6 months old not wanting to nurse all of the sudden....

[jerseygirl07067]

Ok, I've read so many posts on this, and always thought it would never happen to me. DD is a bit over 6 months and for the past few days she seems more fussy at the breast. I think she MIGHT beteething and I did read the Kellymom/back to breast link which I found helpful.

Anyway, two days ago DD starts fussing at the breast, sucking, pulling off, sucking, pulling off, crying etc. I tried to gently get her back on and tried not to force the issue. It seemed to decrease somewhat during letdown, then started again. I also tried breast compressions, to see if maybe she just wanted the faster flow. (She gets a bottle only a few times per week when I have to go to the office and we are using the slowest flowing nipple)She kept crying, so I said, the heck with it, and gave her a bottle of EBM. She took that no problem. Then today, she kept pulling off and crying, and was very fussy during feeding. I could barely get her to BF today during the afternoon. I even gave her tylenol drops about 45 mins prior to nursing to see if that would help, assuming it was teething, though I'm not totally sure. So again I gave her a bottle of EBM, downed it no problem.

I feel like I'm only reinforcing the whole bottle thing here, as I know she can get the milk out easier. So now I'm wondering if she's just getting that smart, or is it that taking a bottle hurts a lot less than BF if the teething thing IS going on. She already has her two bottom teeth, and they came in a bit over three weeks ago, so I was thinking maybe another one is cutting. She has been biting things a lot lately too.

Any help would be appreciated! My initial goal was 6 months of BFing, and now I want to make it to a year.

Thanks in advance,
Marcy

[SeekerMage]

((((((Hugs)))))
I know EXACTLY what you are going through...this is our household to the T right now...except that I am not offering bottles (she refused the last one from MIL). Right now one thing that seems to be helping a little is the Hylands teething tablets...that and the only time she seems to want to nurse is when she is tired usually right after her nap and possibly before. She is getting a little better but not much. We are in the same place in that Lil'bit has two teeth already and this possible third (only thing I can think of) is giving us a lot of problems.

My only advice is dont give in to the bottles unless you have to. DD is not going to starve either way. Do like I do and sneak attack the feedings (when sleeping or in a tired state) Its taking a LOT of patience on this end but Im too stubborn to give up....problem is she is just as stubborn. But this is just another hill to climb and its been a battle from the beginning for us so I guess Im used to it.

Dont know that Im going to be of much help, atleast wanted to lend my support and offer what little help I have. Good luck!

(edited to add...have you had her checked for an ear infection? This is another possibility that happened once to us as well...nursing is harder on the ears then the bottle is....we found an ear infection this way (her not wanting to nurse) but otherwise she more or less acted ok just a little crabby. HTH!)

[jerseygirl07067]

I am sorry to hear you guys are going through the same thing....sigh.... Actually, DD was just at the ped the other day and was not found to have an ear infection.

I actually spoke with an LC last night, and she agreed with what you said that it could be teething, but asked me several other questions to see if there could be anything else going on. She said to her it sounds like DD is getting impatient at the breast, since the fussiness decreases during letdown. Another interesting thing she asked is if I was on any birth control, and I said, no, but I did get my AF back two weeks ago. She said that occasionally, the taste of the BM can change during ovulation (which would be right around now for me) and that with the return of AF there are a lot of hormonal changes going on in my body. She said she had this occur when she was BFing her 2 1/2 year old. He would actually tell her that her boob tasted bad and it was always for 1 or 2 days right around ovulation time. But the taste improved as he kept eating. It must be nice to have your baby TELL you what is wrong!

I will definitely be keeping bottles to a minimum, and it works out well this week that I only have to go to the office one day. That way I can nurse as much as possible. I also think my supply may be going down a bit because on the days I do go to the office, I am so rushed with so much to do that I don't pump as much as I should, so I will be making sure I do that.

I hope things get better for you!!

Marcy