Baby won't feed in the morning

[highlove]

Just that really.. DD is three months and EBF. Just had TT released a couple of weeks ago which is really helping and there's a noticeable improvement for most feeds. She feeds brilliantly in the afternoon and evening and will wake for a decent feed about 3am ish. Then she wakes about 6-7 and will have a 'snack' - perhaps just a few mins before nodding off. Wakes again about an hour later, feeds for a minute or two then unlatches and will scream if I try to put her back on. So we'll stop and have a play for a bit then I'll offer boob again. She might suck very briefly then scream, or she'll just scream. So I calm her down but the same thing will happen if I offer again although she appears hungry. Eventually, often after a nap, she'll finally feed but it can be late morning or even lunchtime before this happens. On one particularly bad day this week she went about eight hours without really feeding - way too long for her age, I think?

Any ideas what the problem might be or what I can do to encourage her to feed? Is it just that she's really tired which is why she feeds after her nap? Although she sleeps brilliantly overnight so would have thought mornings would be better?

Sorry, this is long. Any ideas or advice most welcome - thank you.

[callamia]

My son was similar about the same age. A feed in the night, a (quick) wake-up feed and then squirming and fighting until about midday. I couldn't make him feed, so I left him to it, and he was fine... He still doesn't feed much in the morning, and breakfast is pretty pointless (he's seven months), but he seems hungry around 11 now. I don't have any advice, except to not worry about the refusing - she's likely getting what she needs. I just know that it's tough, and makes you feel worried.

[AnythingNotEverything]

I wouldn't worry about an 8 hour gap if she feeds well otherwise. Some babies are sleeping that long at night without feeding.

[Littlef00t]

I've been researching like mad as I'm hoping to stretch the time my LO 3months is going at night, and a key sign that baby is ready to go longer at night without a feed is not being interested in a feed at 7am.

It can often become habit for LO to wake for a feed even if they are not actually needing one, and they often feel hungry cos they are used to eating then.

I'm in a similar boat, and planning on trying to comfort and stretch the feed by 15mins ish every few nights. The HV suggested giving water if that gets her back to sleep which is another option we might try, but I doubt she would accept that rather than milk.

[AnythingNotEverything]

Little - your HV suggested giving a 3 month old baby water instead of breastmilk? That's cause for a complaint.

Are you feeding to schedule rather than on demand?

[CityDweller]

I know it's easy for me to say this,but try not to worry. Sounds like DC is getting what they need when they need it. DD displayed all sorts of odd feeding behaviour btw about 3 & 6 months. Lots of thrashing, refusing, only letting me feed her standing up jigging around (god that was annoying). But she continued to thrive and I'm still bf at 14 months. Babies are pretty good at knowing when they're hungry!

[Littlef00t]

Anything, Water was suggests only for the night feed, and only to stretch a little, not to drop an entire feed as she is not feeding well at 7am and I was on the brink of PND from never getting more than 3 hours sleep at a time.

Even the nhs says she should be able to go 5+ hours at night by now.

I was totally demand feeding in the early days, and she is now fed broadly every 3 hours during the day, but v flexible so could be 2.5, could be 3.5, it's just at night I'm trying to artificially stretch as my oh can't help with night feeds and I was really struggling.

[AnythingNotEverything]

Little - maybe the advice was specific to your case. I still don't think it's common to advise offering 3 month old ebf babies anything but bm.

According to the ISIS sleep study, some babies sleep for 5 hours at 3 months. www.isisonline.org.uk/how_babies_sleep/normal_sleep_development/

Maybe your situation meant that the advice you were given was right for you, but I don't think it is appropriate to offer that advice on without including the context within which it was given.