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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

4 month old too distracted to feed...end of my tether

82 replies

mamaduckbone · 02/12/2009 16:00

The only time I can get my 4 1/2 month old ds to feed properly and for any length of time is last thing in the evening and during the night - the rest of the time life is just too exciting, even if it's just the 2 of us on the sofa or bed with no distractions.

5 minutes is as long as he'll stay on for and there's no way I can persuade him to feed for longer, even if it's been 3 hours or more since his last feed. I feel like my supply is suffering as he won't persevere beyond one let down, and I'm getting really frustrated, not to mention knackered, as he'll happily feed 2 or 3 times in the night.

We've both had colds and I don't know if that's caused the problem if he's too stuffed up to feed, and I've been very run down and off my food so would this have affected my milk?

I've avoided having him weighed the last couple of weeks so don't know if it's affected his weight gain, but I am getting to the point of thinking I can't breastfeed him any more, not because I don't want to but because it's such bloody hard work.

To add to this, he started out as a really good sleeper, was able to settle himself easily and did a good stretch of 6 or 7 hours in the night from early on, and now struggles to settle himself and I'm lucky if I get 3 hours out of him. I feel that I must have done something horrifically wrong to turn a good feeder/sleeper into such a crappy one.

I was determined not to try and force a routine onto him after tying myself up in knots with ds1, but met a friend today who's done Gina and now has her baby sleeping through with a bottle of ebm at 10. She sat contentedly feeding in a busy cafe whilst ds was all over the place.

He is alert, very smily and has plenty of wet / dirty nappies so I know there's nothing too badly out of sorts but it's getting me down and I feel as though my milk is disappearing because he's just not interested.

God, sorry for long rant. Any advice????

OP posts:
mamaduckbone · 05/01/2010 20:14

Hi fabulosa and welcome! Well, I'm the OP and in the 5 weeks since I posted it has become easier to feed DS in the day - I just had to do a bit of adjusting, which took a while.

I'm generally a feed anywhere kind of gal but have to take him away from stimulation now - no feeding in cafes or a room full of people. Also, I feed him a little less often so he's properly hungry.

It's made no difference whatsoever to his sleep I'm sorry to say but I'm a little less frustrated at least.

OP posts:
HerMomminess · 05/01/2010 22:13

Welcome fabulosa! I thought I might be able to tempt you over from your rhread where I posted a reply.

I have to agree mama. Bit better here but we are now onto 2 bottles a day. Not quite 'rplaceing' bf's.Rather an adjunct it seems. I' m going to the baby cafe this week to see how much weight she has picked up.

ANyway, DD1 only 22 weeks but we' re trying BLW. Sucking/messing/gnawing with great gusto.

Nights so-so. Y' day went down at 1930...woke up at 0300. Bu which time both DH and I were lying awake wondering if she was ok...and my boobs nearly exploded .

Ditto new things to worry about: I' m now skulking on weaning threads. Who' d have thought it!

mamaduckbone · 06/01/2010 20:39

7.30 to 3am sounds like heaven right now...the best we've had recently is 10.30-2.30 when we were away at SIL's over New Year.

We're also BLW - I messed about with baby rice and a bit of pureed stuff at about 22 weeks but he is so much happier feeding himself so now we've hit 26weeks we're going for it and an amazing amount is going in.

When I think of all the blardy ice cube trays of purees that ds1 spat back at me! This is soooo much easier!

Chunks of butternut squash and broccoli t'night - yum! (We're going to end up turning this into a weaning thread HerMomminess!)

I'm really tired at the moment. Up on average every 1.5-2 hours. Soon we're going to have to try something new if it doesn't improve - not sure what though...

OP posts:
HerMomminess · 08/01/2010 13:43

Howdie mama&all,

Just thought I should update all. Had her weighed yesterday...and she picked up over a kilo in 5 weeks!! Now she has never been a big baby and has just crossed the 50th centile.

Amazing, which might explain all the wake ups. However I am glad I kept feeding her rather than boiled water/soothing bollocks-if you excuse my french.

Still going ok here but why/ for how long I don' t know.

mamaduckbone · 10/01/2010 13:26

Hurrah! Only 2 wake ups last night - 12.00 and 3.30 - maybe food is taking an effect - he has certainly taken to food!

OP posts:
fabulosa · 11/01/2010 17:41

Glad to hear that weaning is going well. I wish DS was old enough for that (still 2 months to go!). He's gone to feeds approx every 4 hours through the day now but over the past few days has developed the (quite irritating) habit of waking at about 6am and wanting a feed. If I give him a full 7oz bottle at this time it will knock him off schedule for the other feeds in the day. I've found if I try to feed him more frequently than 4 hourly we get nowhere and he won't take any. If he could just go another hour and last until about 7 then we'd be OK. Is this something that babies do regularly at this age (nearly 17 weeks)? Will he just be able to last longer soon, like he was able to do when he was younger? I don't know if I should try to do anything about this or just go with it and hope it passes soon.

HerMomminess · 11/01/2010 21:16

I just went with it fabulose And the weight gain might explain that it was a growth spurt. I don' t know though.

IKWYM bout early wake ups and being out of synch. But if DC is starving I don' t think you have much choice. DD did go back to sleep for about 2 hours after the 5/6am feed thill 0830 which gave me a bit of zzz's too.

Only 1 wake up last 5 nights so hang in there.

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