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6month old losing interest in nursing

Anjel_9@hotmail.comAnjel_9@hotmail.com member
in Babies: 6 - 9 Months

My 6 month old, who has always been a good eater, suddenly seems to be losing interest in nursing.  I've been back at work full-time since she was 3 months old, and we've never had a problem going from breast to bottle and back again.  She nurses in the morning and at night, and has two bottles during the day with her caregiver.  For the past two weekends in a row, when I've tried to nurse her during the day, she has been very resistant.  She'll eat for a few minutes, then cry and push me away and refuse to continue.  I'm wondering if this is because she's accustomed to having bottles, which are easier/faster, during the day.  She's very easily distracted now, and I have to nurse her in a quiet room alone.  One of my friends (who has five kids!) suggested that she may be trying to self-wean for the daytime feedings.  I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world, but I am a bit heartbroken.  Any thoughts or suggestions?  Anyone go through the same thing?

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Re: 6month old losing interest in nursing

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    genmccarleygenmccarley member
    I don't think a baby that young is trying to self-wean as much as she is probably just distracted and possibly frustrated about a slower flow and having to work harder. I would keep offering the breast for those feedings and if she stops let her stop but I think it's just a phase. My son is 8 months and just starting to be less distracted while nursing and there didn't have to be anything around to distract him, the ceiling was enough lol. Hang in there, you're doing great!
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    beccalee721beccalee721 member
    I ended up switching to EPing at 4 months (except her MOTN feeding til 6 months) because of how distracted she was getting. At that point it wasn't about how fast the flow was, but she wanted to be able to see everything around her which she couldn't do while I was breastfeeding. Even in a quiet room she still wanted to look around. It's not the worst thing in the world if you decide to bottle feed during the day on the weekends too. She just might be in such a routine that when it's time to eat during the day she's ready to go and has no patience to wait! lol
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    honeydew01honeydew01 member
    OP, I am in the exact same situation right now and it sucks. I honestly went through hell to get breastfeeding to work. My OB and 3 lactation nurses were all surprised that I'd put up with so much to make it work so now that she's refusing it, it makes me sad.

    DD turned 5 months on the 3rd. She has been lazy and not sucking well on the breast. Ped says because she is not sleeping well and is tired. Also since she was 3.5 months she was very distracted so we have to feed in a dark quiet room which doesn't help the sleeping on the breast situation..it's a cycle. She either falls sleep or gets very frustrated. This led to depleting my milk supply. I pump every 2-3 hours but I've never been able to get much when pumping even when I had a pretty decent supply and DD was eating well. She has refused the bottle since 8 weeks old but since she was losing weight we have had to get some food in her. She actually took the bottle for the first time (since 8 weeks old) last Thursday. She still fusses and it's a coin toss whether she'd take the bottle but then she is frustrated and refuses the breast too. I've been to the doctor and taking Reglan, goats rue, fenugreek, more milk plus...oatmeal..you name it..but I can't seem to get my supply back up.

    Feeding time is really stressful around here :(  I know I ought to relax, it's just so hard...
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    JackiemxoxoJackiemxoxo member
    genmccarley said:
    I don't think a baby that young is trying to self-wean as much as she is probably just distracted and possibly frustrated about a slower flow and having to work harder. I would keep offering the breast for those feedings and if she stops let her stop but I think it's just a phase. My son is 8 months and just starting to be less distracted while nursing and there didn't have to be anything around to distract him, the ceiling was enough lol. Hang in there, you're doing great!
    I agree with all of this. My dd is really easily distracted and she's EBF. I would just keep at it if you want to. 

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    Anjel_9@hotmail.comAnjel_9@hotmail.com member
    Thank you all for the suggestions and encouragement.  I definitely want to keep up the breastfeeding for the full first year if I can.  It's just frustrating because once you've gotten comfortable and feel like you actually know what you're doing and things are going smoothly... all of a sudden it gets difficult again!  I am so terrified of losing that connection to my baby, that I take it more personally than I should when she pushes my breast away.  I'm sure I'm not alone in that feeling!
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    mejane123mejane123 member
    DD gets VERY distracted while nursing during the day, so I usually end up bringing her to a quiet room upstairs to feed her so she gets a good feeding in. Could you try that? It could just be that she's starting to become aware of the things around her now and just getting preoccupied. I remember the first time DD noticed our dog, and from then on, if he breathed within ten feet of her, she started going nuts trying to see him, even if she was in the middle of eating. It got pretty messy at times  :|
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    ObLaDiObLaDi member
    I think this must be common around this age. My son is similar, and the thing that has helped the most is only feeding him side lying quietly in our bed, even during the day. It can still be a challenge but he'll usually at least nurse a few minutes that way.

    This is too young to self wean, IMO.

    And yes, it hurts my feelings too when he pushes me away!
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    URMySunshine77URMySunshine77 member
    Anjel_9@hotmail.com said:
    Thank you all for the suggestions and encouragement.  I definitely want to keep up the breastfeeding for the full first year if I can.  It's just frustrating because once you've gotten comfortable and feel like you actually know what you're doing and things are going smoothly... all of a sudden it gets difficult again!  I am so terrified of losing that connection to my baby, that I take it more personally than I should when she pushes my breast away.  I'm sure I'm not alone in that feeling!

    That is so frustrating. I would feel the same way in your situation. I hope it gets easier.

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