DD seems to be weaning herself - she's only 8 months old - very upset

[whomovedmychocolate]

DD has been pulling away from the breast for about a week but for the last couple of days I can only get her to feed properly last night at night and first thing in the morning. At other times she wriggles or pulls away (with teeth)

I don't know what's going on and am very upset about it - not least because I keep getting bitten.

Anyone got any ideas?

I guess it's just time, chocolate.

Perhaps someone will come on with techniques or suggestions on how to continue bf, but ultimately, if she no longer wants to, then it may be time for a re-think.

My friend was trying for the full year, but her ds suddenly pulled away from the breast at about eight months, and so she stopped.

If it helps at all, once it was over with, she was really quite relieved.

my daughter started doing this at 8 months so she just fed morning and night I think they do this as they start taking more food

she is 12 months now and I havnt fed her since saturday she's not interested

Both of my boys stopped around 8 months altogether

can I say to try and find somthing else she will go to sleep with now because I always fed my dd to sleep
since saturday we have had a nightmare she doesnt want me but she doesnt know how else to get to sleep

whomoved - this is very young for self-weaning. Check out threads on nursing strike, and call the helplines. This does happen, but it does not have to lead to weaning.

I doesn't seem like a strike tiktok - because sometimes she'll nurse happily - when she's ready for bed, but most of the time she just doesn't want it and makes that very clear - but at the same time she's madly clingy and worried when I go out of the room. I wanted to go on for at least a year.

I really do enjoy feeding her (when she's not bitey!)

nything changed, recently, whomoved? Gone back to work? Daddy not around? Change in routine? New child carer?

Nope, we've just come back off holiday for a week but her routine wasn't particularly disrupted. She has taken a bit of a dislike for her dad the last couple of days but seems fine with him today - he has hay fever and she gets scared when he sneezes because it's loud but I wouldn't have thought that could be it.

Thank you for trying to come up with ideas.

Has he sneezed when she has been feeding and made her jump? Even once?

Not jump - howl a lot but not jump!

Are you suggesting that is what is stopping her nursing? And if so what can I do apart from lace DHs wine with piriton (now there's a plan)

see info here

aha....yes, I am suggesting that. It just has to happen once. It happens sometimes when a baby bites accidentally and mum screeches in pain, and baby gets upset and that can put him/her off the experience of bf.

For a time.

Temporarily.

Not for ever.

They get over it.

OK???

It seems to me like an instant Pavlovian reflex - they have a fright when bf, they associate the bf with the fright, they resist the bf.

All the usual tips for nursing strike apply - try when baby is sleepy, lure the baby to the breast, go somewhere quiet, keep skin to skin, try co-bathing, don't fight, be patient, feed in an unusual position eg standing up, twirl yourself around holding baby while latching.....

All worth a try

The fact sometimes she'll feed without a fuss is also typical, whomoved....the strike behaviour is not always consistent.

Dd4 was like this at a year. She bit me, I screamed and she refused to feed

I didn't have the benefit of a good health visitor or mumsnet so gave up.

Cappucino - ha! That link contained a message from me in my old username suggesting a frozen flannel to chew on first.

Having said: the little monkey has fallen in love with me again overnight and has had three big feeds (I did dose DH up on piriton last night and he's not sneezing - although he's barely conscious so I'm not surprised!)

Hurrah! Perhaps she was just having a bad couple of days.

Awwww fab news

whomoved - I am pleased and totally unsurprised

tiktok - smugness does not become you

But thank you - I was pulling my hair out. Also drugging DH was an excellent idea, he slept without snoring for the first time in YEARS!

Yep - I was being a bit smug

Your story shows that bf doesn't have to stop with a glitch like that - we don't know if it was MrWhoMoved's ear-splitting sneezathon to blame, but it's a reasonable guess, and you did the right thing hanging on in there

Imagine if you were enjoying a nice snoozy cuddle and someone operated a foghorn in your ear - you'd be upset and a little wary next time you snuggled down

I actually don't think babies figure it out in quite this way, but I do think bad experiences at the breast have an effect (temporary, only).

I think she just likes to exercise her independence now and then, the little monkey!

Am so pleased she's back on track though, I want to be able to wear my lactivist t shirts for a while longer

Hi,

My son did this too at around the same stage. He'll probably come back to it in a few days time, plus at that age they feed much more efficiently so don't need to do it for as long as they have previously. My son did carry on but he's cut down to basically a feed in the morning and one at bedtime, which is fine as he eats really well in the day. It's sad but I don't think he'll bother for much longer! I'm just hoping he hangs in til 1 and then he can have cows milk if he really objects and no need for formula. You just have to trust them to know what they need (most of the time, anyway) which is easier said than done, but I know where you're coming from.

HTH!

Nope, sadly not up the duff at all, did a test and everything. Would also have had to be miraculous conception as have been too busy to get pregnant