Help - Can a baby go off b/feeding??

[cc21]

For the past 2 days my DD has been V reluctant to feed from me. Up till now she has been exclusively b/fed and feeds well roughly every 3 hours. Saturday night I had to give formula for last feed as she became hysterical when she went near the boob. 4oz later she was out for the count leaving me feeling like a failure. Was slightly better yesterday and finally fed from me after 8 hours!!!! I was in agony!

She doesn't appear unwell, has no fever and seems contented in general. Am scared my supply will go if she stops feeding. She is only 17 wks so don't want to have to give up yet but shes just not interested the same.

Is she teething? Can you try feeding her in different position? Could she maybe have earache or something which makes the position uncomfortable? I'm clutching at straws a bit but little things can make a big difference. Maybe feed her lying down in bed for a change. I wouldn't give formula at all - she won't starve herself. It's probably just a brief phase but I know at the time it is awful. Good luck!

Thanks will trying different feeding positions. DH said she won't starve - she's a little chubster so has a plentiful store of fat!!!
Never thought of her teeth - I suppose she is at the age it m ight bother her - will see how she goes.

cc21 - this is very similar to me so perhaps someone can help me too.

My DS is 6 and half months old and was exclusively breast fed for 3 months and since then has been having formula at the 10.30pm feed and very occasionally at a daytime feed if I am out and DH has to do the feed. He has always been fine breastfeeding.

However, in the last week he has been very reluctant to feed, pushing away from me and screaming and in the last 2 days has refused to breastfeed at all and no amount of coaxing will persuade him otherwise. I have resorted to formula and I haven't breastfed him since 6am yesterday morning.

I didn't really want to stop breastfeeding now but can't really see a solution. I had to express a bit this morning as I was in agony when I woke up but surely my supply will be starting to reduce. How long could I go without feeding before I can never start again? I find expressing a real hassle and very time consuming!

I have offered him the breast at every feed today as usual but he is getting so hysterical I have given up after 5 mins of him screaming and pushing away.

I'm really sad to be stopping breastfeeding. Has anyone got through a phase like this and continued breast feeding successfully afterwards?

Same happened to me when dd was about 9 months old. There was no way she was going to go anywhere near breast, I ended up taking her to the on-call doctor on a Sunday pm as she hadn't drunk anything since the Friday. He said to make sure she had juicy/wet foods as much as possible, (know that doesn't help you), and that she would drink when she had to. Ended up giving up breast feeding, (actually did me a favour as I had been dithering whether to or not), and she was fine. Seemed very odd at the time, but she just seemed to go off it - instantly!!