Kid sucks at nursing suddenly

[mcktymck]

Hey there, I'm having some issues and am hoping you all might be able to offer some advice/tips. I have a 10 month old who up until the past couple weeks has been a great nurser. Lately though he's just so distracted and wanting to be on the move that he will only sit and nurse for literally a couple minutes (I'm talking 5 minutes at the most) before pulling off and trying to get out of my arms. I was beginning to get worried about my supply tanking so I decided yesterday to start pumping after every nursing session to 1) keep my supply, and 2) give him the pumped milk to get some extra nutrients into him. Well he's also refusing the bottle, so now I'm afraid there's no way he's getting as much milk as he should be and I'm not sure what to do. Have any of you had your babies do something like this? Any ideas on what I should do? TIA!

[billyhorrible]

This is really normal. The distraction and inability to focus long enough to nurse.

Have you tried the "usual" tricks like nursing in a quiet, dark room away from everyone?

Does he nurse better at night when he's sleepy?



Something else to keep in mind, as they get older they get to be really efficient nursers, so try not to focus too much on how long he's nursing.

[PinkFreud]

I used to sing old macdonald over and over to keep her attention. And that had mediocre success.
This too is but a phase that will pass.

[hurricanerek]

billyhorrible nailed it with her response. This is so common with this age. If you're really anxious about him taking in milk, you can offer him some pumped milk in a sippy. Continue offering the breast before solids and let him go at his own pace. He'll let you know when he's hungry.


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[Risscaboobs]

May 26, 2017 12:37:25 GMT -6 billyhorrible said:

This is really normal. The distraction and inability to focus long enough to nurse.

Have you tried the "usual" tricks like nursing in a quiet, dark room away from everyone?

Does he nurse better at night when he's sleepy?



Something else to keep in mind, as they get older they get to be really efficient nursers, so try not to focus too much on how long he's nursing.

All of this. My child doesn't nurse longer than a couple of minutes anymore, which started around 9 or 10 months, but I could hear her swallowing those two minutes, and I didn't feel particularly full after, so I just assumed she got really good at guzzling it down. 

Are you getting engorged or something if you don't pump?

[mcktymck]

Risscaboobs no, my breasts never feel engorged now recently which is part of the reason I was starting to worry. Plus I had pumped a couple nights ago just to see what happened since back when I pumped more frequently I would produce a decent amount quickly, but a couple nights ago I only got 1 oz total from both sides after he hadn't nursed in two hours My supply has jumped back up though after eating oatmeal and doing the pumping after he nurses. I know they say what you get out of the pump isn't indicative of what baby is able to get out, I just felt like he was showing signs he wasn't getting much out of me.

billyhorrible and others, thank you for the advice! I feel dumb, I keep nursing him down in the main area where a bunch of other things are usually going on at the same time. I finally tried taking him up to his room and rocking him while nursing and he stayed on for longer than he has in several weeks! Looks like I'll just need to do that each feeding from now on.

Thanks everyone! It's reassuring to hear that this is perfectly normal.