Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

baby refusing to breastfeed during the day

2 replies

JoneseyA · 08/12/2011 21:06

Hi
My 16 week old son has started refusing to breastfeed for anything up to 10 hours during the day. This has been going on for around 4 weeks and I believe it started around the time of his 12 week jabs. The only way I can feed him during the day is to feed him as soon as he wakes from a nap but this doesn't always work and if I try to feed him at any other time he turns his head away or latches on for 10 seconds and then starts to cry.

His good feeds start after he has had his bath in the evening but he generally cries quite a bit before he finally latches on and quite often I have to trick him by taking out his thumb he is sucking and replacing it with my nipple. He will then do a good 10 to 15 min feed before going to bed. He then wakes for about 3 feeds during the night with the final one being at around 7am. He generally sleeps pretty well between these feeds.

Before this he was a really great feeder and put on loads of weight. The times when I could use breastfeeding as a pacifier now seem like a distance memory! He is now static on the weight gain and my HV has suggested giving formula! However, my other problem is that I have not yet managed to get him to feed from a bottle, be it breast milk or formula.

I have spoken to a few breastfeeding supporters but they don't know what to suggest. My GP suggested it might be wind related. I tried using Infacol which seemed to work for a bit but then stopped working. I wondered for a while whether it was reflux as he went through a phase of bringing up a lot of milk but this doesn't happen so much now.

Any help greatly appreciated!
Thanks

OP posts:
AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog · 08/12/2011 22:30

That sounds like a nursing strike to me. Have you seen the Kellymom info?

How does he nap? My DS was much more reluctant to bf if he was overtired from not napping at that age. I used to have to give my finger to suck, then swap it for my nipple - as you describe.

Hopefully someone else with more experience will be along with more suggestions soon.

JoneseyA · 09/12/2011 15:51

Thanks.
He generally naps for 20 mins to 1.5 hours during the day, either in his cot or his pram. He tends to need a map after being awake for 1.5 to 2 hours.

I am staying with my parents this weekend and going to my bro's wedding and he is proving particularly difficult to entice onto the breast, I am guessing because of the unfamiliar surroundings. It feels like the only way to successfully feed him is to be tied to my house!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page