That is what it seems like. The past few days my son does not seem to want to breastfeed. I give him pureed jar food maybe once a day. And tastes of actual real food (soft foods) He will be 6 months on Aug 3 , started solids at 4 1/2 months because he wasn’t gaining a lot of weight even though doc said it was okay about his weight gain. DS does not want to sit still to eat unless he wants to take a nap, then he will stay on my breast until he falls asleep. He kicks, scratches, looks around then goes back but won’t stay very long. I tried the making him hungry route but that doesn’t help either.
I have been trying to find some info online about it but there is not a lot I can find if it it something for concern or just a phase…
I am going to contact a lactation consultant Monday( I have to any way for other issues) and set up an appointment but before that… Is this a normal phase or does it signify something is wrong like I am not making enough milk?
He is tongue tied severely but insurance won’t approve to get it fixed. I haven’t been able to pump any milk at all and my son physically cannot take bottles or sippy cups if I wanted to give formula.
I had no problems pumping up to 4 months then I couldn’t get anything. A nipple shield won’t help because my son is unable to latch correctly in the first place but his insurance doesn’t seem to care about him being tongue-tied. I guess I will just wait until I can see the lactation consultant and go from there…
The insurance won’t do it because a lactation consultant (yet they don’t have one in their network) or a speech pathologist(son only says mama) has to submit the request. I cannot express much milk by hand to mix with cereal(maybe a spoonful) so he doesn’t get cereal and pumping doesn’t work. I have tried all sorts of things to get him to sit still while eating and only when he wants to sleep he will. I try jarred food, he does not like any of the orange foods at all. I normally will feed him at night if I feed solids at all because there are times where he just does not want to eat.
He is not fussy over anything aside from when he refuses to take a nap, and as for teething it looks like he is but that is the spot where his frenulum is attached to the gum so it will impair how his teeth grow in too I am sure… He shows signs he is hungry but when I put him to my breast he just plays around and refuses to eat so I put him down and he is happy.
Haven’t changed my diet at all. I star
Haven’t changed my diet at all. I started periods again when he was 3 months old and started sleeping all night so I know it isn’t because of that.
I think when I drink milk it disagrees with him, I am thinking it may be all dairy as the days I limit it he seems to do better but maybe it is my imagination as well, so I am bringing that up with the doctor in a week and a half at the 6 month appointment. Lactation I am calling Monday to see if it will be covered by the insurance. I am going to be changing doctors after this appointment as I cannot stand the doctor at all for numerous reasons.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:07 am
Sounds like something is going on with either your supply or him. Have you ruled out teething and ear infection? These are common around this age.
Then look at your milk supply: have you changed anything? diet? supplements? started your cycle? all these things can change the flavor of your milk.
Try going into a darkened room and lie down to nurse him. Reduce all noise.
If all else fails, mix expressed breastmilk into cereal or make mommies milk popcicles or pudding.
Keep offering, he will return.
I have never seen an insurance company refuse to pay for a tongue tie revision when the doctor appeals it, you should find a pediatric dentist who will write an appeal for you. Severe feeding impairment is just cause for revision. Just my 2 cents.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:07 am
My baby was like this because it was hard for him to suck hard enough to get an adequate amount of milk out. He would get frustrated and start fussing. Have you tried using a nipple shield? It worked great for my little one. It makes it easier for them to get milk.
Also, what kind of pump did you use? I had to rent a hospital-grade breast pump to extract milk for him in the beginning. Store-bought breast pumps aren’t always that effective. Ask the hospital where you delivered if you can rent one from them. They often give discounts if you don’t have insurance. You can also rent them from breastfeeding stores if so I would look into that if you have one in your area.
If the problem is you aren’t making enough milk, you can try herbal supplements. I used More Milk Plus and saw an increase in my supply within three days. My Dr. recommended it. You’ll want to ask you Dr. first though to make sure it’s safe for your specific condition. Hope this helps.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:07 am
My son would scream at the breast. But his association to eating, since day one, was the it resulted in severe pain. He had terrible colic and acid reflux that affected his sleeping so badly he ended up developing a serious sleep disorder and overactive startle reflex from such chronic pain. Unfortunately, by the time we realized all this, he had been switched to a colic formula, which he did much better on, and breast feeding was over.
This was around four months and I became extremele depressed– actually, to this day I cannot think about it or I tear up as I adored breast feeding. In your case, you didn’t mention your son being in discomfort, so it seems more related to the fact he doesn’t want to bother eating as he wants to be on the go, which is typical around 6 months. My son is 5 months and doesn’t like sitting still and usually fusses a little when it’s time for his bottle even.
But, I have found, only giving him a bottle at nap time makes him eat more and is perfect as he is hungry and sleepy. Sometimes, it just for a thirty minute nap, or other times for a longer nap. If he takes a longer nap, sometimes he will drink a bottle while he is still kind of waking up. I would try to schedule feedings around his sleepy times and use baby food during his awake times.