My 11 wk old has started refusing my breast! Help? :o(

[Franma]

Hi... I'm new to the site and wondered if anyone has had experience with this? 3 weeks ago I started expressing as my baby wasn't putting on enough weight and I wanted to make sure she got the hind milk (she was having very green stools). Shortly after I started bottle feeding her top ups she started refusing the breast. It was very gradual at 1st, maybe once or twice a day! Now she will drink from one side and then refuses the other (I know she isn't full as she accepts a bottle if we offer it to her)... also its never the same side she refuses so she isn't fussy about the left or right!
I'm at a complete loss about what to do, as it is getting worse by the day, sometimes she wont take either side!! I am exhausted by the constant feeding, expressing, sterilising cycle!! Also its so hard to leave the house as I never know how she's going to be come meal time :o(
Anyone have any tips for me??
Thank You
x

Can you take baby to bed, have a babymoon for the weekend, with free access to the breast?

ring bfn supporterline 03001000210. They are fab. May need to try a few times.

Till then, lots of skin to skin cuddles (getting in bath together is good!), feed as much as poss, express min every 2 hrs.

Oh, express every 2 hrs if baby not feeding I mean.

Aye, babymoon great

Thank you for your responses... I'll try more skin to skin for sure.

Skin-to-skin in a sling during the day, co-sleep at night with breasts accessible, bathe together.

The expressing sounds like part of the problem, so I'd stop and let her sort out your supply herself. One solution to oversupply (too much foremilk) is block feeding (on the same side multiple times, rather than swapping). Babies are more efficient at removing milk than a pump anyway.

Also, sometimes they may accept a bottle when not hungry, partly as it's easier to overeat that way, and partly if they want to flutter suck for comfort, when they wouldn't be getting much milk from the breast, but would from a bottle.

Personally I would stop expressing, and offer her as much opportunity to feed from either side freely (i.e. no clothes in the way) as possible.

Thanks "isthistheendthistime"... it would be ideal if I had enough milk to feed her from one side per feed and alternate for the next feed (this is cos she doesnt take the 2nd breast!!). Any thoughts on how I would up my supply to get to that point??

Thanks again

It doesn't take long for an 'empty' breast to produce a bit more, in my experience. I'd be aiming to accept the cries (inevitable) while babymooning and your baby gets a bit frustrated/hungry in the short term - and just keep offering. Sometimes it can seem that we've 'run out of milk' when in fact the baby isn't triggering let down at that point. Give her time and accept also that sometimes they just want the nipple without the milk. And I agree- don't express and don't offer the bottle. Maybe do a bit of hand expressing to get the milk coming (give her a taste on her lips) if she needs reminding about the option of milk and to maybe remove some of the frustration.

(also it's said that we can never actually run out of milk from a breast. That they just carry on producing on demand).

If you have an oversupply, you won't need to up your supply to block nurse. Block nursing is a way of reducing the mother's milk supply.

Did baby have a cold or other infection when the green poo started? Sometimes colds can cause green poos as well (bf baby poo that is green is generally because the milk doesn't stay in the gut long enough to turn yellow - this may be cause by infection or too much lactose or for reasons unknown).

Thanks for your advice... I didnt notice any signs of a cold so I think it must have been too much lactose! The green poos happened for 3 weeks from when she was 3-6 weeks old... its stopped now though, a mystery!!

If it's stopped now, just feed as frequently as your DD wants and if she fusses try swapping sides (you can feed from each side many many times at each 'feed') to see if that helps.