Bedtime bf - really desperate now!

[ChasingButterflies]

For the past few nights ds has been acting very oddly for his bedtime bf (usually the longest, snuggliest bf of the day). he was exc bf till yesterday, when he started on a little bit of solids (we're doing BLW), but the problems began before this. basically, he feeds well on both sides but then stops and pulls off. he's obv still hungry and nestles into me, rooting, etc, but won't actually latch - just opens his mouth around the nipple and pulls away again without even attempting to suck. he then gets very frustrated and cries and won't settle, even though he's v v tired. every night i've ended up giving him a bottle of EBM (expressed that morning).
i'm very confused. daytime feeds are pretty normal. i wondered if it's a growth spurt, but then surely he'd need to actually suck to boost my supply? am at my wits' end...

he's 6 months, BTW

They go through these restless periods.
Do you feed somewhere dark and quiet?
Have you tried lying down and letting him attach himself?
Or using a different hold?

Or trying again earlier or later?

thanks moondog, yes, it's all lovely and dark and quiet - we do it in the bedroom after he's had his bath (and no recent change in that pattern that might shed some light on this). i've never mastered feeding while lying down, unfortunately; really wish i had but not sure he'd go for it now?
it's so frustrating as he seems to be so tired but obv i don't want to put him to bed hungry

I would try feeding him before you think he goes into thsi phase.
Might be worth expressing at night as well ot keep supply up (althoguh shouldn't be such an issue at this age). Just thinkning that maybe if yuo have given EBM a few nights on th e trot,the evening supply might be lower than it was which will exacerbate his frustrations.
Perhaps?

Chasingbutterflies, my ds tends to do this during his day feeds - it's so frustrating isn't it? I'm sorry I don't have anything helpful to add but my ds is teething at the moment and I think that's making feeds a bit unpredictable - could that be a factor with your ds? Or could it be he's so tired that he's not feeding properly - my ds can sometimes get in a real state latching on and off and crying etc when he's very tired and trying to feed. Sorry prob not much help but you have my sympathies!

thanks both, yes, i think, on reflection, tiredness may be playing a part - his bedtime hasn't changed but he's been napping a lot less in the day for the past week or so, and i guess that could mean he needs to go to bed earlier. i'll try that tomorrow and see if it helps.
someone did suggest teething to me on an earlier thread, but would that affect only one feed (and the same one each day)? ds has no teeth yet so i have no clue!
off to pump!

I find that my ds seems worse at a certain time of day with teething and so it does affect certain feeds more than others. He's only 13 weeks (my dd was an early teether too) and also has a horrendous cough atm so feeding's no fun at all at the moment - just as I thought I was starting to get the hang of it! Oh well. Sorry to whinge on your thread - hope your ds settles down again soon - hopefully an earlier bedtime will help

no, whinge away - oddly reassuring to know we're not the only ones! hope your ds feels better soon