fussy breastfeeder

[blumberg]

I am discussion virgin, so please excuse if i mess up!!!! my 4 month old dh(??) has started rejecting the breast. she has the occasional bottle of expressed milk but is otherwise entirely breastfed. she will eat with gusto for two or three mins but will then point bank refuse to have anything more and start screaming if i try to offer more. she will sometimes move over to the other side successfully, but not always. some times it is not so confrontational but she becomes entirely distracted by the rest of the world - even in her nursery. has this happened to anyone??? any suggestions???? am scared of switching to formula or weaning as I have food allergies - know will have to happen one day but the later the better. Up until now has all been a dream.

She may well be getting all she want in a few minutes. Don't panic - at 4 months she is an expert at feeding. She will make sure she does not go hungry. This is a common trait at 4 months - no need to worry about changing to formula. You are doing a grand job

Totally agree - DD fed in less than 5 minutes at that age - was also a bit worried but she was contented !
She BF for 19 months...

HI Blumberg, and welcome. My ds also got distracted about 4 months, a month later and he was a five minute wonder. You do not have to switch to formula at the moment(actually you don't ever have to - but that's another thread entirely)
Just think how much extra play time you have with your dd. You are doing great,and exactly the right thing with allergies in your family.

hi blumberg
the same thing happened to me...I freaked out and felt sure that dd wasn't getting enough etc. I was really worried and then a week or so later I got my first post baby period and after that was finished dd dettled back down. I have heard that the hormone change can affect the taste of the milk (although how anyone would know is beyond me!). So maybe its this or maybe your little one is just too busy looking around. Changing to formula won't help so just hang in there and keep going. As long as your baby is weeing then they are getting enough - so don't worry.
HTH

I know the others have said this - but there's always reassurance realizing just how many people have experienced the same thing. So ... my dd did exactly the same ... by that age she was regularly finished in 5 minutes I was terribly worried, but of course she was just becoming a very efficient feeder. She's still breastfeeding at 14 months and the length of feeds varies from 10 minutes each side first thing in the morning, to 5 minutes during the day and about 2-3 minutes in the evening.

So ... no need to switch to formula or to wean her. I too have food allergies (nuts, plus eczema, asthma) and largely for that reason I exclusively breastfed to 6 months and then was very careful what food I introduced. My dd didn't have cows milk until 12 months and now just gets a bit of that and goats milk in her food and all her other milk from me (with the help of the pump when I'm working!)

She's not rejecting the boob, she's just discovered that the world is really interesting and that the milk will wait for her. On the few occasions that my little thrasher had to have a bottle instead of a bf, my dh (husband) said that she thrashed and looked around almost as much as when I bf her. Does she still feed with the same sort of frequency as before (or less often)? Lots of wet nappies and pooey nappies? Growing? Contented in general? Developing as expected? If all these are OK, then she's OK and you're OK. The best thing I found to do was to try feeding in as boring and peaceful an environment as possible, and to try different positions.

well have now realised that i told you all that my husband is a fussy breastfeeder!!! what a plonker. she isn't gaining weight brilliantly - but not badly either - has dropped form 50th to 25th percentile - which is why i am quite stressed though the hv did say was nothing to worry about. thing that worries me most is that she seems to give up quickly and so is probably not getting enough creamy stuff!! thanks for all the helpful messages though - do feel a lot better. she made a grab for my friends lager the other day so maybe she is ready for the hard stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!

was the 50t centile her birth weight? That's not necessarily her destined weight. The weight you are born with is due to prenatal conditions, not your genetic potential. Provided she doesn't get underweight she's fine.

Length is more telling than weight.... if she is growing she is probably fine. Don't worry about the fat stuff in milk... she IS getting it !

50th was her birth weight - and she is quite long and thin - goodness knows how as both her parents are short fatties!!! thanks for reassurance.

cathncait - I know it's a month later but now it all makes sense - this happened to me and now I understand! Blumberg - hopw things are getting better now, I posted almost the same thread not long after you and my ddd is still a nosey little feeder but getting better

Ninja
Just saw your message - Glad I said something that made sense! I've never come accross anyone who had the same experience (thought I might have imagined it - but was sure at the time) so thanks for saying you had the same thing. By the way, it didn't happen with the next periods - only that first one - just so you don't have to worry next time.