Help!! My baby has stopped feeding!!

[SleepForTheWeek]

DD2 is 6mo. She has a totally stinker of a cold and has been rejecting feeds since last night. Her last feed from me was 12 hours ago.

She's had some weetabix (with expressed milk), some pear and some cucumber. She's also had a few sips of water from a cup.

She's never taken a bottle, has rejected the many more be tried her with, but I sent DH out to buy an emergency one (staying with family atm) and she has guzzled 5oz from it.

I'm pumping every 3 hours and getting 3-4oz but I don't think that will be enough. I'm trying to feed her every hour but she's having none of it.

I'm reluctant to try her with formula as she has a suspected dairy intolerance.

Any suggestions?? I have a feeling I'm going to run out of milk tonight 😥

[littledinaco]

Look up ‘nursing strike’. Go back to basics, lots of skin to skin, keep offering but not forcing.
Do ‘paced feeding’ with any bottles you give to stop her getting a bottle preference. Maybe a sippy cup would be better.

[littledinaco]

kellymom.com/ages/newborn/nb-challenges/back-to-breast/

If you keep reading, there are some good tips further down.

[MrsMotherHen]

My DD has a horrid cold at the moment too with the tail end of croup. She was refusing feeds a few days ago shes bottle fed though not breast.

We cant afford for her to lose any weight she is on the 0.4th centile as it is shes tiny. So docter said if she isnt eating which she wasn't just get as much fuilds in her as possible regardless of how or what. So we had a few days of hot chocolate in the bottle or the odd teaspoon of sugar even nesquick powder when she only had 2oz allday. It worked though and now today shes back to her lovely little self drinking bottles and having food.

Hope she is better soon

[littledinaco]

itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-things-breastfeeding-podcast/id974265228?mt=2&i=1000369420419

This podcast is good too.

[SleepForTheWeek]

Thank you @littledinaco - going to have a read of that. Skin to skin is difficult as I have a very demanding 3yo too, I tried it after bath tonight but she was just pushing against me.

I also tried paced feeding but she would scream every time I took the bottle away

She's never been a big feeder, never fed for comfort (although feeds to sleep normally at bedtime) and I'm worried she's just not that fussed. I really don't want to have to start with bottles, todaybhas given me a taster of the washing/sterilising/heating process and it's not something I wish to have to do long term!!

I've also tried milk from a sippy cup but she takes tiny sips then spits it out

[littledinaco]

The podcast is good too and there are probably some better articles about nursing strikes.
I think it’s common when they are unwell. I think if it was me, I would not give any bottles and just use cup as I would guess she would be more likely to go back to breastfeeding quicker. You know her best though so trust your instinct and what you feel is right.

Can you sleep with her on you and then she may be more likely to feed as she wakes up or try offering it to her when she’s sleepy.

Maybe have her just in a vest (if house is warm enough) or a little dressing gown you can open so when she is on you, you can do skin to skin easier (it’s her arms and legs that you want in contact with you). That way you can do little and often, rather than with a newborn where they just lie still on you!