sigh... anyone got any tips for helping my 6mo be less impatient for letdown?

[Monkeybird]

Hi all

Been BF DS3 for 6 months now and he's often had a tendency to go on nursing strikes. just lately he's been getting frustrated with waiting for a letdown in the evenings/late afternoons. I have two other children and we've just moved house (argh!) so life is completely stressful, not to mention the 'normal' being knackered in the evenings.

Not really feasible to rest more, or express beforehand or express in general to increase supply in evenings, since V busy time with kids, dinner etc... I have tried, er, a bit of nipple twiddling to see if I can help things along a bit but it still seems to take too long. he then gets into awful vicious circles where he gets too hungry to sleep but too tired to suck, and it all takes hours then to get him to feed well...

I'm hoping someone has a magic trick to solve this one... perhaps the answer is to just go straight for the squishy broccoli/BLW/ baby rice option now?

...that'll be a 'no' then?

Just bumping really, when mine were babies we were told to start solids at 3 months!

I think you should try not to worry as it's happening, just mentally block your ears and ignore the kerfuffle. I found the let down a bit like going for a wee - you can't force it, and the more you stress, the harder it becomes.

DD3 was/is an impatient stroppy mare and would flail and shout, but I used to tease until I could get a good latch with a howling mouth, and if she didn't concentrate, she'd get an eyefull!

At 6 months, I had a couple of weeks of baby crying, waiting for let down that wasn't happening fast enough - this suddenly went into nursing strike for a whole 24 hours. It went away as quickly as it came, if that's any help and has become just one of those things that I remember along the way now. At the time, I definitely felt the let down was taking longer and DD was getting so frustrated. I don't know what caused it or why it went away, but we didn't do anything different in feeding terms, just waited it out.

just posting quickly to remind myself to reply. dinner's ready, but we had this problem for a long time. back later

Mokeybird we had this problem for months. DD would try and feed but get impatient and upset then refuse to feed. It caused many nights of tears from both of us and arguments with DH over persevering with bfing in the face of this. BFCs couldn't work out the problem. Still very occasionally get it.

My key advice:
try to feed before DS gets tired, that's probably teaching you to suck eggs, but we moved DD's feeding time an hour earlier and things were much better (and she doesn't wake up much earlier)

There are different tricks you can use to encourage a let down. Check out kellymom for more info, e.g. creating an association, rescue remedy, glass of wine... I used to try expressing to get started but usually fruitless and therefore more stressful.

Don't know if you can get any ebm but sometimes it might be worth just heading the problem off at the pass and when you can see it coming giving a bottle of ebm or even formula. My bfc gave me that piece of advice. Sometimes a well-timed bottle of formula is the magic trick to avoiding a battle with bfing. We fortunately have never had to resort to the formula, but then I express religiously (but then I only have one child , I've done it every morning since she has slept through, nice full boobs, feed her on one, express of the other, then let her finish that breast off if she wants more). But we have had very stressful times where we have been desperately defrosting ebm!

Another tip is to just wonder round the room with him in your arms, not sure it does anything but soothe them but occasionally I could persuade DD to finally latch on.

She is 8 mo now and BLWed but I think the biggest factor has been feeding her before she gets too tired.

I'm sorry you are struggling. It has been so stressful for us, I nearly gave up so often. It's almost a relief to know someone else has had the same problem as I started to think it was all in my head as no-one could explain why or offer any useful advice, and it didn't seem to happen to anyone else. I had so many posts on here at one point! Good luck anyway, hope it sorts itself out.

Oh bumper has just reminded me of the one thing I did that helped (which I think I got from kellymom) - I expressed just a tiny bit outside of feed times and then dribbed a bit of that EBM over DD's lips/ rubbed some on nipple at start of feed and that made all the difference in encouraging DD to stay latched on long enough to get to let down. You need only a bit really so could hand express. HTH. Bumper I was scouring here when this happened to me and wish I'd found your messages!!!

Thanks Bumper and Pillow

Yeah - might make a bit more effort to actually express more, with previous two had gallons of the stuff in the freezer, but somehow, with 3, I just can't be arsed!!

But I want to see if I can have one baby for whom formula never passes his lips so will persevere when bit less frantic unpacking etc..

Bit better this week anyway as think he was fighting off a cold last week but all advice gratefully received!

And we're gonna get those mushy broccoli trees out just as soon as I can move the boxes off the dining room floor...

and siiiiiiggggggggggggggghhhhhh at 'when she slept through'

not had a baby yet who has!