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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

4 month old doesn’t seem to want to bf anymore

29 replies

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 16:16

I guess this has been going on for about 2 weeks now but dd will not stay latched for more than a few minutes at a time. She started having really green poops and when I got her weighed and she hadn’t lost any weight but not put on as much as she should. As she is already very little on the second line up on the chart this has really worried me and I gave her some formula yesterday when she was being particularly fussy and she seemed much happier and we’ve given her a couple when she’s been really ratty. Only thing is I am so so so sad every time she rejects me and takes a bottle I can’t stop crying about it. I don’t want her to be hungry but I love feeding her myself and It took an awful lot of work to get breastfeeding started in the first place. Don’t know what to do.

OP posts:

Original poster

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 21:06

Really would like some tips, I'm a bit beside myself at the moment I am not ready for this.

OP posts:

Rainbowandraindrops67 · 08/12/2017 21:09

You need to speak to a breast feeding counsellor
Are there any bf cafes or drop in groups in your area? Google should tell
Is she teething? Try calpol 30 mins before a feed
When you feed keep putting her back on the same side even if she keeps coming off so she’s not just getting the first watery milk each time

EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic · 08/12/2017 21:14

Have you called one of the Bfing Helplines OP? Do you have the numbers?

Original poster

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 21:34

I haven't, no. Will they be open on weekends? And where do I get their number? Thankyou

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keeponworking · 08/12/2017 21:43

Green poos, a bit bubbly (the poo itself, possibly) and fussing at the breast can be a sign of poor latch. What I found was that positioning got out of whack each time my DS grew bigger! So if I was feeding him on the left, he'd be too far over - as he grew, I kinda had to keep moving him more over to the right before latching him on.

It's an emotional minefield bfeeding isn't it! I know how awful it can be - my DS was a bloody nightmare, DD a dream, you can never know how it's going to go.

Try La Leche League on 0345 120 2918.

museumum · 08/12/2017 21:44

Hi
At that age my ds became really hard to feed and the HV recommended I try to feed him when he first woke up and was still dozy.
We ended up in a routine of wake-feed-play-nap-feed-play-etc which worked well for us and I think matches the EASY routine from one of the books (no idea which one). I combined it with the 90minute sleep solution book so I put him down for a nap roughly 90mins after he previously woke up.
This worked for us up till 6mo+ when the whole good thing kicked in.

Rainbowandraindrops67 · 08/12/2017 21:51

Another thing to try is to try feeding standing up whilst rocking (if you can!) if it’s something distracting them (pain from teeth, external sights) this can help focus attention

Original poster

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 21:53

The green bubbly poop is definitely what she's got going on at the moment, saw some come out the other day and it looked like shaving foam! I do usually try to feed her as she wakes up but I'll keep persisting, maybe try different positions. Unfortunately I've become completely reliant on our feeding cushion and I'm pants at feeding her without it but I'll give it a whack.

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Rainbowandraindrops67 · 08/12/2017 22:06

Just keep feeding on one side whatever position you do as you need to let her get some hind/end milk

Original poster

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 22:09

Thankyou rainbow I will do, just wondering tho will it affect my supply on the other side??

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Rainbowandraindrops67 · 08/12/2017 22:14

Well it shouldn’t technically if you are draining one then starting on the other - the thing is she’s just nibbling from each breast - taking a sip or two. You need to get her to drink all of one boob before starting on the other - even if it’s in sips.

What you shouldn’t do is let her sip one side then try the other then go back - she’s only getting the foremilk this way which is likely leading to the green poos

Rainbowandraindrops67 · 08/12/2017 22:15

What will affect your supply massively though is giving bottles!

Callamia · 08/12/2017 22:16

I have a four month old too, and I’m having a faff with him. I think his greener-than-usual poo is about teething dribble, and he’s feeding very fussily during the day (unless he’s really hungry or sleepy).

I remember this with my eldest, and I was anxious as anything about it. I basically chased him about to force him to feed - I definitely didn’t need to. He continued to grow just fine, and got over his fussiness (I thought he’d fade away he seemed to feed to little).

What I’m taking from this is that four month olds are hard work. Teeth, distractabilty, all conspire to make us feel hopeless.

tiktok · 08/12/2017 22:17

Please do call a BF helpline.

Rainbow, this is not the right suggestion, sorry.

What you are saying reduces intake, reduces volume, reduces supply and reduces calories. Deliberately feeding one sided is only ever advisable if there is over supply or if the baby indicates this is his or her preference and there are no weight gain concerns.

OP it's not really possible to say what's going on, but green poo can be normal, slight slowing of weight gain can be normal, and shorter breastfeeds could be normal. So it could all be ok, and it could resolve itself :)

On the other hand, something may be going on - and you do need to discuss with someone knowledgable in real life to find out.

Hope all is well soon.

Utini · 08/12/2017 22:19

We had this at a similar age. DD would feed ok in the night. All other feeds were done standing up and rocking out walking around with her, with the hoover on! It lasted a few weeks before gradually getting better. Never did figure out what the problem was, but those distractions helped a lot. I hope it passes soon.

tiktok · 08/12/2017 22:20

Just to add: OP, please don't do what Rainbow suggests. It will not help.

keeponworking · 08/12/2017 22:20

Are you right handed and find it easier to feed off the left breast?

The position you hold your hands in to bring the baby to the breast can be replicated EXACTLY the same as the way you do it on your easy side, by using a different position for the baby's body.

It's called the rugby ball hold. See this video for help - but it would be an improvement to have your DD supported on pillows to your right hand side to raise her up closer to your boob so you've only got to bring her a little way to get her on the breast AND really really tuck her in close to the right hand side of your body - it's really easy for the baby to appear to be close enough but in fact they are actually too far away.

Do you think it's like me, cack-handed on one side, but ok on the other?

Also, I used to be the same with the cushions - for a very long time I couldn't go anywhere as I had to have everything just so - that did get a lot lot better at a certain point though so I didn't even have to think what I was doing! It took a while.

mehhh · 08/12/2017 22:22

I am in exactly the same situation with you but 5 month old, she has never ever had any issues with breastfeeding and has always face planted my boob at every given opportunity, the past few weeks (since 3rd injections actually) she has been horrendous to bf, she will cry arch her back etc when ever I try and latch her... we have found bottles during the day and snuggles in bed at night and morning whilst breastfeeding to be the answer, would you be ok with combi feeding?

I'm exactly like you I couldn't stop crying last weekend about the fact she wouldn't latch

mehhh · 08/12/2017 22:24

Also maybe try in bed feeding? Pretty much the only place my dd will latch now, I lay on my side facing her and she lays on her side, great if you're doing skin to skin as well x

LiquoricePickle · 08/12/2017 22:50

Actually, I did the same as rainbow and it solved the problem. Have you tried expressing milk? That way you could see if it's the milk causing issues or if it's something else.

Rainbowandraindrops67 · 08/12/2017 23:11

Tiktok - you are wrong - if you actually read what im advising it is not ‘one sided feeding’ - it’s drink one side before the other

tiktok · 08/12/2017 23:20

Rainbow, you are advising 'draining' the breast, drinking 'all the milk' in one breast before swapping, and putting the baby back on the same breast repeatedly until this is done.

This is virtually one sided feeding, and in any case it is not helpful. I am sure your aim is sincere and in some cases to do this is fine - most women with a robust milk supply will cope well with this and some babies will not mind a bit. Some mothers and babies end up in this mode anyway....it suits them and their babies 😀.

But as a strategy with a baby whose weight is causing the mum concern, it's not helpful. It's not possible to drain a breast anyway.

The concept of fore and hindmilk in this context is outdated - milk does vary in fat content related to the volume of milk in the breast, but it's just not a useful tactic to think of it in the way you are suggesting.

Original poster

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 23:20

Lol I am as we speak doing skin to skin trying to feed her laying down in the dark in bed. She seems to be having a little go. As for expressing, I could never get much out with the pump like 2oz from both boobs max was the most I'd ever really get tbh and still the same now. I can express with my hands a bit and milk appears to be squirting out so I'm pretty sure the milk is there. Fingers crossed she just snaps out of this.

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LiquoricePickle · 08/12/2017 23:24

I hate pumping too (and I'm also doing it too). I wish I could really help, but I hope at the very least you feel supported.

Original poster

Starlight52 · 08/12/2017 23:30

Liquorice Thankyou, definitely nice to talk to other mums on here, I've had a horrid couple of days, people around me keep saying that it's fine for her to be formula fed, lots of babies are ff and do well but it's not helping with the upset, I don't want to ff I guess I could think about combo feeding but even the few bottles she has had over the last few days have both upset and annoyed me, after having bf for 4 months it seems like such a faf!!

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