Advice needed re 9 month old who won't bf any more.

[JustAnotherManicMummy]

DS is 9 mo. He's been feeding well when calm, not over-tired or distracted. Since yesterday he's stopped breastfeeding. He has one suck and then bites me.

I've tried different positions, different times of day and both breasts. The last couple of tries he's just cried and wriggled away

I've checked his mouth to see if he's hurting there but can't see anything. He does seem a bit out of sorts, but then that could be because he's hungry! He has eaten his breakfast and had a chew on a pita bread this afternoon but does not seem particularly interested.

He's missed about 3 feeds now and I would like to keep breastfeeding if possible so if one has any good ideas or suggestions I'd be very grateful, not least because he won't take a bottle or formula from a cup.

TIA

if one? if any one. Not Mrs Bucket honest

sympathies!

I wonder if it's a nursing strike or more like my experience. My 9 month old DS did something similar about three or four weeks ago. I was devastated...and sore. In desperation I tried offering him BF more often. That made it worse. He would shriek, arch his back etc. I took the opposite tack and was really calm (to him) about it and just offered when usual feeding time came around. He fed during the night for two nights (about three feeds as usual)but refused all day time feeds but then resumed slowly, with one in the morning when still in bed and then another at 5pm and before bed. The other feeds have been well and truly dropped. Occasionally this week, when on holiday at my Mums I have offered another and he has had a little.

I was so glad I knew about the possibility of strikes but gutted when I thought he might be on one, but I don't think what we had was a strike really. There is lots on kellymom about nursing strikes. You might want to hand express for your own comfort as well?

Oh thank you so much for replying logrrl. That sounds very similar. I will have a look at Kellymom to get some more info - very good advice.

Did you replace the missed feeds with formula? Or was he just not interested at all?

I've got an electric pump so have expressed today (for the first time in about 4 months!)and I managed to get him to feed at about 7.30am but he rejected the 10.30am, 2/3pm and 5/6pm feeds.

Trouble is he just won't sleep for more than 45 minutes without a bf

oh DS doesn't sleep for more than 45 mins BF or no BF during the day but let his daddy settle him for those few nights he refused the bedtime feed.

I didn't replace missed feeds with anything as I was hoping he would come back to his BF when he realised what he was missing...does that sound terrible? I offered water in a cup and he didn't really drink that either so I WAS worried about his hydration as his napppies were light and few. Actually, formula never occurred to me . I have never expressed either, so just put up with the discomfort (but have since at least learned how, in theory from "the womanly art of breastfeeding", which also has a bit on strikes).

I guess it will be interesting to see if he takes a feed during the night when he is sleepy-I have heard of this working with younger babies and like I say, DS never dropped these feeds. Unless of course you have one of those strange babies that usually sleeps through the night ...

ps I felt emotionally delicate and rejected...so I hope you have someone to hold your hand through this...

My ds is 10 months and has recently had a nursing strike. He was fine in the morning but wouldn't have anything during the day. I put him to bed at night then got him up after he had about 20 min sleep and he fed really well. It lasted about 10 days and now he is back to normal.

I feel ok, probably because most of my other RL friends had weaned onto bottles at 6 months so everything after that seems to be a bonus. And DH is around at the moment and very supportive.

DS has seemed a bit out of sorts recently, but I put it down to Christmas and a full house of over-stimulation. But now I'm pondering if he's got a sore mouth - pos teething?? Course he could just have inheirted my bloody-mindedness!

logrrl I don't think it's bad you didn't offer him something extra. I was just curious really. DS has been offered water and expressed breast milk but he isn't really interested. He's usually pretty good at letting us know when he's hungry/thirsty but I'll keep an eye on the number of wet and dirty nappies to be on the safe side.

thisparachute I did manage to get DS to have a bit this morning but I'm loathe to wake him up as he usually boobs to sleep and he had about half the usual amount of sleep last night as he screeched when he was offered the breast.

Well, I am glad that I am not alone - thank you, both of you. I wonder if DS is just trying to say that he doesn't want as much bfing as before and would like to have a routine that is less boob-orientated? I suppose time will tell.

Gosh this sounds just like my DD!. At 8 months, she decided that daytime feeds were just too boring and was not interested. I was so stressed I tried to offer her feeds more, she just pushed me away . She wouldn't drink water either, we were on holiday and I was worried about dehydration.
Anyway, she started having a couple of daytime feeds again but only until 10 months, when she dropped to just early morning and bedtime. I was a bit gutted, but then it meant that I could start wearing impractical-for-breastfeeding clothes, which was rather nice!.
DDs now 12 months and we're still bf morning and night. Thought she's lost interest in the morning one, as she slept from 7pm until 8.30pm without wanting a feed this morning BUT when she was handed to DH she started sobbing and doing a 'please mummy I really need boob' face which I was secretly very chuffed about

oooooppps 7pm until 8.30AM

Hi. Just to add that I posted on here a month or so ago with a similar story.
Felt absolutely devastated. Totally rejected.
Just kept offering him breast, but did best to not make an issue of it when he refused it (shrieked/arched away/bit me etc).
After a few days, he just started feeding again.
So no advice. But I know I felt wretched at the time, so wanted you to know it might just pass.
(and once it passed he went back to same number of feeds as before it. It was all a bit odd, but am just glad it ended!)

how you getting on manicmummy?

Thanks for asking logrrl He's still not interested. Gave me a nasty nip this morning and then went back to sleep instead of usual feed but he's had a red cheek and stinky breath last night so wondering if he has inflamed teething/infection. I've had a look at Kellymom and I'm going to keep offering and just hope he suddenly gets back on the boob!

Thanks picc and notsotinybaba it's encouraging to know he might just get over it. And if not at least there are nice clothes/wine/teeth whitening to look forward to

And I'll happily give up the day feeding if he'll sleep through - in his own bed in his own room

Maybe TMI, I've remembered that I also kept my top off when we were indoors (well, open shirt and cardigan), and this seemed to encourage him a bit more, so that when he initially started feeding again it was in a relaxed, playful way, almost by accident, iyswim.

Ahh yes I've tried that. He climbed up on me this evening so I got the norks out. And he bit me and then cried

He seems to be eating more solids though and drinking lots of water and expressed milk so that's something at least