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#1
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago.
She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. |
#2
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
This sounds like a nursing strike to me, although it is a little early for even that. I suggest persisting with the nursing, especially at bed and nap time, and to limit the solids. Good luck, Larry isturby writes: : My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. : She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to : starting the food, and I was advised to begin the : cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid : nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just : before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier : when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start : formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of : milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I : serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could : only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick : fix".... : Does anyone have any suggestions? : Thanks. |
#3
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
"isturby" wrote in message
oups.com... My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Do you nurse prior to giving her solids? If not, make sure you do this. If she's not interested, try after she's had her meal - it may have made her thirsty. You're right that expressing and using bottles, while she's past the age for nipple confusion, is not likely to help. It will just consume a lot of your time and there's no guarantee that she'll take it. Rest assured that a six month old baby -will not- starve itself. As long as you're making it available, there isn't a problem. However, if she isn't drinking sufficient during the day, she will keep you up more at night. Keep in mind that breastmilk should still make up virtually all of her calorie requirements - it is much richer in calories and nutrients than any other food, and solids at this age are just experimentation. It's not impossible that she's experiencing a nursing strike, but she is on the young side for one - the most likely scenario is that it's just a developmental phase. There is more to see and do than ever, she's beginning to think about exploring her environment even if crawling is a long way off...simply put, there just isn't enough time in the day for everything she wants to do and discover, and rather than not being interested in you or breastfeeding, she's just interested in -everything- which makes her easily distracted. This is where those lessons you learnt early on to do with parental patience get reinforced ;-) Take her to bed with you, pull a blanket over the side of her face so that her vision is blinkered - and yes, she will attempt to play with that too - and just enjoy plenty of snuggle time and skin-to-skin contact away from noise and distractions. It's impossible to create a 'distraction-free' environment - I remember my daughter was even distracted by the pinex ceiling tiles at one point - but you can reduce the stimulants with low or no lighting etc. And it will pass - pretty soon chances are she'll be experiencing separation anxiety, and will turn to nursing for comfort. Good luck - oh, and welcome to MKB, I hope you keep posting here :-) -- Amy Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02, & Ana born screaming 30/06/04 http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/ http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/ My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/ |
#4
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
What Amy said.
-- Anita -- Mum of Two wrote: "isturby" wrote in message oups.com... My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Do you nurse prior to giving her solids? If not, make sure you do this. If she's not interested, try after she's had her meal - it may have made her thirsty. You're right that expressing and using bottles, while she's past the age for nipple confusion, is not likely to help. It will just consume a lot of your time and there's no guarantee that she'll take it. Rest assured that a six month old baby -will not- starve itself. As long as you're making it available, there isn't a problem. However, if she isn't drinking sufficient during the day, she will keep you up more at night. Keep in mind that breastmilk should still make up virtually all of her calorie requirements - it is much richer in calories and nutrients than any other food, and solids at this age are just experimentation. It's not impossible that she's experiencing a nursing strike, but she is on the young side for one - the most likely scenario is that it's just a developmental phase. There is more to see and do than ever, she's beginning to think about exploring her environment even if crawling is a long way off...simply put, there just isn't enough time in the day for everything she wants to do and discover, and rather than not being interested in you or breastfeeding, she's just interested in -everything- which makes her easily distracted. This is where those lessons you learnt early on to do with parental patience get reinforced ;-) Take her to bed with you, pull a blanket over the side of her face so that her vision is blinkered - and yes, she will attempt to play with that too - and just enjoy plenty of snuggle time and skin-to-skin contact away from noise and distractions. It's impossible to create a 'distraction-free' environment - I remember my daughter was even distracted by the pinex ceiling tiles at one point - but you can reduce the stimulants with low or no lighting etc. And it will pass - pretty soon chances are she'll be experiencing separation anxiety, and will turn to nursing for comfort. Good luck - oh, and welcome to MKB, I hope you keep posting here :-) |
#5
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
isturby wrote: My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. My 5 month old dd is like this. Incredibly happy to see me, cries if I go away, but if I try and nurse her, which I know she wants, she'll nurse for 2 seconds, then pop off and look around. Really maddening! And she nurses for much shorter sessions, and doesn't seem all that interested in actually eating. But like they said, she won't starve herself. I don't think at this age, they're actually thinking of food as something fulfilling, it's just a fascinating new activity. Nursing will still be her main food source. Keep up the patience and good work! Stasya |
#6
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
Does anyone have any suggestions?
do nothing, don't give her expressed milk in any shape or form, nor formula, continue to feed solids at the same frequency and in a few days she will almost certainly be back at the breast, she may be teething, or have a mild ear infection and be finding breastfeeding uncomfortable, but if you give her an alternative she may decide she prefers that and you'll be stuck. Anne |
#7
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
"isturby" wrote in message oups.com... My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. I'll give you my standard answer for this, have her checked for an ear infection. Often the only sign of an ear infection in a baby is refusal to nurse. |
#8
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
New York Jen wrote: "isturby" wrote in message oups.com... My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. Thank you all so much for your advice! I am also thinking that this is a "phase" and hope that it will pass soon! Frankly, I'm not ready to give up nursing... Anyhow, today I tried to let her go a good 4 hours after a feed (ie. breakfast) and she nursed for about 3 minutes....youpee! I tried again after lunch, thinking that I was on to something....nah. In any case, she nursed well before going to bed tonight. We'll see what tomorrow, and much patience, does. Thanks again for all the advice. Is. I'll give you my standard answer for this, have her checked for an ear infection. Often the only sign of an ear infection in a baby is refusal to nurse. |
#9
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
My 5 1/2 month old is doing the same thing now too. I had him checked
out at the Ped Dr today. No ear infection, a bit of a sore throat, no strep. Hopefully, this is the reason for the strike with my son. Otherwise, I'm exhausted and fustrated. Hang in there... - maureen isturby wrote: My daughter is 6 months old and started solid food a few weeks ago. She had been starting to show a lack of interest in nursing prior to starting the food, and I was advised to begin the cereal/veggies....Anyhow, she currently does anything possible to avoid nursing during the day. The only time that I am successful is just before bedtime and during the night (once). She only uses a pacifier when it is time to nap/sleep or in the car. I would rather not start formula, however I don't think that I can pump a sufficient supply of milk for her for the day. This brings me to my next topic....how do I serve expressed milk? Do I use a bottle? I've heard that this could only increase her dislike for nursing since she can get a "quick fix".... Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. |
#10
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6 month old refuses to nurse??
"New York Jen" wrote in message
... I'll give you my standard answer for this, have her checked for an ear infection. Often the only sign of an ear infection in a baby is refusal to nurse. Oh, good point...I forgot that one! -- Amy Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02, & Ana born screaming 30/06/04 http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/ http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/ My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/ |
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