Can a baby just decide "no more BF"?

[TaurielTest]

It's a genuine question - this is how things feel with my DS, who's 7.5 months. SOme background in this post from a few days ago - things are still the same, he just will not feed unless he's practically asleep, there's always something else he'd rather be doing.
I was just saying to my DP how sad I felt about the prospect of moving to mixed/bottle feeding, as I always wanted to eBF until self-weaning, "until he didn't want to any more" - and DP said that it seemed like he didn't want to any more already. Has he got a point?

It's been a long time since I was bfing but...
Does he take the bottle easier than the breast? If the flow from the bottle comes easier than from the breast he might be being spoilt by it. Getting lazy?

Is he actually losing weight at the moment?
If not I might be tempted to replace bottle with breast so he gets used to the amount of effort and the mouth action being the same.

Is he getting too warm on the breast?

Is your hv worried?

He might just be on a growth plateau and not so hungry for the time being?

I don't know if any of those thoughts will help. Good luck with it.

As you said in your previous thread, often he rejects a bottle too -- so it's not as though he's specifically taken against breastfeeding.

DS became very very distractible at this age and I could only feed him in a quiet darkened room for a while. He did get over it eventually, to an extent -- I never had any more success bf in public where the world was just toooo exciting, but I could eventually feed him in familiar surroundings without having to dim the lights.

Your DS sounds as though he's having a more extreme version of that. I'd be inclined to keep persevering and regard it as a phase unless he seems to be actively losing weight or otherwise suffering as a result.

That's true C&S, it doesn't seem like a BF specific thing any more. He fed a bit more yesterday and we are soldiering on for the time being.
I finally got to speak to the HV today, but I didn't think much of her advice - she reckoned he was 'trying to tell me he wanted more solids', and that I am simply trying to BF him too frequently, once in the morning and once at night would be plenty as long as he got a pint?! I was getting definite undertones of disapproval for BLW and the impression that she thought I was trying to prolong BF for my own questionable motives, so I think I'll take what she said with a pinch or two of salt.

it's very, very unusual for a baby under a year old to self wean. usual age is between 2-4 I believe (though many sources say older)

i would ditch the bottles and just offer him breast as much as poss and see how you get on. they do get very distractible at times, but it usually passes

my dd did at 7 months, i tried for 2 weeks to get her to feed and in the end my milk dried up, we were all in tears and i had enough.
i have no idea what happened she wasn't on bottles either so it wasn't that.
do keep trying it may just be a blip, but it happened to me

I think babies can and do self wean, as they get food & water , they often decrease the bf, eventually self weaning..

Yes. They can. My DS was an addict, I tell you, then after 12 mos he didn't seem so keenly attached. I held on until he'd had his MMR, then at 14 mos I told him one day that the following day would be his last day of mummy's milk. He listened intently, gave no visible response but I knew he'd understood.

Following day I told him on his last feed that that would be the end. Same 'response'.

Following day: nada. He didn't come up and ask me for milk, just got on with his day.

After that it was me that was hankering for the BF days, not him! Prob took a good few months before I stopped longing to feed him!

Hi puddock, you are sad about possibly stopping b/f. So don't stop. I b/f all of mine for a year (whether they wanted it or not, not such a joke!) It is unlkely that he is self-weaning at his age. Is he teething maybe? or possibly unwell? Keep trying, I'm sure it will be OK in the end.

It is unlikely that your LO will self wean before 12 months, especially if you still want to bf.
It is usual for them to become very very distracted at this age, also I have been told they become more effective at feeding at what may have taken them time before hand they can just take what they want really quickly.
As food & other drink is introduced LO may also take less breast milk, though this isnt always the case.
When you bf, can you try doing it somewhere quiet where there are few distractions & maybe even lying down so you both rest together which may encourage a longer bf?
GOod luck, hang in there.