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Infant feeding

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

11 month old breast refusal

5 replies

bawbles · 31/05/2018 23:44

DS is EBF but has never been a great feeder. Was IUGR/LBW. Lost lots of weigh initially despite being assured all was well feeding wise. Went private to have feeding assessed at 3 weeks and he had a 100% tongue tie which we had revised.

After this latch remained shallow but he fed much better and gained lots/much happier.

Introduced solids at six months and he eats well, self feeds mostly as prefers this. He has a sippy cup of water with meals. He started sleeping through the night at 7 months,

Recently he had a spell of night waking and had a cold so was vomiting mucus after milk feeds. DH started giving him water in a bottle when he woken in the night as he was coughing but bfing usually meant he was sick. He really enjoyed having water in a bottle and drained a couple of oz quickly.

Since then he cut a tooth and resumed sleeping through but has been getting fussier with bfing. Any distractions he wouldn't feed so it was always curtains shut, lights off, nobody talk etc. The bedtime feed he never seemed fussed about, DH puts him to bed but I've always fed him first and left them snuggling but he was happy to just snuggle DH and nod off next to him.

For the last two weeks he's completely refused the bedtime feed but whinged and kept signing for milk until DH gave him the bottle of water. I said to DH I was worrying that he still needs the milk so after the boob refusal he gave him expressed milk in the bottle. Anything in the bottle he downs hungrily and happily (we do paced feeding but he'd glug the lot in one if we let him)

Since yesterday he's refused the breast completely and wouldn't even latch on - just hits me away. I've been expressing and giving him the milk in a cup at mealtimes and just the one bottle at bedtime after trying to bf him. We had a long bath earlier and was hoping the skin to skin helped but he was too busy climbing/laughing/playing.

I feel really sad as I fed my other babies much longer than this and hoping this isn't the end.

Any advise welcome.

OP posts:
TheyCanGoInTheBucket · 02/06/2018 19:02

No advice sorry but the same happened to me at 11.5 months. I desperately wanted to get to 12 months so I could wean onto cows milk so I expressed like a mad woman for two weeks. With hindsight I should have just switched to cows milk earlier, doubt a couple of weeks would have done much harm.

It coincided with DC having an ear infection which I believe meant they found it easier to drink through a tear rather than latch. No idea if that's true tho.

I kept trying to get them back on to latch but it didn't work. DC had last bottle of expressed milk on 1st birthday and then did a few feeds of 50/50 cows/breast to wean them onto cows milk. Worked for us.

I was really sad to end it but tbf it was DCs choice, which did make it easier.

bawbles · 02/06/2018 21:53

Ahh thanks for response. I feel the same about the 12 months thing. I’ve managed to get him to latch for the odd feed the last two days so fingers crossed I can eeek it out. If Dh gives him a bottle and there’s less than 4oz expressed he’s been topping it up with cows milk. So he’s been having the odd oz here and there but hoping to keep him on mostly bm for now

OP posts:
JiltedJohnsJulie · 07/06/2018 20:03

How are you getting on now bawbles?

bawbles · 07/06/2018 22:31

He’s feeding again, usually just morning and bedtime. Won’t take it other times - I always offer at naptime or if he’s hurts (keeps bumping head clambering around) but he looks at me in disgust and slaps my boob

OP posts:
JiltedJohnsJulie · 08/06/2018 16:39

So glad he’s feeding again, for both of you Smile

he looks at me in disgust and slaps my boob this made me laugh though. They are all so different aren’t the? Smile

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