8 month old refusing to breast feed - is this normal when teething???

[lizziejo]

My DS is now 8 months and for last week has been teething badly. We've had the sleepless nights / refusing solids etc but he would always feed from me.

But since yesterday afternoon he won't breast feed at all so I have been expressing everything and bottle feeding it.

This didn't happen with the previous 2 teeth and I just wondered if others have had this problem.

Yes. Totally normal. Keep offering, he'll go back to it.

Thanks for that. It just seemed odd that he would talk the bottle but not me. But I suppose its a different sucking method

Mine went off bf-ing when teething but then fed like crazy once the pain reduced.

Have you tried giving paracetamol? If it's not so painful then your ds might feed better.

I've been giving calpol at night and we have tried Bonjela (but that gets a bit messy and not sure it ends up when it should). He also seems to have a tiny ulcer on his tongue which probably isn't helping.

Maybe we should try paracetaamol - do I ask for liquid paracetamol for babies from the pharmacist??

Calpol is paracetamol. Sorry it's not working for your ds.

My sympathies. Nursing strikes are a complete mare aren't they - especially if you have a baby that is always fed to sleep like mine!

FWIW DS has had 2 strikes now (is 8mo) and both lasted 4 days.

I found it helpful to try to be very nonchalant about it like "oh yes I appear to have my bare breasts on show I wonder if anyone will come and feed from them...."

Or maybe I just looked like a loon.....

I think I knew that...must be all the sleepless nights!!

my last point was re the calpol

I might try that Wuglet! Its so strange after having bf him for this long for him to be showing no interest in them at all! And I also feed him to sleep so we're having a bit of trouble at bedtime now.

DH is realising how lucky he's been all this time as he was having to defrost milk at 6am this morning!

Just wondering if he was back on the boob yet?

Hope so!

Thanks for asking! Yes -he is indeed back on the boob and seems to be making up for lost time! Still refusing most solids though.

But I'm a little worried my milk quantity has dropped now - definately feel different but hopefully his renewed enthusiasim will sort it out.

Its certainly not the same when you just express milk - by the 4th day hardly anything was coming out - I was getting rather worried!