DD2 has tonsillitis and has refused to latch on for 48 hours - please come and tell me she won't forget how to!

[blowninonabreeze]

She 12.5 months and usually a boob fiend.

Has been pretty poorly with nasty looking tonsillitis. High temps, miserable, very little solids.

She now hasn't latched on for 48 hours. She'll take the nipple between her lips and lie like she does to feed but won't latch on.

She seems to be turning a corner now physically but still won't feed.

Please someone tell me they've had something like this without their LOs forgetting how to feed. Or is this the end?

we had 4 days last week when my ds had a very sore mouth (either hand foot and mouth or c pox) and he would not feed. On the 5th day it was as if he'd never stopped. I was fretting that this was it, but it clearly wasn't!

He's 9 months btw.

Are you stil expressing to maintain supply?

DD2 had several episodes of 2 weeks off the boob (in hospital for bowel ops) and came back to it without too much difficulty. But she did self wean at 13 months ( not after a period of illness but becuase she wanted breakfast with her big sis and was too nosy)

Hope it all goes ok for you

Well we're now on day 5 and she still hasn't latched on again.

She's physically better and eating well so I'm guessing that this is it

I continued pumping until yesterday but thought I'd stop as don't want to prolong things if she isn't going back to it.

She gets quite distressed now if I offer it

Emotionally I'm varying between feeling positive that we got to 12.5 months and stopping has been (reasonably) pain free for both of us. Five minutes later I find myself in floods of tears!

I can't quite believe that this has all happened so very quickly. This time last week I was getting exaperated that she was feeding so much!

Try not ot be too sad!

Whatever happens and for whatever reason she's doing things at her own pace and as a parent that is the most fantastic achievement.

Children have so few opportunities to make their own decisions; parents constantly struggle to make their dcs to do what they think is best for them - but you have a child who is doing things her way.

If you're really keen to continue perhaps you should try a dream feed.

I wonder if she associates bf with the pain of tonsillitus.

Or accept it as her time to selfwean. My youngest self weaned at 11 months, being the youngesst of 4 I think she was just desperate to big like her sisters

With what I experienced last week and all the advic ei got I;d say keep on pumping just a bit longer just in case....

If you think you can/have come to terms with the possibility of her self weaning, that's great, but if not I really would keep hoping abit longer.

lots of supportive latching on thoughts.

Thanks everyone, I think her self weaning at nearly 13 months I can come to terms with, its just a bit of a shock. She really was a complete boob monster, to the point where at times I couldn't sit her on my knee as she wouldn't leave them alone!

I'll keep pumping in the evenings for a few days just to make sure she doesn't change her mind!

I keep telling myself that now I can go out and buy some fabulous dresses for all the weddings we're going to this summer - I thought I'd have to wear separates to allow boob access