enough that if you wanted to wean him you could, although they generally don't recommend you give milk at all before age 1. If you wean it should be formula that replaces nursing, not whole milk. Was there some reason you felt he needed milk (you mentioned concern about him learning to like it)? He could live very healthy his whole life without ever drinking milk, if necessary, so there's no reason to be concerned if he didn't like it, and certainly no reason to make it more tasty by adding pediasure. In fact, I would think that would be UNhealthy for him right now, like he's getting watered down, sugary milk instead of the nutrients he really needs (from you or from formula)
It sounds to me like you don't necessarily want to wean anyway, so I say just stop giving him the bottle and let him go back to nursing. Your milk will return. You can take fenugreek if you want to speed it up and/or pump some. If that doesn't work after a week (again, basing it on his health, not amount of time he nurses) then you could give him formula.
Hope that helps!
Lynn