4mo won't stay on the boob!

[MildDrPepperAddiction]

This is dc3 but I don't recall the others being as bad as this. Dd is 4mo and ebf.

When I put her on she latches well, as she has always done, and feeds for a couple of minutes. Then the fun starts. She comes off and sucks her fingers instead. I've tried holding her hand and swaddling her but in that case she just turns her head away.

She's not crying or upset in anyway. I'm not sure if it's teething yet as no other signs. It may be curiosity however I've tried feeding her in a quiet room etc and she still does this.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips for regaining her interest?

Sorry, I should have said, I've tried different holds with her and she's like this regardless.

No advice but I'm also having problems feeding my nearly 4mth old except he doesn't even latch and does get upset. Dc3 here too. Nursing strike?

She's dropping on her centiles. Is your dc?

Yes, can't remember exact numbers but a fair bit, 90th to 60th or something, told me it was fine at the last weigh in but of course now I'm worried

Does yours seem hungry?

She's not crying for food but has dropped from 75th to just over 2nd. She will feed well for the first few minutes and then it's on/off. More milk goes over her than into her!

Oh gosh that's quite a big drop, I would see hv asap.

My dc does seem hungry, especially in the evenings

Already seem hv. No advice

Seen

Yes hv can be a bit rubbish sometimes.

In your position with two other children to look after I would be looking to try bottle top ups, but obviously it's your choice.

But there's no way to get/keep a baby on the boob, as I am rapidly discovering

DrPepper, did the HV not say anything at all? A baby dropping from 75th to 2nd usually warrants investigation. Can you give us an idea of the actual weights and the interim weights?

Very short feeds can be on the normal spectrum for a baby beyond newborn, 'cos they like to look around and investigate, but there is usually one or two feeds in 24 hours which are longer. How many times does she feed in 24 hours; does she feed at night; what was she like when younger?

bassington your situation may be quite different....what exactly are the centiles she has been on?

Hi tiktok, all hv said was 'I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't recommend you take her to gp'. (Appointment booked). There was no advice at all about getting her stay on longer etc. Tbh is sounded like arse-covering a bit to me (might be over-sensitive ).

Her morning feed is her longest (although she still fusses a bit as described although it's not as much), others after that are shorter and are as described.

I might just need to see what doc says in a couple of days.

In other ways she's fine, alert, wriggly , everything she should be.

HV has done her job - she has seen your baby, she has judged you need to take her to the doctor....not arse-covering, but sensible, from what you say here. A drop of that amount needs investigation, and she reckons the doc should be involved.

Hope you get good help.

Could this be oral thrush? Can you see a bf specialist as well as your GP?

4 mo old are nosy parkers but it can sometimes help to nurse in a sling, or in a dark room, to keep focus.

GPs are great for investigating weight loss but often poor at understanding bf issues and may jump quickly to formula.

Definitely not thrush. Dd1 had that and I know what it looks like. Also, I have no symptoms as I had with dd1. I've tried the quiet room for nursing etc. I'll just keep on trying her more often and hopefully that will encourage an increase in centiles.

Just keep offering feeds regularly, sounds like she's a bit of a snacker. What are her nappies like, are they a bit green (like she's getting lots of foremilk) or a nice mustard? How do your boobs feel, are you quite leaky? Does she refuse to feed some days more than others or is it consistent? If variable could it be related to temperature or food you have eaten or sleep patterns?

FWIW DD1 had a similar drop but like your DD very healthy, hitting all her milestones early etc. I did a BFing honeymoon with her (spent a day on the sofa BFing all the time watching stuff on the new invention of iplayer and reading magazines) and it seemed to recalibrate her hunger and my supply and her weight started climbing again. She's now 7 and is a skinny thing that eats like a horse, I think she was just moving from her stupidly high birthweight to her 'natural' weight which, like her Dad, is very slim.

To be honest, a drop from the 75th to the 2nd is pretty serious - thrush would not account for it, nor would the temperature.

DrPepper, please post again with what the doctor says.

The pediatrician in our surgery has examined dd and has no concerns with her. He said to phone him in 4-6 weeks just to update him.

A nursing necklace helped focus my ds at that age

What's a nursing necklace sunflower?

I had a similar problem with my daughter at this age. Too distracted to feed, she would latch on for about a minute then squirm away and refuse to go back on. She fed better at night, but never seemed hungry in the day and I got so wound up and stressed out - it went on for about six weeks. People kept telling me to keep offering frequently but it turned out the opposite worked better: I started to feed her only at strict three-hourly intervals, regardless of his much she'd had at the last feed. It went against my instincts but after a day or two she started to take longer, more relaxed feeds. We still struggle sometimes when we're out and about but I'm happy that she's eating enough now. Good luck, I know how upsetting it can be!

Could you get to a breast feeding group manned by a Brest feeding counsellor? They may be able to help and offer some guidance?