Umm...I Need Quick Help

If you want to continue breastfeeding (I would think you do..) you should call a lactation consultant. But... try feeding her in a quiet, dark room where there is no stimulation for her to be distracted.

Hi C.,

I have not read the other responses, so this may be repetative. However, some babies wean themselves. Other babies just don't like breast feeding. My child just would not do it. She was supplemeted, and never went back. She did however get the colustrum at the beginning. She is totally healthy. It is rare that she gets sick. So, don't worry if the child weans his or herself. Just go with what the kid needs or wants. By that, even early on, they let us know when they are hungry or need something. What you can do also is pump what you can and give her that. I did that for the first few months. It would pobably help your soreness. :)

Blessings,

Katherine

Did you change your diet 2 months ago? Babies can taste the difference in the breast milk. Also, are you supplementing with food? You can do that now. You can mash up cooked carrots and potatoes - kids really love it - add a little butter. Did you supplement breast milk with formula? You can pretty much start mashing up bananas, make apple sauce, vegetables or feed baby food to your daughter. My son kinda went downhill about that time, then I went to grandma's and she helped me through supplementing with baby crackers, cereal, and I also supplemented with formula, and before I knew it, he really gained weight.

Usually babies don't wean themselves this early. Did you add something to your diet such as garlic, you didn't eat before? Think back and see. Maybe you use more spicy food now? It's worth considering. breast milk is very important and improves brain development up to 2 years! Try changing your diet. Also, use a breast pum to express at least to relieve the distress. Usually breast pumps alone won't keep milk production up, because they're not as efficient as the baby's sucking, and eventually, you will lose your milk.

If she doesn't want to nurse, then you'll need to find a way to express some of it. Express as little as you can to get comfortable, and when you get uncomfortable again, express as little as possible.

I never really weaned my kids, but just let them gradually stop eating, dropping a "mealtime" as they chose to. But if you just let yourself hurt, after producing enough for her to live off of for several months, you could end up in the doctor's office. Do what you can to express--not all the milk--but enough so that you don't feel like you are popping.

Good luck!

slowly stop, don't stop all at once.. I found it hurts way less, if you pump a little bit out to relive the pain, put it in a bottle, he'll still get to have your milk.. your breasts will only make what is taken out so if you only pump a little out soon your breasts will make less and less..
YOu can also put a cabbage leaf in your bra, that helps heaps!!

Hi C..

When my nine week old baby had problems latching all of a sudden - like pulling off and still acting hungry, I took her to the pediatrician. We came to the conclusion she had acid reflux. The dr. recommended we have her sleep more upright - (there ARE products out there for that) and give her baby zantac. We don't like to give our baby medicine, but we decided to try it out and it seems to have worked. Also, if you want your baby to have breast milk, do you have a pump? I nurse AND pump... It's a personal choice though... For your pain, a hot bath and some tylenol/ibuprofin. I remember being there when I stopped nursing my older daughter... yikes. Good luck to you!

Warm showers and liquid advil. :)

I feel your pain. The only thing that helped me was hot showers. I used the breast pump when I was desparate for relief and because I didn't pump very often and not to empty (just for relief) the milk production tapered off.

Sounds like a nursing strike... 6.5 mo is way too young for true self weaning. A great source is kellymom.com The weight gain slowing is not abnormal around 6 mo- I would check w/a breastfeeding friendly pedi.

My son did this same thing around 7 months. I was crushed because I thought he was going to stop nursing. What it turned out to be is a developmental thing. This is the age when he started to notice stuff and everything because so much more interesting. Staring at my chest every 2 hours was BORING. I just stuck with it and within a month or so he was over it and back to the nursing. I nursed him until he was 3.

Remember babies would never self wean at 7 months in the wild or in a tribal area. They can't live on other food and many places in the world formula isn't available. So, it's not like she's going to starve or stop eating, it's against nature. If you lived in the woods somewhere you wouldn't let your child die because they weren't interested in breast feeding for a couple of weeks. :)

i just went through a sudden stop in breastfeeding and it was pretty uncomfortable. i would just use cold compresses until i didnt feel so full and warm showers to let the milk just drain on its own. it took about 3 days for the pain to stop and maybe 2 weeks to get to the point where i didnt need a bra and nursing pads when i went to bed. ive also read that cold cabbage leaves on your nipples helps with reducing the pain, and with decreasing milk supply

Hi Cluadette,

I feel your pain. I just went through weaning off my 7 month old so I could go back to work. Luckily I was able to do it slowly. Do you pump? If you have a pump I would suggest using that just to relieve some of the pressure. If you are going to totaly stop breastfeeding all together, I would try to go as long as you can w/out pumping and only pump to relieve the pressure. Eventually your body will slow down production and when you are not pumping at all it will stop completely. I couldn't even imagine stopping cold turkey though. It's too painful to do it that way. Good luck!

The best thing to do if you want your milk to dry out is nothing! No feedings, pumping, sqeezing, it will be sore andpainful for awhile but the fastest way.

I think all babies go though the squirmy faze at that age, or it could be a nursing strike but if you really want to wean you might try renting a good breast pump if you don't have one and slowly decrease how much you pump so you don't get so engorged. Stopping too quickly could cause clogged ducts and mastitis, no fun.

I know exactly how you feel, my son did exactly the same thing at 6 1/2 months, and he also hadn't gained any weight in a month. He has always been a fussy nurser, but he flat out refused at that time...i started supplementing with formula and my milk dried up pretty fast. I was really sad about losing our nursing connection, but he honestly seems so much happier, he's gaining weight and not nearly as gassy. Anyway, if you have a pump, it might help to just pump a few ounces to get some relief, you just don't wantto drain the breast because that tells your body to produce more...but, good luck :)

If you have a pump I would pump alittle to releive the uncomfort and do this each time you get uncomfortable then your body will slowly adjust to the demand which will be low since you are only pumping a little. Hope this helps use the pumped milk in her bottles or cereal. Good Luck!

When babies abruptly stop nursing, it's a nursing strike - not weaning. Babies rarely wean on their own before 18-24 months, and self-weaning is almost never abrupt. There is great site for breastfeeding issues www.kellymom.com. You don't have to wean, this is just another hurdle to get through. You might want to also google "nursing strike" for some tips. You can do it mama!

well I agree that it is probably a nursing strike and if you don't want to stop breastfeeding yet you can get her to start again but if you don't mind switching to the formula then you should only expess milk if absolutly necessary and I was told all the stuff that I have read hear and I ended up with mastitis so what the told me was to mind myself I had my husband rap two large ace bandages around me (i am very large chested and each breast was up to 10-15 lbs each) and then I just tried to take it easy and hot showers helped dain when I needed to so keep and eye out for getting too hard and if you express your body will just create more if you bind you won't express and there won't be any room left and the milk will eventually go back into your system 2-5 days depending on your body. good luck

If she seems completely done with breastfeeding, the best way to get your milk to dry up (and give you some relief) is to take Sudafed in the morning and Benadryl at night. My OB had me do that when I stopped breastfeeding. It takes a couple of days, but you'll start feeling better soon.

I hope this helps!