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Infant feeding

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

Distracted BF baby driving me to madness!

6 replies

Smuddy81 · 01/03/2010 19:24

My DS is just over 4 months and for a few weeks now we've struggled with him being so easily distracted during feeding. (He is exclusively breastfed).

When we are at home alone during the day or in the night when its dark there isnt a problem but if there is anything remotely interesting going on around him he has to have a good look. Or if he hears me or anyone speak he cant help but sharply turning his head. (youch!)Even if there's nothing else going on sometimes he is completely distracted by my pressence and just wants to gaze and grin at me. (Dont get me wrong, its a beautiful sight but it can get very old!)

I know that general advice is to always try and feed in a quiet, preferably dark, environment but we go out a lot and as he's still fed roughly every 3 hours in the day, we are usually out for at least one feed a day when I'm lucky to get a few mouthfuls down him. Even if I take him to a quiet feeding room, a 'new' place will still distract him.

Not only am I worried about him not getting enough milk but the constant on/off is taking its toll on my nipples (not to mention my wound from recent op to remove a mastitis abscess!)

I was planning to wean him from breast to bottle when we start solids in a couple of months (I'm going back to work etc) but I have loved breastfeeding him so much that I dont want to stop sooner than I have to. Has anybody had any experience of this and have any magic tips? Its really starting to get me down, its so frustrating!

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 01/03/2010 19:33

time. it's bloody annoying, but they do grow out of it. tbh i don't do faffing around. if ds3 faffs then i cover up and just sit him up.

RubyBuckleberry · 01/03/2010 19:36

my ds the same! one day he was so distracted - we were out all day - that feeds were a three minute glug and then no more. it got to that night and he was starving - all night! he always feeds in about 10/15 minutes before going back to sleep, but one night it was about 6 times! i took to feeding him when he was sleepy which got us into a bit of a habit of feeding to sleep, not necessarily bad but i think it caused him to spit up a bit too much because he didn't burp well . I do my best to feed him as much as possible - when sleepy but have a few minutes upright before laying him down. tbh feeding out and about is always a bit sketchy and unfocused. two friends i also have EXACTLY the same problem.

Libramum · 01/03/2010 19:38

Sounds familiar. My ds is a similar age and is getting more and more distracted.Last night even when dh crept in and whispered across the room, ds popped off and looked round. I'm afraid I don't have any magic solutions, but I tend to take a feed of expressed milk when I'm feeding him out and about. He's still a bit distracted but it's a bit easier than having to reattach lots of times. Good luck!

teaandcakeplease · 01/03/2010 19:41

If my boy got distracted whilst out and didn't feed properly. I topped him up once home. Feeding lying down often worked well for me.

Stating the obvious, have you looked on kellymom?

Smuddy81 · 01/03/2010 20:16

Thanks for all your replies. It's always nice to know you're not alone! I shall check kellymom now.

OP posts:
RubyBuckleberry · 01/03/2010 20:22

kellymom pages sound like ds. snore. will just carry on then. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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