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Infant feeding

Feeling like breastfeeding is stopping us from doing things...

12 replies

Sadboob · 08/10/2014 23:22

Feeling sad. My baby is 7 months and was EBF until we started weaning at 6mo. After a bit of a shaky start BF started going pretty well and it was especially great from 2-4 mos when I felt like I could grab baby and go anywhere anytime, was feeding in the sling, on the go, really happy and relaxed.

But for the last couple of months she's just so distracted by everything around her that she will only really feed when we are in bed at home (we co-sleep) with curtains drawn and in silence. I've had four episodes of blocked ducts/threatening to turn into mastitis (the latest yesterday/today) and I can link three of them to v distractable days, eg this lastest episode is I think the result of travelling to see friends at the weekend - being on a train and seeing new people is just so much more exciting than boobs apparently - I was all engorged and lumpy by the time we got home :(

The other occasion was after a night featuring a 5 hour sleep.

I feel like I can't go anywhere and do anything without risking yet more blockages and pain (and apparently I can't get a decent chunk of sleep without the same) but I don't want to spend the rest of my maternity leave stuck feeding in bed in the dark Sad

Will this pass? It only seems to be getting worse at the moment.

Weaning doesn't seem to have reduced her appetite for milk or my supply. I'm worried too that if she does start eating more solids I'll have the same problem. I'm going back to work at 10mo and will be away for 12 hour stretches twice a week - what on earth will happen then?!

Sorry this is so long and moany. I've been massaging sore boob and trying to coax her to feed all day and I'm fed up and feeling really sorry for myself. I'd pictured us feeding for months and months yet but never imagined it would be punctuated with all these blockages.

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Roobix04 · 08/10/2014 23:30

Sorry I have no advice as I think I'm just getting to this stage with 6mo dd but didn't wanna read and run. Hopefully someone else will see it and help.

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BaffledSomeMore · 08/10/2014 23:32

Can you express and use the milk in bottles or cooking?

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stargirl1701 · 09/10/2014 10:42

I feel the same OP. I am going to try soya lecithin.

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Littlef00t · 09/10/2014 10:50

I've heard good things about lecithin. I'd pump if possible and offer bottles. Could you go to friends houses and feed in a different room?

In my experience, with night sleep, it's the change to the norm that causes blockages but if longer sleep becomes more common your body should learn to manage.

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curlyLJ · 09/10/2014 10:52

DD1 was exactly like this and I ended up introducing a bottle of formula at 7 months for her 11am feed. It was a life-changing moment as it meant I could go out knowing she would feed and she wouldn't need to be BF again until 4pm ish. My boobs recognised this was the way it was going to be quite quickly (few days) and it didn't affect the rest of my supply at all.

DD2 is now 6m and is also getting distractable when feeding now. On one hand I am hoping that we can continue with BF only this time so we don't have the faff of making/cleaning bottles, but am also happy to do the FF thing again if need be. Ready-made cartons became my friends!

I currently take Lecithin as I am very prone to blocked ducts and it is fantastic. I take 2 a day which seems to keep things flowing OK.

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scandichick · 09/10/2014 15:03

My son was the same, extremely prone to distractions at around seven months. He did get better, though: he'd still notice things going on around him, but he will buckle down and feed where he wouldn't have a few months ago.

I've heard others having the same experience, so it can get better.

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Sadboob · 14/10/2014 21:00

Just wanted to say thank you for these replies... Got the blockage cleared and bought an enormous tub of lecithin supplements so will give that a go! I hate expressing (and it takes me so long to do that I'd pretty much be better off with the feeding in the dark bedroom routine - plus I don't want to buy bottles and cups are still a bit of a work in progress...) so choosing to focus on scandichick's optimistic message and hoping it's just a passing phase (at least until the next blockage..?!) anyway thanks everyone for replying, I was feeling so low and it was so class to log in and see kind responses Smile

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TheNewStatesman · 15/10/2014 06:27

Have you tried nursing under a cover? Worth a try... I ended up doing that.

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stargirl1701 · 15/10/2014 07:01

I am taking 5000mg a day of soya lecithin and no blockages.

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Flingmoo · 15/10/2014 14:12

I also have a distractible EBF 4mo who refuses bottles. In fact, me typing this right now is even distracting him from his feed...

In public I either go and find a quiet corner (it's generally people he gets distracted by, rather than other sights and sounds), or I cover him with a scarf to block out distractions. Makes me look like I'm self conscious about flashing breast but really it's just for his sake!

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Coffeeaddictforever · 15/10/2014 14:59

My daughter was the same. In public I would sit in a changing room or toilet for peace. I stopped feeding her at 11 months. It was hard especially when friends bottle feeding seemed to have a breeze but it was well worth it. Don't give up it's the best start for little one.

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BendyMum15 · 18/10/2014 07:42

My DD who is now 5.5 months started being very distractable a couple of weeks ago but seems to be learning how to feed a be nosey.
It was a real shock though because her brother went straight to boob stretching to have a good look around! DD just seems to be on a mission to flash my boobs at everyone in the area (including the poor carpet cleaning man yesterday!) by her constant popping on and off.

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