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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Jan 30, 2018 16:42:03 GMT -6
She's been EBF since birth and didn't get a bottle until 6 weeks, and then it was only a few times a week when I had to leave her for more than an hour or two. I went back to work three weeks ago and for a while she was fine with getting bottles while I was at work and nursing when I was home. Then recently she just flat out started rejecting my boobs. I can tell she's hungry but she screams and arches her back when I try to feed her. I try several times to get her to latch but she won't even go near a boob, so eventually I give up and give her a bottle.
For a while there I was getting her to nurse with a nipple shield (why I have no idea, we haven't used but it handful of times since we gave stopped using it at 3 weeks old) but today even that doesn't work. Keep in mind in the MOTN she doesn't have a problem nursing. She's not particularly sleepy or calm when she wakes up to eat either, she's usually mad as hell that it's taking me so long to pick her up, unswaddle her and get a boob out. But other than that, she won't nurse at all.
I will be heartbroken if I have to wean her. We've had a great BFing relationship so far with no real issues and it has been a source of happiness for me and a way for us to bond. I'm in tears thinking it might be over.
Any ideas for what I can do or try? Someone suggested paced bottlefeeding and the nanny does try to stop her every 1/2 ounce or so and make her wait a bit for it but I think she gives in to her crying and gives the bottle back more often than not.
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Post by gimmesugar on Jan 30, 2018 18:02:35 GMT -6
I’m sorry! Paced feeding is so important. Do the bottles have a lowest flow nipple?
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Jan 30, 2018 18:42:54 GMT -6
gimmesugar, level 1 which is the lowest I could find. Someone suggested a preemie nipple, will hunt on amazon for some!
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Post by gimmesugar on Jan 30, 2018 21:59:08 GMT -6
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lily
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be a New Orleanian wherever you are
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Post by lily on Jan 30, 2018 22:19:33 GMT -6
Lots of skin to skin without pressure to nurse is always my saving grace in a nursing strike. mamaandbabylove.com/make-your-boobs-a-happy-place/Nursing in a warm bath. Nursing in a baby carrier, bonus for skin to skin here too. Take a nursing vacation if you can- a day, even a half day, you and baby in bed, again skin to skin is great. Again, lots of opportunity to nurse without pressure. You can try alternative feeding methods to the bottle if you’d like- open cup, syringe feeding. Something to take the edge of hunger off but baby isn’t as familiar as the bottle, if you think offering a little bottle & finishing at the breast won’t go smoothly (that is an option for transitioning back to breast) Battling the bottle flow preference is another hurdle- it may take explaining to the nanny that she has a role in protecting your nursing relationship, if you think that will help encourage the paced feeding.  |
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Jan 31, 2018 8:00:00 GMT -6
Thanks ladies! I'll try some of these tricks. I also found out nanny is feeding her while she watches TV sometimes.  So that needs to stop. We're going to the pediatrician today so I can make sure she doesn't have thrush or an ear infection or something physical that is making it hurt to eat. We're going to try and meet with one of the lactation consultants while we're there. I'm also going to delay her 4 month shots for a week or so, so we're not dealing with 2 problems at the same time! |
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Jan 31, 2018 18:14:09 GMT -6
Well I’m happy to report a little bit of progress, despite the LC today who was next to useless and just told me if I wait long enough she’ll just get hungry enough to nurse. Ummm no.
She is still rejecting during the day but in the evenings I strip her down and we do skin to skin and she eats that way. Maybe she remembers doing that when she was little. Or it’s comforting somehow. We are going to keep at it and see if we can make more headway. I am not ready to give up!
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lily
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be a New Orleanian wherever you are
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Post by lily on Jan 31, 2018 19:50:57 GMT -6
bootsorhearts1 nursing strikes are soooo disheartening. Sorry the LC kinda blew it off. DS and I dealt with a few rough strikes his first year, and afterward I always said I had to be more stubborn than he is. Hope this passes soon!
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addymac
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Post by addymac on Feb 3, 2018 22:07:02 GMT -6
So N rejected my boobs during the day for abound 2-3week period around 4mo. Nothing had changed- he just would NOT boob feed during the day but would bf at night. I had to bottle feed him during that day and it was really exhausting and sad. Then, one day, he just switched back to boobs during the day. 🤷🏻♀️ So hopefully your LO will release her strike on no daytime boobs soon. I never figured out what or why he didn’t want daytime boobs. I think it was around one of his leaps but idk. I was just happy he decided he could boob feed during the day again. So fx same thing happens for you!
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Feb 4, 2018 12:20:32 GMT -6
Update: I met with the LC yesterday and she suggested a different bottle/nipple type that would be slower flow and to cut out all dairy and soy from my diet. She thinks the dietary changes will help with the fussiness and not wanting to nurse but honestly I don't think I can make that drastic a change in my diet, not with 2 kids and a full time job which means almost no time for cooking!
We are going to get an appointment with the pediatrician and see if she will let us try a hypoallergenic formula with no dairy or soy. If that's the issue, hopefully it will help her at least with the fussiness in general. I will probably keep pumping for a week or so just to keep up my supply as a backup plan.
We haven't made more progress with feeding in fact it's gone backwards. She'll only nurse in the MOTN now.
I'm sad that our nursing relationship may be over but happy that she got 4 months of breastmilk!
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Post by thechickencoop on Feb 4, 2018 12:54:49 GMT -6
Update: I met with the LC yesterday and she suggested a different bottle/nipple type that would be slower flow and to cut out all dairy and soy from my diet. She thinks the dietary changes will help with the fussiness and not wanting to nurse but honestly I don't think I can make that drastic a change in my diet, not with 2 kids and a full time job which means almost no time for cooking! We are going to get an appointment with the pediatrician and see if she will let us try a hypoallergenic formula with no dairy or soy. If that's the issue, hopefully it will help her at least with the fussiness in general. I will probably keep pumping for a week or so just to keep up my supply as a backup plan. We haven't made more progress with feeding in fact it's gone backwards. She'll only nurse in the MOTN now. I'm sad that our nursing relationship may be over but happy that she got 4 months of breastmilk! I'm sorry that you may have to wean before you're ready. Is your LO getting formula during the day? Or is it pumped bm? Is she fussy other times? I have cut dairy (but not soy) and there was a SIGNIFICANT change for the better with DS's gas, fussiness, poop, etc etc. Dairy isn't as hard as you think and not all babies with a dairy sensitivity are sensitive to soy. I would just find it weird that she all of a sudden is now dairy sensitive....? And how is she MOTN? Fussy then too? Or just too huungry to care? |
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Feb 4, 2018 13:46:45 GMT -6
thechickencoop she gets pumped milk during the day and she is pretty fussy all the time, at least the last few weeks. I guess they can develop a sensitivity? I thought I could just cut dairy too so here I was buying soy yogurt and such but then the LC said don’t do that, it could make things worse so stay away from soy also. I would just feel horrible if it was something I was doing that was making her feel bad so I thought if I get her on the formula right away, maybe I could pump and dump for 4-6 weeks (that’s how long she said it takes to get out of my system) and then maybe try again. Or if she’s ok on the formula then maybe I’ll just wean for good. In the MOTN she’s pretty easy. She wakes up, she nurses, she goes back to sleep. I guess she’s too tired to care! ETA: how long after cutting dairy did you see a difference?
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Post by thechickencoop on Feb 4, 2018 13:54:15 GMT -6
bootsorhearts1, when DS was about 2 months (i think? Lol) we had it with the gas. And he was stinking us out of house and home. We were supplementing each evening, one bottle maybe 3 to 4 ounces of formula. We switched that to the hypoallergenic one (nutramagin) and I cut dairy the same week. Within 24 hours of swapping formula, his stench improved (lol) and within maybe two weeks his gas pains/straining/BMs improved. I don't eat a lot of frank soy to begin with but soy.is.in.everything. Bread, condiments, etc etc. So much stuff you wouldn't expect it. But the dairy itself seemed to help. Last weekend I caved and had a slice of pizza and we had 2 days of hell after that. I can't wait for him to grow out of it! I wouldn't pump and dump though! Because most of the time they do grow out of milk/soy sensitivities so you can freeze and use your stash then!
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So that needs to stop. We're going to the pediatrician today so I can make sure she doesn't have thrush or an ear infection or something physical that is making it hurt to eat. We're going to try and meet with one of the lactation consultants while we're there. I'm also going to delay her 4 month shots for a week or so, so we're not dealing with 2 problems at the same time! 
